Complete Newbie

W

wakerider017

Reefing newb
Complete newbie here.

I've never owned a saltwater tank before, but I have always wanted to.

I live in Tampa & I love the ocean! I'm out diving on the local reefs weekly and if the weather is too rough i'll try and squeeze in some inshore fishing.

I figured a saltwater aquarium is a great way to take my passion home with me to enjoy.


I'd like a reef tank with live rock. They are beautiful and that is what I get to see when I am diving, so I'd like the same at home. I was figuring something around 75 gallons would be a good choice, but then again I am a newbie.

I know I'll need other equipment such as lighting, pumps, tank, etc. Advice in that department would be helpful! I've done some research online, but I've always felt talking to the guys who are passionate about it is the best way to learn.

Any thing to get me pointed in the right direction will help.
 
Greetings! I was a newbie a year ago (and still consider myself one) but we are glad to have new enthusiasts to the hobby.

If you haven't already the two sticky threads in this forum have a wealth of information for the beginning marine aquarist. They helped me immensely and are the perfect starting point for setting up your sw reef. These are listed below:

Do Your Research: https://www.livingreefs.com/do-your-research-first-t26793.html
Cycling A Tank: https://www.livingreefs.com/cycling-tank-adding-fish-and-corals-t26452.html

Whatever you decide on, make sure to not start too small. Keeping your water levels under control on a tank under 30G can be a nightmare for a newbie. Some of the other members of the site would be best suited to providing testimonials on brands of equipment based on their experience.

Happy reefing!
 
to me a 75 to 90 is a great starting point.. best advice is the same as above research research research.. couple pieces you would need for a 75 would be a good skimmer reef octopus and bubble magus make nice ones they have to be rated for twice your display tank size.. lighting on a 75 look towards a 6 bulb t-5 fixture fixture, that would allow you to keep any coral you would wish down the road, if your budget allowed you could also look into good LED lighting, like maxspect, AI or radion.. liverock you will need to put in 1 to 2 pounds per gallon of course you could get just some liverock and the rest dry rock it will save you some money and also turn live over a short period of time. some good aragonite sand and again this doesnt have to be live it will also become live.. then some powerheads you will want to turn the tank over 40x per hour or so.. I would reccomend two heaters( since it is the one thing that breaks most often in this hobby). that should get you off to a start, things to look into down the road or from the start would be a sump and refugium..
 
Welcome to the forum. I remember reef diving in the Bahamas back in the 80's and the diversity of life and color was just amazing. There are alot of helpful folks here to help you out.
 
Welcome to the reef! Looks like everyone has you pretty much covered with all the articles. This hobby will bring you great joy but be ready to spend some money!
 
I feel bad for posting this link because you already have so much to read, but it's for a thread about algea scrubbers which can be used in conjunction with skimmers and all that other expensive equipment or by itself... Yeah, I'm a little biased towards them because they are cheap and imo work wayy better than any other kind of filter you can get. Anyway here's the link: https://www.livingreefs.com/mega-powerful-nitrate-and-phosphate-remover-diy-t16734.html
Good luck and I hope you enjoy the challenge and rewards of the hobby
 

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