Buying piece by piece

overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
OK - I am currently buying a piece here and a piece there until I can set up the full tank. I am thinking of a 72 Gallon bow front (all I have space for and I don't want a taller tank). With a sump/refugium underneath. What can I start buying and safely store until I get ready to set everything up. I already have 50 lbs of base Hawaiian Island rock that is coming in this week as well as to storage containers. What I want to know is - what can I buy a piece at time until I get ready to assemble it all. I want to avoid buying things with limited time warranties as I probably won't set up the whole thing until Sprint time.
Thanks!
 
surfnturf

surfnturf

Member
sand, salt, hydrometer, heater, good books, start researching equipment, the more time you spend getting opinions on equipment that people use the better off you'll be. I'd start watching the local paper for used tanks for sale, you'll probably find some great deals.
 
jonthefb

jonthefb

Active Member
i agree with surf, get all the dry goods youll need now, maybe set the plumbing part up or at least diagram it out and buy all the parts. if your doing a retro light kit, gey the kit, make your hood, and put it all together. i cant stress books enough, as they are a great source of knowledge and info as is this board. i would suggest the modern corla reef aquarium series by Fossa and Nilsen, and are usually fairly expensive arounf 80 bucks a book, with a series of 4 books. i have a website you can go to that has them for much cheaper, email me at jonthan.garnett@attbi.com if you want the link, and most of all, have fun
good luck
jon
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
Surfnturf and Jon - No worries on the books - got that covered - Ieither own or have read roughly 20 boks on the topic. The one thing I am not lacking is the research portion!! (Hence my name - Overanalyzer).
Thanks for the good idea- I am assuming if the salt stays sealed and dry there should be no problem??
 
rsd

rsd

Member
book worms hate me for this but:
It's cool to have read books... I studied hard for a year before I even started buying drygoods... but I found the best way to read research books (aquarium/business/finance/ whatever) is with colored pencils and yellow stickynotes to use as markers. It makes referencing and cross ref. much easier.
Its hard to say really which books dominate my library: aquarium books to feed my habit or the business minded books that supply $ for my habit.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
I too go for the sticky notes in books - back to my question:
I am assuming if the salt stays sealed and dry there should be no problem??
 
maroonclownfan

maroonclownfan

Member
You could probably buy pretty much everything, but LR, LS, and fish/inverts before hand.
If unopened, the salt should be fine for a while, but I would NOT say it has an infinite shelf life. I have seen sealed, unopened bags harden up after only a few months, some how moisture finds a way into the bag, especially if you live in a humid climate like I do. I don't know for sure if this effects the salt's usefulness, but my advice would be to focus on the other things first, then the salt.
My $0.02..............MCF
 
rockster

rockster

Member
As for the salt, nothing on it is volatile and will not lose its quality over time. The only thing that happens to an opened can of salt is that it gets hydrolyzed (attract moisture) which hardens it into a big clump of solid mass. However, its water solubility and other properties/qualities do not change. If left dry, the salt will stay unchanged indefinitely. No expiration. Just my .O2
 
surfnturf

surfnturf

Member
Now would be a good time to start bugging your local water utility for a water analysis. Get this double checked by your LFS to see if you need to purchase a RO/DI unit.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
KC has horrible water and I use filtered water for my freshwater tanks already so I am planning on getting an RO/DI unit
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member
Not setting up your tank until sprint time eh? Got work on your brain bro. Things that are useful that you don't think about, buckets, cleaning supplies(scrub pads..all natural non detergent sponges etc...), you can start buying the southdown sand now to as long as you keep it bagged. Or you could hurry up and set up you tank and stop letting your little brother out do you hehehe;)
 
ags

ags

Member
this has nothing to do with buying dry goods but I would not only diagram how you want your system set up but also determine where you want your tank to be in 1, 2, 3 years from now. Since you said you cannot go bigger than 72 you know outgrowing your tank won't happen. Great start right there because most people will tell you you WILL want a bigger tank. My tank has been up for about a year and during that time I have setup two others for friends. Funny because of the two others both represent how, at the time, with the knowledge I had, I thought the perfect tank should be setup. Now I am in the process of setting up a 125 and it looks nothing like my tank and the second tank. In fact I struggle everyday because damn both of their tanks are nicer than mine! Bottom line: With any infinite amount of text to learn your preferences will change and so will the way you setup a tank. Making provisions for the future is hard but a well thought out plan is instrumental in saving a ton of money and time. Good Luck.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
ags - yes I have wanted a salt tank for quite some time and since I change my FW tank around monthly I figured I better get a good plan going. I have a rough sketch of the rock layout, a list of supplies needed, a spreadsheet analyzing prices and locations. I am next goingto do a pictue mock up of hte tank and start planning on what goes where .... I am shooting for nearly perfect the first time around!!! My goal is to convince the wife we should have a corner or hex seahorse tank in our bedroom .... with the two freshwater tanks I have - the last place to go is the basement - where I would like a 90 gallon aggressive setup one day!!
Yes - I am planning on analyzing and plannign to the nTH degree - hence my knickname!
~ OVERANALYZER (or OVERLY ANAL)
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member
If you just happen to fall into a 90 gallon overflow tank, with power compact hoods, and a stand for like $150 bucks...now dude that would rock.(for anyone reading that has no clue what I'm talking about...that happened to me).
Signed
your loving brother
 
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