Thinking of starting a SW need some serious help...

[HopefulHobbiest]

ok well that sounds much easier than i expected. now can you mix salt in this water to have it preset? and if you can doesn't the salt level drop over time?

[bribo12]

Once you make your bucket/trash can then add salt, a powerhead and heater and let it mix overnight. Then you do a wc the next day. At least that's what I do lol

[HopefulHobbiest]

ohhhh ok thats good to know... i just assumed people prepped this stuff weeks in advance and let it sit. 24 hours in advance sounds more normal then my assumption lol

[bribo12]

Haha yeah it lets all the chemicals from the salt dissolve properly

[HopefulHobbiest]

thats awesome, i think i've covered everything i would need to get started... if anyone has looked over the whole thread and found something that may have been left out or that i haven't thought about, your insight would be greatly appreciated.

thanks again everyone for all the assistance!!

[HopefulHobbiest]

ok so i just though of something else... is there a benefit to buying "Live Sand" or can i pick up regular sand? i would assume regular sand over time would become "live".

**Edit** - Can anyone recommend a few decent power heads that would help me reach 1600Gph in the 40GB?

[Kimlafeiet]

You can use regular sand, it will become "live" over time. Depending on your choice of rock (live or dry/base), live sand will help to speed up the cycle a bit, but honestly, if you are going low budget, you will probably want to go with dry rock, and the cycle will take 4+ weeks anyway.

The Koralia powerheads are pretty decent and priced nicely. I use them in my 38 gallon tank. The nano ones are a nice small size too, which makes less of an eyesore in the tank. I would start with getting 3 Koralia Nano 425's. That will give you plenty of flow for softer corals, and you can always add another one down the road if you wish.

Agree that you dont need a sump, but you WILL need a protien skimmer. There are several hob style ones, and even some that go directly in the tank. I would also add a good size hob filter (like a 110) for added mechanical filtration and flow.

You can keep fish, corals, crabs and shrimp together in that size tank, but do lots of research BEFORE you put any live creatures in the tank to make sure they are compatible with not only eachother, but future additions and corals, and appropriate for your tank size. (ex: there are NO tangs that will fit in a 40b, no matter how much you want one).

You will want to decide what kind of corals you want to keep, and buy the appropriate lighting. Better to spend the money on good lights than waste money on sub par ones that will need to be upgraded sooner than you think. We all start out saying we want "just some zoas or mushrooms and softies, maybe a couple LPS", but in the end, you will want to have the lighting to support any type of coral you want. That SPS bug probably bites us all at one time or another, lol

Lastly, do tons of research. and then do more research. I am only a few months into my first saltwater tank, and I still learn something new every day with this hobby. GO SLOW.....patience, and lots of it, is key in this hobby. While doing a reef tank on a budget is possible, the addage "you get what you pay for" truly applies here. High quality skimmers, lights, powerheads and filtration are worth every penny. If the price is too good to be true, it is.

[HopefulHobbiest]

Originally Posted by Kimlafeiet

You can use regular sand, it will become "live" over time. Depending on your choice of rock (live or dry/base), live sand will help to speed up the cycle a bit, but honestly, if you are going low budget, you will probably want to go with dry rock, and the cycle will take 4+ weeks anyway.

The Koralia powerheads are pretty decent and priced nicely. I use them in my 38 gallon tank. The nano ones are a nice small size too, which makes less of an eyesore in the tank. I would start with getting 3 Koralia Nano 425's. That will give you plenty of flow for softer corals, and you can always add another one down the road if you wish.

Agree that you dont need a sump, but you WILL need a protien skimmer. There are several hob style ones, and even some that go directly in the tank. I would also add a good size hob filter (like a 110) for added mechanical filtration and flow.

You can keep fish, corals, crabs and shrimp together in that size tank, but do lots of research BEFORE you put any live creatures in the tank to make sure they are compatible with not only eachother, but future additions and corals, and appropriate for your tank size. (ex: there are NO tangs that will fit in a 40b, no matter how much you want one).

You will want to decide what kind of corals you want to keep, and buy the appropriate lighting. Better to spend the money on good lights than waste money on sub par ones that will need to be upgraded sooner than you think. We all start out saying we want "just some zoas or mushrooms and softies, maybe a couple LPS", but in the end, you will want to have the lighting to support any type of coral you want. That SPS bug probably bites us all at one time or another, lol

Lastly, do tons of research. and then do more research. I am only a few months into my first saltwater tank, and I still learn something new every day with this hobby. GO SLOW.....patience, and lots of it, is key in this hobby. While doing a reef tank on a budget is possible, the addage "you get what you pay for" truly applies here. High quality skimmers, lights, powerheads and filtration are worth every penny. If the price is too good to be true, it is.

I've decided to buy items per paycheck so I'll be acquiring over time. to make it hurt less lol.

here's what I'm thinking and please correct where i need to be corrected..

40lbs of sand (probably just a natural tan or white)
45lbs of "live rock" (Saltwater Live Rock for Marine Aquariums: Fiji Standard Live Rock).
RO/DI (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-...tem-75gpd.html).
I'll have to research a good skimmer (unless you have suggestions. i don't care about whether its in tank or HOB, but i know HOB takes less tank space).
AC 110 as suggested for mechanical (if really needed, heard live rock will do the same job).
I'll start with 3 Koralia Nano 425's as suggested (how do i position or point them?).
Lighting I'm completely lost on.. I like you're idea of not having to upgrade later, can you suggest anything?

fish, crabs and shrimp I'll decide later when I'm closer to the cycle being complete. i know i have restrictions though, i can't imagine it being much different the FW. No 26" fish in a 10G

I also need help deciding what kinda coral to go with if anyone has suggestions, i think it really cool how it sways in the current. also will be adding an anemone or two (8 months after cycle finishes of course).

[bribo12]

Get their rodi with the inline Tds as that will tell you when filters need replacing. Everything else looks good. For lighting the dimmable eBay leds would serve you well for any corals. Just remember keeping coral is just as much about water parameters as lighting if not more

[HopefulHobbiest]

I'll check the site and see if i can find the RO/DI with inline TDS.

any link for the lights so i can get an idea of what you're talking about?

also, how long can the "Live Rock" sit before being added to the tank? or should i just make that one of my last pre-setup purchases?

[HopefulHobbiest]

was this what you were thinkin for RO/DI? 4 Stage Value PLUS RO/DI System - Bulk Reef Supply

has two inline TDS

[bribo12]

Yup that's exactly what I have

[Sillyfishies]

You want the live rock to stay under water as much as possible.

The taotonics LEDs on eBay will grow anything you what. And they're dimmable.

[Mebbid]

Lighting is generally the biggest cost sadly. If you want a lighting system that will grow anything you want then I would suggest getting 2 120w LEDs off of Ebay. They are very affordable and a huge number of reefers here use them, myself included.

2X 120W New Marine Organism Aquarium Coral Reef Fish Tank LED Lamp Dimmable | eBay

[HopefulHobbiest]

Awesome!! so now i have the lights covered!

its all comin together, just gotta pick and choose what to buy with each paycheck lol

thanks everyone

[Sillyfishies]

Originally Posted by Mebbid

Lighting is generally the biggest cost sadly. If you want a lighting system that will grow anything you want then I would suggest getting 2 120w LEDs off of Ebay. They are very affordable and a huge number of reefers here use them, myself included.

2X 120W New Marine Organism Aquarium Coral Reef Fish Tank LED Lamp Dimmable | eBay

These are the lights I was referring to