saltwater here i come!

[hotwire284]

hi all. i will be starting my fist saltwater tank in the next few months and want to start off on the right foot. i have been reading some of the posts on this board and have noticed one important thing; knowlege is everything with this hobby. with that, does anyone have suggestions such as reading/ research or anything along those lines? I have learned alot just from this message board but anything else would be greatly appreciated.
now a little about my future plans. i want to start off with a FOWLR (i think i have that right) tank at first and then move on to corals at some later date. i'm thinking maybe a 90gal tank or so? (i really like the bowfronts) any suggestions on tank manuf?
for filtration it seams like a refugium is the way to go, but what exactly is that? i have looked on this board but still not quite sure. i know i need to get a skimmer to have good water. I take it RO water it the way to go as well. thats about as far as i have gotten so far. any help with other equipment that you think i need or steps for cycling would be great. Thanks.

 

[jp0379]

Believe it or not, "Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies" is an excellent source of info, and they speak in common terms so that you can understand it. The book takes you from buying the tank all the way up to what to put in and when. Of course, asking questions here is great too.
I used to have a saltwater tank years ago, and got back into it a few months back. The "Dummies" book was a great source of info. It even tells you what the fish, inverterts, ect... eat and get along with (and what they don't get along with).

 

[hotwire284]

i was looking at the oceanic 90 reef ready tank. oceanic seems so be a good tank from what i have seen from this board but is it worth getting the reef ready? does a reef ready tank just have the overflow and is drilled?

 

[daniel411]

Congra'ts and "Welcome to the Board"!
Sounds like you're making a great start. You really need a solid foundation from a reputable book. If you can pick up a few books like "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Fenner. Thats probally the most commonly reccommended book on this board to start off with. I would also reccommend "Natural Reef Aquarium" by John Tullock, its not necessarily a good starter book. However it goes into great detail the different "commonly" practiced ways of maintaining sw aquariums. With an emphasis on refugiums, sand, live rock-natural filtration methods.
Regarding the manufacturers, everyone has an opinion. Affordability is probally one of the largest factors here. Some of the names like Oceanic, Tenecor, Aquart, Clarity Plus, etc. really come with a price tag. All make high quality products more or less. Becareful if you look into the used tank market though.
A refugium is basically a sump that has a sandbed or mineral mud substrate, possible pieces of live rock, and alot of "good" algae. It encourages natural filtration, safe haven for pods, and you can grow algae to feed to your fish.
Skimmer and RO water are highly suggested.
I think I answered most of your questions. Take your time, and go slow! Patience is important.

 

[shanev]

On the bowfronts, I have and would highly recommend a Oceanic 72 RR. They stand behind the product and are very well made. The only difference between the 72 and 90 bowfront is the height of the tank. 23" for the 72 and 28" for the 90. That being said keep in mind the cost of lighting. The deeper the tank the more intense and expensive the lighting will need to be for corals.
Just something to think about.

 

[hotwire284]

ok the more and more i look at salt water fish i see that they suggest a tank size for them. like a yellow tang needs a 80gal tank . i know these fish need more space but WOW. side note, these fish are so much cooler than freshwater! So i am thinking that i might want to see what fish i want before i pick a tank size. any fish suggestions from you guys? something hardy but colorful. maybe a flame angle or wrassel? hmm, i think i need to research more. so many questions!

 

[daniel411]

Not to scare you, but most people even suggest a 6' long tank for a yellow tang. They're very active fish, thats basically equals a 120 gallon tank.

 

[leopard_babe]

Welcome!!! I also just joined the hobby. i have a 46 bowfront, and now I wish it was the 92 bow. you should check it out it is beautiful!!!

 

[hotwire284]

thanks everyone for your replies. ok, so i have been lookin online both here and marine depot at some fish and have come up with some i think i would like to get. obviously this will not be all at once so, if one fish should be added before another please let me know!
list so far (this will prob. change by a fish or to but it is a start)
(2) clowns
(3) green chromis
(1) six-line wrassel
(1) lawnmower blennie (sp?)
(1) flame angle
(1) hippo tang or yellow tang or both? would they get along?
what size tank would i need for this? i think i wanna be around the 100gal mark for a tank. is this to many fish? will they all get along? thanks for all the help.

 

[hotwire284]

ok now that i posted and i look at it again i think that is to many fish for 100gal. might have to go up in size

 

[hotwire284]

bump

 

[ross]

I don't know much about the wrasse or lawnmower blenny but the clowns and chromis and angel sound fine. As for the tangs i would say you could definetly have a yellow and i'm not sure about the hippo tang. You will need plenty of live rock for the angel and tang to grase on. The angel needs a well established tank-like 5-6 months. I would say add the chromis first then the clowns then the wrasse or blennie(don't know which one should go first) then the angel then the tang. Tangs can be very territorial so that is why you will probably need to add it last. Good Luck!

 

[hotwire284]

thanks ross. does anyone know if i could have both a yellow and hippo in the same tank?

 

[gatorcsm]

I have this combo in a 125. They get along great. I acquired the tank from someone else.. The hippo is actually one that I had with the purple in my 90g, but they didn't get along, so I had traded with the person with the 125. I then bought the 125 and all of her livestock.. Pretty much because I couldn't see her selling the hippo to someone who wouldn't take care of it.
Make sure they're the same size, and add them at the same time. You have a chance of having conflicts, but hopefully not. I personally, would pick my favorite and stick with one in that sized tank.