New to saltwater, need some guides/help

Willanhanyard · 07/11/2012, 10:53 PM

I have had two or three freshwater tanks with some goldfish, but I really admire the saltwater environment and want to get into the hobby. I don't know much about anything so consider I am a complete noob

I would eventually want to have a 1000+ gallon reef tank. Are there any guides or something you can recommend me to look at?

Bigsteve · 07/11/2012, 10:56 PM

Coming from someone just like you, from what i have heard my tank, a 14g biocube is too small for a noob, so i would guess you might wanna do a 30g or something in that range. AIO or all in one systems might be a good idea for a beginner.
You know about liverock, livesand, and cycling etc? right?

Willanhanyard · 07/11/2012, 11:26 PM

I think I know what they are. Live rock us where you have rocks that still have living things on then, live sand is where you have sand with living things in it, and cycling is where you keep running the water through your tank.

Bigsteve · 07/11/2012, 11:53 PM

So what you do is once you get everything set up in terms of filtration is add you're live sand rock and saltwater mix I would say about 1 pound of liverock for each gallon of water, and turn on your filters pumps and everything for 1 month with no lighting or living critters in there or until you see algae and then add the cuc or clean up crew and wait a while and then you can get into the fun stuff like fish and coral

Ca3 · 07/12/2012, 01:13 AM

Read the sticky forums

igot2gats · 07/12/2012, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ca3

Read the sticky forums

+1. There are quite a few with LOTS of helpful info before you get started. Ask, ask, and then ask some more before you do anything.

Frankfish · 07/12/2012, 09:19 AM

Reef Central is a great resource. My favorite book is the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Fenner. I have had this book for years, and pretty much covers every aspect in the hobby. It is a great place to start for any questions, and to help give a base knowledge. Use that base knowledge, and head to RC to get more in depth advice.

MrTuskfish · 07/12/2012, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankfish

Reef Central is a great resource. My favorite book is the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Fenner. I have had this book for years, and pretty much covers every aspect in the hobby. It is a great place to start for any questions, and to help give a base knowledge. Use that base knowledge, and head to RC to get more in depth advice.

I agree. The web is great, but a good manual is vital. You can't learn the basics of this hobby on a forum, IMO. There is an incredible amount of great info & knowledge here. But a forum is an exchange of ideas, opinions, and experiences.Some of these are great, some ridiculous, and all are tainted by my own opinion. I think it would be really tough for a new hobbyist to decide who was "right"on basic questions in a forum setting. Also, there may be many "right'' opinions; but they won't always work for you. A good book will guide you through the basics easily. Still stay on the forum of course!

EzReef79 · 07/12/2012, 09:54 AM

One of the most important things i learned when switching to saltwater is patience. I did the switch about a year or so ago and i can tell you first hand that rushing things will cause you trouble. You can find just about everything you need to know here. if your like me i prefer to watch videos....

Check out la fish guys, new york steelo, and mr saltwater tank tv on youtube. I learned a lot from those channels in my switch to saltwater.

Bigsteve · 07/12/2012, 10:19 PM

Literally just take in everyones opinions and you will find what works for you, if you want to spend a lot, spend a little (not really a little), there will be something that works for you, dont let anyone tell you you cant do something though, because you can make it work there will always be success stories for each process

MrTuskfish · 07/13/2012, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigsteve

Literally just take in everyones opinions and you will find what works for you, if you want to spend a lot, spend a little (not really a little), there will be something that works for you, dont let anyone tell you you cant do something though, because you can make it work there will always be success stories for each process

If I read this right, its really scary.

Bigsteve · 07/13/2012, 11:08 PM

All it means is that there is more than one way to do something you have to expand your horizons when doing something like a marine aquarium.

07/11/2012, 10:53 PM	#1
Willanhanyard Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 5	New to saltwater, need some guides/help I have had two or three freshwater tanks with some goldfish, but I really admire the saltwater environment and want to get into the hobby. I don't know much about anything so consider I am a complete noob I would eventually want to have a 1000+ gallon reef tank. Are there any guides or something you can recommend me to look at?

07/11/2012, 10:56 PM	#2
Bigsteve Moved On Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 82	Coming from someone just like you, from what i have heard my tank, a 14g biocube is too small for a noob, so i would guess you might wanna do a 30g or something in that range. AIO or all in one systems might be a good idea for a beginner. You know about liverock, livesand, and cycling etc? right?

07/11/2012, 11:26 PM	#3
Willanhanyard Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 5	I think I know what they are. Live rock us where you have rocks that still have living things on then, live sand is where you have sand with living things in it, and cycling is where you keep running the water through your tank.

07/11/2012, 11:53 PM	#4
Bigsteve Moved On Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 82	So what you do is once you get everything set up in terms of filtration is add you're live sand rock and saltwater mix I would say about 1 pound of liverock for each gallon of water, and turn on your filters pumps and everything for 1 month with no lighting or living critters in there or until you see algae and then add the cuc or clean up crew and wait a while and then you can get into the fun stuff like fish and coral

07/12/2012, 01:13 AM	#5
Ca3 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 83	Read the sticky forums

07/12/2012, 09:19 AM	#7
Frankfish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Elmhurst, IL Posts: 56	Reef Central is a great resource. My favorite book is the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Fenner. I have had this book for years, and pretty much covers every aspect in the hobby. It is a great place to start for any questions, and to help give a base knowledge. Use that base knowledge, and head to RC to get more in depth advice.

07/12/2012, 09:54 AM	#9
EzReef79 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: PA Posts: 29	One of the most important things i learned when switching to saltwater is patience. I did the switch about a year or so ago and i can tell you first hand that rushing things will cause you trouble. You can find just about everything you need to know here. if your like me i prefer to watch videos.... Check out la fish guys, new york steelo, and mr saltwater tank tv on youtube. I learned a lot from those channels in my switch to saltwater.

07/12/2012, 10:19 PM	#10
Bigsteve Moved On Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 82	Literally just take in everyones opinions and you will find what works for you, if you want to spend a lot, spend a little (not really a little), there will be something that works for you, dont let anyone tell you you cant do something though, because you can make it work there will always be success stories for each process

07/13/2012, 11:08 PM	#12
Bigsteve Moved On Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 82	All it means is that there is more than one way to do something you have to expand your horizons when doing something like a marine aquarium.