newcomer seeks help

[deano]

I am now trying to absorb every bit of info i can before i purchase my 1st SW Reef tank(110G) at christmas. I realise i have to read & research a lot myself but would be very grateful for any beginners advice,or a point in the right direction at least on set up & best equipment. I"m also keen on a system that ensures good back-up procedure should i have powercuts whilst away on holidays, & is it better to have 2 pumps on the set up incase one fails etc. I know! ,so many questions for a newb but my brain is running at 100miles an hour with all the different info, its hard to know what i should be concerned with 1st. Alway open to advise.
Many thank deano

 

[HN1]

Hey deano! Welcome to AA!

Start with the articles section. In my opinion, the first knowledge you should seek is in regards to the nitrogen cycle. Good for you for doing your research first!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

My advice is to simply read read read every thread you can find on this site. Just devote an hour (or whatever you can) a night to just stepping through the threads here and skimming them over. Bookmark ones you think may be useful in the future. You're not going to understand everything, but a *little* of what you read will stick with you and over time you'll start to see some patterns emerging as far as good things to do and bad things to do.

I lurked here for months before ever signing up, and for months before even buying any equipment. Doing as much research and reading to know what to expect and what can go wrong will help make starting up your tank as problem-free as possible. There are a lot of people here (or at least that used to be here!) that will never realize how much they helped me keep my sanity while easing into this hobby!

 

[Jimbo7]

My advice is to simply read read read every thread you can find on this site. Just devote an hour (or whatever you can) a night to just stepping through the threads here and skimming them over. Bookmark ones you think may be useful in the future. You're not going to understand everything, but a *little* of what you read will stick with you and over time you'll start to see some patterns emerging as far as good things to do and bad things to do.

I lurked here for months before ever signing up, and for months before even buying any equipment. Doing as much research and reading to know what to expect and what can go wrong will help make starting up your tank as problem-free as possible. There are a lot of people here (or at least that used to be here!) that will never realize how much they helped me keep my sanity while easing into this hobby!

+1, so true.
Research, research, research!

 

[melosu58]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/stock-list-and-tips-for-maintaining-your-sw-tank-73477.html

Here is a good link from our site here.

 

[Ziggy953]

Welcome to AA!

Don't be afraid to ask questions on here. We are all hobbyist and will be glad to offer our help. Welcome to the wonderful world of SW. You will love it! Take your time and don't make any snap purchases without double checking them. When you go to an LFS and tell them you are setting up a reef tank, listen and then research what they tell you. If they try to sell you a bunch of stuff to dump in the water, walk away!

Basically you need good water (RO/DI system) refractomerter, good flow and good lighting. I strongly recommend getting the RO/DI and refractometer to begin with. Check on ebay, craigslist or your local reef club for equipment and group buys.

Like everyone else said; read read and read some more, then ask questions, not everything you read is going to be accurate and not everything you are told is going to work for you.