Cathic
Fish Wrangler
>>>This is an Incomplete reference that will be updated daily.<<<
So your new to the reefing hobby and ready to get going and set up your tank, right? STOP! Let's make sure you have everything you need and are prepared for the task ahead.
Lets talk about the type of aquarium you are setting up, the reef aquarium - generally consists of all the animals you would find on a living reef, from fish to invertebrates (even corals) they are all included and all have special needs. We will start with the basics which include:
*Tank Size
-How big do you want your tank to be?
-What kind of animals do you want to keep?
*Lighting
-What lighting is right for me?
-T5 High Output
-Metal Halide
-Light Emitting Diode (LED)
-Other Methods and Misc.
*Filtration
-What kind of filtering will I need?
-Liverock and Livesand
-Protein Skimmer, Algae Scrubber
-Sump Systems
*Water
-What is good quality water?
-The Dangers of Tap Water
-What Salt is best for my reef?
-Water Circulation and Powerheads
Tank Size: The size of your tank will determine several things, from the amount of livestock you can keep to the type of lighting you will need and will most definitely affect your cost.
So the question is, what tank size is right for you? For the beginning reefer I would recommend a 30 gallon or lager tank. Smaller tanks require much more detailed monitoring to ensure stable environments and are not recommended for new hobbyist. Some good sizes for the beginning hobbyist are 28-29 gallon all in one setups (we will talk about these later) 30 gallon 55 gallon and 75 gallon tanks. The largest aquarium you can afford while staying in budget is recommended for a healthy reef.
Tank Size also affects what fish you can keep and the amount of fish you can keep. Generally you are allowed 1 inch of fish per 10 gallons, a good rule to follow when first starting. Certain fish have special needs for tank sizes, a good example would be the yellow tang, which requires 4 feet of swimming space horizontally (55 gallon or larger tank).
Knowing the needs of the fish you would like to keep will be a main concern when selecting a tank.
Lighting: Lighting is very important to a reef aquarium and the lights you choose will determine what corals and other inverts you can keep. Choose the wrong lighting and you could limit yourself to only a few corals, or end up with corals that you can't take care of. There are 2 main types of lighting being used widely in the reefing hobby, T5 High Output and Metal Halide. There are also other emerging forms of lighting such as LED and some that are on their way out like Power Compacts, we will discuss those later in this section.
-T5 High Output lighting is very affordable lighting that can provide you and your reef everything you need without breaking the bank. They generally come in multiple bulb fixtures ranging from 2 bulbs to 8 bulbs and larger. One plus side to T5's is the ability to mix bulb colors to achieve a certain color in your tank. T5's also provide all the lighting needs for corals and other inverts (4 bulbs or more depending on size of tank).
With a large selection of bulbs and affordable prices T5's are a good choice for beginners. --- Will update later, am tired.
So your new to the reefing hobby and ready to get going and set up your tank, right? STOP! Let's make sure you have everything you need and are prepared for the task ahead.
Lets talk about the type of aquarium you are setting up, the reef aquarium - generally consists of all the animals you would find on a living reef, from fish to invertebrates (even corals) they are all included and all have special needs. We will start with the basics which include:
*Tank Size
-How big do you want your tank to be?
-What kind of animals do you want to keep?
*Lighting
-What lighting is right for me?
-T5 High Output
-Metal Halide
-Light Emitting Diode (LED)
-Other Methods and Misc.
*Filtration
-What kind of filtering will I need?
-Liverock and Livesand
-Protein Skimmer, Algae Scrubber
-Sump Systems
*Water
-What is good quality water?
-The Dangers of Tap Water
-What Salt is best for my reef?
-Water Circulation and Powerheads
Tank Size: The size of your tank will determine several things, from the amount of livestock you can keep to the type of lighting you will need and will most definitely affect your cost.
So the question is, what tank size is right for you? For the beginning reefer I would recommend a 30 gallon or lager tank. Smaller tanks require much more detailed monitoring to ensure stable environments and are not recommended for new hobbyist. Some good sizes for the beginning hobbyist are 28-29 gallon all in one setups (we will talk about these later) 30 gallon 55 gallon and 75 gallon tanks. The largest aquarium you can afford while staying in budget is recommended for a healthy reef.
Tank Size also affects what fish you can keep and the amount of fish you can keep. Generally you are allowed 1 inch of fish per 10 gallons, a good rule to follow when first starting. Certain fish have special needs for tank sizes, a good example would be the yellow tang, which requires 4 feet of swimming space horizontally (55 gallon or larger tank).
Knowing the needs of the fish you would like to keep will be a main concern when selecting a tank.
Lighting: Lighting is very important to a reef aquarium and the lights you choose will determine what corals and other inverts you can keep. Choose the wrong lighting and you could limit yourself to only a few corals, or end up with corals that you can't take care of. There are 2 main types of lighting being used widely in the reefing hobby, T5 High Output and Metal Halide. There are also other emerging forms of lighting such as LED and some that are on their way out like Power Compacts, we will discuss those later in this section.
-T5 High Output lighting is very affordable lighting that can provide you and your reef everything you need without breaking the bank. They generally come in multiple bulb fixtures ranging from 2 bulbs to 8 bulbs and larger. One plus side to T5's is the ability to mix bulb colors to achieve a certain color in your tank. T5's also provide all the lighting needs for corals and other inverts (4 bulbs or more depending on size of tank).
With a large selection of bulbs and affordable prices T5's are a good choice for beginners. --- Will update later, am tired.
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