Greetings from a Newbie

[WizardOfAZ]

Hello everyone. Name is Josh. New to aquariums for the most part. Had a small freshwater as a kid. I just set up a 10 gallon freshwater tank for my 2 & 3 year old girls. I made a run to an aquarium store which was packed with fun stuff, primarily saltwater. I'm always looking for a new endeavor in life, and something to expand my knowledge. So I figured I'd give saltwater a try. I know nothing, except that I will need to do my research, listen to everything everyone has to say, go slow, and accept some frustration. I think it may take some time and money, but I'm confident I can setup and care for a nice tank in my house.

Now,,, I'm going to have LOTS of questions!!!

What should I do first?????? (besides secure some funding...)

Josh

 

[ErinCahir]

You should read the articles and stickies. :)

And ask lots and lots of questions.

Welcome to the site!

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

What did you get? LFS are notorious for selling you stuff you dont want or need, so let check that so you can return anything that wont help you out

 

[kevdogg]

Welcome aboard Josh!

little_fish was right, you are going to need to be wary of anything that the LFS (local fish store) is going to try and sell you. Although some are decent places most of us have had many bad experiences. Remember we are here to help and not take your money! Go ahead and read the articles and stickies, and feel free to ask questions along the way!

 

[WizardOfAZ]

Thanks for the quick and warm responses everyone! I'm definitely wary of being sold what I don't need. I could tell already when the LFS guy grabbed a fancy $39.99 LED strip off the rack to show me that I would need to be careful. In the end, I don't mind spending more money then necessary on something if it is really cool. Let's face it, I'm not deciding to enter the world of saltwater aquariums to save money. I plan to waste a ton of money I should be putting into a retirement account or my daughter's college funds so that when you walk in the front door of my house, you say, "WHOA! THAT'S COOL!" That being said,,, I definitely want to start simple. I want to go slow and not get ahead of myself. I'm very realistic about the fact that I have no clue what I'm doing, and I'm sure you all see people like me all the time who really have no idea what they're getting into.

Ok, enough about that. Let's avoid negativity.

I'll start looking through articles. I'm hoping there's a very straight forward, step by step process I can follow to some extent.

Here's my next question : On average, what amount of money should I have set aside in the beginning to set up a tank in the 50-100 gallon range, with a reef looking rock, white base, a few fish, corals, etc., and really amazing lighting! ???????

 

[kevdogg]

Be careful with that question... It could be thousands depending what exactly you want. I would be expect at least $1500 for that setup but more realistically it may be closer to 2k-3k when all said and done. Not trying to scare you off but trying to be more realistic with pricing. If you prefer DIY can save you a LOT of cash.

One thing that we all would agree with would be to wait and buy the better equipment from the start, rather then buying the low grade stuff then upgrading.

 

[Civicdemon]

I got really lucky and found my Aquarium on C List. for 120 $ with stand and mines a 125 gl tank. But even with that said i just spent about 500 to get my sump going, and thats the cheap way. lol Then your looking at live rock, about 3 to 4 $ a lb and you will need Depending on the tank you go with atleast 1lb live rock per gl of water.

Then your talking water lol. it can be pretty pricey and get expensive with water changes. I would say Get a RO/DI unit and mix your own salt water. Cheaper in the long run and great for emergencys.

Its crazy but ones your fully set up it is really nice to sit back and enjoy your tank.

 

[WizardOfAZ]

Sounds good. Yep, I'm definitely interested in buying the quality parts from the beginning. Like I've said before though,,, I have a lot of research to do before making a move. It seems like the most precautionary advice I have been getting is to not run out and buy something without knowing what I'm doing. I have a feeling there are a lot of impulsive people out there who get all excited and go spend a bunch of money right away. I have no plans to do that.

I've almost got a couple grand saved up for this endeavor, and will still do plenty of research prior to doing anything...

 

[Smitty]

Welcome aboard...