noob just beginning questions

[SaltyDog143]

I have no clue what I need for lighting just yet, we do want to do corals, some soft some hard, we plan on using the easy/beginner types that are easier to not kill, if you get my drift, we do want your typical clown fish, blennies, dragonettes, crabs, maybe an erchen one day? Honestly we are trying to keet it simple until we get to know what we are doing, would prefer led's so we don't have to buy another set of lights within a year.

thanks for the input everyone

[Dearth]

Welcome aboard.

In this hobby it pays to take your time don't Rush and more importantly if your not sure ask here on the forum we have many members with years of experience and will try not to steer you wrong


It took me 5 months to get everything I needed for my big tank I lucked out in many respects though as I was able to get several items second hand and did some basic DIY to save money here and there. Three things that I suggest not skimping on these are my suggestions only so others may vary

1) Power bar with built in timers for your lights average cost $60-100

2) lights regardless of what you get expect to pay a pretty penny cost range in between $400-3000

3) Skimmer if and when you decide to get one after lights generally the second biggest investment $200-2000


You may also luck out and find stuff second hand or gifted to you by another reefer remember take your time and by all means ask we will help

[Coralgurl]

I had my best results with T5's and LED combo with corals. If you want corals and it sounds like you do, then your lights will be important from the beginning. Once you get comfortable with the easy corals, you'll move to the more challenging ones, and if you have the right lights from the beginning, you are good to go. Lighting is not as important for fishes...

I'm using Radions now (Gen 1), they are a good fixture and have come down substantially in pricing. Others have converted back to T5's and metal halide from LED, so when you are ready to make a decision, ask questions. When it comes to lighting, heat will be a concern, but there are a lot of options available (DIY), so deal with that aspect once you start exploring your lighting options.

[intarsiabox]

Sumps are pretty simple to build and don't need to be pretty to be functional. I have seen a few really cheap 75g tanks for sale that would probably work nicely. I usually like to go a little bigger on the sump so there is always room for the overflow water when the power goes out or the return pump stops, don't rely on check valves (I won't even install them). LxWxH in inches then divide by 231 gives you gallons to calculate the volume. Flow through the sump does not need to be fast. I usually aim for around 5X tank volume (600 gph in your case) at head. If you decide on a skimmer before hand you can plan your sump baffles to suit.

[Dearth]

For a sump if you want to save on money you can use a food grade bin it's not pretty but it will do the job until you can afford what you want I used a 50 gallon bin from Costco until I had my sump setup about a month later wasn't pretty but it worked and that is all that counts in my book

[Kellyscoral]

Welcome to the money pit! When I started my tank about a year ago I bought an okay light - I recently upgraded to a radion and I cannot over emphasize how much more color and growth I have. My advice - that I never listened to but wish I had - buy the best lights you can.

[intarsiabox]

Also when choosing a return pump also consider future use. You may want to tee off it to feed a refugium or run some GFO/Carbon canisters. If you get one with more capacity than you need at first you can just put a ball valve on the discharge to get the flow you want. There are also variable speed DC pumps that are at a reasonable price these days but I have never used one so I can't comment.

[BubblesUp]

I have a small 20g aquarium that I converted last year from a freshwater discus tank but it's already 10g over landlord max. As I was going to go for seahorses, a staff member at J&L recommended I use Real Reef Rock (http://realreefrock.com/) which I'm glad I did. No bad stuff from the start and eco-responsible. If there's something I regret, it's not taking the plunge and going for a good LED from the start. Recently I was able to get a 120w LED with great spread, good feedback, etc on eBay for around $200. Here's the review: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...d.php?t=109013 and everything has been growing like mad. I use the Instant Ocean Reef Crystals and suggest you might start with something like that from the beginning. In restrospect, I should have invested in a good new plastic gas tank for mixing salt water that allows for easy pouring into the tank and an air knob so there's less spillage/splash. I got a large skimmer early-on but didn't do much but produce micro-bubbles until recently. Now I see why it's important. Members of Canreef have been helpful, have mentioned great "tips & tricks" and I got some great starter coral in the Buy/Sell/Trade section.

[Abe]

Welcome to Canreef. Where about in Alberta are you? . If you are Edmonton, I can come by and give you some lessons or if you preffer you can come over to see my set up. Also if you are in the area I would have free soft coral that you can have whenever you tank is ready. I also have a 36" lighting unit that I used on my 60G, it has 2x 150W MH and 2x 65W Power comact and moon lighting. It was more than enough to start my tank, it needs new light bulbs tho. I can let it go for $125 if you are interested.