New Hobbiest Needs 101

New hobbyists 101

Here are a few things that a new hobbyist needs to take into account

Before setting up a tank think of these things

1) Where is the tank going to go

a) You will want a place that is out of sunlight this will cause algae and a
lot of headaches
b) you will want somewhere for it to be a show piece and you can show it
off easily
c) there is some noise associated with the tanks so you dont want it where
it will disturb daily life or sleeping
d) You will want to have easy access to the area so that tank cleaning
will be less intrusive

2) what do you want the tank to be

a) Fish only~ is just that Fish only
b) Fish only with Live rock
c) fish only aggressive
d) partial reef
e) full blown reef

3) You will need to set a budget of what you are going to spend for equipment and start up costs associated with a SW tank
here is a list of some of the things you will need..


a)Tank, stand, canopy ~ most stores will offer a discount if you get it as
a package. Get the biggest you can afford The bigger the tank the
easier it is to maintain proper levels ~ also think of wither or not you
want the tank reef ready be sure to check some manufactures say
that if dont use there stands then the warranty is void.


b)sand and substrate

1) Live sand is the best option to go with but a cheaper way is to buy
dry base sand and seed it with a few pounds of
Live sand the bacteria and organisms will migrate to the base sand

2) a cheaper alternative to sand usually and recommended by a lot of
LFS's but ts larger debris cause a lot of maintainence
issues and should be taken into account is Crushed Coral

C)Live rock ~ This is a very costly part of the tank it can be a very high
ticket price I suggest ordering it online it runs
a lot cheaper than buying at the LFS's. There are many different types
of rock from different regions with its own look. pick
the best that suits your needs and price range. the most popular is Fiji
because of price.

D)salt ~ there are many different brands of salt to choose from research
on this some are more suited for reefs and others more for
Fish only tank

E)Test Kits, Refractometer

a) test kits ~ get high quality test kits that are liquid based or powder
based Do not rely on test strip type test kits they
are very inaccurate

b) refractometer is the best way to go a more precise way of
measuring the salinity of the water. To high it causes problems
To low and it has an adverse effect on inverts.

F) Protein skimmer ~ there are so many different brands of protein
skimmer out there its not even funny IMO its a must have of
a tank to keep it running smoothly and the inhabitants happy

G) Heaters ~ I like to use a redundant type setup with at least 2 heaters
in set a degree or two off from the main heater so if the
main heater fails for some reason the backup will kick in.

H) pumps and power heads ~ with these you are looking for a turnover
rate of at least 10X the volume of the tank. you will want enough
power heads and pumps so that there are no dead zones in the tank it
will keep things from taking hold like cyno and other nasty
stuff that we dont want in our tanks

I) Lighting ~ here is where it gets tricky

A) types of lighting

1) NO normal lighting ~ these are just that normal shop light type lights in a specific spectrum

2) Power compact ~ these are Utube lights also known as compact flourescents These are great for small tanks but have their limits

3) VHO= Very High Output, These look like normal flourescent bulbs but need special ballasts to run,

4) t-5 HO lighting is next in line they are slimmer than the VHO and normal lights that are usually t-8 to t-12 These have gained
a lot of popularity in the recent months

5) Metal halide ~ These lights are very intense lights and are whats recomended if your tank stock plans include SPS or clams
There have been alot of people keeping these under T-5's with success to so research to make up your mind which way you want
to go

6) LED these are the newest lights on the market currently the are very expensive and out of most hobbyists price ranges. They
are supposed to be able to mimick the moon phases and cloudy and stormy days to make the lighting a more natural setting.

J) RO/DI unit This is a large start up cost item but is very needed it will filter the water to 99.99% pure water so that you are starting
your tank with the best possible water. There are many brands to choose from and options available.This is one of those items that
will keep you from having algae headaches later in the life of the tank.

K) a seperate 10 gallon tank setup for a hospital tank or QT to seperate new arivals so that you can treat any illness of the fish
so that there is no chance of the main tank getting a parasite or disease.

L) next is time and patients ~ the only fast thing that happens in SW tanks is disaster so take your time and you will be rewarded.



These are the basics of equipment that you will need to take into effect. There are cheaper ways to find these items..
From this list it can get more expansive and costly. and create a fully automatic reef dosing meds and calcium, Ph control, top-offs, monitors, and a
lot of other items that will make things more automated. These are for the more experienced reef keeper because it requires more time and money to
setup properly.

a few other things to think of.

1) sump, refugium. or combo of both This gives a place for the equipment to go and keep the tank clear of clutter.

2) overflow or reef ready tanks are a way to export the water to the sump or refugium

3) UV sterilizers will kill harmful bacteria, and parasites, To me this is not a must have if you QT new arrivals some people say that its a must
others say its not you will need to research and make up your own mind

Mike