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MTWiley

Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
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Location
SoCal
Hi there, I'm going to be setting up my first reef tank in the near future. In the past I've kept several freshwater tanks with great success (and a few failures, but who hasn't) and currently have 3 smaller tanks up and running.

I found a steal of a deal on a big tank (150+50 gallon sump) from craigslist and I want to give reefing a serious shot.

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I'll be cleaning it up, refinishing the stand, and reading quite a bit over the next few days/weeks/months and deciding on what else I need to do/buy for my tank. If you've got any tips aside from the suggested reading material I'd greatly appreciate them, especially those little things that you wished someone would have told you in the beginning.
 
Hey, A BIG WELCOME ABOARD TO YOU. Looks like its going to be a great start in reefkeeping for you and will find lots of helpful advice here from many experienced members.

Cheers, Todd
 
Welcome to the site and the hobby. Make sure you are happy with the tank's location before you put water in it. They can be messy, and weigh a lot.
Once set up, best to not move it later...
 
welcome to the site as stated above lots of help on this site. depending on where your located at if you need any help there are people on here willing to come out and help you set up including myself. patience is key in this hobby
 
Welcome to the site and the hobby. Make sure you are happy with the tank's location before you put water in it. They can be messy, and weigh a lot.
Once set up, best to not move it later...

Definitely learned that one the hard way with my last 36 gallon tank that I had to move when we moved to our new place.
 
welcome to the site as stated above lots of help on this site. depending on where your located at if you need any help there are people on here willing to come out and help you set up including myself. patience is key in this hobby

I'm in Southern California, more specifically Torrance, do you know of any good local resources?
 
Welcome!!
As to advice... Be very sure about what you buy. There are some things in this hobby that people tend to buy twice because they bought a "good deal" the first time.
Lights and skimmers come to mind.
If you plan to keep coral, you will need power, LOTS of power. Make sure that you have enough service to the tanks new location. It is hard to run wires after the tank is in, and you will have too many extension cords as it is.
Saltwater on the floor sucks, make sure you have the plumbing done right! Take the time to do the planning, it will pay off.
Figure out how you will do water changes ahead of time, it may well affect where you put the tank, or how you plumb it.
Take your time on the build, it can be one of the best parts of the hobby...
 
Welcome. You are starting pretty big there, so make sure you pay attention and do LOTS of research before filling it, and each time you are going to add something new. When you get closer to the fill date, you might want to list the equipment you plan on using so you can get more advise about potential issues.
 
Welcome!! :welcome:. If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask. We love to take the time and answer questions here rather than pointing you in this or that direction and say, "Now Read!!" LOL!!:p. Reading and researching will help alot though so it is always good advice, but with that said, this is what forums are all about...To discuss the hobby so ask away. Keep in mind that there is more than one way to go about things in this hobby and be successful which is always good to know beforehand. So weigh out your options and take the best route that suits you best. You are starting out with a really nice sized setup!! The water volume alone will be very beneficial to you as it will help your systems stability. The more water you have, the more stability you will have. Good luck!! :)
 
Welcome.

The first thing I would do is get the tank drilled and install an internal overflow.

As said above, take your time, go slowly, and always research everything you buy, before you make the purchase rather than after the fact :)
 
Hmmm, Torrance, I am going to say that you may need to invest in an RO/DI system. I used to live in Paramount and well the water quality is not reef friendly.
 

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