First Reef Tank Ever

[reefnoob1]

Hey All,

I suffer from having almost no good local information sources . I live in San Francisco and would love the addresses of good local merchants who are knowledgeable and care more for the livestock than the money

My question is I have purchased a 35 gallon hexagon tank and a bak-pak combo filter for it. That's all I have so far, Im currently pricing local live rock sand and supplies but am going slow as I see is the best advice.

With the unusual tank size, should i even bother with attempting a mini-reef? I have concerns that the surface area of the tank won't be adequate and I could run into lighting issues at the lower depths.

What kind of lighting and how much wattage wise would be considered adequate. Also what are some good beginner species that would survive as far as corals go. How much live rock should be used. The tank is taller than it is wide so I think the standard rule of a lb per gallon will be too much

 

[dattack]

You should look into a 250 W HQI DE Metal Halide pendant such as from PFO, Sunlight supply or Geismann. Will probably run over $300 unless if you bought it used.

That should work well for a reef and you should be able to keep almost everything.

Any of the soft corals such as mushrooms, green star polyps, and leathers are pretty easy but I am not sure if that's what you want.

But research some more if you really want to keep a clam or even some SPS. Some SPS suchs as montis are pretty easy to keep also.

 

[LA-Lawman]

hi.

what are the demensions of the tank and what is your plan for circulation?

definatly go with a MH pendant. I know CustomSeaLife and Hamilton make pendants with Power compact actinics in them.....


hth

 

[liquid]

reefnoob: Welcome to reefs.org! Take a moment to read over this page as it will tell you how to get the most out of your reefs.org experience: http://www.reefs.org/library/howto.html

In regards to your question: I think you're fine w/ using a 35 hex for a reef tank. If I were you, I'd check out the Recommended Reading link and the Newbie Guide on the above URL before I went any further as this will save you $$ in the long run. Been there, done that. In regards to your lighting question: I'd recommend finding out what corals you want to keep before you buy your lighting as your coral selection really will determine your lighting selection. Check the newbie guide as this will give you some good information on lighting selection.

hth

Shane

 

[Anonymous]

Reefnoob,

For a good local shop, check out Aquarium Concepts in Hayward on Foothill Expwy.

 

[Garry thomas]

Best advice my friend is get a bigger one. :roll: 35gals Fwiw

 

[reefnoob1]

Bought a reef book which has been a great help in identifying species Im good with at first. Id prefer stuff I didn't have to feed so am keeping to the non-eaters although an anemonae and clown fish combo would be quite entertaining and I may try them. Anyone had any luck with specific anemonae families bonding well with clown fish, I hear some work better than others and the clown fish adopt certain anemonaes easier than others. Tank is already bought so Im stuck with it but I think it can be a successful mini-reef environment its 21 inches corner to corner and 20 inches side to side, its a Tru VU 35 gallon hexagonical. The only filtration I have planeed is the BakPak2 already purchased with the built in protein skimmer. Ive been told it should work?

/agree on the lighting issue, will be travelling to this new aquarium store (thanks for the info) to see what familia are available and then figure out what lighting I need but Im thinking 100-200 watts of MH on a 9 hour timer should do the trick. Is there any truth to the statement that there is no such thing as too much light? I've seen that mentioned on certain boards. Also Ive had timers on my freshwater setups (Am a freshwater veteran since 1983) and the turning off is very abrupt, is this advisable or do they sell gradual dimmers that perhaps would be less of a shock to the inhabitants and simulate a more natural nocturnal transition?

What successes have people had getting stuff on-line? I hesitate to purchase sight unseen, are some on-line retailers better than others? I'll try my local dealers first but I think Id like to take the high road concerning captive bred species, mainly because my vegetarian PETA loving girlfriend would never shut up about it if I didn't, any online dealers who deal with captive bred species. that come highly recommended by the veterans here?

Finally,thanks for all the advice this is one of the best and most knowledgeable boards Ive found. I consider going from freshwater to saltwater kind of like graduating to the big leagues and am looking forward to it. Im aiming for a zero casualty rate

Oh and I can put a bamboo shark in this tank easy right?

 

[Anonymous]

you can also log on to #reefs via the java applet link from the rdo homepage, or through a chat program, such as mirc,and ask questions from a large group of reefers in real time



(best thing since sliced bread) :wink:

 

[liquid]

Anyone had any luck with specific anemonae families bonding well with clown fish, I hear some work better than others and the clown fish adopt certain anemonaes easier than others.

Your best bet is to get Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfishes book. Info on this book can be found @ http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/

The only filtration I have planeed is the BakPak2 already purchased with the built in protein skimmer. Ive been told it should work?

Should work, but I wouldn't put it on any larger of a tank. I have one one my 38 gal and it does OK for the most part but you need to make certain that you regularly clean the pump and venturi airlines of krud, etc. Eventually you may find that you need to do an "airstone" mod to it which is basically adding a 3" limewood airstone + a Tetra Luft pump to add additional aeration to the skimmer, which is what I did.

Is there any truth to the statement that there is no such thing as too much light? I've seen that mentioned on certain boards.

All depends on what you want to keep. Some coral need a lot of light, some don't. In general people are comparing the lights over our tanks to sunlight and our lights over our tank are pretty dim compared to sunlight...

Also Ive had timers on my freshwater setups (Am a freshwater veteran since 1983) and the turning off is very abrupt, is this advisable or do they sell gradual dimmers that perhaps would be less of a shock to the inhabitants and simulate a more natural nocturnal transition?

I've heard this as well, but I've never had any problems w/ an abrupt light shutoff on my 3 year old tank.

What successes have people had getting stuff on-line? I hesitate to purchase sight unseen, are some on-line retailers better than others?

Typically I'll buy all of my equipment online after I've done my research on it. In general, any one of our sponsors are good: http://www.reefs.org/sponsor.html I prefer Premium Aquatics for my equipment as I live within 3 hours of them and generally get my stuff from them w/in a day or two after purchasing online.

I'll try my local dealers first but I think Id like to take the high road concerning captive bred species, mainly because my vegetarian PETA loving girlfriend would never shut up about it if I didn't, any online dealers who deal with captive bred species. that come highly recommended by the veterans here?

Again, many of our sponsors have captive bred species. Typically they list them as tank raised or wild caught. IMHO Inland Aquatics ( http://www.inlandaquatics.com/ ) has the most diverse collection of captive raised fish around so based upon your desires, I'd recommend you look at them for your livestock selection.

If you are looking for captive raised corals, many hobbyists sell frags from their tanks and we have a set of forums here called "Reefkeepers Marketplace Forums" where you can buy/sell/trade equipment and livestock: http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/index.php?c=4

Also, you may want to look into our PowerBuy's program as you might find something you need at a reduced price: http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=53

Finally,thanks for all the advice this is one of the best and most knowledgeable boards Ive found.

Thank you very much! All of the reefs.org operators are working very hard to provide the hobbyist with the most diverse assembly of educational materials found on the internet. If you ever have any questions or suggestions about our website, please take a moment to let us know in our Feedback forum: http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2

I consider going from freshwater to saltwater kind of like graduating to the big leagues and am looking forward to it. Im aiming for a zero casualty rate.

That is a very good goal to have for yourself, but even the veteral reefkeepers have lost a couple of specimens (myself included). The best thing you can do is research, research, research, before you purchase anything as this will keep your livestock losses to a minimum.

Have a good one!

Shane