Hola, I'm new and full of questions.... (NM)

[hook]

Hey there all, my name is Jt, I live in Albuquerque, NM. After a couple months of decision making, i have decided to start off with salt water instead of fresh water. I am hella excited!
So, i have reviewed this site, and everyone seems extremely helpful. I checked out a lfs and the guys there seem extremely helpful, but thought i'd ask here just cause everywhere i turn everyone says "lfs's are full of it" lol.
1. For a 55g set-up, would it be easier to do fish and LR to start off with, and then go to coral later? or would it be easier to spend the money on extra lighting and whatever else is needed for establishing that set up?
2. What would i need for a 55g set-up, as far as filtering and eqpt?
3. once you start setting it up, how long does it take to cycle the tank?
Thanks for everyones patience!
Jt

 

[my way]

These are my opinions,
1- If you had no source for information, FOWLR would be a good start. But seeing as you are smart enought to do your research, I think you could start with some easy corals and be just as successful as a FOWLR.
2-I would set up a refugium, with a skimmer and use Macro algea and LR for your filtering.
PC or VHO lighting should be enough for starter corals, but MH would be the ultimate. Of coarse you will need a good test kit, a refractometer or glass hydrometer and a heater, better yet 2 heaters rated for half to just a little more than half of your tanks volume.
3-The average cycle will be about 3-6 weeks.

 

[symon]

You know if i was to tell anyone how to get started , I would say start out with a FOWLR, Fish Only With Live Rock!
Once you can get that up and running ( cycled and stable) you can use the 6 months or so to do more research about corals you would like to keep and what kind of lighting you would need and other equipment you will need to invest in!
But this Board is a Great source of information, I have learned alot here and will without doubt continue to learn!

Happy Obsession to you!

 

[hook]

thanks alot guys! Where do you shop at here in albuquerque symon?

 

[symon]

LIttle bit of everywhere, I lie coral island most, but he can be expensive! But he has the best selection and very good at what he does! Will be there this weekend for my water tests!
Clark's and fins-N-Critters has some stuff too
I did find a nice place in Santa Fe ( Pete's pets) Nice place!

 

[bluelove]

hi, glad your excited!!! its very rewarding but takes maitnence. i say start off with good lighting that way your set in that department and you wont half to spend more $ to up grade later! im still new at this as well. i wish i would have signed on to this message board before i purchased any thing. i just dove in and have lost about $250.00 plus in corals and fish

lack of knowledge!!! you will half to consider the bio load of all that live on your tank. water changes are a must and so is monitoring your salt and other levels. invest in good test kits and understand how to read the results and what to do if there is a problem. i would also say that fish stores in in place to profit, they will sell you items that your tank may not be ready for. example my tank was 3 weeks old, he knew i was new all this and i got seahorses..... they are dead. i later heard from a fellow aquariest that they are a 9 or 10 as being one of hte hardest to keep. i enjoyed them while i had them

.i thought i would want fish but i now love the corals i have 2 fish and two clams and the rest are corals. i have a nano and should have just converted my 50 gal into salt because i want something bigger now for more room. see where research would have been good? if no research you pay with your cash!!! enjoy your tank you will spend hours in front of it watching whats up in ther! there are also lots of pictures on this baord. you can stack your live rock beautifuly to make arches for fish and other inverts to be in. one last thing invest in a good clean up crew and find out which hitchikers you need to watch out for like sundial snails and sea slugs, they will eat your things!!! have fun :joy: bluegirl

 

[hook]

i love this forum.... seen other forums where peple are like "look at other posts before you ask q's" and stuff (which i already did lol)
I was in coral island yesterday. that was when i decided to go saltwater. came home and searched the web, found this forum, registered yesterday, surfed it til late last night, and thought id post right away this morning.....

 

[symon]

YEa man, I get real excited wehn i go onto CI , they have awsome tanks, and they will spend the time to explain things to you! I am saving up to buy a larger tank! I just can't wait!
BTW if you have any questions I am always wil to BS about Sw stuff !

 

[cofishguy]

Hello Symon and Hook,
I am a Native of NM but live in CO now, anyway, I've been to Coral Island and in fact bought all my Sand and base rock there! I was there 2 weeks ago visiting family and stopped in. I agree that they are very knowledgeable and most of all they took the time to talk to me about lots of things. I bet the owner spent about 30 minutes just with me talking about different set ups and stuff. I plan on going back and getting some fish from him next month when I am in town.
Also, as others have stated, this forum is a great place to get good honest help. Iwish we had LFS here that I could trust or wasnt so expensive! Its a shame I have to drive 4 hours to find a reliable FS.
If you guys find other stores in Alb that you like, let me know...I love making the rounds and seeing all the different tanks and set ups.

 

[zanoshanox]

IMO, it really depends on how much cash you have to work with when frist starting the tank up. Say you can spend 500$. (theoretically). I would get all the necessary epuipment, and then the things that everyone reomends down the road (skimmer, sump, etc) Make sure you get excellent filtration, and try to get as much of your LR that you will want all essentially at once. The main mistake I made, looking back on this hobby, was trying to do it cheap in the beginning, and then having tp spend more money on upgrades whenever I needed something better.
MORAL: Develop a rough plan for want you want to keep in this tank in short and long run, and then get the best equipment you can, so you can save on money by not having to upgrade later!
BEST OF LUCK!

 

[cofishguy]

I agree with Zano,
You have to be patient in this hobby. I too have been chomping at the bit to get my tank set up, but being on a budget has slowed things down. I guess I could have gone cheaper on some of the equipment and been set up by now, but I didnt want to spend money upgrading later. So, I got the best skimmer, pumps, lightning, etc, little by little and spent a small fortune already and dont even have water in the tank

. Hopefully that will happen this next weekend when I get my RO unit in and start making water.

My wife is already wondering how much more money I'm going to spend before the first fish goes in...lol... And I havnt even bought my live rock yet! I'm sure alot of you can relate!

Oh well, you gotta love it!!!!!

 

[hook]

man you guys rock! I know of a friend selling a 150 gallon tank for about $800 or so, including stand and canopy.... and pump and something else (i forget).... thats pretty good right? Coral Island predicted for a 55 gallon tank and stand and filter and semi decent lights and a few other bare minimums, about 760 bucks.... I am just hella stoked about getting three paychecks in june, It makes it so easier to start scoopin up what i need to start with....
Thanks all!

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by Hook
man you guys rock! I know of a friend selling a 150 gallon tank for about $800 or so, including stand and canopy.... and pump and something else (i forget).... thats pretty good right? Coral Island predicted for a 55 gallon tank and stand and filter and semi decent lights and a few other bare minimums, about 760 bucks.... I am just hella stoked about getting three paychecks in june, It makes it so easier to start scoopin up what i need to start with....
Thanks all!
The placement of a large tank could be a problem as well. As long as your floor will hold it then you'll be fine. $760 for a 55 plus all the essentials sounds pretty good, the lighting is what gets you! All depends on what they have going with that 55. For my 55 I have spent over $2000 for everything. IF I had gone to the LFS and purchased everything, it would be over $3500 worth. For my new tank, 90g Oceanic Bowfront RR, I did purchase at the LFS cause I wanted a new tank with no scratches. Since it would be the main view in the living room, it needs to look nice. I already put in over $2000 on it and it's not done yet, well all I still need is a skimmer and a fuge light and some powerheads then I would be done for now. It's up and running, it's done cycling and it has some critter in it already. here's a picture of my 55 reef... :happyfish

 

[hook]

that is bad ass! man i cant wait! whats the difference between a filter system and a skimmer? do both do the same thing?

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by Hook
that is bad ass! man i cant wait! whats the difference between a filter system and a skimmer? do both do the same thing?
Filter system removes debrie within your tank and it can also remove some excess nutrient and it also allows bacteria to grow within. A skimmer removes excess protein waste within your system. Both are good, but Skimmer is a must IMO!!! I have ran it with just filter system without a skimmer before, but after I added the skimmer, what a difference it makes!! :happyfish

 

[cofishguy]

How about the other way around. I have a skimmer but no filter. I really wasnt planning on using one because I thought the skimmer would do it all. Am I wrong? And of so, are we just talking about a regular HOT filter like a whisper or something like that?
I plan on it being a FOWLR for a bit then move up to reef from there. Its an 80 Gal, 110 lbs of sand, 60 lbs base rock and 50 lbs of live rock. Waiting on my RO unit this week and then I will get my rock and start my tank's cycle. So, if I need to get a filter, I guess I still have time to get one, but like I said I really wasnt planning on it. The less things hanging on my tank the better. Oh and BTW...my skimmer is a remora pro.
Thanks

 

[hook]

is there a recommended amount of live rock & sand you should have in your tank depending on the size? like what would you need for a 55 gallon tank?

 

[symon]

Originally Posted by Hook
is there a recommended amount of live rock & sand you should have in your tank depending on the size? like what would you need for a 55 gallon tank?
I have about a 2" sand bed, Probably 60 lbs of live sand! As for Live rock, 1-2 lbs per gal is a fair estimation. I really need more LR!

 

[hook]

whats the deal with CC? I see a lot of people on here say they made a huge mistake using cc..... how much does live rock and live sand run?