Introduction

Mkvc

Mkvc

Member
Supporting
Messages
17
Reaction score
21
Location
Cobb County
Hello! After years of keeping freshwater tanks, I decided it was time to take the plunge for saltwater. Soon I'll start building my dream 150g reef.

All of the setup is a bit intimidating, so I'd appreciate any tips or suggestions y'all might have!

I'm looking forward to participating in the Atlanta reef community.

Thanks,
Mary
 

Attachments

  • IMG-0297.jpg
    IMG-0297.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 41
Mary, Welcome to ARC and our reefing community. Looks like you're off to a great star with the equipment you have thus far. There are lots of folk here who stand willing and able to help bring your reef to life. Don't be bashful. there's no such thing as a "silly question" on our forum. Oh yeah...and we like pictures! So document your progress with a build thread. Again, WELCOME! Thank you for being a supporting member!
 
Awesome! And welcome!

much of your experience with fresh water will translate to salt water. As for tips, go slowly to allow the nitrifying bacteria to build, and use that time to research anything and everything you’re interested in.

Filtration in reef tanks is primarily through these bacteria that exist primarily in our rockwork and sand. This will be composed of aragonite, which is a form of calcium carbonate. You have to be a little more careful with what you put in the tank then you would with freshwater, and you can’t use just any old rock. Aragonite is not only porous, but also helps to buffer the pH. The next piece of equipment on that topic would be a protein skimmer. Once again, a lot of this overlaps.

finally, to prevent this post from going overboard, I highly recommend getting a refractometer (don’t waste your time with cheap hydrometers) to measure salinity.

In the beginning, you really don’t need to worry about dosing calcium, alkalinity, or many other things. That time will most likely come in a year or so.
 
Welcome to ARC. As others have already said, looks like your off to a great start. Looking forward to watching the build!
 
This may be a silly question, but I'm a little curious how people get enough saltwater for large tanks. With the sump/overflow/display I'm looking at almost 200g. Do I need to buy a ton 5 gallon jugs and run back and forth to my LFS? Would an RO/DI system fix super metallic tap water?

Also, do I need filter media for my sump once it's running? I know I'm using one chamber for a refugium and another for a protein skimmer but it's not clear to me what the socks are for...
 
Especially with large systems, most invest in RO/DI systems. Often with separate dedicated fresh/DI & salt/mixing tanks.

To start up a system, you may end up using one or more plastic trash cans. The Brute line is very popular among refers.

You can mix several batches over one or more days if needed. It won’t harm the saltwater you’ve mixed up. Just put a pump or power head in the container to keep it circulating.
 
Having your own RO/DI setup is best so you don't have to run to the LFS all the time as regular water changes are recommended for a cleaner well maintained/healthy system.
I'm very new as well but I think the correct answers are, the socks pull out large debris before it hits the skimmer.
 
Mkvc said:
This may be a silly question, but I'm a little curious how people get enough saltwater for large tanks. With the sump/overflow/display I'm looking at almost 200g. Do I need to buy a ton 5 gallon jugs and run back and forth to my LFS? Would an RO/DI system fix super metallic tap water?

Also, do I need filter media for my sump once it's running? I know I'm using one chamber for a refugium and another for a protein skimmer but it's not clear to me what the socks are for...
Click to expand...
A good RODI system should take care of anything in your water from the tap. Also I would suggest in getting a RODI for your home bc it is a while lot easier and more cost effective in the long run.

So the way that I filled my 90gal is I ran RO tubing straight from the RODI into my tank and let it fill it up including the sump. Once it was full I turned on my return and any wave makers I had on in the tank and dumped what I calculated to be enough salt for the amount of water. I undershot this bc you can always add more salt to bring the salinity up easier than taking water out and replacing it with freshwater.

The socks are just standard filter socks that help with filtration. Catches the big pieces of uneaten food or waste. When they get dirty enough you will know when it is time to change bc they "clog" up and it's harder for the water to move through them. Once this happens you have to take out the socks and replace them with clean socks. You should have a good number of extra on hand for when you have to switch them out. You can rinse them out in your sink and let them air dry outside in the sun. Or some people wait until they have a good number of dirty socks and run them through the washing machine but with out any detergent.
Some people don't even use filter socks. There are roller filters that fit in the sock holder...or people like myself have a media basket that we put filter pads or polyfil into them to act like the socks. When the pads get dirty enough we take it out and throw it away and replace with new filter media.
 
As for filtration is sumps, that’s mostly a preference type of thing. Some use refugium only, some have filter cups, others have socks and the newest thing is an automatic roller mat type of device. No one uses spun fiber filters much any more, but were once popular.
 
As for socks, there are 2 basic types.
-felt &
-mesh, usually nylon

The felt has a finer filtration capability, not always deaireable for those of us that value our pod herds.

The mesh is a little more open, so doesn’t clog up as fast. Also a little more pod friendly.
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I'll start looking into RO/DI systems!

I really appreciate the clarification about the socks, too. Mine are felt. I plan on having a pod colony eventually and I never would have thought about that...
 
I’ll offer a little unsolicited advice about this hobby..,
-plan your system & select products with reliability & convenience in mind, not cost.
-decide if you have the time & energy required for success, up front. If reefing was easy, everyone would do it.
-acquire & practice patience. It’s the most important thing you will put into a reef system.
-read...a lot! Then read more & ask questions.

Watch for who has beautiful healthy systems & learn from them.

The above will help drive you toward what is essential for success, ...stability and consistency. That means 24/7/365, even when you go on vacation. So, think about that.
 
BRS has a great library of videos and a complete set of5 min guides from start to finish.
www.bulkreefsupply.com

Saltwater aquarium setup - A simple, easy guide in 5-minute steps

If you are new to the hobby and looking for a clear and simplified path to setting up a new tank, you have found it. The 5 Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide is a collection of easy to understand videos, no more than 5 minutes long, that will help you build a successful saltwater aquarium.
www.bulkreefsupply.com www.bulkreefsupply.com
 
Hi Mary. Welcome to the ARC. Don’t be hesitated to ask us anything reef related
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MadMaxReefer
New Member
2
Replies
21
Views
812
MadMaxReefer
MadMaxReefer
L
Intro and questions
Replies
2
Views
221
ecoreefguy
ecoreefguy
PJs_Bucket_List
A vent about my own ignorance
Replies
11
Views
351
PJs_Bucket_List
PJs_Bucket_List
dreraglan
New Member
Replies
8
Views
604
90gDreams
9
RahsReef
Hello! Newbie into the reef scene.
Replies
14
Views
747
42Freeman
42Freeman
Back
Top