deathtrooper02
Active member
i want to start a reef tank ive done resurch but i cant find any one who can help me with suplise i need to start. so if any one can help me i would geatly apparchet it
i want to start a reef tank
- Thread starter deathtrooper02
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deathtrooper02
Active member
i cant find a good place to buy them all the pet stores around here have no clue on what i need
deathtrooper02
Active member
one that i cant mess up
deathtrooper02
Active member
i know i want a 100 gallon or bigger if i can aford it
menace78
Well-known member
+1
If we know what slice of the sea you'r looking to take, there are many people on this board that can help you threw the process of doing it right the 1st time
And I would sugest craigslist or these forums in the for sale area to get a nice setup at a resonable price.
A good and informative saltwater specialised store like barrior reef aquariums witch is in renton/newcastle area would also be a grait place to start.
They can also answer all the questions you might have about setting up you'r 1st tank.
Good luck with the setup and welcome to the obsession!
Red C Aquarium
Well-known member
We are kinda close to you , stop on bye .
we are next to I-5 in shoreline.
ARSA
we are next to I-5 in shoreline.
ARSA
deathtrooper02
Active member
i just want some fish and corals
Last edited:
IPisces
Well-known member
One of the things I didn't think about when I bought my tank off of craigs list is the process of getting the water out of the tank to the sump. I bought a regular tank and had to put a hang on overflow on it. Try to find a tank with a built in overflow and a stand that will house a sump. I had to modify my stand to get a 20 gal tank into it for my sump.
Saltyfish
Banned
Look in these forums
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10
Lots of great equipment that fellow reefers are selling.
Save you a ton of cash and you get pretty good equipment 99% of the time
BTW the tank you are looking for is Reef Ready this is the tank that has the built in over flow.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10
Lots of great equipment that fellow reefers are selling.
Save you a ton of cash and you get pretty good equipment 99% of the time
BTW the tank you are looking for is Reef Ready this is the tank that has the built in over flow.
Electrokate
Well-known member
You are getting asked what kind of livestock you want because some kinds of invertebrates and fish need more planning than others. Like anemones... they wander so you need to screen off any pumps or overflows that they could get torn up by. SPS coral seem to require higher flow, LPS could get blasted to death by it. A lot of soft corals will grow in less light. Certain fish need soft sand or coarse rubble at a certain depth to tunnel in. Some will knock over and throw rocks. Some must have a cave to retreat to.
Plumbing parts add up fast so if you are going used and spot a deal on a drilled tank with overflow and closed loop snap it up. Even if it's 150 bucks higher. Trust me I just spent 100 and am only halfway there on plumbing my used tank, and I have to do the drilling myself. Should have spent more money...
You might want to take a trip to Red Sea and the other stores around seattle. Check out their coral and write down the names so you can make a list of your favorites. Maybe a top picks vs 2nd choice list in case they are not compatible. Check out what lighting they are using, do you like it? Is it needed for the coral on your A list?
Do the same with fish-make a must have list and a 2nd choice list, then research what they need, if they get along, will they eat your coral, eachother, snails, and/or shrimp.
Do your own research on the compatibiity using books and websites that are not selling anything. Keep in mind shop workers cannot be expected to know everything in the store, it's name, reproductive process, max size, eating habits, temper, behavior, compatibility etc etc. Most PhD biologists could not give that info accurately on all the stock in an average fish store. And some individual animals are jerks. And employees. So take it on yourself, read a lot and save yourself some unpleasant and often costly surprises.
Don't believe the descriptions of animals on the big e-tailer sites, especially avoiding the critters labeled "expert care" or "no guarantee". What that usually means is nobody yet has figured it out. Not the pros at the public aquariums, not legions of optimistic amateurs who "just wanna try it". Some coral and fish don't make it period. You want to know which ones they are so you don't waste them and feel dumb too.
Good books I have enjoyed: Conscientious Marine Aquarist, Borneman's Aquarium Corals, Sprung has a pair of books on coral and inverts with pronunciations, Calfo's book on Coral Propagation (you know you will), Wilkerson has one on clownfish with good info on systems and feeding, and there is a Scott Michael series that is like an encyclopedia of fish. Not all of Michael's books are out yet. Your public library should have these so you don't have to drop 300 bucks on books There are others too. I know some people don't like to read but at least check out the photos, and if something catches your eye just read about that. I think there are a ton of old books at the library too, watch the publication date. The technology of reef tanks changes yearly. There was a reason that people in the 70's had trouble keeping coral. Don't do what they did
Last but not least there are a lot of different ways to run a reef tank, successfully. Key is to not cherry pick the easiest bits of each method-skipping one step often means adding another. IE if you don't want a calcium reactor you have to add calcium. Decreasing the filtration means increasing the water changes. Not using actinics might mean using one very blue bulb IE Radium 20K. Not having auto topoff means toting jugs of water to the tank often daily. No chiller? AC and/or fan. There is always a tradeoff. Personally I don't mind the work so I add calcium, buffer, topoff. Some people want everything automated, computerized and probed.
But first you need to figure out which critters catch your eye and go from there.
Good luck, and have fun!
Kate
Plumbing parts add up fast so if you are going used and spot a deal on a drilled tank with overflow and closed loop snap it up. Even if it's 150 bucks higher. Trust me
I just spent 100 and am only halfway there on plumbing my used tank, and I have to do the drilling myself. Should have spent more money...You might want to take a trip to Red Sea and the other stores around seattle. Check out their coral and write down the names so you can make a list of your favorites. Maybe a top picks vs 2nd choice list in case they are not compatible. Check out what lighting they are using, do you like it? Is it needed for the coral on your A list?
Do the same with fish-make a must have list and a 2nd choice list, then research what they need, if they get along, will they eat your coral, eachother, snails, and/or shrimp.
Do your own research on the compatibiity using books and websites that are not selling anything. Keep in mind shop workers cannot be expected to know everything in the store, it's name, reproductive process, max size, eating habits, temper, behavior, compatibility etc etc. Most PhD biologists could not give that info accurately on all the stock in an average fish store. And some individual animals are jerks. And employees.
So take it on yourself, read a lot and save yourself some unpleasant and often costly surprises. Don't believe the descriptions of animals on the big e-tailer sites, especially avoiding the critters labeled "expert care" or "no guarantee". What that usually means is nobody yet has figured it out. Not the pros at the public aquariums, not legions of optimistic amateurs who "just wanna try it". Some coral and fish don't make it period. You want to know which ones they are so you don't waste them and feel dumb too.
Good books I have enjoyed: Conscientious Marine Aquarist, Borneman's Aquarium Corals, Sprung has a pair of books on coral and inverts with pronunciations, Calfo's book on Coral Propagation (you know you will), Wilkerson has one on clownfish with good info on systems and feeding, and there is a Scott Michael series that is like an encyclopedia of fish. Not all of Michael's books are out yet. Your public library should have these so you don't have to drop 300 bucks on books
There are others too. I know some people don't like to read but at least check out the photos, and if something catches your eye just read about that. I think there are a ton of old books at the library too, watch the publication date. The technology of reef tanks changes yearly. There was a reason that people in the 70's had trouble keeping coral. Don't do what they did Last but not least there are a lot of different ways to run a reef tank, successfully. Key is to not cherry pick the easiest bits of each method-skipping one step often means adding another. IE if you don't want a calcium reactor you have to add calcium. Decreasing the filtration means increasing the water changes. Not using actinics might mean using one very blue bulb IE Radium 20K. Not having auto topoff means toting jugs of water to the tank often daily. No chiller? AC and/or fan. There is always a tradeoff. Personally I don't mind the work so I add calcium, buffer, topoff. Some people want everything automated, computerized and probed.
But first you need to figure out which critters catch your eye and go from there.
Good luck, and have fun!
Kate
vwmoneypit
one larg lps
wow allot said there..U will love having a Reef tank..dont get overwhelmed either, take your time dont rush it..U are on the best site to learn with pleanty of good help and advise here.If u cant find it here.u dont need to have a tank...And remember.What kind of time do u have to maintain it when up and running,How often are u gone for long periods,And last but not leaste.Money money money.DId I mention MONEY.ANd buy used good equipment,There is allway a guy looking to hand off good mid grade equipment.And welcome to reeffrontiers...Glad to have u!
IPisces
Well-known member
Check out some of the pictures of other members tanks on the members showcase forum. You can get a lot of ideas there. Also check out http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html for help with your sump.
I used what I learned from this site to build my own sump.
Dont let all the information scare you. Once you start piecing things together in your head and figuring out what direction you want to go, it is quite an enjoyable hobby. I think the work is all worth it.
