New and know what I want.

[Data]

Hi all,
great forum here.
newbies usually come to a new hobby and ask tons of questions (don't worry, I will do that too), but I rather try to read and research first.
last week the aquarium bug has bitten me and all I knew about an aquarium was, that there are pretty fish in a glass container.
I must have read a thousand posts on this and some other forums and also seen a thousand sites within the past few days.
what I would like to do is tell you my next step and if you see me doing something stupid, than try to stop me and convince me of something better.

what I already did: bought the book "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael S. Paletta and am half way through.
also have the book on order: "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert M. Fenner, should be here before the weekend.

already have an reverse osmosis RO/DI 6 stage filter system installed.

what you can still stop me from doing before it is to late:

I'm shopping for a tank and stand, hopefully I can get one used in my area through the local paper or so.
I'm looking for a 75gal or 90gal tank to start with.

by the time I find a tank, I most likely will have read both books and some more good info on the internet and will make filter/LR/LS etc. decisions based on what I come up with.
before buying I will come here and post my idea and you can stop me before it is to late.

btw, my name is david aka data

thanks for a great site.

 

[lando]

Hi David...WELCOME TO AA!!!
Sounds like you are off to a good start. Nice going on getting books before you start the process. Your next step will be deciding what type of tank you are planning to have. FO, FOWLR, reef? Start planning now and base your purchases on what you want the end result to be. Start putting together a list of the accessories you will be needing...filtration, skimmer, lighting, etc. Decide on a filtration method. HOB filters, sumps, LR/LS. A 75 or 90gal tank is a great size ot start with. Each has advantages and disavantage. They have the same footprint but the 90 gal is taller. The 90 will hold more water, the more water volume the more stable the tank and less changes in parameters. On the down side, it is taller, so if you plan on a reef some day you will need a hagher powered lighting system to penetrate to the bottom of the tank. Keep researching and keep stopping byAA!! Lando

 

[Data]

Hi lando,
thanks for the good advice.
I know exactly what I want, I want the most beautiful piece of reef that I've seen when I went diving
when do I want it? yesterday.
now comes the reality check, I can be patient and know that it takes time and money, I also have other hobbies (golf, harley, rc helicopters, n-scale trains, computers and I'm also a PADI certified divemaster, just to name a few), so the budget has to come in stages.
I will start with a FOWLR tank, which by my limited understanding already limits the choices of filtration system.
it heavily depends on the tank and stand I get, maybe it comes with a good filtration system, maybe it doesn't, that's why I start worry about it more after having the tank and stand (and whatever might have come with it) and lean towards a skimmer and a wet/dry system.
about the deeper 90gal. tank, that is definitely my second choice, I'd rather get a 75gal and I started thinking if I haven't found one of these two within a couple of month, I might go with a 55gal. (third choice)
I try to make the decisions based on knowledge acquired and mostly based on the items I already have.
later on when it comes to fish, I might just buy the one fish I like the most (if I am able to do what it takes to keep it alive) and buy every fish after it based on how good they get along etc.
main things I've already learned:
take baby steps, only bad things come fast.
be very patient
know what you want and what you can afford and have the time and dedication it takes for keeping everything in good health
educate yourself by reading a lot and follow good advice.

being a diver, I know how important it is to keep things alive etc. I just feel sorry that when I did a lot of active diving that I wasn't much interested in how things like reefs work and what kind of fish those pretty reddish with stripes are, what they eat and how they live (clowns) all I wanted is look at those pretty fish and some old wracks and steel
but times change, now I'm ready for it, I might even get back into diving just to catch my own fishy (with a license for sure)

I'll keep you updated.

 

[lando]

Sounds great. Do you know if you want a to get a reef-ready tank with internal overflows so you can easily add a sump. The sump will add more water volume to your system and give you a place to hide equipment like heaters and skimmers. As far as filtration goes...Look into the Berlin method. It is 1.5-2lbs/gal of LR, a DSB and aggressive skimming. That is it. No wet/dry, no HOB filters. It is a completely natual way to go. Sump will give you a plae to run filter pads and GAC is you are interested in mechanical and chemical filtration. With enough LS, LR and skimming it may not be needed. A good clean up crew can handle the detritus just fine. good luck and us posted...Lando

 

[captivereefs]

buy a reef ready tank from the start. Most people buy standard tanks than regret it later.

 

[lziarek]

Ill second what darin said, mucking with syphon overflows later on is not much fun, wish I went the other way, but not much to do about that now. I will be investing in a drilled tank probably over the summer and doing it right the second time

 

[Data]

reef ready? that sounds great, but I haven't heard of one being sold used yet, that might take way to long to find as a used set.
new is out of the question, the price of a 75gal with stand is already close to $500.00, while the same tank with stand used goes for $150.00 to $200.00.
I've even seen people giving away tanks (the glass only)
heck, on ebay someone was selling a 55gal SW tank with everything including a leopard eel in it 5 miles from me and it went for $160.00 (just add fish ), since I didn't know much about it and had not read much about SW I didn't bid on it, now I would buy it in a heart beat.
since I haven't read anything about reef ready, would the only difference be the two holes in the tank? and could I just have someone (a professional) drill those into a regular tank?

 

[lando]

I would also recommend getting a reef-ready right off the bat. While you can save a lot of money buying a used tank, keep in mind that you may be buying a tank that has a lot of scratches and cosmtic flaws in it.

 

[clowninround]

If you are buying a used tank and want to go reef, make sure the person hasn't used copper in it! My friend showed me another forum where someone had bought a tank and had a lot of issues keeping the inverts alive...come to find out the prevouis owner ran copper in that tank. Most people you run into WILL NOT use copper in their main display tank. But it is always a good thing to ask

 

[lando]

That is a great point, Clowninaround! Something very important to keep in mind.

 

[Data]

all good and valid points.

I just don't want to make the mistake of buying everything new, invest an arm and a leg just to find out 6 month down the road that this is not a hobby for me (been there done that).
I want to start as cost effective as possible with something that could take me all the way to reef, if I keep the interest in the aquarium and all the fishes for at least a year or two, I might even sell it and get a bigger and better new tank.

let's assume the cosmetics are good enough for me and there is no trace of copper in the water/tank/equipment.
could I just have someone drill the holes and make it a reef ready tank?

 

[lando]

Yes and no. Driling glass tanks can be tricky. You need to make sure that the glass is not tempered, otherwise it will just shatter. Keep in mind, you do not need a reef-ready tank in order to utilize a sump (although it is a bit easier). Many people use external overflows instead of the built-in internal overfows in a reef-ready. We are only here to offer suggestions (hey, it is pretty easy to spend other people's $$$ ). You are the one that needs to be completely comfortable with what you end up with. Buying a pre-owned tank from the classifieds can save you big money, you can also save on equipment by buying on-line. There is a pretty big difference between the LFS around me and the internet. Keep researching and keep asking good questions here...Lando

 

[Data]

now I understand a little more, I found a lot of info about reef ready tanks etc., it seems like no big deal to convert a regular tank or just use external overflows.
I was worried for a minute here

I even found some good info on building my own tank etc.
I'm still leaning towards buying a system of someone close enough to me, so I can get a good deal and pick it up.
let's see how that goes for a few weeks, if in the meantime something else comes up, who knows what's going to happen.

 

[clowninround]

Getting a used tank has it's good points. Mine is used and I got a real good deal on it...had awesome luck with it...I tell my LFS that it was the best purchase I ever made every time I see her (she is friends with the prevouis owner). This one had a W/D with an overflow...for me, I have had 0 problems with it. I am switching over to a sump/refugium Monday : ) and I am using a overflow for that as well. But before I bought the tank I asked lots of questions and observed all the tank inhabitants before buying, an added insurance was that the owner of a LFS knew her personally and told me she had nothing but success in the tank...i couldn't have gotten any better of an assurance that the tank was on the up & up. If you are looking for a reef tank, it may come in the paper that a tank is reef and even comes with the exsisting corals . Here I see those deals in the paper atleast twice a month! If that is what you want, just wait until what you want becomes available.

 

[clowninround]

Oh, I see that you are in Ft. Lauderdale hold on, let me check orlando's paper now, maybe worth the drive...

 

[Data]

Oh, I see that you are in Ft. Lauderdale hold on, let me check orlando's paper now, maybe worth the drive...

that is funny, as soon as I saw your post I wanted to ask you the name of the paper , so I can check it out.

 

[clowninround]

ok, here we go...65g, 20g sump, W/D also, Silver, pump, oak stand, 50-50 light & extras, $399, 90g pine stand w/d, CORAL, and extras $700. Now remember you can always talk your way down. Also my friend just called me from work and says that a guy is selling his 125g reef ready tank (don't know if it is sold yet) and his fish (that is why I am going, he has a pr of cardianls for $25 ) He also has a powder blue for 25 that my friend want. But it has other fish, if you want I can ask to see if it is sold when I get there. There is also a brand new aquarium that hasn't been used in the paper, a 65g that is predrilled custom cabinet and hood w/d, protein skimmer, coral lighting (atnic, moon and daylight, pc) and live sand for $850 or obo. PM if interested.

 

[clowninround]

I will ask my friend too for the paper they publish for the hospital, thats where I found my tank, it is a seperate paper with a classfied section. When I get it I can let you know if you have not already found a tank

 

[Data]

...65g, 20g sump, W/D also, Silver, pump, oak stand, 50-50 light & extras, $399, .

That's what I'm talking about. if that's the asking price he/she will most likely still go down a bid.
it's a shame that there is no paper where one can check classifieds from several counties, since I'm willing to drive some distance and have to wait for something to show up in the local paper.

it would be great if you could get me the phone number of the one who's selling this tank, so I can give them a call.

 

[clowninround]

here it is: 352-357-8875. Keep us posted, let us know how it goes, if it doesn't pan out I can still keep my eye open for ya