First Saltwater build

saltrookie53 · Aug 23, 2016

If it's in the wrong place tell me...

Let me introduce myself. I'm Nathan from Lake city. I've been into freshwater tanks for 18 years and thought it was time to spend a lot of money and get into saltwater. At the moment all I have is a 90 gallon tank and 60lbs of rock, I'm still looking at sumps, pumps, and different light. Still looking at building a hood for the tank. Going to try and take it slow on this build. Thinking that I want to set this tank up as a reef tank.

Baby Ray · Aug 23, 2016

Welcome to R2R!!
We are glad to have you here!!!!

purkey · Aug 23, 2016

@CastAway @BlueDevil @Chriscrna this is a friend of mine i got him to make the jump lol glad you got it

Brian Mountain · Aug 23, 2016

saltrookie53 said:
If it's in the wrong place tell me...

Let me introduce myself. I'm Nathan from Lake city. I've been into freshwater tanks for 18 years and thought it was time to spend a lot of money and get into saltwater. At the moment all I have is a 90 gallon tank and 60lbs of rock, I'm still looking at sumps, pumps, and different light. Still looking at building a hood for the tank. Going to try and take it slow on this build. Thinking that I want to set this tank up as a reef tank.

Awesome start. Welcome to R2R

saltrookie53 · Aug 23, 2016

purkey said:
@CastAway @BlueDevil @Chriscrna this is a friend of mine i got him to make the jump lol glad you got it

I'm glad you got me into it also... Been looking at the aquarium's saltwater fish for way to long..

CastAway · Aug 23, 2016

Welcome @saltrookie53!

Mark75 · Aug 23, 2016

Welcome,...looks like you are off to a great start!

Zoarium · Aug 23, 2016

Nice looking scape! Welcome to the saltwater addiction

BlueDevil · Aug 23, 2016

Welcome @saltrookie. You found the perfect place to have most if not all your questions answered. I'm sure you've heard this gazillion times by now but I'll say it again - Take. It. Slow. Read, read, read and then read some more. Ask lots of questions. The more homework you do now, the higher the chances of success, and lower the likelihood of you getting frustrated and quitting the salty hobby. IMHO there are lots more obstacles that you will face in the sw hobby compared with the fw side.

As far as your setup goes, you're off to a great start! If funds are not limited you can spend lots of cash really quickly in this hobby. At the same time, there are lots of areas where you can DIY a little to save some money that can be put towards other stuff like fish and corals. Since you're looking at sumps that is where you can save lots of money right off the bat. A store bought sump can cost several hundred but if you're up to making your own out of an aquarium you can easily get it done for less than $100. Check out my build for an example.

Anyways, enough of my preaching. Just ask questions about anything you need help with. Lots of knowledgeable folks on here that are super helpful!

Welcome to the salty side!

saltrookie53 · Aug 23, 2016

BlueDevil said:
Welcome @saltrookie. You found the perfect place to have most if not all your questions answered. I'm sure you've heard this gazillion times by now but I'll say it again - Take. It. Slow. Read, read, read and then read some more. Ask lots of questions. The more homework you do now, the higher the chances of success, and lower the likelihood of you getting frustrated and quitting the salty hobby. IMHO there are lots more obstacles that you will face in the sw hobby compared with the fw side.

As far as your setup goes, you're off to a great start! If funds are not limited you can spend lots of cash really quickly in this hobby. At the same time, there are lots of areas where you can DIY a little to save some money that can be put towards other stuff like fish and corals. Since you're looking at sumps that is where you can save lots of money right off the bat. A store bought sump can cost several hundred but if you're up to making your own out of an aquarium you can easily get it done for less than $100. Check out my build for an example.

Anyways, enough of my preaching. Just ask questions about anything you need help with. Lots of knowledgeable folks on here that are super helpful!

Welcome to the salty side!

thanks. I'm a BIG DIY guy. I've done a little bit of everything from Comercial refrigeration, to building homes. I'm waiting to but a big refugium in and not sure how big of a sump to build for a 90 gallon tank.

BlueDevil · Aug 23, 2016

saltrookie53 said:
not sure how big of a sump to build for a 90 gallon tank.

The answer to that is easy. Always go with the biggest sump that will fit in your stand/cabinet. The more volume the better.

It also depends on the location of the sump. If it's under the stand you will be limited to the stand's empty space. If you're going fancy and putting the fuge down in a basement or adjoining room you can go really big!

saltrookie53 · Aug 23, 2016

BlueDevil said:
The answer to that is easy. Always go with the biggest sump that will fit in your stand/cabinet. The more volume the better.

It also depends on the location of the sump. If it's under the stand you will be limited to the stand's empty space. If you're going fancy and putting the fuge down in a basement or adjoining room you can go really big!

ok I guess I'm going to learn how to bond acrylic in the next month. Any suggestions on a protein skimmer, and bio balls or socks???

BlueDevil · Aug 23, 2016

SCA makes great skimmers that are really well priced. I have one and am very satisfied with it. I have the SCA-301. You will need the next size up. I don't care too much for bioballs. IME they are nitrate factories. I don't run socks either. Though socks aren't bad as long as you keep them clean, which can be quite a chore.