Community Help so I can buy my Equipment.

[@rmyvet]

Originally Posted by Heathcoot

i think i can offer some advice if you have the money i would recommend

skimmer: vertex omega 150 or omega 180i

lights for tank: ecotech radion gen 2 pro or gen 3 reg because uv is already built in to these cheaper lights would be AI hydras, you could do chinese leds but growth to me is not as great when you go with a good light

sump: ighter buy the biggest one you can fit under your tank 30" 36" long or build one out of a 30 long with you own baffle set up keep in mind skimmer area pre filter and recommend skimmer operation level and refugium size don't make one that you cant move around in to tight is a pain or plumb it to the basement?

power head: 1 mp40 or 2 mp10 tunze is good as well!


refugium light: standard uv light cfl or coil clamp light for efficiency 5500k or 6400k something natural day light

return pump: external or internal aqua medic ocean runner, mag9, or you could do a dc controllable pump but a lot of options on this so look for reliability quality price and power consumption

reactor: vertex 1.5l or even the bulk reef supply duel reactor aquamaxx geo some to pick from

budget the bubble magus curve 7 is decent priced i currently have a reef octopus dcs150 so im not partial hydor korallia atleast 3 of them or jabow wp40x1 or 2x wp10

RO/DI: do not skimp on the qulity of water single most important part of your eco system!

don't buy to much rock off the bat because you may want to get creative with your stacking and do cool overhangs and try and keep as much rock of the sand bed just for better flow though the rock work and you will have the least amount of waste collect around or in the sand this way hope it helps

Heathcoot,
Hey Thanks for the information yes it helps but you just add two things I didn't even know about lol. I'm getting pretty much a few things that you mentioned. I'm getting the vertex 150, the sump I was thinking a trigger Ruby36, the return will have a Mag drive 1800 for the wave I got two Jebao RW15 the MP40 was just a little to much for a wave machine, RO/DI a 5 stage water saver plus, looking to see what jugs or drums I'll be getting, Reef Keeper elite, Hydor smart level auto top off and other odds and ends. Thanks for the light info o my god there are so many lights I didn't know were to start also for the Refugium. I'm going to have to read about the other things you told me about. I only have this much room in my cabinet 48x16x28 and I don't have the ability to plum the stuff in the garage Tanks in my living room. The only thing I can put in the garage is the RO/DI just because it dosen't have to be connected to the tank. I'll have to see what to do for the top off were I'm going to put it. What is used to keep the rocks in place won't they fall if I pile them like you say? Thanks for the information looks like a late nite lol. Thanks. @rmyvet.

[santanzchild]

you can glue the rocks but once you do they are stuck that way. Some people drill holes through them and use clear acrylic rods to hold them together as well. Personally Mine are carefully stacked. Took alot of patience and trial and error but they are more or less holding each other up now.

[toothybugs]

"Dead rock" won't get you anywhere, it will show as "base rock" or similar. Normal pricing for dry rock is 2-5 bucks per pound. Get a bunch of that, then a few pounds of actual "live rock" to start the bacteria colony, algae growth, etc. It has to come from somewhere so some true live rock is needed to seed. Growing your bacteria ("curing the rock") takes a while (3-6 weeks is normal) so it helps to start it early while you are still doing other stuff, because you absolutely need that time period. Curing your rock while you QT your first few fish is a great use of your time.

I didn't say it before but again, thank you for your service. My dad is a former Army guy.

Edit: Re: sand. Don't worry about sand, the live rock you put in the tank will transfer bacteria to the sandbed and make it live. Also, don't get the pretty fine sand as it tends to drift and blow around like crazy. Something moderately granular will probably be a better way to go.

[@rmyvet]

Originally Posted by toothybugs

"Dead rock" won't get you anywhere, it will show as "base rock" or similar. Normal pricing for dry rock is 2-5 bucks per pound. Get a bunch of that, then a few pounds of actual "live rock" to start the bacteria colony, algae growth, etc. It has to come from somewhere so some true live rock is needed to seed. Growing your bacteria ("curing the rock") takes a while (3-6 weeks is normal) so it helps to start it early while you are still doing other stuff, because you absolutely need that time period. Curing your rock while you QT your first few fish is a great use of your time.

I didn't say it before but again, thank you for your service. My dad is a former Army guy.

Edit: Re: sand. Don't worry about sand, the live rock you put in the tank will transfer bacteria to the sandbed and make it live. Also, don't get the pretty fine sand as it tends to drift and blow around like crazy. Something moderately granular will probably be a better way to go.

Toothybugs,
I was going to get like 75 pounds of dead rock for my 90g and then I was going to get the rest LR. That LR here is $8.00lb wow to much i don't even buy peaches because there 2 to 3 a lb lol. I did want to ask when I get the dead rock do I put the rock in a brute can or something but do I fill the container with RO water to the top and how much salt do I put in the can. Also should I just buy the cheaper salt because that water gets thrown out when the cycle is over. I'm just wondering what I do with the tank when this curing is happening. Do I set it up and run it? The sump I ordered is going to take like 3 weeks just because it is custom order. About the sand I was thinking about getting 100 lbs of this Fiji pink type sand not to fine from BRS. Think its to much sand? Is this a good place to buy any equipment at BRS? Thanks for the input and your welcome it was a honor to serve. Tell your Dad I said Hoorah. Thanks again.

[mandarin_goby]

My dad served in the Army for 20 years and I am a verrrry proud Army brat thank you for your service!!!

Now, back to the matter at hand...

I bought base rock from here: http://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/rock

It's very porous, amazing stuff, highly recommended. Better yet, it goes straight to your door for free. It's got nice coralline on it now from my live rock. When I received it, I put it straight into the empty tank, arranged it, mixing the live rock in at the time, then adding saltwater. I then switched on the pumps, turned on the heater, got the lights going and waited a week or so before adding a clean-up crew (also sold in packages at Reef Cleaners' site - they've gotten rave reviews also for their clean-up crews). A week and a half later, I added a couple fish and some corals.

Also, I think 100 lbs of sand sounds perfect. I have about 50 lbs in my 40 breeder.

And, welcome!

[Fish N Coral]

Since you are on a budget I recommend to buy used as much as you can. Visit the Florida forums on here if you haven't. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=235. Look on craiglist and be patient. The more patient you are the more you will understand/learn and it gives you more time to find better deals. I've already set a 6-8month time span before I even have all of my equipment for my first tank.