New to the hobby. Need help getting started! :D

[edgar_ology]

Hi there guys!
So im new to the hobby and very interested in keeping a reef aquarium.
I noticed my father had a an empty 50gal tank in his garage and felt I can put it to good use,
its a normal tank with a fall back filter, hood light, and heater, I understand this filtration and light wouldn't help me at all, and was wondering what equipment is necessary before continuing.

What im looking to keep:
pure corals,
maybe 1 to 3 fishes

 

[1MCp]

Welcome to the hobby, right off the bat I can guarantee you that 1 fish won't satisfy you! Your wallet is on its way to a great diet program

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Welcome to R2R

 

[1MCp]

As for equipment you can grab a protein skimmer, slightly larger capacity than your tank, so perhaps something that can handle up to 75 gallons. Lighting system depending on what type of corals you want to keep. Test kits are a must as well as you go through your tank cycle and moving forward. You will need some powerheads for water flow, kick in some extra cash to get the wave maker system.

 

[enveeRF]

Welcome to the hobby. With all the costs of a nice reef, my advice would be to possibly skip the 50 gallon tank you already have, and get the right setup from beginning. You might save money in the long run.

 

[ChronicRage]

It all depends on what you want to do/your budget. You can drill it and throw a sump underneath for filtration. That's what most people on this site would more than likely do.
As far as lighting, you can go halide, T5, LED, or a combo of any or all three options. I recommend watching some of the BRS videos on theit 52 weeks of Reefing series. You'll learn a lot about lighting through them.
Do your research. I like to find things on BRS then come over here and do a search for it and see what people here are saying about said product or whatever.

So to conclude: I'd recommend scanning through the BRS YouTube channel for info, doing some research, then you can come here and ask more direct questions that people will be able to help you with.

Did any of what I said make any sense? I feel like I went on a little rant. I'm sick and all medicated. lol

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

First of all, welcome to R2R! Here is a guide on getting started with a reef aquarium: http://www.liveaquaria.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=39

Or this guide: https://reefbuilders.com/2008/06/10/beginners-guide-to-saltwater-aquariums-2/

Be sure to check out YouTube for great informative videos on setting up a reeftank, my favorite people to watch are Tidal Gardens, @Bulk Reef Supply, and Marine Depot. Tidal Gardens has an extensive guide for many corals and its easier to watch a video than it is to read a bunch of books

Get acquainted to your local fish store(s) and ask them loads of questions! Remember, if you're feeling pressured to buy something, go home and research it a bit first, they can always order more stock of something so it's not going anywhere

 

[edgar_ology]

As for equipment you can grab a protein skimmer, slightly larger capacity than your tank, so perhaps something that can handle up to 75 gallons. Lighting system depending on what type of corals you want to keep. Test kits are a must as well as you go through your tank cycle and moving forward. You will need some powerheads for water flow, kick in some extra cash to get the wave maker system.

As for equipment you can grab a protein skimmer, slightly larger capacity than your tank, so perhaps something that can handle up to 75 gallons. Lighting system depending on what type of corals you want to keep. Test kits are a must as well as you go through your tank cycle and moving forward. You will need some powerheads for water flow, kick in some extra cash to get the wave maker system.

Would a sump be necessary?

 

[edgar_ology]

As for equipment you can grab a protein skimmer, slightly larger capacity than your tank, so perhaps something that can handle up to 75 gallons. Lighting system depending on what type of corals you want to keep. Test kits are a must as well as you go through your tank cycle and moving forward. You will need some powerheads for water flow, kick in some extra cash to get the wave maker system.

In regards to your question: "what types of corals you want to keep.", im fascinated with LPS corals, so id like a habitat that accommodates their category.

 

[Coral Hygiene]

Hi and welcome to R2R! What I can tell you is that the cheaper things you get now are going to have to be replaced sooner, so its best to spend most of your budget on what's most important. If you want to keep LPS, you don't really have to go too crazy on lighting and a black box from amazon should be sufficient. Some easy LPS's are trumpets and blastomussa. It isn't necessary to have a sump, but I strongly suggest you build one as they will help you in the long run. You can customize it to put a protein skimmer, refugium, reactors, etc... But if your budget doesn't allow it, you can go a simpler route with a HOB or canister filter running something like carbon. And also, the less fish you have, the less bioload on your tank so you probably won't need to go all out on filtration if you want to have only one or two fish (corals produce very little waste as they mainly get their energy from zooxanthellae living inside them). But before doing anything, do some research! Absorb as much information as you can and try to figure out and budget on a tank you want to have. This way, you can get off on the right foot. This is just my 2 cents and I hope it helps a little. I just recently started a tank build on a low budget but while still maintaining quality, check it out!