Newbie Tank Questions

O

Olkie

Reefing newb
I'm definitely going to start a salt water aquarium. :^:

It's a hobby I've wanted to actively peruse for a very long time, however, time and finances haven't allowed until now. So far my approach has been to read as much as humanly possible - from these forums, to a number of "beginner books", as well as numerous web articles. I'm pretty patient and have formed a pretty good base of knowledge, but wanted to write a quick post on one area I am struggling on....the tank location and type. Here's my questions:

1 - From what I've read, a 55 gallon regular is the best place to start for the display tank. Do you all agree with this? I'd like to avoid a sump for this stage of my development.

2 - I've heard that at my level there's really not much of a difference between Acrylic and Glass. I understand the former scratches more easily, but can be clearer and less expensive. Keen on some thoughts in this area.

3 - The place I'd like to put the tank will make it viewable from both the front and the back. Most setups I see have the tank against a wall with the back painted or with some other form of background. Is this really necessary or can I have the tank in a location not up against the wall? Is this too difficult? There will be plenty of access to power and it will not be in an area with direct sunlight or a ton of activity. Am I delusional here? My concern is that the display will look too ghetto with things hanging off of it, but I've seen some setups in pictures that look clean and tight.

4 - Are there certain brands of tanks and stands that are better than others? I've read pretty bad things about Oceananic and other larger brands sold at Petco and big box retailers. I'm in Manhattan, which means local shops will not be "mom and pops" per se either. Budget is not as much as an issue as putting something together that is sustainable and nice looking. There's so many options so any thoughts on proven rectangular stands/tanks with a hood that can be viewed from sides would be awesome. I've been inundated by too many options in this respect - used or otherwise.

I'm sure I'll have more q's as this progresses so many thanks in advance for any help. I'm trying to be be calculating and patient here so appreciate any thoughts and direction in any way.

Thanks,

Olkie
 
Olkie you have definitely come to the right place for help. I'll just say hello and welcome and let the folks with more knowledge help you with your questions. Listen and do as they recommend and you'll do great in the hobby.
 
Hello and Welcome!

I would suggest starting off with 75 or larger. You will be less restricted with your fish choices, and they are much easier to aqauscape because they are a little wider.

And many of us use tanks from petco/petsmart and they work just fine. I would suggest looking on cragslist for a used glass tank. It will save you money to you can use it on the more important stuff. And i would go for glass, the acrylic can be scratched with sand alone, not to mention what the rocks will do to it. Plus, algae will start growing in the scratches and you will never be able to get it out. It will annoying beyond belief.

And you can arrange the tank to the wall however you like, but its nice to have the full back to hang cords, skimmers and other things off of.
 
The larger the better as far as tank is concered, you'll have more options for fish and the larger the water volume the easier it will be to keep the water chemisty where it is supposed to be. If you'll be viewing the tank from both sides, I would acutally reccommend a sump, its a convienient place to hid things like heaters and thermometers where they will be out of sight and out of mind

And i would definitely go with glass over acrylic - the acrylic scratches way too easily
 
My first tank is a 27g and I have not had to use a skimmer or a sump or any of that other complicated stuff so I have very little hanging off my tank.

I would suggest the cube version tanks for the best viewing from all 4 sides. I LOVE my cube, no skinny ends, or blurry spots you get from bowfronts. But thats all personal taste. I bought some corals from a guy who had a larger cube in the middle of his living room and it looked amazing!

I have a smaller acrylic tank for freshwater fish and have not had any scratches so not sure what all that is about.

I disagree about the chemistry issues my chemistry is consistent for a tank that is 5 months old. I have learned to add PH buffer to my top off water but other than that its been very stable.

My advice though would first be to decide what kind of fish you really want and make sure you get the size tank that will house them up front so you dont have to upgrade later.
 
I have a 20 gallon tank and it has been a great learning experience. I quickly realized that letting your tank mature is very important. A lot of the times my tank was fine and I rushed things, which equaled fish death or algae growth. Some times when your tank is doing well means you shouldn't do anything! : ]

Welcome to the site!
 
Welcome. I would go with the biggest tank you can afford to buy. I started with a 29G AIO, which easy to set up and worked great. But, it doesn't take long to want fish that won't work in a smaller tank. I've since moved up to a 39G AIO, but only because I won it in a raffle. I'm saving my money until I get a tank that is 90 to 100G. Glass vs acrylic is a personal choice a lot of times. Out where I live, a lot of people like acrylic for larger tanks because they are less likely to break during an earthquake...
 
Many thanks for the reply - I certainly look forward to getting this up and running, spending a bunch of money, being extremely patient, and then breaking the whole thing down and selling it on craigslist ;)

(kidding)

Here's what I got so far:
- Big boxes are okay options
- Glass is better than acrylic
- go with the 75gallon instead of the 55
- people on this forum are very cool! :Cheers:

You guys led me to a few more questions:

- How tough is a sump? I've read in a few places that beginners should maybe stay away from them. I do prefer not to have things hanging off the tank and "hiding" them, but is it too difficult for a newbie?
- If I do get the 75 gallon, what are the optimal measurements? I've read the more surface area the better, so probably want it to be wide and long? Is that correct?
- What's the deal with the live rock selection. They all seem expensive and heavily marketed. How can I ensure that the cured live rock i get will not be a rip off. Also, what kind should i likely get to start off with and how much (assuming a 75g).


Thanks again for all of the help, you are all really awesome
 
Last edited:
A Skimmer or Sump is not in anyway complicated.

I only recently started and got a Sump and Skimmer right away. I was nervous but they are really simple. Once you have them you will be like, "Why was I actsing so worried?", seriously.

I say get a bigger tank as well. While a smaller tank can be easy to take care of, they can go bad fast. Not because of you it can just happen. Again you can have a small tank that is fine forever.

I was worried about corals and so far they are a breeze.

Just get ALL the equipment to start, and of course as you know take your time(unlike me) and you will be like, "What was all this fuss about it isn't that hard."

I still talk to people and they are like OMG no way too much work and it's too hard. It can get complicated if you want it to be. Just start simple and you will be sitting there saying, "Wow i did this and people will be impressed."
 
Interesting. I keep getting the same reaction from people, but it seems fun and challenging versus overbearing. I'm pretty pumped to get going (no pun intended, but that was damn good), but am still somewhat confused given not only my questions below, but just how many options there are to set up the tank. I mean, i know all of the equipment I will need to get going (at least I did before you all made incremental problems with the sump nonsense), but for each piece of equipment there's thousands of manufacturers.

Anyway, I'll probably be posting often once I start buying equipment...thanks for the help
 
I think in many ways, that is the best thing about this hobby - there is no one right way to do it. Just guidelines, and thats is how each tank is its own, unique paradise.
 
Sumps are easy and very beneficial for any tank. If you are thinking about using a sump, better get it added on before you fill up the tank rather than waiting until the tank is already going.
 
thanks for that. I just started reading about sumps - any beginner articles on sumps you can recommend? I'm suffering from information overflow.

Thanks again.
 
From what you have stated, I would recommend the following.

A tank that can be seen from both sides:

Look for a Peninsula Tank, they have 3 side viewing.

Question about sump:

Without a doubt, run one. It will add to your water volume, and like others have stated it gives a great place in the stand to hide poer cords, heaters, skimmers, etc.

Question about Glass vs, Acrylic:

Without a doubt, GLASS! Acrylic will scratch very, very easily. Will yellow over time, and will also stress crack.

Question about skimmer:

Get one, get a good one that is rated for close to, if not double the tank water capacity.

Question about Live Rock:

Look into having close to double the amount of rock as you have gallons of water. Most LFS sell cured live rock, and yes, it is pricey. You can also look into ordering from Tampa Bay Saltwater as many people here have (and have had great success with them).

Relax, take in the info, ask your questions, and make good decisions. Patience is a virtue, and by far the most important.

You can also look around on craigslist, or any other classified section for people taking down existing tanks. You can find some great deals that way for entire set-ups.
 
Extremely helpful so far - I'm getting there.

With respect to a peninsula tank, this seems to be something quite advanced that pretty sophisticated/experienced aquarists put together. Has anyone seen peninsula tanks/stands on the market, or is this something ordinarily DIY or custom made?

Many thanks again.
 
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