Your Advice Please

[liongirl]

I am interested in someday soon upgrading my fish only tank to a reef gradually. I understand that there is a LOT more upkeep for a reef tank, but i believe that i am ready for it. I have picked up that there are many more chemical levels that i have to keep track of, and I need lighting (which i was told was very expensive) and probably a few more things. Anyone who has time, could you give me a brief summary at what i am getting myself into. Eventually I will definitely do it no matter what, but I would like to get as much advice as possible ahead of time to prepare. I have a 44 gal. but should be adding a bigger tank soon (depending on the cash flow ) Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!
[ April 30, 2001: Message edited by: LionGirl ]

 

[total]

Well I think you will like the reef setup.
I have a 55 gal. with 60lbs of live sand (fiji) and 90lbs of live rock (fiji).
My rock cost $400 and the sand was $200. I have a Berlin classic skimmer $145 and a wet dry filter (left over from a fish only setup) that I use as a sump and some mech. filtering. I use PC lighting $200 wich seems to work well. I have 2 perc clowns a sand sifting goby a coral band shrimp 3 cleaner shrimp 4 sally light foot crabs 2 emerald crabs and a stow away hermit crab called Lucky, becouse he was lucky to survive the trip packed in the sand shipped from Florida. I now have 6 different leather corals a Pineapple brain hard coral and a feather duster thats about 5 inches in diamiter. I feed the inverst and the fish frozen brine, the corals get fed plankton from kent, Iodine from kent and coral vite from kent. Once a week I add calcium and with my water changes and top off I add a PH buffer. I test AM, PH, Trates, Phosphates, and Calcium once a week. My corals are growing very fast. Faster then I thought they would.
Anyway thats it. I get alot of advice from the people on this site and from my LFS.
My tank has been up sence Jan. 1 this year and no casualties. Well goodluck
TTFN (Ta TA For Now)

 

[sonny]

Invest in a Reverse Osmosis Deionization unit. It will be useful on your fish tank as well, but you really have to have great water conditions to have a reef. Lighting is such a can of worms to open, but I really believe in Metal Halide lighting for reefs. When you change over, unless your tank is a live rock set up, I'd suggest just starting over from scratch, as tanks will build up detritus that will add to the nitrate build up in your tank. By starting from scratch, you can start with a clean slate, so to speak. I also recommend a deep sand bed with a plenum for nitrate reduction. Make sure to do lots of research before you start, so you will save money in the long run. Never buy an animal that you don't already know how to care for. Get some good books on reef tanks.
Sonny

 

[wolffam]

Read everthing you can on the subject and don't be afraid to ask questions. This site is a great source for information. Everybody here is very helpful and willing to share their secrets. I do suggest the following as a good rule when dealing with your LFS. If their tanks and specimens look good, then their advice will also be. Also check out different sites that show tanks, to get ideas on what you want yours to look like. Remember that there is more than one way to be successful. Most all agree though that it starts with water quality, and it points to R/O water as being a good investment. Hope this helps.

 

[jacques]

I converted my tank from a fish only to reef combo about seven months ago. I upgraded the lights (bought new in box on ---- for about $200), added a skimmer (just under $100), added 35lbs. of live rock (approximately $210), mixed argonite with existing ($20) and added corals, crabs, snails and more corals (hundreds of $$$). Definitely worth the money and the upkeep. HTH,

 

[liongirl]

Originally posted by Sonny:
<STRONG>Invest in a Reverse Osmosis Deionization unit. It will be useful on your fish tank as well, but you really have to have great water conditions to have a reef. Lighting is such a can of worms to open, but I really believe in Metal Halide lighting for reefs. When you change over, unless your tank is a live rock set up, I'd suggest just starting over from scratch, as tanks will build up detritus that will add to the nitrate build up in your tank. By starting from scratch, you can start with a clean slate, so to speak. I also recommend a deep sand bed with a plenum for nitrate reduction. Make sure to do lots of research before you start, so you will save money in the long run. Never buy an animal that you don't already know how to care for. Get some good books on reef tanks.
Sonny</STRONG>
Sonny, my tank is almost done with its cycle, i have only had it for about 1.5 months (so it is pretty new) ... So I guess that would be starting from scratch if I wanted to go with a reef tank. What kind of fish could i put in a reef tank? I really like Lions and dog-faced puffers. (one of each only though) What else should i look into. Do i have to start with $200 worth of rock or could i just add pieces as i can afford it. Thanks.

 

[adrian]

Liongirl, if you want a reef you might as well skip the FO part. As mentioned above you will only have to break it down and start over eventually. A reef tank, IMO, is less work than a fish only. Corals, again IMO, are much easier to care for than some of the most desired fish for a FO. I would start with a good book, natural reef aquariums by john tullock would be an excellent choice. I hate to tell you this but both of the fish you mentioned would be poor choices for a reef. Puffers can eat certain corals and small fish, and lions will eat small fish, shrimp, crabs, and can kill corals by perching on them. Do a lot of research before you start stocking your tank with animals and equipment. There are a lot of different methods floating around and you will hear several diffrent opinions. Most of them work quite well, but some of them will force you to spend a lot more, and cause a lot of extra work. Check out what other hobbysits on the web are doing and find yourself a good LFS, if none is available, which unfourtunately is more often the case, these boards will help you out a lot. Either way these boards are a great resource Take it slow and dont rush, patience is a friend in this hobby. Good luck