Im a newbie with some questions, fancy that

[polarice18]

Im looking to turn my reg. saltwater fish tank into a reek tank.
I heard that you must use reef crystals for the salt and not instant ocean. but i heard from someone else thats just a "salesman" point of view. Also, would I need to purchase pieces of live coral, or would live rock suit for that.
What all will I need to change it to a reef tank basically. That is just the info I have gathered so far, some, most or all might be bogus. Any information will be a great help, thank you in advance!
PolarICE

 

[elfdoctors]

There is very little significant difference between any of the salt mixes. Some of the most experienced people on this board use Instant Ocean. Others switch between salt mixes. Reef Crystals has a little more calcium but most of the time you will have to be adding this anyway when you get into corals and the difference in cost is not worth it.
Don't add any live coral until the tank has been established for at least 3-6 months. Live rock would be a great purchase as it improves the health of your tank.
A good textbook like "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner is probably the best first purchase. These boards are an excellent source of advice as you progress in the hobby.

 

[polarice18]

abosuletly excellent information, it is greatly appreciated it, and the book is definately on my to buy list. thank you very much
other ideas and opinions are still very welcome, one cannot have to many ideas

 

[daisy]

Advice? Start saving money now because you're going to want to spend it on lights once you realize that they are one of the major limiting factors in what you can keep in your tank.
Do lots and lots of reading and research before buying anything. Take a look at the few "what not to buy" type of threads on this board also -- they have some conflicting info in them, but you'll get some pretty good ideas of some mistakes we've already made and you may not want to make.
Good luck!

 

[nm reef]

I'd suggest a on-line search for a excellant article titled "reefkeeping 101"...it pretty much covers all the basics and has a lot of very useful information.

...and keep us posted on the progress...don't hesitate to ask specific questions along the way...folks here are always willing to help out a fellow hobbyist. Best of luck...:yes:

 

[soccer4life94]

I can tell you that I have been a silent visitor for the last 6 months or so. I didnt even own a tank until the last month or so. The best advice you can take from here is take it slow. I have an empty tank sitting in my living room just for that reason. This isnt a cheap hobby by any means, but if you spend the money wisely from the start, you won't have to replace your equipment any time soon. I have spent the last several months reading and slowly saving the money to get the equipment to get me off the ground with less error, there will always be some, than I would if i had just jumped into this head first. The guys, and gals, are the coolest people around. There is no such thing as a stupid question. The only stupid thing you can do in this hobby is to go to fast. Remember, this is a hobby to you, but it is a life to the animals that you take under your care. In many ways your playing god to an ecosystem. Keep that in mind and respect everything in your tank. If you cant afford to handle something right now, then wait...save and then go for it! With all that being said. I welcome you to what for me has been the most exciting hobby of my life. I look forward to getting to know you and sharing thoughts and ideas on our tanks. Thankyou so much fellow Reefers.

Especially KIP, Bang Guy and Skilos!

 

[slappy]

read read read, i wish i spent a little more time reading about this hobby before i started, made alot of mistakes. just go slow with adding things to your tank. but if you already have a salt tank im sure you have made a few of them yourself. the biggest thing in my opinion would be lighting. depending on what corals you want to keep and how much money you want to spend that is where you should start. ive wasted alot of money on lighting everytime i need to upgrade because i want to keep more demanding corals. good luck, oh dont know if you have one but a protein skimmer is always nice to have