Adopting a new aquarium

[jtbadco]

I am fairly new to SW but there are a few things I have heard that you should be careful about.

Transporting the aquarium contents.
I have read that you can stir up alot of bad stuff from the substrate when you move the tank. Check with some of the more experienced reefers on the best way to move the sand, LR and livestock.

You may go thru a mini-cycle and/or get some die-off of your biological filter. Be prepared to keep a close watch on salinity, Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and pH. Also have lots of pre-mixed SW ready in case water changes are needed.

Do lots of reading (from different sources) on all of the fish and critters you will be keeping. Make yourself familiar with their ongoing care and feeding requirements.

I also suggest looking up the make/model, etc of the equipment...ie skimmer, lights, etc that you will have in this set up. If any of the equipment is damaged or should be upgraded, now is the time to do it.

What will you be using for water? I think RO/DI is the most recommended source for SW tanks. Check with forum members near you to find the best source if you don't have a system yourself.

Do lots of reading on SW fish/reef keeping. Make sure that you understand the workings of the biological filtration process in SW and read up on 'SW aquarium cycling'

Whew!!! That's it.
Sorry for the novel but being new myself these are some of the things I found important. I know there are probably more but I'm sure the really experienced ones will chime in.

HTH
Blaine