hi everyone. i just signed up to delaware reef club. i am planning my first salt tank and any tips, advice, etc… are very welcome. i have experience with fresh water tanks although i know they are very different from salt. currently i have a 120g fresh and a 6g fluval edge fresh. my plan for my first salt tank is to do a 15+/-g tank. i dont have a huge budget for this so i plan to do about 80% dry rock and seed with some live rock to save money, i know that it will take longer to cycle this way but i’m not in a huge hurry plus it will give me time to save money for coral, fish, and inverts while the tank cycles. i’m gonna aim for 15-20 pounds of total rock. i know ill need at least 1 powerhead and a 50-75watt heater. am i missing anything?
:Welcome)
Hi! There is a complete tank setup for sale on this forum. Your startup costs alone may equal and exceed what he’s asking. I have a 29gal, and with the cost of salt, lights, heater, water changes, protein skimmer, circulation pumps, livestock, etc . . . i was over $500. It’s an expensive hobby, but I THOROUGHLY enjoy it. The people on this forum are EXTREMELY helpful and knowledgeable, take their advice. See the link below for details on the complete setup for sale:
http://delreefclub.org/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&topic=4963.0
One thing you will HAVE to consider is tank size . . . with smaller tanks, if you make a small mistake, it has huge consequences. If you have a larger tank, a small mistake will not be as big of a deal. 2 gallons of water evap. on a 20gal setup is a 10% change, where 2 gallons evap. on a 55gal tank is only a .35% change. This equates to a more stable system and happier animals. Only BAD things happen quickly in this hobby, you’ll be very happy if you take the time and patience to read and understand the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’.
Welcome to the club, I hope your planning goes well for you!
thanks. unfortunately i dont have room for a 55 right now nor an allowance that big(thanks to my wife) i might be able to go as big as 25. i already have a few spare tanks ranging from 5 to 45 and lamps and filters etc… so i have some of the stuff i need already which will save me some money. i know that a bigger tank is easier but im up for the challenge and im gonna take it slow with this and will be asking lots of questions along the way
ask alot of question, dont be afraid even if you think its stupid, because we have all been there before. take a look at tanks on reef central. see what they use, ask questions.
welcome to the club.
:Welcome)
glad to have new people. but is the name bs now?
or b snow? PBJ!
Its b snow. I know not very creative. I’m Ben by the way
:Welcome) aboard Ben. Lots of learning and reading with reef or even salt water keeping at that. I’m sure you already know in this hobby, patience is a virtue. Don’t hesitate to ask lots of questions, there no stupid questions. Good luck on your build.
Welcome to the club Ben, as was mentioned before, ask away. Sometimes it’s best to start a new thread for each question you come up with so you don’t miss answers and can sort through and find things easier later.
Tank, salt, water, rock, and some sand and you’re good to go. Consider purchasing RODI water (good filtered) to ease your pain with algae and “brown crud all over the rock” - trust me on this one. Whatever your LFS charges for water is very much worth it in this hobby until you can pick up your own RODI unit and make your own.
Thanks. Im actually planning on installing a rodi filter in my house anyway so ill be good on that front. Does anyone have any pointers on using mostly dry rock to start my tank
“To b snow or not to b snow. THAT is the question”
lOl
:Welcome) to the club, Ben YahoO
Not a problem starting with dry rock, it will just take a little longer. And you will save some cash by not buying LIVE rock.
Good luck with the new tank.
[quote=“bsnow, post:9, topic:4445”]
Thanks. Im actually planning on installing a rodi filter in my house anyway so ill be good on that front. Does anyone have any pointers on using mostly dry rock to start my tank[/quote]
I’ve heard from a lot of people that RODI water tastes nasty - never actually tried it myself.
You’re best bet using dry rock would be to get a cup of live sand from a few other reefers to seed your bacteria colony. If you can make it to a meeting you can usually get a few people to be willing to bring you some sand.
Hey Ben and welcome to the site!! :Welcome)
Always ask questions most of us here have done it or tried it and asking questions may say you alot of
time, money and frustration.
When your ready for your tank ask around many of us have extra tanks and equipment that sure can part with. Also ask around about the local fish stores. There are really good ones around but there are one or two to stay away from. If your up north Delaware most people flock to one store the majority of the time and if your down south theres another store that most flock too. Both are great stores just a matter of what your close too.
Again WELCOME to the site and keep us posted on your progress. :
: We love new pics and tank builds.
i’ve had RODI water and its the best water i’ve ever tasted. that’s what they put in houses for super filtered drinking water to remove nitrates and chemicals etc… Well in a nice turn of events my wife told me that i can use our spare 30 gallon tall for my salt tank so i get to go bigger :). i also remembered that when we bought our 120gallon it was a saltwater setup and i have the wet dry filter from it so if any one wants to maybe trade me some live rock/other things i might need i am definitley open to trading it as i dont need a wet dry filter for a 120gallon tank right now it also has the bioballs with it and hoses i think. i will also post it in the marketplace since im sure thats what everyone will tell me to do anyway. and i do plan on using some live rock to seed the dry rock i will just use mostly dry.
[quote=“billrob71, post:13, topic:4445”]
Hey Ben and welcome to the site!! :Welcome)
Always ask questions most of us here have done it or tried it and asking questions may say you alot of
time, money and frustration.
When your ready for your tank ask around many of us have extra tanks and equipment that sure can part with. Also ask around about the local fish stores. There are really good ones around but there are one or two to stay away from. If your up north Delaware most people flock to one store the majority of the time and if your down south theres another store that most flock too. Both are great stores just a matter of what your close too.
Again WELCOME to the site and keep us posted on your progress. :: We love new pics and tank builds.[/quote]
thanks i have a tank already. i justactually posted about it just as you posted. i live in smyrna which is just north of dover if people dont know and the only store in the area that i know of that carries saltwater stuff is fish bowl. i do travel up to newark a bit too so those stores are always a possibility too.
yowza! smyrna. me too, and dunk also within shouting distance.
[quote=“bsnow, post:15, topic:4445”]
thanks i have a tank already. i justactually posted about it just as you posted. i live in smyrna which is just north of dover if people dont know and the only store in the area that i know of that carries saltwater stuff is fish bowl. i do travel up to newark a bit too so those stores are always a possibility too.[/quote]
Cool, more central del reefer! probably seen you at the FB.
[quote=“moliken, post:16, topic:4445”]
yowza! smyrna. me too, and dunk also within shouting distance.[/quote]
cool do you use fish bowl in dover or not ive been in there for freshwater stuff before i noticed they have live rock last time i was in there
they do have lots of lr. i think it’s 7 a lb, but dead rock and a few cups full of live sand and some rubble rock gladly given is a lot cheaper a bit longer, but patience is the first rule. nothing good comes fast,
Yeah thats my plan as of now . I’m kinda excited my wife is letting me do a bigger tank