Advice on tank buying and setup---what's good, what's not

[Sk8r]

1. thick glass is safer than thin. And LEVEL your tank during setup: a tank that is not level may spring a seam.
2. a sump is good...a sump with a refugium chamber is very good. Consider this when you buy your stand. If you have a basement, you can put a sump down there and the tank on the floor above.
3. go big on the skimmer. It oxygenates your tank AND serves as the sewer for protein wastes.
4. go for dry aragonite sand, not live, NOT crushed coral. And wash your sand in ro/di water---the dust is nasty.
5. a filter is not the best thing. Live rock serves that function. Filters collect gunk and raise nitrates to an extent incompatible with a healthy reef. I run corals and have absolutely no filter at all. Some fish-only tanks with really large fish do use filters: get on RC and figure this one out before you commit. It's not a slam-dunk.
6. reef ready is really nice: saves you the expense of a downflow box. You still have to buy the durso kit.
7. there is nothing wrong with used equipment if you know what you're looking at.
8. there is no guarantee an lfs will sell you the right things.
9. good circulation is necessary. It can come from a potent return pump (sump) or from closed loops.
10. ro/di from the very first fill is a real grief-saver. Get your own ro/di filter, and be suspicious of bargains; not all are the same.
11. buy a tank large enough for the adult size of the fish you most want to keep. Nemo reaches 4" and Dory is a foot long. They are not the largest. There are, however, many colorful marine fish that stay under 4" long.
12. buy lighting adequate for corals if you are going to keep corals: they're no harder than fish: they don't jump out, at least. T5 is good for most corals. MH for some clams and some stick-corals. Remember too, it's not just the light: the ballasts are pricey too.
13. Everything eats something: do not form your ideas of what you're going to put into your tank until you are sure you are not serving dinner for one of your fishes.
14. Testing and water quality is major in this hobby: you need tests, but you don't need EVERY test.
15. Get a refractometer among the first tests you buy. Buy tests that generate numbers. Alkalinity for fishes and soft corals; alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium for stony corals. Do not go broke getting anything else.
16. Marine tanks don't work well with lids. You have to devise other means to keep your fish from jumping out.
17. Read every * thread at the top of this forum.
18. Buy an extra 10g tank (or larger) for quarantining your fish. Buy a small airdriven filter and pump. No light needed, no rock or sand needed. PVc pipe elbow for shelter. Marine fish come in with parasites and diseases you cannot treat in a cycled tank: you can lose your tank and all your other fish if you put a sick fish into your tank. You observe them for 4 weeks, and you KNOW they're healthy and eating well before they go in.
19. I'm not keen on cooking live rock. You bought it with live things on it. Enjoy them. Just be aware some will be pests. I've never seen one that couldn't be dealt with.
20. Plan on a 4 week cycle and a 4 week quarantine. This works out rather nicely. And NEVER use a fish 'to cycle the tank.'
21. Balance your temperature and lighting before you put fish in.
22. Don't buy curiosities. Find out what they eat. It could be bad news.
23. Used equipment STILl isn't a bad thing: it's also cheaper. Just be sure what you're buying. Ask here on RC, and get the brand name.
24. Tanks involve a lot of pipes, but basically water goes out the downflow box, into the sump, gets skimmed, and comes back up from the return pump in the last chamber. it's rarely more complicated than that. Follow the logical path of the water and the plumbing will look a lot less complicated.
25. Lay down lighting diffuser eggcrate on the bottom when about to add rock. Base rock goes down, then live rock, then sand, then salt water. You can put a garbage bag on the rock sand when starting to add water: kicks up a lot less sand that way. It will still be cloudy. Be patient.
26. Never ever use any treatment except garlic in your display tank, no matter what they swear is safe. Treat in the quarantine/hospital tank with medicines appropriate for that species/disease.
27. If you need help, as a rule, test the water and get online on RC wiith that report before you do anything too drastic. It usually gets an answer inside 15 minutes.

That's it. That's what I know. It's far from the only way to do it. But it will get to a fairly decent tank.

[indydog1]

you need your own words of wisdom section.

this info is priceless, and yet will save newbies tons of time money, and heartbreak if they follow it.

[Sk8r]

I hope so. I don't like to pontificate, and there is more than one mode of setup---I didn't even touch on the all-in-ones, that are really good for out-and-out never-had-fish-before startups, but what I really hope to prevent is somebody paying big for something that just won't keep what he envisioned when he started into the hobby.

[Sk8r]

Let me add: they put those bioballs into sumps for sale because they're bright, they attract attention, and they look technical---but they are NOT for reef tanks. The sump is fine. Just treat those bioballs as cat toys or packing peanuts.

If you have already set up and have them in operation, remove them handful a day until you are rid of them. Your nitrate readings will likely disappear with them.

[Brewman12er]

sk8r through the last few months of reading your posts it has brought me back up to speed in a hobby that i left years ago...

[Sk8r]

THanks, guys. You're very kind.