Which tank to buy?

[rafal07013]

Re: new tank starting

as far as pricing goes... if you wait and search you will find a great deal. just search a few websites: craigslist, reefcentral and here. I would even call a few maintenance guys to see if they can help you to find a tank. that's what i did and i think i got a fair deal from one of them. it saved me a little bit of early pain and got fairly established tank from the get go. if I were you, I would definitely look into buying an established tank.

 

[Phyl]

Re: new tank starting

Nick (on here) is selling a couple of complete setups for STEAL pricing.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Re: new tank starting

thanks but the 55 and 65 are too expensive. so thtas y im looking at the 40.

Phyl pointed out that Nick is selling two tanks at http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/ind...Itemid=26&topic=13995.msg128435;boardseen#new

my second set up is a 56g tank has a 250 w retro fit mh with ice cap ballast about 60 lbs of live rock and has a cheap skimmer on it with a ocean runner pump and acouple seios and the tank has a snow flake eel and a huma huma trigger and dwarf lion fish

complete $250

Just to warn you this is not a cheap hobby...the bigger the tank you get the better unless you are going all in one type tanks and there you still have to really be ready for the work.

I am really all for refugiums on that note. I really like mine and while it is not exactly pretty I do find it fascinating. It adds to your overall water volume which is good. Plus all the stuff calaxa said.

i kinda want some bigger fish than clowns and gupies

Guppies are fresh water BTW so you won't have them together.

Before Phil(Hawkeye) chimes in I would really suggest reading as much as possible about salt water tanks.
Check his thread out he lists a bunch of great ones. (Beat ya )

Welcome to the club and glad you joined you can get tons of great info.
James

 

[qwik]

Re: new tank starting

The tank itself will end up being the least expensive part of this hobby . You still need everything else to run it so for a few dollars more get the 50 or 65 if thats what you really want .

 

[JRWOHLER]

I see that Ed offered to sell you a tank, stand and rocks at a good price. Think you should take him up on that or perhaps the other one by Nick. Mentors are good in this hobby so take advantage of it if he is willing to help you out.

 

[Phyl]

Re: new tank starting

If you were to purchase everything new, expect it to cost you about 50$/g just to get setup. And then another few hundred a year in quality fish food, additives, replacement bulbs, etc. The tank is absolutely the cheapest thing about the hobby. Frugal is one thing, but if you don't have the money to spend then guppies are a better choice.

 

[calaxa]

Re: new tank starting

JR,

Guppies can live in SW but not sure about reef salinity. Personally, I wouldn't do it but have heard people trying.

fishboy12,

Yes tanks are the cheapest part of the hobby. Tropicquarium and THR sell their tanks at about cost. Example, a 65G RR is about $230. You can get complete systems usually at a bargain before someone starts to part out. Check Nick's setup. The biggest fish I would put in a 40G would probably be a dwarf angel and even that is debatable. They will get aggressive pretty fast in there (and they are aggressive to begin with). Clowns can get pretty big (ie Maroon, Tomato, Clarkii's). Those 3 all get pretty aggressive even in a large tank.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Re: new tank starting

If you were to purchase everything new, expect it to cost you about 50$/g just to get setup. And then another few hundred a year in quality fish food, additives, replacement bulbs, etc. The tank is absolutely the cheapest thing about the hobby. Frugal is one thing, but if you don't have the money to spend then guppies are a better choice.

Lets check.

Yep unfortunately that is about it.  Getting tanks and equipment used will cut down on your cost considerably.

 

[Dabooth]

Re: new tank starting

If you have time , either look for an entire setup , or wait it out and part a setup together

 

[fishboy12]

Re: new tank starting

thanks for the help how long would tank about 55 take to acclimate.

 

[Hawkeye]

Re: new tank starting

Before Phil(Hawkeye) chimes in I would really suggest reading as much as possible about salt water tanks.
Check his thread out he lists a bunch of great ones. (Beat ya )

Ha - very very funny. Moderators are not to be jested with. just kidding!

Some of my favorite reef-related books are listed on the first post of this thread:

thanks for the help how long would tank about 55 take to acclimate.

do you mean cycle? depends on what you are getting. I purchased live sand and all of my live rock was cured already - so my tank was up and ready within a few days - even so I waited 3 weeks before adding a single live critter in there. That stated - there were plenty of live hitchhikers in the tank.

Anyways - we should probably close this thread - or merge it with the one where Ed generously offered to help you out. His advice should certainly speed the process up.

 

[fishboy12]

Re: new tank starting

how do i close this thread

 

[Hawkeye]

I am sorry - I meant locking it.

Anyways - I decided on merging the two threads - so we can keep track of everything here.

It's a little bit jumbled - but for the most part - the gist of your questions are here.

 

[vangvace]

Re: new tank starting

Well let's start with a few questions? Why a 40G? Footprint is same on a 50 and a 65 if you are looking at 36" tanks. Remember the more volume the easier the tank actually is.

I would beg to differ on this. Tanks crash regardless of size. Nanos and large tanks each have different set of limits that have to be respected.


As for fish... Take a look at this link. Alot of good info on stocking a nano. (Mods please delete if not allowed please) Fish Stocking Guide For Nano Reefs


All In Ones make for some great nano reefs. Especially after some slight modifications (like turning a rear chamber into a refugium. Oh and 40B are awesome nanos as well because they tend to look bigger than they are.

 

[fishboy12]

got my tank yesterday. i got a 55g with a cascade canister filter. some salt, crushed coral, heater, and the hood and light are comming in a week. what should i do next? so any suggestions on the water would help. and im not sure how to post pics but wen i figure it out ill post a few.

 

[REEFLECTIONS]

can your family members not all stand in the same place in the house for fear of falling through the floor? floor loads in any house standing can support a 55g tank. if that tank wouuld "fall through your floor" then your family has bigger problems than determining what size tank to get....

 

[fishboy12]

i convinced them they were crazy for thinking that

 

[fishboy12]

the new 55g

the filter

 

[fishboy12]

55g

cascade canister filter

i put the filter in the dresser and turned the bottom two left drawers into one big one and but my filter in it. Then i drilled holes into the back for the tubing and electric.
i have cushed coral im going to use for substrate.

 

[Hawkeye]

congrats! now we'll have to ask you to start a new thread in tale of the tank about your 55g!

I would suggest holding off on the crushed coral until you tell us what exactly you plan on keeping in the tank.