Okay, starting of lots of ?'s....

S

SJojo3377

Reefing newb
Alrighty, alrighty so my husband and I are completely new to this so I apologize in advance for the ton of questions about to come your way!:question:

First, is purchasing a larger aquarium better for your money in the long run? We want to get a 125 gallon and I know this hobby is going to be expensive (why we are doing it in steps), but isn't it smarter to get a big one? Or should we do a smaller or even a nano instead? Which is better and why?
Second, what about sand? I know there is sand where there are shells in it, there is live sand, normal sand, and large and fine grained sand (I think :question:)....Which is better and why?
Third, what is a sump? Is this a smaller aquarium located in your cabinetry that is hooked up to your main aquarium thru pipes? Or, is that a fuge?
Fourth, (Yup lots of ?'s...) as far as lights are concerned (Biffer and Reef thanks for your help on that)......Lemme see...So there are 4 kinds of lights? Halides, Actinic, LED, and florescent? Just wanted to make sure...
Fifth, if you can not afford a deionizer, what can you do besides adding a chemical to take out all of the impurities of tap water.(I don't trust adding chemicals)
Okay, I'm gonna give you guys a rest now and save my other millions of questions for another day........:shock:
 
The larger the aquarium, the easier it is to maintain. Basically, there is more water to dilute out your mistakes. :lol: But, larger aquariums are more expensive. Especially if you get a 6-foot one like a 125. 6-foot lights are EXPENSIVE (I used to have a 240 gallon tank).

I'd recommend starting with a 4-foot tank instead. Some standard tanks that are 4 feet long are 55 gallon, 75, 80 and 90. For all of these you can use T5 lighting. I have a 90 currently. I've had small tanks (10 and 12 gallons), and I've had big tanks (240 gallon), and medium tanks (55 gallon) and the 90 has by far been the easiest and best to work with so far.

Nanos can be tough to start with. It's really hard to keep water parameters stable in nano tanks. One little mistake can screw up the whole tank. As I said, in a larger tank, mistakes get diluted out much easier in the larger water volume.

The two basic types of substrate are crushed coral (which have the shell pieces in it) and aragonite sand. Definitely go with aragonite sand. Crushed coral leads to problems. The particles are big enough to trap waste and detritus, which can hurt your water quality and cause algae problems. And substrate-dwelling animals (like some starfish, gobies, sea cucumbers and nassarius snails) don't do well in the large particles. Sand is much easier to keep clean, and it looks nicer. And it won't cause your nitrates and phosphates to spike as crushed coral sometimes does.

You are correct about a sump. It is a second aquarium (or in my case, a rubbermade tub from the hardware store) that is separated from the main tank. It's main purposes are to increase the water volume of your system (again, providing more water to dilute out bad things) and to hide equipment that you would otherwise have to keep in the display tank (like skimmers, filters, heaters, UV sterilizers, etc). Most people like to keep the display as clutter and equipment free as possible, just to keep it looking nicer.

A fuge is usually a specific part of the sump. You can also make a fuge out of a separate tank or rubbermade tub entirely (in my system, it's a separate tub). A fuge contains live rock rubble and macroalgae. This provides a place for amphipods and copepods (they look like bugs) to breed safely. Corals and fish love to eat pods, so a fuge gives them a breeding ground where they can reproduce without fear of being eaten, and they overflow into the main tank. The macroalgae also takes up nitrates and phosphates from the water column, both of which are harmful to your livestock. It's a natural way of cleaning the water.

You are sort of right on the lights :) Actinic is a color of light (blue). The 4 main types of lights in the hobby are PCs (power compacts), T5s (a type of fluorescent), metal halide, and LEDs. T5s and metal halides are the most commonly used lights, and both of those are good enough to keep anything you want, provided you use enough bulbs. LEDs are good, but expensive. PCs are old school, not very powerful, and on their way out. Few people use PCs any more, because MH, T5 and LEDs are superior.

You shouldn't use tap water. It usually contains nitrates and phosphates (which fuel algae grown and hurt invertebrates) and it can also contain heavy metals (which will also hurt livestock). You can get a good RODI (reverse osmosis de-ionizer) unit for $100 to $200. This is one of the most important things you can buy for your tank. If you are putting bad water into your tank to start off with, you will never get ahead. If you can't afford an RODI unit, you can buy bottled RO water from Walmart or the grocery store. My Walmart sells it for 88 cents a gallon. You can do the math -- an RODI unit that costs $100 pays for itself very quickly if your alternative is to buy water. There is no additive that will take out all the impurities of tap water. The only way to do that is to filter it using an RODI unit (or buying RO or distilled water). Chemicals that you add will remove some things, but not all. Some people that use tap water are never able to get rid of a tank full of algae and corals just won't live in their tanks. Some people live in areas where their tap water is good quality, but those people are definitely in the minority. With all the money you are going to spend on your tank, $100 to $200 to ensure healthy water is literally a drop in the bucket. The water quality of your tank is one of the most important things that can make or break success, and it's not something to skimp on, IMO.
 
PS -- if you can, buy a tank that is pre-drilled. This will have holes in the bottom or back. This will make plumbing in a sump and/or fuge immensely easier and the setup will look nicer and require less equipment. Drilled tanks are definitely the way to go. 99% of the time, people that start with undrilled tanks end up upgrading to drilled tanks, so save your money and just buy a drilled one to begin with.
 
I can't believe that she was able to get any type of opinion out of you in the first place!...it's so unlike you to give an opinion on something.:mrgreen:

I just don't know what's been getting into you lately. You're really starting to come out of your shell. You're usuallly so quiet.:D
 
+2 Biff.

If I type out what Biff did,it would take me an hour.I do like to add,if you have your heart set on a 125g. then don't let us stop you.Really,the only added cost over say a 90g. is lights(besides the tank and stand).

I highly recommend you get an RO/DI unit.You can get a good one for $150 or less.It will save you $$$ in the long run.Otherwise you have to get RO water from the grocery store or LFS which will add up.Don't use tapwater for a reef system.
 
What Biff said PLUS don't spend any extra money in buying "live" sand as it is actually not live and no better than not live sand. Also, I bought my RODI unit for $62 new from purewaterclub and so far it seems to be working great although there are many who have had difference experiences with this company. I have a TDS meter coming in soon so then I will be able to tell you w/o doubt if my lil $62 RODI was a steal or an expensive ornament that occupies the unerdwellings of my sink. Personally, I love to see someone new to the hobby ask LOTS of questions. Although I do quite often get a good laugh from reading about people who have done no research yet wonder why $500 worth of livestock withered away in a miserably death I'd rather see informed successful aquarists. Hope that helps! :mrgreen:
 
I agree with everything stated above. However, if you are looking at, and thinking about a 125 gallon tank I offer this. Look into a 120 gallon tank. It is 4 x 2 x 2 thus allowing you to not have a super heavy expense on lighting a 6 foot tank. Look for one with dual overflows (as the tank is already drilled). The 90 gallon is nice as well. The difference is single overflow, and it is 6 inches narrower front to rear.
 
I bought my RO/DI from P U R E W A T E R C L U B paid $90 including shipping and all filter media.. i also build my own sump (THANKS BIFFER AND WONTON) but i used an over flow box because my tank was not drilled. I looked at a 75g drilled and it was cheaper for me to go with the over flow and sump build then buy a new tank.
 
All great advice.
If you happen to decide on a 4ft tank,order one with a corner overflow.If you got the 125,get again corner overflows.Makes aquascaping a whole lot easier.
You'll pay a little more for a reff ready ( drilled ) tank to start with.But the price will even out by the time you but the bits and hardware to drill it yourself.
Another good way to save a little cash for fish and coral,is to use some base rock as your reefs foundation and see that with some good quality live rock.
 
Wow!!!:shock::shock::shock::shock: There is soooo much info and soooo much different things...This is sooo cool!:D Thank you so much to everyone that is answering my questions and telling me great tips and info! Okay, so I was looking at some T5 lights for a 6 foot aquarium (125 gallon), thank you Biff, and they WERE 1,000 DOLLARS!!!! I could buy a used car for that money!!!! Wow!!!!!:shock: I'm thinking 120 gallon at the max now and a 90 gallon at the min. What do you guys think of Craigslist? The good? The bad? The ugly?
Anyways, here a few more questions for the night.....:question:
A sump. How large does a sump need to be for your aquarium? Why do some people use them and some don't?
A fuge. How do you spell that whole word and how large does it have to be? Again, why do some use and some don't?
The current. From the overflow (I think), how can you measure or make sure that the current isn't to rough and won't harm your corals, fish, invertebrates?
Yote, quick question for you: You said "base rock", is that live rock too?
Okay, ya'll I'm gonna quit hassling you tonight:D:D:^:
 
Which lights did you look at?This is plenty of light and isn't nowhere near $1000.I linked to to a website I use the most.You may still find the fixture cheaper elsewhere.
Current-T5 CU-USA01082 Premium Aquatics

Nothing wrong with using Craiglist for use tanks.You will want to test for leaks and test for copper.If someone has use copper in it then it will be useless for a reef.Copper kills inverts.

You will want to make or buy a sump/refugium as big as it will fit in the stand.Cost,complexity and maybe they feel that they don't need one are reasons some people don't use them.

Generally the flow from the overflows doesn't provide enought flow.You will need to suppliment with powerheads or something else.Most reef ready tanks with two overflows cannot handle flow pass 1200gph,you will need to get a pump that matches it.
 
I'll try an answer a few questions here. Craigslist is good and bad. Know what your wanting to buy and research what it's worth before buying. Then make sure it works before you buy it.

A sump has no preset size. You want it to be big enough to put your equipment in and be convenient for maintenance. Mine is big enough to grow some cheato and holds my heaters, pumps, and skimmer. The bigger it is the more water volume you have which helps maintain your chemisty.

An overflow won't be to much current for your corals. You will need to add in a few powerheads to increase the flow for your corals. I've always used that your overflow and sump should be doing roughly 10Xs your tank size in gph then you add in that much for powerheads. So basically a 55 gallon tank will need to run 550 gph thru the sump then also need another 550 gph in powerheads in the display tank. Thats just a rule of thumb I use though others might come up with better.

Good luck yes there is an overload of info out here but it does get easier as you learn more. Also you start to experiment and then it really gets fun.

Fuge is short for refugium. It's typically an area to grow macro algae like Cheato. Cheato is great for removing nitrates from your system. Very good natural filter. A sump can double as a fuge.
 
A 120 makes a great reef tank.Even though its shorter,you gain some width.
Craigslist is a great place to get a tank and equipment.You just have to be careful and and check for leaks and ask a few questions before handing over the cash.If your buying stuff like an established tank or live rock you'll want to run a copper test on it just to make sure since you never know what others add to their tanks.

A sump can be as small as 5 gallons or as big as 500 if you have the space for it.The idea is to have enough room to get the heater,skimmer,and other filtration equipment out of your display while adding water volume.
The reason some use em and some don't,is more an issue of room,space,and personal preference.
The refugium is the same as the sump.:D I don't run a refuge because I don't have enough room under the stand and the wife drew the line at having tank equipment sitting in the floor.:mrgreen:
Even with the overflow and return pump,you'll need some power heads in the tank.Water flow is as important as the lights.The easiest way to tell when you've got TOO much flow,is when your sand is in suspension.Reef animals live in strong currents and need the flow to keep healthy.Plus the flow help keeps waste from settling out before the filtration can get it.
The base is just dry rock.Its not live until its been seeded.But you can get base rock for a couple a buck per pounds where live will usually run anywhere from 5 to 14 bucks a pound depending on where you get it.
 

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