New and planning reef setup for first time and want to it right.

[H4Stewart]

I am retired from computers and always wanted a salt water fish take.
I live on lake and very good water and have 7 stage Reverse Osmosis system and only thing I purchased is a 40 Gallon Breeder tank.

I planned to learn as much as I can do that my tank will be sucessful.

I wondering if there is common set of links for new reefers ?

Is it a good idea to use 40 gallon for 4 st tank and how many fish can be in it. Is there automatic reading of chemistry available and do I need a smaller tank for handling when fish gets sick. Most pointly is there a full fledge of making sure fish don't get sick.

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[shakacuz]

welcome aboard the r2r board. hello from PA!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am retired from computers and always wanted a salt water fish take.
I live on lake and very good water and have 7 stage Reverse Osmosis system and only thing I purchased is a 40 Gallon Breeder tank.

I planned to learn as much as I can do that my tank will be sucessful.

I wondering if there is common set of links for new reefers ?

Is it a good idea to use 40 gallon for 4 st tank and how many fish can be in it. Is there automatic reading of chemistry available and do I need a smaller tank for handling when fish gets sick. Most pointly is there a full fledge of making sure fish don't get sick.

40 breeder very popular and would house 6-9 small fish or 4-5 medium fish. Buy the best equipment you cant afford and here are a couple of links:

1. Lighting
   The type of lighting you choose will be based on the type of system you have planned to set up, as well as what kind of livestock you will be keeping in it.
2. Skimmers, Filters & Filtration Equipment
   Once again, what type of system you are going to set up will help you determine which kind of filters and filtration system to choose.
3. Powerhead
   Depending on the size of your aquarium, the use of one or several powerheads is an excellent way to provide good water circulation throughout the system.
4. Live Rock & Substrate
   Here you need to decide on what type of material you want on the bottom of the tank, as well as whether you want to start with a live or non-living medium. Live Rock plays an important role in a marine tank. Many marine animals, fish in particular, can be quite territorial. It is important to provide ample shelter or places where the animals can hide, sleep, and avoid potential problems with aggression from other tankmates in the confined space of an aquarium.
5. Sea Salt Mix/Saltwater & Hydrometer
   Sea salts are what make an aquarium a saltwater or marine aquarium. Also referred to as a salinity tester, this item measures the specific gravity or salt content of the water.
6. Heater & Thermometer
   For smaller aquariums one heater works well, but for larger systems the use of multiple units is advised. With stick-on, floating, multi-function remote digital sensor, and many other types of units to pick from, the material a thermometer is made of is an important factor when choosing one as well.
7. Air Pump & Air Stones
   Only needed if you are going to run a piece of equipment that requires these items, such as a counter-current protein skimmer.
8. Test Kits, Additives & Supplements
   For live rock and reef tank systems, calcium (a.k.a. limewater/kalkwasser) needs to be added. Other supplemental vitamins or additives that are beneficial to the health of certain marine inhabitants you may be keeping, such as iodine for crustaceans, are important as well. Hanna and salifert test kits are best- Avoid Api
9. Maintenance Tools & Supplies
   This category includes having items on hand such as a various sized plastic buckets or containers, tank cleaning tools such as a siphon tube/hose, an algae scraper or magnet, as well as nets of different sizes, spare equipment replacements parts, and so on. A good way to keep track of what maintenance tasks you have performed and when is to keep a log book or record of everything you do.

Courtesy of Spruce

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Blitz06]

I am retired from computers and always wanted a salt water fish take.
I live on lake and very good water and have 7 stage Reverse Osmosis system and only thing I purchased is a 40 Gallon Breeder tank.

I planned to learn as much as I can do that my tank will be sucessful.

I wondering if there is common set of links for new reefers ?

Is it a good idea to use 40 gallon for 4 st tank and how many fish can be in it. Is there automatic reading of chemistry available and do I need a smaller tank for handling when fish gets sick. Most pointly is there a full fledge of making sure fish don't get sick

I am retired from computers and always wanted a salt water fish take.
I live on lake and very good water and have 7 stage Reverse Osmosis system and only thing I purchased is a 40 Gallon Breeder tank.

I planned to learn as much as I can do that my tank will be sucessful.

I wondering if there is common set of links for new reefers ?

Is it a good idea to use 40 gallon for 4 st tank and how many fish can be in it. Is there automatic reading of chemistry available and do I need a smaller tank for handling when fish gets sick. Most pointly is there a full fledge of making sure fish don't get sick.

You are getting yourself in a wonderful hobby I’ve been in it for about 3 years and I just set up a 40b myself. The main thing I’d recommend is keep it simple. There are so many things out there that can be very overwhelming. The most important thing in this hobby is stability. Things don’t happen fast and you need to be able to be patient and let nature do its thing. Also the less fish the easier in my opinion I always was tempted and impulse bought a lot of fish all at once and I’ve struggled with nutrients in every tank. Just take everything slowly and let your tank mature.

 

[Spare time]

40 gallon is a great size. It is a good idea to get a separate tank up and running for quarantining the fish before they enter the main tank. Jay Hemdal's guide on here is the go to for that. Extra cautious people QT snails and corals too, particularly for hitchikers. Some places will QT for you.

 

[alpenreef]

Here is a great guide to setting up a new tank which I followed myself: link
Here is a beginner video series: link

welcome!

 

[1112-425XL]

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Welcome to reef2reef & best of luck setting up your new tank!!

 

[CO2TLEY]

 

[zheka757]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[luis angel]

Welcome to R2R

 

[Gman83]

Welcome!

 

[Dmmz]

welcome to Reef2Reef

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

welcome

 

[Nano_Man]

Welcome to r2r one big family

 

[Brisk]

Welcome!

 

[kevgib67]

Welcome, glad you are here! I highly recommend watching on YouTube, BRS 52 weeks of reefing and read this book written by one of our members here. Best of luck!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[SPS2020]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!