Help me get started? :P

[pooty]

Crazy story of how I am getting into saltwater aquariums...

I was adopted, and my birth mom found me over facebook a few months ago, and as we've been talking, hanging out and getting to know each other more I found out about her obsession with saltwater tanks. Ive always been a fish gal, and fell in love with a couple plecos I had kept for years... But that was before I moved... I have never had a saltwater set up before, and no longer have my old tank and supplies.
I would love to have a beautiful aquarium again, as well as something to work on and talk about with my mom... But first things first, I need to get started

I would like to know a complete list of what all I would need to start up a decent (not overwhelming for a first timer) sized tank.
As well as where I can get all that I need.
Can I find it here?
How would I set it up?
Would someone be able to help me?
Whats a decent price range for a full set up?


Thanks so much for all your help!
Wish me luck! :]

 

[Red C Aquarium]

Welcome!

You should stop bye sometime ,open everyday but monday.

ARSA

 

[Red C Aquarium]

A full setup nano system can run you from $169-$299 on the lower end.

 

[pooty]

Welcome!

You should stop bye sometime ,open everyday but monday.

ARSA

Heck yeah :] I think I shall! :]
Where ya located?

 

[Myteemouse]

nano is a good beginer tank
ARSA is a good place for that and make sure you pick there brains for all info you can get ..
Welcome and have fun

 

[lvsuckerfish]

I agree a good shop to pick his brain he will point you in the right direction.

Welcome & Get ready to enjoy the addiction of this hobby. good times ahead thats for sure

 

[Red C Aquarium]

We are at 17716 15th ave ne ,seattle wa. 98155.

Thanks for the complement Mouse dude, I thought for a second you were going to say somebody else was the best.

ARSA

 

[1fishkeeper]

Welcome to the world of salt and fun.

 

[pooty]

you all are so nice and welcoming! thank you so much i cant wait to learn all there is to learn and start my first saltwater tank lol

 

[Matt@CFI]

you all are so nice and welcoming! thank you so much i cant wait to learn all there is to learn and start my first saltwater tank lol

Welcome! we all are here to help with your journey! ARSA is a great place to go and get setup!!! I hear he has a great supplier for custom acrylic tanks too

cheers!
Matt

 

[jgalvin]

i love my Solana AIO tank from Current USA. I've had it 2 months, looks very "classy" in my living room. I'm brand new to saltwater and so far its been much easier than i had thought it would be. maybe i shouldn't say that, i might jinx myself.

 

[CRASHFIREJOE]

Welcome to RF and to the saltwater addiction You should find the hobby very rewarding.

 

[pooty]

lol im so exited to get started i was looking through pictures of peoples stuff in the photography fourm and its all so beautiful! Its insane.
How long does it usually take to get an insane big ol' pretty colorfilled tank like the ones some of you have pictured?
Does anyone name the critters and such they have in their tank?

 

[pooty]

i love my Solana AIO tank from Current USA. I've had it 2 months, looks very "classy" in my living room. I'm brand new to saltwater and so far its been much easier than i had thought it would be. maybe i shouldn't say that, i might jinx myself.

Everyone's been telling me its so hard, and its going to be a pain to take care of.
But I think it will be worth it and I hope I have an easier experience like yours haha :]

 

[spllbnd2]

Welcome to RF Pooty.

Naming Critters, seems like I always am naming a few of the critters. Especially the clowns I keep as they can live an average of 25 yeasr!!! Wowza. As for time to get a full blown insane looking reef, I'd say it all depends on what corals you decide to keep as well as the size of the coral when you initally put it into the tank. It took my 20 high nano tank about a full year before it filled in nicely, but it is definatly worth the wait and to watch everything grow before your eyes is very exciting and cool.

Not to much of a pain to keep a nicely stocked reef. Just remember to take your time and learn/read as much as you can and there is never a such thing as a stupid question.

Good reading materials include:

The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner (2nd Edition)

As for expense, I don't know about a $200-$300 nano unless you're doing something realitively small. Both my first 20H nano cost around $800-$1000+/- and my latest 5 gallon nano cost around $300+/- As always there are a lot of factors that influence the overall cost.

And I'd second the ARSA in Shoreline. Very nice guy and very helpful too.

 

[pooty]

I visited ARSA today, and loved it! I thought being new to all of this that i would feel stupid about not knowing anything. But the man working there made me feel very comfortable and explained everything in amazing detail! :]
I ended up leaving with an awesome 15.5g nano that turns out to be even more perfect of a size then i thought it was going to be. Fits PERFECTLY just where I wanted it.
He gave me everything I needed, and explained why I needed it and how to use it.
I got everything except the live rocks, which I have previously picked out and will be picking up later this week. W00t <3

Im so happy!! And cant wait to get everything looking great in my new nano :]
Yay.

Thanks for your advice and welcomes everyone :]

 

[bigblue141]

Welcome to RF. Glad to hear you're getting your hands wet already

Keeping a reef isn't that difficult in my opinion. Just do lots of reading and research. One thing you will notice is there are contradicting ways to do everything and reasons to back up everybody's opinion. Key is to do what works for you.

Just go slow and everything will come along for you just fine.

Glad to hear that you found ARSA. Rob is a great guy and runs a bomb store. Word of Caution... You may find yourself frequenting his store very often

 

[spllbnd2]

Awesome, Can't wait to see some photos once the LR is in place. Keep us all posted and be sure to take lots and lots of photos. *lol*

Glad that you went to see Rob, very nice guy and very friendly too. You should be getting your frequent reefer card soon. *lol*

Cheers,
Alex

 

[minhmattmai]

I just started myself. It was a little overwhelming at first but patience is the key. I'd recommend spending time on this site to glean valuable knowledge as well as establishing relationships with other hobbyists and/or vendors. Things do come up and it's important to have a experience source that one could turn to for answers. Another thing is to have good water. It makes life easier in the long run.

 

[pooty]

Pictures will be up as soon as I can! :] I took some of the tank bare with just the black (live?)sand.. And imma take some more once the live rocks are in there. It will be like a photo journal as my cute little nano grows! :]
**thanks again Rob! ARSA is awesome and you were so helpful today! :]**

And yeah ive been looking around this site a lot and reading as much as I can. The nano reefs area for fourms has been helpful, seeing what other people have been doing with their nanos and such. My mom has also been giving me a lot of advice. She hasn't seen my new set up yet, but she is equally as exited as I. :]

Thanks again for all the advice and welcomes everyone :]