New to SW Tank Need help

[Huly]

My husband and I just bought a Red Sea Max 250. Right now all we have is the Tank (specs listed below) and Caribsea Ocean Direct Live Sand.

Dimensions (LxWxH) 960 x 552 x 665 mm (38 x 21 x 26.2”)
Total water volume 250 liters (65 gallons)
Glass thickness 10 mm (0.4")
Cabinet (LxWxH) 960 x 552 x 800 mm (38 x 21 x 32”)
Lighting 6 x 39W T5 Linear
Lighting- 10,000k 117W
Lighting- Actinic 117W
Lighting- Blue LED 8
Lighting timer Analogue
Hood opening 3 positions
Circulation Pumps 1 x 1200 lph & 1 x 2400 lph
(320 gph & 640 gph)
Skimmer water throughput 1000 lph (240 gph)
Skimmer max Air flow 300 lph (80 gph)
Skimmer foam adjuster
Heater Wattage 200W
Mechanical filter
Biological Filtration (active surface area) 420m²/ l (1,200 sq ft/gal)
Activated Carbon 400g (14 oz)
Power centre 5 outlets
Water Cooling Fans (dual fan unit)

We thought this tank would be best for a newbie. We have a lot of questions as we want to do the right and everyone we talk to gives us a different answer. What is the best place to get live rock? Where do we go from here? Do y'all have a thread in a step by step set up for us beginners? Should we make our own water or get remade from Local Fish Store (its a $1.21 a gallon)?

Thank you for any and all input.

[bluewater921]

good morning .. welcome the one of the best hobby's in the world .. i would look into buying a RODI unit like a mighty might since your only 65 gallons of water .. makes 50GPD ..(( 50 gallons per day )) .. air water and ice have some nice deals on them .. for the cost of water up there i would get my own easy to hook up .. live rock and sand i would go to a LFS and buy from them just watch the prices .. just get a bunch of base rock like 40 to 50 LBS of it and then like 3 or 4 pieces of live rock will help you . salt i dont know if you want to just do a fish only or coral .. if your going to do corals i would look at something like reef crystals salt or red sea coral salt mix .. get about 40 LBS of live sand and bout 55 to 65 LBS of rock ..it seems like you have everything else to start a nice looking tank .

[bluewater921]

1 more thing .. buy a test kit API is easy to deal with .. make sure it test rates rites ph and amo .. thats all you really need for the start .. just get the salt water master kit it has it all ...

[Huly]

Thank you! We thought since neither of us have had a SW tank that we would start with this system as our first as we want to make sure we learn and do everything right. From what we read on this tank we should be ok for learning. We want to be smart and there is no such thing as too little knowledge.

We would love to do a full reef tank with rocks, corals, fish, etc. We are both attracted to them and love them. So we got the tank built should we next add the sand water and rock or add water wait a day or two and add rock and sand?

How long should we cycle? When should we add shrimp, hermit crabs, snails etc?

Can coral live on dead rock or does it need to be live rock?

[bluewater921]

your cycle is going to take about 4 to 6 weeks . i would add sand rock and water with salt all in 1 day .. then start the cycle .. take a dead shrimp throw it in the tank will help kick the cycle off .. dont add anything till your cycle is over .. your tank will go zero for a few days then everything will start to happen .. amo will raise then your rates and rites will go .. it will take about 4 week from that for your levels to come down ..

[Maaka]

Almost all of the information you need to know about setting up and cycling a new tank is on the stickies on the "new to the hobby" section. I used them and they helped me out a lot. One that you might try and over look is quarantining, but do not over look this it is crucial to having a healthy tank and fish.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=104

[Huly]

Thank you so much! I was reading that thread after I posted LOL. I am still learning my way around here.

Any and all tips are very much appreciated

[NanoReefNoob]

I agree with maaka, There are a lot of great articles on this sight in the stickies. The best advice i was given was to read read and read some more. The more you learn before you start the better off you will be when things come together.

Watch this series, It help me out a lot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwRvd5kS4wY

[AZBigJohn]

+1 on reading the stickies... I has a fish only swim tank for may years, and was amazed how little I knew when I began reading the stickies as I convert over to a reef system.

The hardest part of building a new reef system (for me at least) has been patience. Everything takes time, and your tank will be a little boring for a while, but rushing ahead just messes things up, and sets you even farther behind!

Welcome you two to a fun hobby!

[xmike24]

1. Speed up the cycle with "Tims one and only"
2. I would use dry dead rock and take time to make it live yourself. You don't know what live rock (from anywhere) is ever going to have. It definitely has beneficial bacteria and living organisms, but it can definitely contain stuff you don't want...

"Everyone has their own opinion"
Thats the best thing about this hobby, and a community this large. You'll learn that you can take everything you hear and play it into your tank the way you want, if you want.

[Huly]

Where is the best place to order or get Rock?

[Huly]

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate all of the input!

[Maaka]

Oh and as for rock. if you want dry rock I would probably order form Bulkreefsupply.com, and if you wanted live I would try and find a local store to see what their prices are, or maybe a club near you will have a member with extra rock. But if you are looking online for live rock i would check liveaquaria.com, it is not that badly priced it is just the shipping that kills you.

[Huly]

Thanks!