Looking to start my first reef tank and researching different options to get started. I'am struggling with what tank size. I'am somewhat familiar with water chemistry, but what products to use as far as pumps,filters lighting seems to be overwhelming as far as choices.If anyone could give me some direction to make my search more easier it would be greatly appreciated. I've seen the top end and the low end . i just want to be in the upper middle somewhere. Thanks
hello
- Thread starter Rollins
- Start date
kbuser92
Breeder
What size do you want? Buy the biggest you have space for, in your home and wallet. Do you want corals? If so, what types? You will also need live rock and sand, those will be your filtration. I suggest buying 2 lbs per gallon sand and 1-2 lbs per gallon of rock. You can also buy a couple pieces of live rock and the rest dry, it will become live with time. Two great places are TampaBay Saltwater for "The Package", which is an AMAZING DEAL for your live rock and clean up crew or MarcoRocks.com for dry or base rock.
Your clean up crew should consist of:
1 each for every 5 gallons: Astrea, Cefrith and Nassarius snails
1 for every 3 gallons: Blue or Scarlet leg hermit crabs
1 for every 10 gallons: Turbo Snails
1 total for every 50 gallons: Serpent or Brittle Starfish
Your circulation should be roughly 30x the tank volume per hour via multiple strategically placed powerheads. 2-4 works great as long as you place them well.
Lighting is what gets expensive. This depends on corals you want; if you dont want corals, almost any aquarium light will do good for just fish.
Sumps are an optional form of filtration and arent needed, however a protein skimmer is in larger tanks. Once you choose a tank size we can give you more specifics.
Good luck and welcome to the forum! Once you get going on a tank, make sure to post a thread in the tank showcase section so we can follow along! Theres also an articles section that you should take a look at, theres some really good stuff there.
Your clean up crew should consist of:
1 each for every 5 gallons: Astrea, Cefrith and Nassarius snails
1 for every 3 gallons: Blue or Scarlet leg hermit crabs
1 for every 10 gallons: Turbo Snails
1 total for every 50 gallons: Serpent or Brittle Starfish
Your circulation should be roughly 30x the tank volume per hour via multiple strategically placed powerheads. 2-4 works great as long as you place them well.
Lighting is what gets expensive. This depends on corals you want; if you dont want corals, almost any aquarium light will do good for just fish.
Sumps are an optional form of filtration and arent needed, however a protein skimmer is in larger tanks. Once you choose a tank size we can give you more specifics.
Good luck and welcome to the forum! Once you get going on a tank, make sure to post a thread in the tank showcase section so we can follow along! Theres also an articles section that you should take a look at, theres some really good stuff there.
little_fish
Moderator
Hello and Welcome!
What type of lighting will also depend on the tank you get. For larger tanks, metal halide and LED lighting are more practical, but for smaller tanks t5 lighting might be a cheaper way to go.
Your rock will be your primary source of filtration, so make sure you dont skimp on the rocks. However, you can buy mostly dry rock and just a few lbs of live rock to save on money. You also dont need to buy live sand either.
The other handy type of filter to have is a protein skimmer. There are lots of crappy brands out there so check with us first before you buy. Dont get sucked into buy mechanical, biowheel or bioball filters. In saltwater tanks they dont do much good unless you put a lot of work into them. Also if your tank is under 30 gals then you really dont need a skimmer, just regular water changes will do you good!
I would highly suggest looking at this site: Saltwater Fish: Marine Aquarium Fish for Saltwater Aquariums and deciding what fish you are interested in. Many popular fish require HUGE tanks and will stress out and die if you put them in one that is too small.
What type of lighting will also depend on the tank you get. For larger tanks, metal halide and LED lighting are more practical, but for smaller tanks t5 lighting might be a cheaper way to go.
Your rock will be your primary source of filtration, so make sure you dont skimp on the rocks. However, you can buy mostly dry rock and just a few lbs of live rock to save on money. You also dont need to buy live sand either.
The other handy type of filter to have is a protein skimmer. There are lots of crappy brands out there so check with us first before you buy. Dont get sucked into buy mechanical, biowheel or bioball filters. In saltwater tanks they dont do much good unless you put a lot of work into them. Also if your tank is under 30 gals then you really dont need a skimmer, just regular water changes will do you good!
I would highly suggest looking at this site: Saltwater Fish: Marine Aquarium Fish for Saltwater Aquariums and deciding what fish you are interested in. Many popular fish require HUGE tanks and will stress out and die if you put them in one that is too small.
Smitty
Reef pro
Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you aboard.
ErinCahir
Sausage Wrangler
Hello and welcome!
marcah
Reef enthusiast
howdy and welcome to the site..:D
sen5241b
Reef enthusiast
hello Kansas City. I have a biocube and if I had to choose again I would choose a regular tank.The biocubes and other "all-in-1" tanks have back chambers and it can be a pain to clean them out.
kbuser92
Breeder
That would be a great starter tank!
Becky
Reefing newb
Welcome to the forums! :)
