Starting a Marine tank - What to buy first

seank

seank

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My Version in starting a Marine tank :biggrin:

To all Newbies, Please listen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, I just had to say it- :razz: :razz: :razz: , will delete it later.

What to buy 1st when you want to start in Reef Keeping:

AND DO THIS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER TO PREVENT PROBLEMS DOWN THE LINE.

1.) If you cannot ACCESS internet- Any Aquarist book written by Professional People.If you can access internet, then follow these links:

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=3

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=14316

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=15187

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=4

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=11067

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=11134

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=9534

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=11827


2.) Proper Test Kit to be able to test for:

...................................................... Amonia

...................................................... Nitrites

...................................................... Nitrates

...................................................... Phosphates

...................................................... PH

...................................................... Calcium

...................................................... Salinity

The reason for this is that I see a lot of people buying a tank etc etc 1st, and then do not have enough money left for the really important stuff, like test kits.


3.) Protein Skimmer for the size of the tank you going to get- eventually


4.) RO water Machine


5.) Couple of empty 20lt drums- to either carry natural seawater or to mix saltwater


6.) Lights- you need to get this if you know what size tank you going to get. And if you do not know much about the muchness of lights and types, start reading this:

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=208

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=209

And here you can work out what it will cost you eventually when you start lighting up the skies:

http://www.handymath.com/cgi-bin/electric.cgi?submit=Entry

7.) You are almost ready to buy your tank, but......... before you do, get an idea of what you want to keep eventually and work towards your goal. Any hasty decisions (adding fish just to get some life into a tank) is gonna add up AND EMPTY YOUR WALLET ;)

So, start reading up about the types of fish you want to keep, if you do not have a clue, start reading here:


http://www.marinereef.org/results.php?species=fish

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/fishprofilesindex/ig/Beginner-Fish-for-a-Saltwater-/

Excellent info here too:

http://www.aqua-fish.net/saltwater/?saltwater-fish-records

http://www.fishbase.org/search.php

All you need to know:

http://www.starfish.ch/Links.html#Stachelhaeuter


Some popular fish behaviour etc:

http://www.janetsreef.com/fish.htm

Some usefull links to keep:

http://microcosm-books.com/html/Species.html

http://www.ultimatereef.net/iddb/blennies.php

http://www.arkive.org/invertebrates-marine/

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15

Not fish, but you'll want to know this eventually:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall.cfm?base=phylocel



I really like this site- It has everything, and a bit more:thumbup: :

http://www.starfish.ch/reef/fishes.html


8.) So, now you know what you want, and you've already studied and bought all of the expensive stuff. It is now a good time to plan your tank wrt viewing panes, placement etc. Go out there and find yourself a good tank builder, or if you the DIY type, build your tank.

9.) Read up on Filtration Systems, meaning a DSB Filter tank. There are quite a few good ideas wrt filter tanks on this Forum.

10.) Nothing beats good old Live Rock- The pros can help you settle this, and you can get them at a good, reputable LFS.

Hope the above information could help someone. I know people does it the other way round, but I have seen too many tanks collapsed because people are given tanks, buy tanks etc, and then end up not having the right equipment to finish/maintain a reef tank- Oh, and Before I forget---- IT IS AN EXPENSIVE HOBBY, BUT IF YOU STICK TO THE BASICS, IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE THAT EXPENSIVE.

GOOD LUCK:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Well, I cannot write all and take credit for someone else's work. And the links are really good- been using them for a long time- check it out ;)
 
Great thread ... only problem I see with it that even us non noobs need to look at this often so ... even we need to LISTEN sometimes....:p
 
I agree 100% Sean just wish i took more time starting my tank.there was a lfs just up the road from me,sold me cheep rubbish and ended up loosing alot to fish hard and sad lesson to learn

All the new commers to this hobby read as much info and do it right the first time

:peroni:
 
You bored :lol:
 
Thank you, and done a thanks of course.
 
Patience

sean_koekemoer said:
Thanks guys. Patience came last year when I came back from ANGUS Herkie. No more outbursts ;)
Click to expand...

I'm very happy you made it there Sean, I have been threatening to go for years and now it's too late. But I was so serious even if I said it with a wink. Patience in this hobby is what determines success in the majority of cases. IMO.;)
 
A buddy of mine setup a tank last year and he was really undecided on the size tank he wanted so this was the advice I gave him. He bought a 200 litre drum, heater, 2 sunsun pumps. We added some NSW and got it to the right temperature. about 10kgs live rock and 20kgs base rock went in. this ran for three months until he knew what he exactly wanted. Just a thought for those who are not sure what there requirements are;)
 
Keyaam, This drum idea is great but it would be very hard to keep the LR and water in a drum for me. I will not be able to wait for a tank.
 
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