new tank

seniorabreu

seniorabreu

New Member
I am buying my first salt water tank in about a week or so. I was going to order an 180 gallon (drilled) tank from the local pet store (philadelphia area).
I wanted to have live rock and fish, possibly coral still debating.
What do I need to buy? I don't want to get ripped off. What would you recommend buying online versus pet store?
Would I use live sand to go with the live rock or crushed coral. Is the lighting for coral different than the lighting needed for live rock?
Any help would be much appreciated :help: :help:
 
kayak385

kayak385

Member
Originally Posted by seniorabreu
I am buying my first salt water tank in about a week or so. I was going to order an 180 gallon (drilled) tank from the local pet store (philadelphia area).
I wanted to have live rock and fish, possibly coral still debating. Don't get fish until your tank has cycled(search for more info on cycling a tank).
What do I need to buy? I don't want to get ripped off. What would you recommend buying online versus pet store?Check prices with both before you buy stuff at the store.
Would I use live sand to go with the live rock or crushed coral. Is the lighting for coral different than the lighting needed for live rock?please don't buy crushed coral, i have it now and its going to be a bear to get out of the tank(p.s. it stores up nitrites/ates).
Any help would be much appreciated :help: :help:
I have been reading constantly for a couple months so i'm still new, but from what i've read the suggestions I've given you are probably the best advice at the moment. Research sumps and refugiums as much as possible.
Goodluck and welcome to the boards!
 
happyvac

happyvac

Member
Above LFS or online store I strongly recommend buying from local hobbyists (you live in/near a big city, there should be some type of group for marine aquarists). Generally you can save a great deal by buying from hobbyists, I know that around hear you can save up to $6 a pound of LR buy buying from other "amateurs".
I personally like Live Sand (I feel it looks a little better) but it's really up to you. There are several topics available if you just search "ls vs. cc" or something.
Lighting for LR and lighting for coral is vastly different. I recommend going to wetwebmedia.com for some information (huge help to me)
 
kayak385

kayak385

Member
type of pumps: i hear maxi jet a lot. I currently have a mag drive 9.5 (950gph) going from my sump/fuge back to my tank, and I am looking in getting a maxijet 1200 powerhead for my tank as well for adequate flow. Personally, if you have specific questions, its easier to title the thread that so you can get a quicker answer.. aka "what pumps do I need?"
 
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