I'm New

[mr. ray]

Hello I am new.
I have thought about getting in to saltwater tanks for a few years. My Wife is od board with this idea. I bought a book to read about this topic. I will be useing you guys to help me.
Have Fun
edit: Forgot something Is there a link to this fourm with out having the tool bar for the store on the left?

 

[cprdnick]

WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!!!!!! You have made a good choice on which board to pick, I'm a member of two and this one has helped me so much. I hope yall have a good experience with your purchase.
Two rules, research your purchasing, don't impulse buy.
Use patience, this isn't as easy going as freshwater.
As far as the link question, I don't have a clue. I've never really tried to get rid of the toolbar, wouldn't mind having a full screen for my forum surfing though.

 

[mr. ray]

Well we are going to get a 55gal tank. Unless we can get a 100gal form somewhere that not so high. I wanna set it up and then let it run for about a month before I put fish in it. I am reading "The Saltwater Aquqrium Handbook" by George Blasiola I was thinking about getting live sand. BUt his book said if you a new guy you should start out with an undergravel filter. but he did not say why. Any ideas? Note: I am page 35 of the 163 page book.

 

[thomas712]

Originally posted by Mr. Ray
BUt his book said if you a new guy you should start out with an undergravel filter. but he did not say why. Any ideas?
Can't believe people are still recommending UGF's with saltwater tanks, OLD technology from back in the 1950's. There are much better methods available now days. Wet/drys, sumps, refugiums, SAND, protien skimmers..All better than UGF's. Never use a UGF with sand, never use a UGF in my opinion.
Do a search on UGF or Undergravel filters using the search button in the upper right to read more.
Welcome to the board and ask anything anytime, we will be here.
The link here might help you some.
http://www.reefcorner.com/reef%20keeping_101.htm
Thomas

 

[mr. ray]

space is not a problem. Its a double wide (gosh i sound like white trash) and its three bedrooms and its only me an my wife and our cats and dog. we have tons of room.

 

[cprdnick]

you'd better check to see how sturdy the floor is that you want to put it on. That's 800 or more pounds of water alone.

 

[kreach]

Welcome to the board!!

You'll come to regret using a UGF if you go that route... they cause more problems than they solve, in my opinion.
I agree with cprdnik... check the floor. Having a tank you have spent a lot of time and money on crash through the floor would be a disaster.
Good luck!

 

[petem]

Good luck with everything. As far as books go...I bought Saltwater aquariums for dummies and the New marine handbook. Excellent advice to get you started.

 

[jp0379]

I've been suggesting "Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies" for a LOOOONG time, and have received more than one email saying that the book isn't worth it, and surprisingly enough none who have said that had ever read it. As I said before, I guess the name isn't "cool" enough......LOL. Thanks to Pete for verifying how great that book is. LOTS of information!
A 55 is a great size tank for saltwater...........as for the undergravel filter, DON'T do it! Get live sand, live rock (a piece at a time for those of us who aren't rich...LOL), and a couple of powerheads. A bio-wheel filter and a protein skimmer will do you just fine. And if I may add, green chromis (3 of 'em) are GREAT first additions.........as well as damsels, of course (we have the ones we started with, and they have NEVER been agressive). The chromis are my favorite because they swim in a school, which is really cool!

 

[nicky1.8t]

hiya welcome

 

[temple2101]

Welcome! I am a farely new member too, and I have to say that without this board I would have totally screwed up this whole saltwater hobby for myself, but luckily everyone here has given me sooooooo much knowledge. Anyway ... the best advice I can give is to do it right the first time. I have a 55 gallon (which I think is a nice size, however if you like tangs and other larger fish go with the 100). My problem is I bought OK equipment to start off with, instead of saving a few more $$$ to buy the best equipment. I'm still kicking myself for that. So do looooooots of research and you will thank yourself later, and you will have the best possible aquarium you can. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask ANY question you have ... even if you think it is dumb ... I've done a lot of those

 

[dacia]

I have multiple fish tanks, and I still ask some dumb questions...but they are not dumb to the people that need answers, especially the ones too afraid to ask.
About those UGFs...stay away from them! They will increase your nitrate levels because garbage gets caught in the crushed coral you need on top of the UGF, plus it gets caught underneath in the UGF plate as well...nitrates can exceed 160 ppm which means that no coral will ever live past a month in the tank. And, from experience, I have learned that they don't really even filter that well anyway. I had a UGF on my goldfish tank, didn't really notice that the water was a little dirty...then I replaced the UGF with an HOB Cascade filter (similar to Emperor, only cheaper in price) and the water cleared up dramatically.
They ought to have a disclaimer on undergravel filter boxes that says, "For best results, keep this product in the trash can farthest from your marine fish tank."