complete beginners asking about reef tanks

[blknght]

ok here's a dumb question my wife and i are thinking about putting in a reef tank next year (need something to spend the tax money on) and a local fish guy here told us that if we used live rock we wouldn't need anything but a power head because the rock would filter the water is this true or is he yanking our chains? and if somebody out there could tell us the best way to set up a reef tank ie: how to cure the rock and such we are complete beginners here so all the help offered will be appreciated we are thinking on a 150 to a 200 gallon tank and if anyone knows where we can pick up a tank and parts fairly inexpensively we would appreciate it

 

[michaeltx]

look at a 4-6 inch sand bed and 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of LR per gallon. in a SW tank you have a clean up crew that takes care of a lot of wastes that are made. the rock and DSB act as filters. in addition with a sump and/or refuge it a very good filter. but one powerhead on that size tank will not cut it you want to try to get a turn over rate of 10X the water volume. dont worry about curing the rock when you setup the tank add the sand and rock and the die off on the rock will kick start you cycle.
as far as used equipment check papers and the trading forums here to try to find something but you have to watch out because if the tank has ever used copper meds in the tank they will stay there and will kill corals and other inverts that you want in the tank.
try find one that is reef ready that is drilled and has overflow boxes if not when you start doing the tank setup you would have wished you did.
HTH
MIke

 

[cboyfan2020]

email me your email address and I can give you something to read

 

[blknght]

ok now you said sump or refuge what are those and what other than the obvious are overflow boxes for?

 

[blknght]

guess i should ask for a complete list of stuff to get and the best places to get our lfs guy is pissed at us cause we asked all the questions on how to set stuff up and then bought it other places to get better prices cause out here in bumblef*** Montana not many fish stores

 

[michaeltx]

a sump is somewhere that you have to put your equipment so it will be off the main tank and also add filter media and such. gives you a place that is easly accessed ( or supposed to be LOL) so you dont have to remove the canopy and such to get to the water.
a refugium ( refuge) is a safe haven for little critters that can normally become food for fish it gives a constant supply of pods and such and a place for them to multiply without being hunted. aslo a refuge can be a algae wash of sorts to take care of impurities that nusience algae thrives in.with the additoin of macro algaes that can be harvested and takin out of the system.
you will have to search the internet for sites that sell things cant link to competetor sites on the BB also check out the sponsor for some stuff you might need they have pretty good deals aswell.
if you get a tank that is predrill then the its a lot easyier way to do all this. I started my tanks with standard tanks and added a hangon overflow but is not as safe a a predrilled tank. the other thing overflows do is give you water movement at the surface that skims the surface and the stuff that collects on the surface will be washed down into the sump/fuge and the critters and algae will take care of a lot of the food waste and the skimmer will pull out the organics that get washed down. main thing is keeping it al out of your main system.
as far a list of things need it all depends on how you want to do it. there are systems that are all in one that you dont need as much stuff but alot of people use different tanks or containers for each of the systems .
basic list is.
return pump you have to figure out what set up that you want first though to much or to little flow can cause problems.
plumping PVS or flex tubbing.
fittings
bulkheads
there is more ut off the top of my head I cant think of them
but this gives you some things to think about.
Mike

 

[dvs]

Hey
Im in the process of setting up a tank as well. Ive gone to most LFS here in Louisville and I can say from experience, check out online sites. Believe me, there are some items I can get for about 15-30% cheaper online than at the store. Some sites even have free shipping. And in SWF's case, they have monthly deals on fish that I definatly couldnt get that cheap here!
Good luck

Jen

 

[bang guy]

My first suggestion for you is to click on the "Dry Goods" button to your left and buy the book The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. That will be one of your most important pieces of equipment for the next several months.
Take you time... a masterpiece takes a long time to build.

 

[javatech]

Here is some on line reading for you
http://www.simplifiedreefkeeping.com/faq/faq.htm

 

[elan]

i fully agree with Bang Guy... i got the book after spending money on useless equipment... i wish i had the book from the beginning... after reading the book and asking lots of questions on this board, you will be set up right the first time, and without spending money on things you will be replacing...
good luck!