300 gallon reef

[e46er]

Originally Posted by shanks

Thanks for the input but do not understand a lot of abbreviations.

DSB- deep sand bed
BBT - bare bottom tank
LR live rock
GFO - granular ferric oxide - removes phosphate

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

welcome to the salty board
like some others said...drilled tank with overflow box is best as it will make live easier.
There is a lot of information on DIY(do it yourself) but some things nowadays its cheaper to spend the extra buck and buy brand name equipment.
I like the look of sand as I recommend the course type as its easier and cleaner look in the system for not having it blown everywhere.
Decide on the type or look of your aqua-scape around what your planning for inhabitants of your reef.
As some will tell you go all live rock or all dry rock,I recommend mostly dry rock with some safe live rock from a fellow reefer for seeding the dry...There are few types of rock to chose from and aqua-scape.
I always believed for a loaded sump with rocks for all types of critters for a healthier reef,...as you will see from my next build thread(coming soon)
For a system your size you will have a larger selection of all types of fish no impulse buy and be very and I mean very careful on how you treat and add the fish to your system ...
Corals is the last thing you need to add as your system matures and make your additions slowly...I have run into lots of people wanting system setup and ready in a matter of days believe me its only shrinking your pocket change well its more your bank savings
Ask lots of questions as there are lots of folks here with tons of information and knowledge on reefing..........Almost forgot never stop to enjoy every bit of this vast and informative hobby
Oh welcome from all of us http://www.fijireefrock.com

[WarDog]

If you want a good introduction to reef tanks then go on YouTube and look up NewYorkSteelo. You will learn a lot by watching all his videos and you'll get a pretty basic understanding of some of the hardware involved. Then come back here to CanReef and check out as many tank journals as possible... trust me you'll learn a ton!... and yeah... we need pictures stat!!

[someguy]

It sounds like you are fairly new into this process. A lot of the advice given here is good, but I would spend much more time doing research before getting any more equipment.
For basic chemistry, biology and equipment nothing beats the book "The Reef Aquarium" by Sprung and Delbeek. Most LFS will carry it, or it's pretty cheap on Amazon.
As far as online sources, this place is good, but for a tank your size, I would spend a lot of time reading the Large Tank forum on another site (I don't know if I'm allowed to mention it, but think of the words REEF, CENTRAL and .COM). There are many build thread of large tanks and much usefull information that is particular to large builds.