[mikerussell]

Hi people, I'm completely new to this. Am planning to get an aquarium and just got caught up in all the details, Right now I have a good deal on a 125 gallon tank with stuff. I'm a complete newby though so I thought I'd go online before I did something stupid and check with the folks who have these things. I have a 15 year old son and a 4 year old son so I am not short on ideas (my wife thinks I'm nuts ) but I want to go slow and make sure I get all this stuff right. If there is a general direction I might go to please help,thanks

Mike Russell

[dfurbee]

Hello, I am also overwhelmed at times, but the people here are very helpful. Just ask, and most of the time you will get the answer you are in need of. And most of all, enjoy the hobby; it is expensive, but worth every penny

[animekid1]

Hi Mike.

Welcome to the boards here at Reef Builders. I'm kinda new to the hobby also, but I'll give you some basic advice. First, stay away from Crushed Coral as a substrate. You want to start out with sand as your substrate. You should also decide what type of a tank you are going to have...a Fish Only tank, or a Reef Tank or a combination of both. That decision will dictate what you will purchasing in the future. I know that there will be others here with more experience than I, that will be answering this and more of your questions. Just take your time, a good marine tank doesn't happen overnight. Welcome to the hobby, I know your going to enjoy it alot.

[msbdiving]

I concur with animekid1. Go slow. The more you rush, the more expensive it gets. Start reading up on stuff before you buy. It might look nice in the store and the salesperson might tell you one thing but never trust them completely. They are there to make a sale.

[mikerussell]

Thanks for the advice folks, I think my next step is to go slower and make sure I get the right tank (size etc) and basic accessories before I think about all the things I want to do next, will be going to a pet store tomorrow thats going out of business, might get a better deal there

Mike

[animekid1]

Mike, the 125 gallon tank is a good start to begin. They say that it is actually better to start with a larger tank, because after the initial setup, and the cycling of the tank, that a larger tank can actually be more forgiving as far as maintanace and the mistakes that are bound to happen in the begining. You might want to give everyone an idea of the other stuff that you made reference to that would be coming with the 125 gallon tank that you are considering. This way others with more experience can tell you if you have a good deal, and also if you should substitute for different equipment.

[orestes19832003]

get the 125 if its a good deal you will thank yourself later trust me. i started with a 30 gallon and then up to a 55 now i have a 125 the bigger the tank the better because your chemical levels don't rise as sudden. things in a small tank can go very wrong in a short period of time because of the low water volume. the 125 is much slower for things to go wrong but they still can. just remember its not a race the tank will look bare and plain for awhile don't add to much at one time if you take your time and plenty of care your tank within one year will look great. just have patience with it but if you were wondering about tank size a 125 is a great tank to start with. you can only put about half the fish in a saltwater as a fresh water so with a smaller tank you'll be wanting to add more with not enough room so i reccomend buying a bigger tank to start with you'll thank yourself later.

[sigsauer]

I've got a 135. My first shot at salt. Here's your best bet to get a lot of color and draw a lot of attention. Do a reef tank. It's expensive, but worth it. Buy live sand as a substrate. It has a lot of bacteria in it to help with the cycling process. Buy cured live rock. You'll still need to let the rock sit in your tank with nothing but the sand for a couple of weeks at least. For filtration get a refugium and a protein skimmer. In the refugium you want more live sand and live rock (the unattractive rubble that will come with the main shipment). Lighting will be expensive. Go with T5 or metal halide. I've got a combination of VHO and MH. Take all these terms that might be new and look them up on the net. Welcome to Pacific East Aquaculture has a reef school with some good info. Also Salt water and reef aquarium fish articles has a lot of info also. As the others have said, don't hesitate to ask even the easiest question. We've all been at the beginning of the salt water journey, so we know what you're going through.

[cplklegg]

Welcome and joion the club as far as being overwhelmed. Take your time and read/research, that will save you money in the long run. I suggest you get reference books such as " the Pocket guide to 500 marine fish" and the Pocket guide to 500 marine inverts" to start, they are others as well, but those two are a good starting point. Good luck to you.

[mikerussell]

Haven't been here for a while, moved to Utah with a new job but still planning on a salt water tank.
Mike