setting up a salt water tank

[csa dad]

ok ive never done salt water before so if you fellas wouldnt mind ya think you could give me a run down on what i would need to do for a 125 or bigger tank for salt water. the only thing i know about salt water is that its expensive$$$$$$.

[NbMaxx13]

There are ways to avoid a lot of the expense.. The key is taking your time and setting up over a longer course of time.. Find out what it is you want, the ask questions like you're doing here... Find out what type of corals you would like to keep first.. then go from there...

[csa dad]

well im not sure what i would like to have in it

[csa dad]

an as far as the amount of time it will take to set it up im not in no hurry so it can take as long as it needs to setup. i would like to get everything together then set it up i dont mind if it takes 6 months or a year. i just want to learn as much about it as possible before i venture out into the salt water world.

[csa dad]

o by the way i know my wife would like to have nemo an dori which is a clown fish an tang an thats about all i know of off the top of my head. i wouldnt min d haveing some corals an such,an a few hermit crabs an starfish. would also like to have sea horses if possible. i like to go for something that looks like you took it out of the ocean or a river or lake in the case of fresh water.

[csa dad]

an by the way thanks for you help

[reefrookie5150]

read, read , read and read again...then when your tired of reading....read some more....lol..there is never a dumb question...

[ade]

Reading helps but talking to others that have already spent the cash and made the mistakes helps a whole bunch more IMO. Also there is a lot of people and stores out there that are far from good advice.
Deciding on what you want to keep in your tank is a big help because then you can start looking for lighing. If you are only keeping fish only system you don't need to drop the big bucks on lighting. If you want to go the SPS (Small Polyp Stonies) then your lighting cost jump up a bit depending on how you set it up, retro or fixture. Now is a great time to start picking up used goods, with hard times comes great used prices.
I would post what you are looking for because there are enought of us with used goods that can be parted with sometimes for free, or pizza and beer helps setting your tanks up also. lol
Good luck.

[csa dad]

ok thanks for the info. when i started my cichlid tank i knew absolutely nothing about keeping fish. but i now have a 125 setup with 14 fish in it at the moment an she is running at zero amm nitrate an nitrite. so i guess im doing someting right.an if it hadnt been for monster fish keepers i would probly still be lost . so if some of yall could ost some pics so i can get an idea like what yalls tanks look like so i might can figure out what i want

[refonpit]

Hey I got a pic for you. Got a new camera for Christmas and enjoy the excuse to use it. They are right, you need to read and read some more. Then when you thought you had researched, you will find out that you can always read more. I started out with a canister filter and power compact lighting only to upgrade before the year was out. Ultimate Aquarium can give good advise. But, I have found Reef Central to be a wealth of info. Type of coral/fish, then spend money on lighting and filtration. I wouldn't skimp on either of the two. I'm still relatively a newbie, these guys on here are great. they will help lead you in the right direction. Good luck Debbie

[turbois300]

I second what ade says about the looking for used equipment. This forum has a great for sale area where if you keep your eyes peeled you'll see some insane deals! Hard times do = great prices. IMO one of the most important pieces to the saltwater puzzle is a good skimmer. Whether you are fish only or corals it's a really good way to remove waste from your tank. Once you get a better idea of what type of tank you want to set up then the rest of the equipment needed can be determined. Good luck!!

[3dblake]

beautiful pic refonpit...

[csa dad]

reef on point im loveing wat ya got going on. an i completely understand the dont buy new look for good used things. jorge has helped me some when i set up my fresh water cichlid tank. he hooked me up with a good deal on a power compact light an wet/dry. an as far as a wet dry on the salt water tank i have enough smaller tanks like 55''s an a 40 that i can use to make a wet/dry just need a pump an the filter system would be almost done.

[csa dad]

an as far as the for sale section i cant find it or am not allowed in it for some reason i thought you only had to have 50 post but i figured wrong.

[csa dad]

so this post will help with the post count also along with teaching me about setting up my first salt water tank. my neighbor he used to have like a 30g salt water tank but got rid of everything.but he is still willing to help. he said the bigger the setup the easier it is to care for

[csa dad]

by the way reef on point how much you reckon you have in your tank

[turbois300]

I would advise against the wet/dry type of filtering. Most run a sump (like an empty 55) to put their skimmer and if you use them carbon or GFO reactors. My setup the only "filtering" I do is a filter sock and my skimmer. Macro algae and water changes do the rest. I use the KISS method whenever possible. Also less stuff to break or maintain and buy. Look up refugium and DSB also. There is a ton of info out there about those and they are another method of nutrient export.

[dadyoj21]

Chad

The first hurtle you have to consider is where are you getting water from. Tap water is bad news you will need an RO/DI unit no matter what you plan on putting in the tank. Start with that, then lighting based on if fish only or what type of corals you use. Wet/dry gets a bad wrap but was state of the art 15 years ago. When I got the 90 setup from its previous owner he had it running for about 10 years with wet dry and bio-balls with a seaclone (garbage) skimmer.

I continued running it that way for 3 months before I spent a lot of money upgrading the sump and skimmer but 0 nitrates is 0 nitrates and I am not sure there was any improvement for the $$ I spent upgrading the sump/skimmer.

[csa dad]

i love the wet dry on my 125 i have 0nitrates an onitrites an 0 ammonia with 14 fish an i have four valesneria,an two java ferns. i dont see anything wrong with the wet/dry.i do need to find some good lights or light setups.

[csa dad]

how much would the ro di setu cost to do

[dadyoj21]

ro/di from buckeye field supply probably around $150, might be able to find a better deal elsewhere. Wet/dry would work without a problem for fish only, and not the first choice for a reef but IMO it would get you by.

Lights totally dependent on coral selection.

[refonpit]

Thanx for the compliment on pic. How much??? Well I dont know where to start. It would have to be in the $$$$. I started with all the wrong equipment and had to buy again to keep what I wanted. I got the tank, stand, compact lighting and canister filter at Petland.
My wee brain couldnt comprehend the workings of a sump at first. There are some pretty elaborate ones out there, so I went with a canister. Bad move! Could not keep nitrates down. Ended up at Walmart with a 30 gal.tote, stucka good protein skimmer in it and wahlah!! A sump!
Need to keep in mind also WHERE to place the aquarium. They are heavy. Mine is only a 72 Gal and we had to put in floor jacks.
99% of all my corals came from these guys. You buy a little and they give alot. Debbie

[csa dad]

dadyo21 could you diy your own ro di system. an as far as te placment of the tank i got all that covered.

[csa dad]

also dadyo21 what kind of filter system would i need if not a wet/dry

[dadyoj21]

ro membrane the key to an ro/di system no chance for DIY. You could buy water but the ro/di system pays for itself unless you are doing a small tank with minimal water changes and top off water. you can also look for a used one but if the membrane is no good then that is the most expensive part of the ro/di system.

I ran a 55 fish only sw tank on an XP3 cannister filter then turned it into a reef and it ran fine for lps corals and soft corals for years before I upgraded to a sump and better skimmer. My nitrates were always between 1-5 but everything was healthy and no unwanted algae.

My 120 had a $4 tote from walmart as a sump with a skimmer in it and a hang on skimmer. Again nitrates were 1-5 usually but I was not focused on the more demanding sps corals primarily because of the lights I was running power compacts.

so if you want to go SPS corals that means more light and better skimming and water quality (more $$$). Other corals you can cut some corners and for fish only you can cut even more.