what's the 1st thing you wish you had known

juggalo235

juggalo235

New Member
I just recently let my 40(Gal) fish tank go through the whole cycle thing, and then i took all the sand, rock, fish, water, and everything and put it in a 55(gal) how long should i let that tank cycle even though all my stuff in it is from a already cycled tank?
thanx
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member
Originally Posted by robharold
Merredeth that is a very interesting point. I think I will have to try it. More fish and more.......I think I could handle that.

Show me a man on this board that can't handle more of both, and I'll show you a dead man.

Denise M.
 
jsgreer1

jsgreer1

Member
wish i had known about these threads. i have been reading these for 2 days now and working on a tank for 4 weeks and i learned three times as much in the last two days as the previous 4 weeks
 
yupi1982

yupi1982

Member
That in order to have a good Reef tank i need....Protein skimnmer,Refiugium,wet dry,chiller,MH and tons of live rock and of course the f....sand.
anyways i look at it the nice way , if i would've known that i needed all of this i probably wont have the hooby...
 
sfe

sfe

Member
yupi1982 said:
That in order to have a good Reef tank i need....Protein skimnmer,Refiugium,wet dry,chiller,MH and tons of live rock and of course the f....sand.
anyways i look at it the nice way , if i would've known that i needed all of this i probably wont have the hooby...[/QUOTE
you don't technically need all of that stuff. Bu I would say to keep a successful reef than you are right
Click to expand...
 
mike h.

mike h.

Member
Originally Posted by maeistero
expensive?
wait until you get into the big tanks

i've seen some stuff that i want to do in the next decade that will be expensive.... :thinking:
but also a lot easier to maintain due to the more water volume.
that's another thing for you to think about. more water volume through refugiums, sumps and such will make it easier to keep consistent water parameters.
Spent $4200 so far on my 125 gal. One year old!
 
sfe

sfe

Member
Originally Posted by Mike H.
Spent $4200 so far on my 125 gal. One year old!

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
dale-fish

dale-fish

New Member
The first thing I wish I had known is that you actually have to acclimate your fish using the drip method and not just floating the bags for 10 min. Lost 3 fish this way :(
 
fraggle_a

fraggle_a

Member
Starting at $375.
I ran fish tanks and major ponds before so a lot of the details wernt new to me. The concept of "Cycling" however caught me by surprise.
I have two pet stores close by. One about 5 minutes away, and one about 10 minutes away. I visited both before I made a desition about where to shop.
The big givaway was in the farther pet store I asked a quesion about the Marine aquariums they had. I was greeted with the reply "You should ask the aquatics guy, hell be back in 2 minutes or so".
The other store kinda ignored me, then later on tried to sell me a 'Tank Kit' for freshwater and said it would be cheap to get the filters to make it salty.
While the closer store has some pretty fish in their tanks. The other store has a guy who knows what hes talking about.
Example, Im looking at a 24"x24"x34" (AGA tank i think, hight might be off) It would fit exactly where I wasnt to put it, but in the back of my mind I asking myself, is this tall tank a good idea for fishies?. I asked the "Guy" and he said it was cool. I went to the farther petstore and asked him, he just looked at me and asked 'do fish swim horizonaly, or verticaly?' Nuff' said.
After 3 days of going back and fourth to the two shops, compairing prices, stock, knowlege and asking a multitude of questions. I eventualy settled on "Pet Harbour" the farther shop from me.
I got myself a 38G AGA tank for $100 and everything I needed.
Live sand, live rock, a good skimmer some water treatment chemicals, some "Cycle", salt, light and everything i needed.
20 hours in and the water has finnaly gone clear. The live rock has little green things sticking out. The skimmer has started to develope nicely.
The hardest thing is telling yourself... NO FISH YET! No Corrals!, Nothing but rocks and time.
Gonna be a long week or two!!
 
gtiguy

gtiguy

Member
Research before buying, never trust LFS, always get a second or third opinion on something if you really want it, and never NEVER tank anyones used sand to use in your own tank...trust me on that one
 
fraggle_a

fraggle_a

Member
Expanding on Dale-Fish's comments....
How long should one generaly "Drip" for?
I know the bag method for Tropical and cold water is generaly an hour to let the Temps regulate slowly. But with saltwater we are in a whole different area..... So, whats recomended? and how??
 
borgatagal

borgatagal

Member
Hi,
I am on a mission to start a reef tank. I have been reading the boards all day and researching online.
What size tank is a good tank to start with? I like the acrilic bow front,, any opinions on that type? Also, where should I shop for the best deals on the tank, stand? Any info on how I should begin is much appreciated. I want to do this 'right' the first time and benefit from all the advice you can give me.
Anxiously waiting...... Thanks! :help:
 
fraggle_a

fraggle_a

Member
Set yourself a budget.... then double it!. LOL
I started with a 40Gallon. Big enough to get some intersting stuff going. But not big enough to be a very expensive mistake should something go wrong.
Later on, Ill progably drop a few $$$$s on a BIG (maybe 100gallon) tank and go nuts. But to start, my 40Gallon is fine.
Shopping... Who knows. I have two LPSs and theres a '*****" in Orlando. I managed to Eliminate ***** without leaving my home. But the two LPSs had some good deals. The most common find seems to be the All Glass Aquariums. A good deal to start with. The plexiglass ones seem nice, but they seem to scratch easy. You want to show interest in the LPSs and see if you can find some good stock. Look close at their tanks (look for fishkill, this is a good indicator of how 'supportive' they could be), see if you can get a good deal. AGA Tanks usualy have hood/tank/base packages.
I had a hugely stirdy coffee table so I didnt need the base. The place I settled on sold me the tank for $99 (down from the posted $111.99) after a little haggling.
But, shop around, ask, then post here and ask for advice on what the store says.
(my 40Gallon tank cost me $350 to start with 10Lbs of live rock and 2 bags of live sand)
 
skyhi

skyhi

Member
you get your water right, add your live rock, get your water right, then you do a total water change? i've heard this, why? you got your water right. then you replace it? what's the point.
 
7

75bownut

Guest
I wish I would have known that after having cycled my tank with about 40 lbs of live rock, not to put in another 60 lbs uncured rock about 6 months later.
 
skyhi

skyhi

Member
well i was told after about two weeks of letting the water process. add a small rock then see if it makes it and then add the rest but WHEN and WHY do you do a total water change?
 
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