Dan Currier
Non-member
hmmm, I figure if I start reading as much as I can now, I'll probably be able to figure everything out, in about a year or two 
I want to get into SW tanks
- Thread starter Dan Currier
- Start date
TheUltimateNoob
TheUltimateNoob
nah, a good couple weeks of good reading and asking questions will be alright. it's a learning process so you'll pick it up as you go along. plus, you have to wait for your tank to cycle, so that gives you another 2-3 weeks to read some more!
NateHanson
Non-member
Besides, if you learned it all before you set up the first tank, you wouldn't have a reason to move up to a larger tank in year, so you can "do things right".
Nate
Nate
Dan Currier
Non-member
I know an exact price can't be told, but all in all what do you think im looking to spend on starting up a FO tank, but buying stuff that'd be suitable to grow reefs from.
TheUltimateNoob
TheUltimateNoob
you should formulate an idea of what you want right now (i.e. reef or FO) because some of the equipment you buy will be dependent on that. also, even if there is a remote chance that you're gonna start FO and move up to reef in the future, i suggest you buy equipment suitable for a reef to begin with because even though it may be expensive, it will save you money in the long-run.
NateHanson
Non-member
Depends what you mean by "suitable to grow reefs from".
You've got the tank, heater, light for FO, and AquaClear filter. You might expect to spend $300-500 for rock, salt, and water (you should buy RO water from a store or buy a watermaker yourself) to get set-up. You'll need a clean-up crew (snails, crabs, etc), maybe $40-60, and then you'll need fish. That varies a lot depending on which fish you get, but figure a low end of $100 for a handful of fairly interesting fish.
You could spend less than above by waiting til you find a local reefer selling Live Rock. That's usually $2-3/pound, as opposed to $4-6/pound. Also you can buy cheaper fish (chromis are about $5 each), and look for local folks selling fish.
As you go reef, you'll want to replace the AC300 with a skimmer (maybe $50 used), and get appropriate lights (anywhere from $100-400, depending on what you want to keep, and whether you find used equipment).
Anyone think of costs I'm forgetting? Oh yeah. You'll need test kits. You can get a basic SW kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph) for about $30-40. When you go reef you'll need Ca ($20) and Alkalinity ($10) tests too. You need a bulb hydrometer or refractometer ($20-40).
Anything else?
You've got the tank, heater, light for FO, and AquaClear filter. You might expect to spend $300-500 for rock, salt, and water (you should buy RO water from a store or buy a watermaker yourself) to get set-up. You'll need a clean-up crew (snails, crabs, etc), maybe $40-60, and then you'll need fish. That varies a lot depending on which fish you get, but figure a low end of $100 for a handful of fairly interesting fish.
You could spend less than above by waiting til you find a local reefer selling Live Rock. That's usually $2-3/pound, as opposed to $4-6/pound. Also you can buy cheaper fish (chromis are about $5 each), and look for local folks selling fish.
As you go reef, you'll want to replace the AC300 with a skimmer (maybe $50 used), and get appropriate lights (anywhere from $100-400, depending on what you want to keep, and whether you find used equipment).
Anyone think of costs I'm forgetting? Oh yeah. You'll need test kits. You can get a basic SW kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph) for about $30-40. When you go reef you'll need Ca ($20) and Alkalinity ($10) tests too. You need a bulb hydrometer or refractometer ($20-40).
Anything else?
Dan Currier
Non-member
I guess what I had meant from my last post is I would really like to get into FO tanks, but instead of me buying FO quality products, I'd like them to be able to handle a reef so if in the future I do decide to upgrade, it'll save me money and troube in the long run.
NateHanson
Non-member
Basically you've got all the equipment you need for a FO. You need a bunch of rock and drygoods, but those are all "reef-quality" wherever you get them. You can save your reef investments for when you actually decide to go reef.
NateHanson
Non-member
Of course!
$20 for southdown sand
$15 for BRS membership (you'll save 10 times this fee as a member)
$5 for a lottery ticket
$20 for southdown sand
$15 for BRS membership (you'll save 10 times this fee as a member)
$5 for a lottery ticket
Dan Currier
Non-member
Thank you so much for all of your help, now I need to learn how to convert my FW into SW (once I sell my piranhas.) in fw theres methods on sand and how to clean it and all of that, what do I need to know about SW with sand, or is it the same thing?
after the sand settles its safe for me to put LR in there?
and how much salt per gallons should I start with?
NateHanson
Non-member
Dan Currier said:
Drain the tank and throw out everthing in there. Thoroughly clean and scrub the tank, filter, and equipment with water (and vinegar, maybe if you need a cleaning agent). Also, we should have asked if you've ever used copper medications in your tank. These aren't too good for a reef, and some folks think you shouldn't use a tank that's ever had copper in it for a reef tank.
You can vacuum your substrate in a SW tank, or, if using fine sand, you can use maintain a live sand bed, that is not vacuumed or cleaned, but requires various snails and crabs to keep it clean and get rid of detritous. It's also good to have fairly good flow to keep detritous from settling on your sand bed.Dan Currier said:
Dan Currier said:
You don't even need to wait for the sand to settle. It shouldn't hurt the rock.
Rinse your sand well before putting it in the tank and it won't make such a sandstorm.
Use a bulb hydrometer or refractometer to measure specific gravity. You should pick a value somewhere between 1.020 and 1.025, and maintain your tank as close as possible to the value you pick. If you decide to do a reef tank, your salinity should be closer to 1.025.Dan Currier said:
Nate
Dan Currier
Non-member
no I have never used any copper medications, or any real medications as I'd like to keep things in my tank as natural as I can.
I think me maintaining more of a live sand bed maybe better as I'd like to get snails and crabs and such, almost as much as I would like to get fish themselves.
alright I will put them in together.
where can I find a bulb hydrometer or refractometer? what would the easiest value be? I hate to sound like a total newbie but I cannot seem to understand the whole "1.020" and "1.025", as I read down further I think it'd be best if I just went with the 1.025 so that if I decide to do a reef, it'd be much easier to continue what I was doing than to all of the sudden start something totally new.
so the only things missing from the tank I have now would be,
a live sand bed.
live/dry rock.
a skimmer.
salt.
testers.
and fish and such themselves?
I think me maintaining more of a live sand bed maybe better as I'd like to get snails and crabs and such, almost as much as I would like to get fish themselves.
alright I will put them in together.
where can I find a bulb hydrometer or refractometer? what would the easiest value be? I hate to sound like a total newbie but I cannot seem to understand the whole "1.020" and "1.025", as I read down further I think it'd be best if I just went with the 1.025 so that if I decide to do a reef, it'd be much easier to continue what I was doing than to all of the sudden start something totally new.
so the only things missing from the tank I have now would be,
a live sand bed.
live/dry rock.
a skimmer.
salt.
testers.
and fish and such themselves?
NateHanson
Non-member
Don't forget water. It seems like a stupid answer, but you really need to use RODI in my opinion. Either buy a watermaker, or find a local fish store (LFS) that sells RODI, and tests their TDS (total dissolved solids) regularly.
You can buy a refractometer, and all the rest of this stuff at a good LFS. I believe there's one in Portsmouth, and my favorite is in Salem, NH. AquaAddicts.
You can buy a refractometer, and all the rest of this stuff at a good LFS. I believe there's one in Portsmouth, and my favorite is in Salem, NH. AquaAddicts.
Dan Currier
Non-member
when you talk about the one in portsmouth, are you talking about little shops of pets, or pet quarters, if its pet quarters its actually in newington but still close to portsmouth.
NateHanson
Non-member
LSoP is the one I was referring to, but I haven't been to either. I've just heard of LSoP
Dan Currier
Non-member
yeah LSoP is pretty good, but their moving or maybe they already moved so now I have to find out where their moving too.
RichConley
Attack of the Killer Cute
Dan Currier said:hmmm, I figure if I start reading as much as I can now, I'll probably be able to figure everything out, in about a year or two
I know it can be overwhelming dan. I'm about 2 months in at this point, and its really NOT as hard as a lot of the literature makes it out to be. Theres a ton of info out there, and you dont need to know most of it. Just take things slow, and try to be careful around the tank.
Dan Currier said:
They just moved down the road....They have the same phone number. I haven't been out there since the move, so I can't give you a definite local. The guy on the phone said "down the street on the other side of the road."
Good guys...lots of drygoods...I can't imagine they'll have a lot of reef tanks set-up, as they just moved. But who knows, they only went down the block.
