Another newbie needs some help!

[aquiman]

Hello all. I've been away from fish only saltwater tank for about twenty years and am about to plop a lot of money down on a new setup and start over. I had a chat with the owner of a FS who seems to know what he's talking about. I told him I really want to do it right this time and asked his advise on what I need to start a 110 gallon tank. I was surprised to hear it would cost about $2,000 before I add a fish and rock etc. The tank with top/canopy, pump about $750(no stand), the sump and protein skimmer would run from $625 to $1,025 based on quality (he suggested the better one), and lighting would range anywhere from $100 to $400 based on desire. I don't have model #s for sump and skimmer. Do these prices seem out of line or about right? Thanks!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Actually, those prices sound about right for what you are looking for brand new. Most people in the hobby who are on budgets find used tanks for sale...
for example, I have a 110g high aquarium with a canopy that needs a little work and an external overflow and a pair of PC lights for $325 right now that I am selling. But you can't technically sell on these forums.
Most people in the hobby also build their own tank stands because saltwater is so corrosive - and expensive that a lot of features have to be built into the stand such as an epoxied bottom to keep saltwater from ruining the floor, built in open door lights, built in electrical work, and complete stain/polyurethane finishing.
By the way, I also build aquarium furniture with features that I just listed.

 

[aquiman]

Hey thanks for the info. I'm leaning on new and I'm also a woodworker and plan to make my own stand. I love the idea of putting door activated lights in the cabinet! When you say epoxied bottom, can you expand on that a bit? Question on water.... I used to use my tap to mix for my water changes. I read that it's recommended to use certain water for changes. If this is true, it would seem like a huge pain and expense. Is this true? Thx again.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Yes, ro/di water is recommended. It keeps certain minerals, chemicals and toxins out of your tank and prevents excessive amounts of algae from forming.
An epoxied bottom keeps all of your spilt water within the stand itself for easy cleanup.

 

[geridoc]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquiman http:///t/391906/another-newbie-needs-some-help#post_3477608
Hey thanks for the info. I'm leaning on new and I'm also a woodworker and plan to make my own stand. I love the idea of putting door activated lights in the cabinet! When you say epoxied bottom, can you expand on that a bit? Question on water.... I used to use my tap to mix for my water changes. I read that it's recommended to use certain water for changes. If this is true, it would seem like a huge pain and expense. Is this true? Thx again.
Yes, IMHO ro/di water is a must. Call your water supplier and ask for a copy of their water analysis. You will see lots of contaminants at levels too low to be of immediate concern. However, when that water is in a fish tank the water will evaporate, but not those minor contaminants. So, when you replace the evaporated water, you are adding a small amount of contaminants to the contaminants that were left behind by the evaporating water, raising the concentration overall. Eventually, the concentration of toxins will rise to dangerous levels. Ro/di has had the contaminants removed, so there is no enrichment when you replace evaporated water.

 

[sweatervest13]

Shop around and you can find deals on new equipment as well.
Walking into a LFS and saying you want a brand new setup with all the bells and whistles would make any fish store jump for joy. Don't get me wrong, you can find some deals at a LFS but most of the time you can save big $$ simply by shopping a bit online to find the BEST deal for yourself.
Another savings tip: for your Live Rock, you can buy dry base rock and seed that with some LR. Around me you can get dry base rock for like $2.00/lb and LR for between $5-6.00/lb. If you needed 165lbs of LR even at $5.00/lb that would be $825.00. If you got 100 lbs of dry rock at 2 bucks per pound that's $200.00 + $325.00 for 65 lbs of LR (65 X $5.00= $325.00). makes $525.00 Saves $300.00!!!!
You can do the same thing with Live Sand. Just buy regular non live sand (not play sand) and seed it with a cup of LS from a friend or LFS.
HTH's!!
+1 on the RO/DI water. You will find it is best to buy your own unit. Saves $$ in the long run.

 

[rickross23]

Actually, those prices sound about right for what you are looking for brand new. Most people in the hobby who are on budgets find used tanks for sale...
for example, I have a 110g high aquarium with a canopy that needs a little work and an external overflow and a pair of PC lights for $325 right now that I am selling. But you can't technically sell on these forums.
Most people in the hobby also build their own tank stands because saltwater is so corrosive - and expensive that a lot of features have to be built into the stand such as an epoxied bottom to keep saltwater from ruining the floor, built in open door lights, built in electrical work, and complete stain/polyurethane finishing.
By the way, I also build aquarium furniture with features that I just listed.
Why are you selling the 110?

 

[snakeblitz33]

Why are you selling the 110?
Not the time nor the place to ask this in this thread. Its best to PM people these kinds of questions.
Sorry op!

 

[aquiman]

Hey thanks so much for the responses! It's been extremely helpfull. Sorry but the more info I get, the more questions I have. This seems like a great community of folks willing to help newbies. Hopefully some day I can return the favors to the group. That said, here are a few more questions: 1) Does the initial fill of the tank when first starting need RO/DI water or is it only for water changes and or evaporation refills? 2) anyone have a recommendation for a decent RO/DI unit? 3) as for live rock, where does one buy "dry base rock"? I could swear I saw live rock at my local FS for $14/LB! That's crazy!

 

[geridoc]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquiman http:///t/391906/another-newbie-needs-some-help#post_3477736
Hey thanks so much for the responses! It's been extremely helpfull. Sorry but the more info I get, the more questions I have. This seems like a great community of folks willing to help newbies. Hopefully some day I can return the favors to the group. That said, here are a few more questions: 1) Does the initial fill of the tank when first starting need RO/DI water or is it only for water changes and or evaporation refills? 2) anyone have a recommendation for a decent RO/DI unit? 3) as for live rock, where does one buy "dry base rock"? I could swear I saw live rock at my local FS for $14/LB! That's crazy!
1) I have access to lots of ro/di water, so I only use that in my tank. That said, your initial fill can be with tap water. That means that you will have some silicates in the water, so you can expect a diatom bloom several weeks after setting up. It is no big thing, and will go away a few weeks later, but in my case my wife goes crazy when the nice new tank turns brown, even for a few days.
2) Mine comes from Air, Water Ice (they're online), and has been very reliable for 10 years.
3) Base rock is that dry rock you see in bins at the lfs, or you can buy it form someone who is tearing down their tank (this would probably be live, but I would sterilize it before use as base). I see live selling in the NY city area for between $5.99 and $15.00 per lb. Take a look at the rock available on this site - I have seen some good feedback about the quality, and the price is in the right range.

 

[aquiman]

Hey folks it's been a long journey since this thread, but I have another question on it. I have a new 90g FOLR setup and I used RODI on my initial fill and zero tap water. After a nice wait, and great water readings, I put my first few fish in and all is great with the exception of a brown algae that is starting to cover everything! I've been leaving the light on for about 10 hrs/day. Is this the same algae referenced in the thread if using tap water? Can I expect it to just go away and not be harmful to the fish, or should I be doing something? Thanks!:flame:

 

[aquiman]

I just found snake's thread on diatom bloom so I will be leaving my bloom alone. I love your info snake and should have looked there first! I will also cut down mt lights to about 8 hours. Comments still welcome if anyone would like to share. Thx. :hi:

 

[sweat90lx]

Just enjoy all the changes the tank goes through. My tank cleared of diatoms a few weeks ago and is getting colors other than brown.
Snake has a ton of info on this site for almost everything.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

[aquiman]

Thanks for responding. I'll just have to be patient and wait for it to go away.

 

[sweat90lx]

When my diatoms started going away I got a lot of film algae on the glass. I had to use the magfloat every day on the front and sides and let the snails take care of the back glass.
It was an eye sore but now my tank looks great. The film algae is as aweful to look at as the diatoms but went away faster for me. I now have a small amount of lime green and purple.