Need Advice on setting up 150 Gallon Reef

[musicalocean]

Hi
I am new to the ARC & was hoping someone might be able to do maybe a checklist of sorts. I have a 150 gal & it has never been set up for salt water but I would love to be able to do so. I really don't know where to begin or what I should buy first. Should I start out w some live rock for a few months & then ad the fish? It definitely dont have a overflow tank so Im not sure what all I need to buy. If anybody has a free min to talk to me I would really appreciate the advise. My number is 678-363-5934 & I live in the Dallas area about 45 min NW of Atl. Thanks so much & merry Christmas to yall
Jody</em>

 

[drnecropolis]

Word.. Just seen this.. I will give ya a ring in the morning.. What area of dallas are ya in?

 

[musicalocean]

DrNecropolis;435394 wrote: Word.. Just seen this.. I will give ya a ring in the morning.. What area of dallas are ya in?

I'm in the New Ga area near the publix & route 61 restraunt off of 61 & Nebo rd Thanks & I look forward to talking to ya

 

[johnr2604]

You are right around the corner from me :up:. I'm off Hiram sudie near 61. Let me know if you have any questions or need help

 

[musicalocean]

blu_devl_06;435396 wrote: HAHAHA!!!:lol2:

Welcome to the club Jody, you already have my number, feel free to call. Start with getting that thing up here and get some measurements, we can go from there....you will get lots of help from us out here!!

+1 to the west side!!!

Thanks so much yall are so sweet! Maybe this wont be such a search for a needle in the haystack with friends to answer my silly questions
I'm really glad you directed me to this club blu! Nice folks:fish:

 

[johnr2604]

So tell us a little about your tank. What dimensions is it? What equipment do you have for it?

 

[cr500_af]

You are about 5 miles from me. Any time you need help just PM me. I would be glad to give you a hand. The more people who owe me favors the better with the 240 build coming up... just kidding of course.

Welcome aboard!

 

[musicalocean]

It's basic! Not drilled for sure. I'm going to need everything & from what I have found out it's going to be very expensive to get started so it might take me awhile. My dad gave it to me & is bringing it to me day after tomorrow. I know for sure it's a 150 gallon & it has a beautiful cabinet but for the rest looks like I'm going to have to start from scrach

 

[musicalocean]

Oh, I meant to ad. My floor is going to be a issue too. Got to get under the house to see if it will hold the weight & if not that's got to be fixed 1st.

 

[johnr2604]

musicalocean;435413 wrote: It's basic! Not drilled for sure. I'm going to need everything & from what I have found out it's going to be very expensive to get started so it might take me awhile. My dad gave it to me & is bringing it to me day after tomorrow. I know for sure it's a 150 gallon & it has a beautiful cabinet but for the rest looks like I'm going to have to start from scrach

Just keep your eye out for used stuff. Do your research and take your time. Patience is the key to this hobby.

 

[cr500_af]

I wouldn't say it will be VERY expensive, but you do need to keep in mind the old saying "buy cheap, buy twice".

I'd consider getting the tank drilled now since it's a huge ordeal to try to do later. Drilled overflows are far more reliable than hang-on boxes. You will need to also watch for a deal on a decent skimmer (not too hard to find here), rather than buying a poor one. Any of us can give you help on what to avoid vs what to look for. I'd also recommend making a decision now about what, if any, corals you plan to keep because that will affect your lighting choices significantly.

 

[drnecropolis]

musicalocean;435414 wrote: Oh, I meant to ad. My floor is going to be a issue too. Got to get under the house to see if it will hold the weight & if not that's got to be fixed 1st.

Unless its an old house I wouldn't sweat it.. Would be good to know which way the floor joists run though.. That way you will know if its spreading the weight across a few or one.. Your 5 minutes from Barry and he is only 5 minutes for me..
More than welcome to stop by whenever and can go over some ideas and equipment lists and whatnot..

 

[musicalocean]

Well, the problem is it's a new house but it's a umm palm harbor manufactured home aka trailer so even though it looks like a pretty sturdy house I am so unsure about the strength of the floor. Didn't even think about that until my dad mentioned the weight of the water & I talked to Andy about it. I wouldt want you guys to have to crawl under there hehe! I will see if I can cook my husband a really good dinner & talk him into bracing it for me. I definitely would love to have you guys help me when I round everything up to get the aquarium up & going! God knows I'm no plummer & definitely need someone to show me one time how to do the maintenance on everything. I'm glad we live so close to each other. Thats GREAT!!!

 

[drnecropolis]

Hmmm that might require some bracing.. A couple block columns might do they trick but I'll pass that off to a more skilled builder (john or barry). We are about to get under way getting my new 210 put into the wall.. So looks like Barry,You and myself will be doing our builds around the same time..

 

[musicalocean]

Aww, is that a 210 gal you are putting up? I bet it's going to be gorgeous!

 

[drnecropolis]

I hope so.. Aiming for it to be in the wall and water in it by the end of Jan.

 

[musicalocean]

I would love to watch how you guys put everything together! Call me when you go to do anything I might have to do in the future with mine so I can learn. I am better at watching more-so than learning from a book. If I can see it done I can do it!

 

[musicalocean]

I could only imagine how pretty that will turn out for ya! Better than any TV I bet you have done this for a long time.

 

[drnecropolis]

LoL more than welcome to stop by and scrape overflows!!
I'm hoping to get in there and remove some silly cone from the closed loop holes and get some simple plumbing done next week sometime and start getting all the fittings for a dry fit, test a pump and build a table top stand for the tank to sit on..

 

[drnecropolis]

musicalocean;435429 wrote: I could only imagine how pretty that will turn out for ya! Better than any TV I bet you have done this for a long time.

Hahaha you haven't seen my TV!
I've been at it for awhile.. Really started getting more advanced and figuring out the best way to get things done since joining here a few years back..