miguel60634
New member
im thinking about starting a coral tank but was looking for some recomandations on the what i have to buy for its setup . thanks
what do i need ????
- Thread starter miguel60634
- Start date
SaylorsReef
New member
Welcome to Chicago Reefs Miguel.
Typically you will need live rock, sand, a protein skimmer (recommended, especially with fish), pumps to create flow, and lighting suitable for the type of coral you want to grow.
Will you be keeping fish in this system? What type of coral do you want? Soft coral, LPS, or SPS?
Typically you will need live rock, sand, a protein skimmer (recommended, especially with fish), pumps to create flow, and lighting suitable for the type of coral you want to grow.
Will you be keeping fish in this system? What type of coral do you want? Soft coral, LPS, or SPS?
EyeReef
Active member
Welcome Miguel to CR!
First I recommend reading a book or two, meet a few hobbyist to check out their system in person, and do a lot of online research. We are all happy to answer your questions here as well.:top:
To answer your question,
you need the obvious fish tank, protein skimmer, light, flow, live rock, saltmix, RODI Water, and of course a lot of patience. Those are the basic essentials. Good luck and its all of us can tell you that its an addictive and rewarding hobby
First I recommend reading a book or two, meet a few hobbyist to check out their system in person, and do a lot of online research. We are all happy to answer your questions here as well.:top:
To answer your question,
you need the obvious fish tank, protein skimmer, light, flow, live rock, saltmix, RODI Water, and of course a lot of patience. Those are the basic essentials. Good luck and its all of us can tell you that its an addictive and rewarding hobby
scotty
Member
first 2 posts are why you absolutely need to do more research than asking us. if you noticed they asked more questions than you did...
first, you don't need a protein skimmer. some of the greatest tanks I've seen, run skimmer-less. pros and cons to using one. very much debated topic as salt mixes have evolved, and things like phosban and chemipure have come to market. that is an option that you will need to come to a conclusion for yourself, as everyone will have their opinion for or against.
second, the real first question is what do you want to have, and do you have the money to support that question. corals overall are extremely expensive as are the higher end fish. if you cannot drop money and are already looking for ways to cut corners, not for you.
next one, don't cut any corners. every single one of us have tried, and learn from that, don't do it you'll end up spending the money anyways.
next, they have lots of different types of setups, all-in-ones are fantastic starter tanks as you don't have to do much extra buying other than in-tank. really want to decide if you want to do something like weepee has posted, or do you want a biocube.
Something on that note, if you can go bigger, do it. save the money from upgrading and get as big as you can. ask everyone here, the tank is never big enough.
next, to start a tank, get ready to spend a lot of time getting it just right. first 4 months i had my hands in the water almost every day (OCD). if you end up going down the protein skimmer route, youll have break in time on that also taking monitoring. time crunch is why you'll see a lot of setups for sale at the end of the summer, people ALWAYS underestimate the time it takes to keep a reef going. heartache is part of the game too, don't get discouraged if something dies, stuff dies from a 1000 reasons, sometimes not in your control.
just food for thought if it sounded harsh, it's not, just gotta get your mind in the right place, because it will take a while before the tank is self-sufficient, and based on the very quick question, you need some tough love.
and welcome!
first, you don't need a protein skimmer. some of the greatest tanks I've seen, run skimmer-less. pros and cons to using one. very much debated topic as salt mixes have evolved, and things like phosban and chemipure have come to market. that is an option that you will need to come to a conclusion for yourself, as everyone will have their opinion for or against.
second, the real first question is what do you want to have, and do you have the money to support that question. corals overall are extremely expensive as are the higher end fish. if you cannot drop money and are already looking for ways to cut corners, not for you.
next one, don't cut any corners. every single one of us have tried, and learn from that, don't do it you'll end up spending the money anyways.
next, they have lots of different types of setups, all-in-ones are fantastic starter tanks as you don't have to do much extra buying other than in-tank. really want to decide if you want to do something like weepee has posted, or do you want a biocube.
Something on that note, if you can go bigger, do it. save the money from upgrading and get as big as you can. ask everyone here, the tank is never big enough.
next, to start a tank, get ready to spend a lot of time getting it just right. first 4 months i had my hands in the water almost every day (OCD). if you end up going down the protein skimmer route, youll have break in time on that also taking monitoring. time crunch is why you'll see a lot of setups for sale at the end of the summer, people ALWAYS underestimate the time it takes to keep a reef going. heartache is part of the game too, don't get discouraged if something dies, stuff dies from a 1000 reasons, sometimes not in your control.
just food for thought if it sounded harsh, it's not, just gotta get your mind in the right place, because it will take a while before the tank is self-sufficient, and based on the very quick question, you need some tough love.
and welcome!
Logan 12
New member
Scotty any of those nice skimmerless tanks have any Sps's in them? I'v seen skimmerless tanks but would say the majority of reefers use skimmers. Going big is a good idea because in a big tank you have more volume allowing things to change slower, allowing more time to realize or fix it. You need to choose if u want a sump or non-dump tank first. I would go with the sump if room allowed for one...., oh, and tank size. Once you have figured out these two then we can go from there. S bigger tank will have more cost associated with it.
scotty
Member
yes actually. ill see if i can find the link, it was a write up for a journal, might not be still up.
re-read what i wrote, i never said dont use a skimmer. and "need" is italics. if you do a weekly water change, and have low bioload like a new tank should, then you dont need a skimmer.
re-read what i wrote, i never said dont use a skimmer. and "need" is italics. if you do a weekly water change, and have low bioload like a new tank should, then you dont need a skimmer.
SaylorsReef
New member
Bioload is the key here when it comes to skimmers.
scotty
Member
http://reefbuilders.com/2011/01/04/sreef-stunning-skimmerless-reef-tank-marko-haga/
make good on my promises
i should use journal as a loose term, reef builders really reads like one though.
make good on my promises
i should use journal as a loose term, reef builders really reads like one though.
scotty
Member
he documents the crap outta his tanks. hes really a trend breaker because he thinks nitrates have no impact on corals, contrary to everything we believe to be true, but that tank, he knows a thing or 2 worth reading along with.
there is a fuge, so he is exporting nutrients, so it's not completely exportless.
there is a fuge, so he is exporting nutrients, so it's not completely exportless.
Logan 12
New member
Okay my post was alittle late. Very nice. He's doing alot to maintain proper water quality, what I'v started to do. If I did the weekly water change don't see why I could not also shut my skimmer off. May have to give this a try, will see.
Oh and to note I'v never seen a tank with Sps's in it that was skimmerless and contained no algae scrubber (inlandaquatics) until now. Thanks for the link Scotty.
Oh and to note I'v never seen a tank with Sps's in it that was skimmerless and contained no algae scrubber (inlandaquatics) until now. Thanks for the link Scotty.
Tangency
New member
Here are a few links I found helpful before starting up:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/newbie/index.php - water
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-11/newbie/index.php - tank selection
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-12/newbie/index.php - lighting
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/newbie/index.php - sumps
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-02/newbie/index.php - setup
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-03/newbie/index.php - filtration
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/newbie/index.php - water
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-11/newbie/index.php - tank selection
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-12/newbie/index.php - lighting
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/newbie/index.php - sumps
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-02/newbie/index.php - setup
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-03/newbie/index.php - filtration