New to hobby/board

[mikelly02]

Hello all,
I'm brand new to salt water tanks just starting w/ a 125g and nothing in it yet but salt and water. I've waited a long time so I plan on just biting the bullet and getting what I really want! I should get my first LR tomorrow (45 lbs) so I figured I'd cure it right in the tank awhile before I put anything else in, my questions (so far) are...
1. How much LR should I use and when should I add more? I already know I want a reef tank.
2. When should I add the LS? The fish? Corals? Inverts?
3. Is that the right order to add these critters?
4. About how many fish can I reasonably expect in this size tank? I'd like at least 10 or so of various sizes but it seems like many tanks have fewer...? Oh and how long should I wait in between fishes?
Thanks so much, any advice would be much appreciated.
Kelly

 

[the j.o.p.]

welcome to the board!! give everyone time to respond and you will find the answers you seek.

 

[trigger11]

Welcome to the boards.
Usually the rule of thumb is 1lb of LR per gallon of water. The more the better. Especially if you are planning on having a reef.
I would add the LS in there as soon as possible. Give it some time to settle. Then you can get your LR in there. With 45 of LR to start you could probably start cycling the tank after you get that going. Or wait until you get the rest of LR you want to get.
Ten fish would be doable if you kept to the smaller medium ranged sized ones. If you add any tangs or triggers or larger sized angels then you wont have as much room. If that makes sense. Typically you want to wait about 2-3 weeks in between fish to let the system get used to the bioload.
Congratz on starting the hobby and be sure to post some pics when you get all set up.

 

[trigger11]

Oh, I forgot to add. Depending on what kind of reef you plan on having will also determine what kind of lights you need to get if you havent gotten those yet.

 

[symon]

Before you add the 1st of the LR you should get your Live sand in there, allowing things to settle and cycle for a few weeks before you consider any fish!
Like said before waiting a few weeks between fish would be a good plan, it takes time to establish themselves to the system!
Also as you add more LR , you don't want to add to much at a time , it can cause another cycle and that would not be good for you fish!

 

[mikelly02]

Thanks for all of the advice so far, I'm glad I posted before I really started anything! As for lights I haven't gotten any yet because I wanted to get the right ones. From what I've read on here, it seems MH are the way to go, true?
Thanks,Kelly!

 

[earlybird]

True to medal halides if you want to keep any type of coral for the most part. You can add the sand and the rock at the same time. Most prefer to add the rock first and then the sand so that if you get any fish or invert that burrows they won't move the sand and cause an avalanche and possibly break your glass.
If you haven't already looked into or researched a quarantine tank (qt) please do so. Fish seem to be the part of this hobby that cause the most problems which is why some have decided to only have frag or tanks for corals and inverts only. A qt forces you to add your fish in the correct amount of time so that your tank can handle the bioload and ensures (if done properly) that you don't introduce a diseased fish into your display tank (dt).
You can get away with more than 1 lb of rock per gallon. I have 45 lbs in my 29.
Don't forget about fish compatibility. Some fish don't get along with others and some should not be housed with certain inverts.
Good luck.

 

[mikelly02]

Thanks for the tips, what I would like to do is put a simple 10 gal tank under my main tank (Hidden under the stand between the filters) for a qt tank, will that work? Or will that be a hassle? Also are you suggesting that each fish be qt for a period of time before I put it in the main tank? If so how long? Or only if they show signs of illness/stress? (I realize I'm not at that step yet but I want to know before I get there!) Also do you have to go through the whole acclimation process each time you move from the qt to the main & back?
Oh thanks for mentioning an avalanche, I never would have thought of that.
And for answering the LR/LS same time thing, I was wondering that!
I apologize for all of the questions, it seems the more I read the less I understand, or the more I realize I DON'T know...

Maybe I should have taken up quilting, he,he,he...

 

[trigger11]

You can never ask too many questions. I wish I had asked more before I started actually. And the thing is you learn things all of the time.
You could put your QT down below your display tank if you have room for it there. Although before you do that I would recommend doing some reading on sumps and refugiums because if you get serious with the hobby you will likely end up with them and those will have to go someplace.
Yes, earlybird was saying to QT each fish before it goes into the DT. You want to do this for at least 3 weeks because that is how long ICH can live before it becomes visible. Typically you wont have to go through much of an acclimation process when you take the fish from the QT tank and put them in the DT. This is because as you do your water changes in the DT you put a portion of that into the QT. So essentially the DT and QT have just about the same water parameters.