Want to setup a large saltwater tank and I'm new to it

[Anchovie]

I agree and would take it one step further - don't add anything without testing - adding fish at 40ppm is going to make things worse and take longer for b+b to catch up.

And I do very much believe good husbandry for stony corals is complicated compared to Fish only - a lot to know - corals usually die slowly - this can fool many beginners into believing they got it down.

Yea I agree it's much more complicated than fish only, but it depends what you're willing to invest into the hobby. Nowadays you can hook yourself up with reactors, auto dosers, random current wave makers, full spectrum lighting, to name a few. Sps/lps can be tricky still, which is why I would tell anyone to start off with mushrooms and polyps, then graduate to softies, before eventually getting into stonys. But as long as you're on top of it, it should be completely manageable for an experienced aquarist. I've read posts by mythic figment in the past, and I know he has the skill set required. I would have not said it was easy if I knew the op was a noob. So in a way, easy was a relative term.


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[Mythic Figment]

Okay. I think I am going to hold off on corals for now and try in another tank when I am ready. Definitely don't want to take on more than I can handle at once. Once I have the hang of the fish only setup, I can look into a smaller 75-90 gallon tank to experiment with them and see how I like it. If I don't, then I have my next fish only tank. LOL

So I just want to go over setup again knowing what I know now.
Filtration: sump preferred with refugium for copepods, if not then one(?) HOB filter. Will need a skimmer rated for at least 200 gallons either way. Power head(s) if flow rate is not strong enough.
Two 200 watt heaters
Lights (nothing special for fish only tank if I am not mistaken)
3/4 to 1 pound of live (cultured/cured) rock per gallon if porous rock, more if not as porous
1-2" sand (will pool filter sand work?)
Am I missing anything?


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[Mythic Figment]

Yea I agree it's much more complicated than fish only, but it depends what you're willing to invest into the hobby. Nowadays you can hook yourself up with reactors, auto dosers, random current wave makers, full spectrum lighting, to name a few. Sps/lps can be tricky still, which is why I would tell anyone to start off with mushrooms and polyps, then graduate to softies, before eventually getting into stonys. But as long as you're on top of it, it should be completely manageable for an experienced aquarist. I've read posts by mythic figment in the past, and I know he has the skill set required. I would have not said it was easy if I knew the op was a noob. So in a way, easy was a relative term.


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Thanks. I appreciate the vote of confidence.

I am a seasoned freshwater fish keeper. Admittedly my plant care doesn't seem to work and I have kind of given up on it. Being a marine biologist, I think my brain is a little more hard wired for saltwater care after 4 years of college and 5 years in the field. LOL


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[Anchovie]

Okay. I think I am going to hold off on corals for now and try in another tank when I am ready. Definitely don't want to take on more than I can handle at once. Once I have the hang of the fish only setup, I can look into a smaller 75-90 gallon tank to experiment with them and see how I like it. If I don't, then I have my next fish only tank. LOL

So I just want to go over setup again knowing what I know now.
Filtration: sump preferred with refugium for copepods, if not then one(?) HOB filter. Will need a skimmer rated for at least 200 gallons either way. Power head(s) if flow rate is not strong enough.
Two 200 watt heaters
Lights (nothing special for fish only tank if I am not mistaken)
3/4 to 1 pound of live (cultured/cured) rock per gallon if porous rock, more if not as porous
1-2" sand (will pool filter sand work?)
Am I missing anything?


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Only change I would make is an aragonite substrate instead of pfs. Coralline algae will appreciate the extra calcium.


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[Mythic Figment]

Only change I would make is an aragonite substrate instead of pfs. Coralline algae will appreciate the extra calcium.


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Cool. I will start another thread when I get closer to setup date to get a stock list approval.


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[Otherone]

I agree with the aragonite as well - better ph buffer and home for anaerobic bacteria. Pool filter sand will lead to a seemingly endless battle with diatoms.

 

[jstautberg]

Not sure why you would need two heaters. One heater works perfect for my FOWLR 90 gallon tank.