New 37g reef build

[Sharklover]

Ither tommorow or sunday after my dad takes me on a driving lesson i will be starting my 37g reef build-so duz any1 have any last minute tips cuz ive done research for bout 8 months and im so excited but ive never done sw only fw for about 9-10 months b4 my final addition seems to have brought black death to my tank! Lol so any tips or tricks would be helpfull---ps:my stocking list is 2 blue chromis,2 ocellaris clowns,and a bi color blenny plus a cleaner shrimp and a peppermint shrimp and about 7-8 assorted hermits and bout 8-9 snails,sound good to you???-thanks ahead!-

[carey]

Welcome to the salty side of things! lol Your stocklist looks good.

Good luck and post some pictures after you setup!

[Sharklover]

I really want to just gotta figure out how to get them on my crap top from my fone and btw wut are the like 3-4 most important test kits for sw?(i was planning on therm,salinity,ph,) so i need like 1-2 more

[carey]

Get the API master saltwater kit, its about $20 online. It has ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You will need those tests as you cycle your tank.

In the future as you start corals you will want the reefmaster kit or separate kits for calcium, phosphates, alkalinity and maybe magnesium.

Do you plan on starting with ro/di water? thats my best advice. You will avoid lots of future issues if you start off right.

[Sharklover]

I cant really afford that but my lights arent great and almost no sun hits it,also my water is pretty pure i never had an algea prob in almost a year of fw,but sw is diff i just wish i had the money

[KAhner]

If you get the ro water from the refill station at the grocerie store, walmart, or even your lfs it's only about 50 cents a gal. And the ro- di unit a lot if people reccomend on here is only 60 dollars on eBay. That is one of my next purchases for sure.

[TLTGF]

You will regret not using RO/DI water. You will spend all of your time fighting algae breakouts.

Your tank is 37 gallons. Even if you did 20% weekly water changes, which is on the high side. You would only need 7.4 gallons per week, add a gallon or 2 for evaporation / top-offs. Let's just say (10) gallons. At the supermarket near me, the water costs $.29 per gallon if you have your own jug, and $.39 per gallon if you don't. The most you should pay is $4.00 your first week, and $3.00 per week after that. And again that is doing religious large water changes.

If you are going to have a hard time coming up with that amount of money, I really think you may want to take a look at the real costs associated with this hobby.

I wish you the best of luck, and keep the questions coming. I'm very happy to see that you've done your research and your stocking list looks great.

[Sharklover]

Ill prob get one for my bday in june,just hope it duznt cause a prob by then but i can always just get a strong cuc,speakin of cuc on the bak of my lid there are 2 gaps for filters and stuff but my filter only covers 1 will my snails try to escape from there?

[Sharklover]

Short term i can but i can only get it at my lfs for 1.50$ a gallon and until i get my licence i cnt get a ride there every week

[Sharklover]

Duz any1 no about my snail question 2 posts above?

[carey]

I've only ever had one snail make a break from the tank so you should be good. They sometimes linger near the water line but hardly ever go above.

[Sharklover]

Ok thanks cuz i didnt want to wake up 1 day and c them all over the walls lol! Well follow this and ill try to post as many pics as possible and its thanks to evry1 on aa that i was able to get to this point you guys were a great help!

[KAhner]

Originally Posted by Sharklover

Short term i can but i can only get it at my lfs for 1.50$ a gallon and until i get my licence i cnt get a ride there every week

I'm sure that is saltwater. Still a little high though. My lfs sells saltwater for a dollar a gal, and ro for fifty cents.

[Sharklover]

Mine dsnt sell sw just rodi water

[KAhner]

Really? Wow!!! Yea that's way too expensive. Look at the grocery stores around your house. Most likely at least one has a station to refill them office water cooler things. They shouldn't charge more than 50 cents a gallon.

[Sharklover]

Nope nada but like i said my water usually is pretty good it hopefully is good enuf till i get an rodi sytem 4 my bday

[Sharklover]

Btw is sealing a crack expencive cuz my qt got 1 wen i wuz empting it from my frends stuff?

[Sharklover]

Does any1 have experience sealing cracks?,i am curious if it is hard, time consuming or expencive?

[KAhner]

I have no experience with it. With a small tank I'm sure you could just use silicone. But if it's a ten gallon. Might as well just buy a new one. There like ten dollars.

[Sharklover]

Not near me,there like 25$ and i cnt order online,but i went to all the trouble of cleaning it and im on a budget but wutever ill try nd seal it and c wut happens and tommorow keep u updated