Noob to reef tanks....

[FluffySackson]

+1 on wetwebmedia, the single best source of info out there.

My advice:

Don't add any trace or supplements you aren't testing for, and use good test kits, very rare to have to supplement unless you have massive coral growth or don't do water changes regularly. Weekly 10 to 15 percent changes will take care of everything

Develop a relationship with the best LFS in your area if there is a good one.

QT everything wet that goes in your tank for at least 6 weeks

Invest in a couple of books, the information is more in depth than magazine articles.

Have a complete stock list in mind before you buy the first living thing to put in your tank and add very slowly, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank!

Life is much easier with a sump, and a skimmer is a very important piece of the puzzle for a new reefer. There are other ways but this is the easiest for a new reefer IMO. Canisters and HOB filters are excellent at breaking down nitrogenous waste, and the result is algae.

2 small heaters are better than 1 larger one

Don't cycle with fish, and never add a fish you think will be temporary, if I had a buck for every damsel, chromis, and six line wrasse I've seen people trying to regime after a tank was established I could afford a much larger reef!

Live sand in a bag is a sham, use aragonite and seed it with a small amount of sand from a fellow reefers established system

Most importantly... Don't accept any one person on a forum's advice as gospel, forum advice is free and you generally get what you pay for!

Thank you!

 

[FluffySackson]

+1 on wetwebmedia, the single best source of info out there.

My advice:

Canisters and HOB filters are excellent at breaking down nitrogenous waste, and the result is algae.

Are you saying that phosphates goes up along with nitrate? I'm not quite sure how the tank will be free of ammonia or nitrite otherwise, forgive me, I'm extremely ignorant of reefs.

 

[Thekid]

My advice:

Don't add any trace or supplements you aren't testing for, and use good test kits, very rare to have to supplement unless you have massive coral growth or don't do water changes regularly. Weekly 10 to 15 percent changes will take care of everything

Develop a relationship with the best LFS in your area if there is a good one.

QT everything wet that goes in your tank for at least 6 weeks

Invest in a couple of books, the information is more in depth than magazine articles.

Have a complete stock list in mind before you buy the first living thing to put in your tank and add very slowly, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank!

Life is much easier with a sump, and a skimmer is a very important piece of the puzzle for a new reefer. There are other ways but this is the easiest for a new reefer IMO. Canisters and HOB filters are excellent at breaking down nitrogenous waste, and the result is algae.

2 small heaters are better than 1 larger one

Don't cycle with fish, and never add a fish you think will be temporary, if I had a buck for every damsel, chromis, and six line wrasse I've seen people trying to regime after a tank was established I could afford a much larger reef!

Live sand in a bag is a sham, use aragonite and seed it with a small amount of sand from a fellow reefers established system

Most importantly... Don't accept any one person on a forum's advice as gospel, forum advice is free and you generally get what you pay for!

X 2



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[Thekid]

Buy a sump. It will make life 10x as easy.




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[muttley000]

Are you saying that phosphates goes up along with nitrate? I'm not quite sure how the tank will be free of ammonia or nitrite otherwise, forgive me, I'm extremely ignorant of reefs.

Phosphates can come from different places, the big three are from your source water (a RODI system takes care of this), from excess feeding (the juice in frozen foods is often named a culprit) or from leaching out of rock that has been exposed to high levels in the past. There are lots of threads about people having issue with dry rock leaching phosphates on the marine forums. I dont think that the phosphate and nitrate are directly related to each other (that may be something interesting to research further!) but too much of both grows algae, however trace amounts are a necessity for the photosynthesis that occurs in corals if you want to keep them.
Nitrate is the end product of the ammonia your fish will produce as waste. If you build a sump growing algae there on purpose in a refugium or on a turf scrubber, it will be removed along with phosphates. The reason I like a skimmer especially for a new reefer is that it can remove particles of waste before they are broken down.
Here is some reading from WetWebMedia on the subject

http://http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/phosphates.htm

 

[BasicallyBane]

Yeah skimmers are not necessarily needed. I have a gorgeous reef with plenty of fish in my 56 column and my water is perfect. It is regular tap deionized, and I do top offs with RO. My secret? I use a HOB with poly pads inside it. Weekly replacement, but the stuff from Walmart. My water is so clear my fish can see me from across the room. All water parameters are in check. All my skimmer did was make micro bubbles in my tank. If you have a sump, go for it with the skim, but not needed.


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