New to Salt

[Blonde]

Hey all, I'm new to salt and want to know where to get started. I'm looking to move from fresh to salt and want to know what shops etc to visit as well as who to get a tank from and have someone put it together for me. I'm not sure about wether to go glass or acrylic; so some feedback from the seasoned vets would be great...

Thanks

 

[jhampton_wsu]

I'll let the seasoned vets take this one but welcome to Reef Frontiers. This is a great place to start for good information. Also, check out The PSAS a small membership fee will get you about 10% off at most relevant local fish stores plus you'll have access to the PSAS community.

Jason

 

[Blonde]

Thanks Jason, what is PSAS? Do they have a website?

 

[vvizz4rcl]

http://www.thepsas.org/forum/index.php
Welcome

 

[Blonde]

Got it and thanks guys. I'll have a look and see what they have. Any discount would be great as I'm looking to drop a good chuck of change on what I've read so far..

 

[Red C Aquarium]

welcome to RF.
we are a great store to help you out, we love spillin out guts to new customers,and you can pick our brains all you need.:lol:

i think you'll really enjoy saltwater!

ARSA

 

[Red C Aquarium]

glass tank or a plastic tank

we would suggest a glass tank if your on a budget.
we have really great prices on glass tanks.

you would be shocked to see the price differences , plus most glass tanks are in stock and ready for pick up without a delivery charge.

 

[danno14]

I'm looking to drop a good chuck of change on what I've read so far..

Greetings and welcome. DO as much research as you possibly may prior to puchase. By that I would mean plan your system to the nth degree first, and don't be in a hurry to put any animals in. If you can get your system setup and let it cycle for 2 months before adding any animals, it will be a great benefit lont-term.

This is a great forum; that said, there are as many opinions as there are fish in the sea. Each believe theirs to be correct, or they would (and do) change the opinion

Please also consider the experience that your "mentor" may have.... it takes most people quite a while to figure it all out.

Barrier Reef in Renton, as well as the other reputable shops, will stand you in good stead when it comes to advice.
Best,
D

 

[Shane and John]

Follow the words of Danno..thats the best advise you will recieve...welcome to the world of salt and be verry careful...its addicting..


Shane and John...and now Jen tooo

 

[NC2WA]

Blonde,

Borrow or Buy the following book:

http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235789639&sr=1-1

This book appears to be version 2.0.

when I made the switch from fresh to saltwater, I read, research, ask questions for 6 months BEFORE I put one drop of water in a 29g tank I had.

IMO, understanding the chemistry and balance of saltwater and how to correct problems is key before you start. But I am an analytical thinker and try to be 1 or 2 moves ahead of everything.

depending on the size of the tank you get, a proper skimmer selection is critical. buy the most skimmer your budget can support, don't skimp on this piece of hardware..otherwise you will be spending every weekend at the LFS trying to correct your water chemistry, algae, etc...

also when added fish, please start slow.....I've seen too many people try saltwater, get a tank, put water in it, add way too many fish in, and then in 1-2 wks wonder why everything is dead..

patience is the key word for saltwater..time is your friend...

 

[Myteemouse]

NC2WA is correct, skimmer and live rock is the most important part of your system.

 

[ashton]

You can go to salt water city in bellevue, the staff there is very knowledgeable and they are more then willing to spend time with you in helping you set up your tank. There are also several other great stores that are in the area that are sponsors on the forum such as Barrier Reef and ARedSeaAquarium.

 

[Blonde]

tanks

Thanks for the welcome. I had already expected to drop quite a bit on the new tank as things go and wont be looking for price as much as function. Thanks and I'll have a trip over in the next week or so..

we would suggest a glass tank if your on a budget.
we have really great prices on glass tanks.

you would be shocked to see the price differences , plus most glass tanks are in stock and ready for pick up without a delivery charge.

 

[Blonde]

Thanks for all the advise thus far. I'll have a look at the 3 stores mentioned and see if anyone has something that is close to what I can imagine. I'll also look at the book that was referred to and see what others I can find...

Thanks again
B

 

[Bouzouki]

buy used equipment and tank! In fact buy everything used. Corals fish all you need is here in the for sale section. I like glass tanks and have had both. As far as substrate I am a fan of crushed coral that will help you stablize your ph. So really buy a used tank at least 50 gallons. Then buy your rock (this is the one that will hurt the bank). Start with a live rock tank and test your nitrate , ph , alk , phos, untill your stable then add some crabs (little ones from the ocean) to help cycle the tank. This will give you plenty of time to figure out if you want coral , anonomes , or fish.

Lots of people will give you lots of ideas just do what makes sense to you. I have bought many corals and fish but not like the deals you can get here or at QT aquariums.

Thanks for all the advise thus far. I'll have a look at the 3 stores mentioned and see if anyone has something that is close to what I can imagine. I'll also look at the book that was referred to and see what others I can find...

Thanks again
B

 

[Allenfamily]

I'm with Bouzouki, you can save a ton of money buying used. I would look for a used complete system and you can save at least half of retail. With that said you want to be sure of what you are looking at before you buy used.

 

[NC2WA]

blonde,

be careful with crushed coral as it can be a nitrate magnet..will need to have a good biological filtration system installed with a good skimmer..

as with bouzouki, look for a used skimmer..I have seen some good deals on good skimmer recently.

 

[Blonde]

Thanks for all the comments, but I'm not really a used kinda person. Just something nice in knowing it's brand new; but I will be looking for the best price I can get and I'm sure I'll be doing alot of shopping around..

 

[Blonde]

Well all, I've been to a couple of the stores and have decided to go acrylic. I just like the look better and it seems as if the tank can be plumbed a little nicer as well. Anyone have a preferred place to get tanks from? Can you go direct to tank builders for a better price? Any feedback would be great. Also how many builders do we have locally?

 

[G&NSalty425]

Clear Fabrications they are local and a sponsor on Reef Frontiers. I believe he is in the North Bend area so close to Redmond too.