WOW, lots to research

badkarma

badkarma

New Member
that's exactly what I was thinking!! Figuring it would take quite a while before moving up to the layout that I want the end result to be. Thanks again for the info. I was leaning towards the sand solution w/some LR... probably starting to culture my own. I'm looking into collecting my own sand, but don't really know if that's practical or what. Otherwise, I'd be happy enough starting out with some sand and buying some LR and letting nature spread it out a bit. What are some thoughts on that?
Also, I've read in a few areas that I should generally use a 1.45X1 for my sand to water ratio... sound about right? Since I'm researching a lot of this before making ANY decisions, what kind of lighting systems should I look into?
Think that'll give me a better idea on the size of the aquarium...
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
Yes, the LR will spread through the sand, and your "dead" sand will eventually become "live".
I'm not sure about the sand-to-water ratio... actually never heard of that. My suggestion is to have about a 1-3" sandbed, if you're going to be getting corals. A lot of corals like to rest on the sandy bottom.
The lighting is all dependant on what kind of corals you want. There's a number of different lighting options. I'll mention a few: NO lights (normal output - these are the same as the stock lights that come with most tanks... they're just normal florescent lights), HO lights (high ouput), PC (Power compact), VHO (very high output), T5 (not sure what that stands for...), and MH (metal halide). These are listed in order of their output, so NO is the lowest lighting, and MH is the highest. Most soft corals, such as zoos, polyps, mushrooms, and xenias require "moderate lighting", which would be PC or VHO. However, most hard corals and anemones require "high lighting", which is T5 or MH.
A PC lighting system will run you anywhere from $75-$400 (depending on the size and setup), while a MH setup will run you about $300-$900 (also depending on the size and setup). So it really all depends on what corals you want. I personally have PC lighing, and am planning on getting soft corals.
I'd say the best aquarium size for a beginner is about 55-75 gallons. Now don't :scared:... It's actually much easier to take care of larger tanks. You have a bigger margin of error to work with. For example, if a fish dies in a 30 gallon tank, let's say it'll spike your ammonia to 1.0, which is really bad. However, if that same fish dies in a 60 gallon, it'll only spike your ammonia to 0.5, which is much easier to repair. Do you see what i mean? Yes, the bigger tank is much more expensive to buy and setup, but in the long run, it's probably a better idea. it gives you more room for more fish, and more corals (believe me, once you really get into this, you'll be visiting your LFS every chance you get... if you have a bigger tank, you can have more fish, and therefore a bigger variety! i have a 55, and i wish so bad i would've gone with a 75 gallon...)
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
oh, and btw, that picture in your avtar scares the crap out of me...
 
badkarma

badkarma

New Member
LOL, Bat-Boy creeps you out, eh? I'll be changing him once I find a cool avatar for this hobby.
Thanks for the info. It helps give me an idea of how much I'll need to start this off. I figure that I'll be spending a few months collecting all the pieces and eventually getting it all together. I DO know that I'd like to add anemones and coral to the tank, and I think I'll probably end up with one of the "higher end" systems.
I was leaning to the 55 gallon tank to begin with, but the more I read, the more I'm leaning towards a 75 gallon setup. I keep hearing that the size is beneficial for the reasons you had mentioned as well as the dimensions of most tanks. I heard that the majority of 55 gallon ones are about 13 inches deep where the 75 gallon is about 18 inches which gives you plenty of room to play with.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
yes. the dimetions of a 75 gallon are all around better than a 55, and it opens up your options more as far as the type of fish you can have. Glad you're starting off in the right place!!!
 
badkarma

badkarma

New Member
yeah... I know I'm taking time doing this, but I figure I want to start this out correctly and learn as much as I can before I get involved. We're talking living creatures here and I want to make sure I don't jeopordize their lives due to lack of knowledge. I figure this is one area where I can be more safe than sorry!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top