New Guy on the Reef

J

JsZoo

Reefing newb
Hi, as you've guessed it, I'm new here. I'm also new to saltwater aquariums, but I've been doing research on them for close to a year now. I have my eyes on a 55gal from a friend who is upgrading from a 55 to a 125 gallon saltwater tank. It is not the cheapest tank, but it comes with a nice sturdy stand, and an awesome hood he bought to replace the one the tank came with. It does not come with a filter or fish or rock or water... He told me to try and find a forum to go to and get some extra help in maintaining the new tank, but I don't have it yet.

I just kind of need guidance, this will be my first saltwater tank ever and I want it to be successful. But I'm not new to pets, and I'm not ignorant, I just don't know.

I'm looking to buy a Fluval 306 canister filter, and wanted to know if there was a better filter. I guess I should add I want a community tank mainly. I want shrimp, crab, some clown, gobies, maybe a tang. I don't really know what all I am going to get yet, I figure I need more research and need to set up the tank.
 
If you get enough live rock in the tank you will not need a filter. Canister filter in saltwater tanks are nitrate factories. I'm pretty new and purchased one and boy was that a waste of money. Start getting about 75 pounds of live rock and save the filter money.
 
Welcome aboard! You've come to a great place for help. A lot of knowledgeable and experienced reefers here willing to help. Don't hesitate to ask any questions. :)

+1 Sidekick. Skip the canister filter. Live rock and protein skimming will be your two main sources of filtration. A canister is ok if you need or want to run some carbon occasionally, but I wouldn't leave it running on your system unless you thoroughly clean it weekly.

Your stocking plans sound great except for the tang. They need quite a long tank to be happy. LiveAquaria.com is a great source to go to for tank requirements for different fish. Check them out.
 
Thanks for the welcome and the info. The guy I'm buying the tank from told me to buy a canister filter. I can't lie and if this makes me look bad I'm sorry but I don't have the time to clean my tank weekly. It is a lot of money for the filter I am wanting, so I need to be sure I need it or not.

I'd also like to add that shows like Tanked that show guys building saltwater aquariums and setting them up using filters for their tanks. Is it just that a canister filter is not a good idea and there is another filter that is better suited for a saltwater tank?
 
Welcome aboard! Yes there is a better filter. Live rock and a protein skimmer. You can set up a sump and refugium and put cheato, mangroves and any other saltwater nitrate and phosphate absorber. Dont believe tanked, youll soon see that it cant and shouldnt be done in a day. Saltwater....... Youve got to turn in to a hippie(kinda hard for me) and take it slow. Its like a women, take it nice and slow and it will bring you happiness for years(unless youre divorced) and then im sorry! Good luck. ;-)
 
Ok, so no filter and no following Tanked's process. And a tang will outgrow a 55g... I saw these Blue Mandarin Goby fish and fell in love. I'll have to replace my tang idea with a few of those. I just read that clown can be aggressive towards each other, I was wanting 3, but I guess that has been reduced.

Without the added price of a filter and the upkeep of that I should be able to do a little more on my budget. How long should I cycle a new tank? When I do get the 70+ pounds of live rock and water, how long should I run it before introducing the fish? Oh, and I haven't looked this up yet but I don't want just a fowlr tank, meaning I want some anenomes for the clowns and for show, do I add those in when I add the fish or before?
 
https://www.livingreefs.com/basic-equipment-list-t19611.html

https://www.livingreefs.com/why-using-tap-water-bad-idea-t19865.html

https://www.livingreefs.com/choose-your-fish-t27083.html

Start there....

End here....
https://www.livingreefs.com/water-chemistry-t31270.html

https://www.livingreefs.com/marine-aquarium-disasters-and-prevent-them-t20514.html


Also, I'd like to note that a kole, a mimic lemon, a tomini, and the lemon tang, are all eligible for a 55 aquarium on who you ask, but its not the time or place to debate it.

Welcome to the reef, there's a large number of good people here who want to help and have a lot of knowledge on the subject. Glad to have you aboard!
 
Slow down my new best friend. Stay away from the mandarin goby for a year. You need one hell of a pod population to feed up with their hunger. You will be fine with mulitiple clowns, stay away from the anenomes until your tank is too a year. Look up protein skimmers, a heater, powerheads, lighting first and then we can get you going on coral. What kinda coral you like? Sps, lps, softies? Do you want a mixed reef? Start first on keeping your rock alive, then add corals. :-)
 
Cathic said:
https://www.livingreefs.com/basic-equipment-list-t19611.html

https://www.livingreefs.com/why-using-tap-water-bad-idea-t19865.html

https://www.livingreefs.com/choose-your-fish-t27083.html

Start there....

End here....
https://www.livingreefs.com/water-chemistry-t31270.html

https://www.livingreefs.com/marine-aquarium-disasters-and-prevent-them-t20514.html


Also, I'd like to note that a kole, a mimic lemon, a tomini, and the lemon tang, are all eligible for a 55 aquarium on who you ask, but its not the time or place to debate it.

Welcome to the reef, there's a large number of good people here who want to help and have a lot of knowledge on the subject. Glad to have you aboard!
Click to expand...
I have a yellow eyed kole tang, best fish of the year award( i just nominated him) he is his own algae machine, his lips are awesome! He just goes to town eating the algae off the glass, minding his own business. In one sentence, good fish to a reef set up.
 
Ok, so no blue mandarin for a while. I guess I should just write a list of what I would like, research each fish and figure what works best. But first I need to get my tank set up. Also, I don't know what catogory the coral I've been looking at would fall in. To name a few, I'm interested in eagle eye coral, green fluroscent mushroom, and honeycomb coral.
 
Thanks for the welcome and the info. The guy I'm buying the tank from told me to buy a canister filter. I can't lie and if this makes me look bad I'm sorry but I don't have the time to clean my tank weekly. It is a lot of money for the filter I am wanting, so I need to be sure I need it or not.

I'd also like to add that shows like Tanked that show guys building saltwater aquariums and setting them up using filters for their tanks. Is it just that a canister filter is not a good idea and there is another filter that is better suited for a saltwater tank?
 
Because they go fowlr. If you want corals, they will not last long. By far, these are your decisions, if your not able to clean your tank weekly........ Motorcycles are too a good hobby. Good luck my friend and keep in mind, tv isnt always right.
 
Yeah, tbh, everyone here wants our new members to feel welcomed and to have a long successful and fun experience with the hobby. However you need to remember that being new you either came here for advice or you were seeking approval for your idea. Figure out which one it is.

The amount of knowledge shared by everyone here is to benefit no one else but those who need the advice. We take nothing from giving false advice, and our own members are more than quick to correct false information that gets passed along in threads. Everyone came here to learn more share knowledge and have a successful aquarium, even when that means sucking it up and admitting that our original ideas weren't best suited for the job. We have all been there and we have all learned from the experience. So, which is it?
 
I would focus on getting your protein skimmer and lights. Those will be your two major purchases besides the live rock. For a protein skimmer, I recommend getting one a bit bigger than you need, maybe something rated for up to 75-100 gallons.
There are a ton of lighting options, but take a look around the tank build threads and get some ideas for lighting and other equipment from there.
 
The tank comes with a good hood and lights, so I don't think I need to buy any lighting for it.

I plan on using the help I get from this website to the fullest, and my ideas right now may seem crazy but that's because I don't know any better at the moment. Saying I want a tang and a blue mandarin is why I joined a good forum to discuss this sort of stuff to people who know what they are talking about. A fowlr will probably all I have for a while, but I still want to learn about coral and the different options of what I can do.
 

Similar threads

L
New Member
Replies
0
Views
1K
lkt1954
L
F
New to marine.
Replies
2
Views
1K
kbuser92
kbuser92
Mike
We're Back!
Replies
0
Views
651
Mike
Mike
Mike
  • Sticky
New Member (Owner 😲)
Replies
0
Views
720
Mike
Mike
Sashimi
75 gallon LPS 2.0 suggestions
Replies
0
Views
2K
Sashimi
Sashimi
Back
Top