newbie here...

[dummyterminal]

hello eveyone im new to the SW stuff and live in OKC...
ive got a 55gal tank with only about 10lbs of live rock and 2 percula clowns, a few hermits crabs and a few tiny hitch-hikers...
a emperor 400, a penguin 330, and a 300gph power head to move water...
lookin for some inverts to add... whats next?
also whats the best shop in town... Aquarium concepts, reef shop... ect?

Casey

[rldavis]

Casey,
Welcome to our club forum, I'm glad you found us.:D My husband and I started our reefkeeping addiction with a similar setup, with, I hate to say, some VERY bad advice from a local fish store (who will remain nameless). Since then we've learned a lot on our own, and even more after finding this message board. So I must say you're in the right place to learn. Hopefully since you found this early it will save you a lot of money.
The first thing that would need to be addressed on your system would be MUCH more live rock. And depending on what your goals are for stock, maybe lighting and lots more circulation. You might want to also consider a skimmer and sump in the future too.
Basically, I could go on and on, and really what you do next is up to you, but I want to let you know that we're here to help as much as possible. At this point though I would not recommend adding any inverts to your tank. Give us a little more information on your setup, such as lighting and future goals and we'll try to take it from there.
The LFSs in this area all have the good and bad points, I would be very careful on any advice you receive from any of them and do research before buying ANYTHING. Typically LFS are way behind the times (do a search here for threads about LFS) not just here but everywhere. So I would use caution before taking anything you hear from them, or us, as hard fact. Always get as many opinions as you can before deciding anything, because as you'll soon learn, what works for one person doesn't necessarily mean that it works for everyone.
So, I guess the next step is to find out the answers to the questions I asked earlier. I can say that patience is going to be your most valuable ally in this hobby and will save you TONS of money in the long run. Basically what I'm trying to say is if you do it right the first time, you don't have to spend a bunch of money doing it right later.

HTH and hope to hear more about your system and stuff soon.
:cool:
Becky

[DrkShadow]

Welcome!

I am fairly new to the hobby and have learned a ton of stuff here. There is so much to learn I don't have the time to keep up and theres so many ways to do things it can make it confusing. My tank specs are below. ATM I am waiting for my diatom bloom to go away so I can see inside the tank better. In my 75g i have roughly 75#'s of rock +/- 10#'s. I think you'd benefit from a deep sand bed as well. Just use some level of caution when getting advise from the local fish stores, some tend to sell you stuff that doesn't really have much other then make them a dollar. I'm trying to buy it right so to say so I don't have to toss stuff in the trash to replace it with something else :(

Hope to see you at the next meeting in April. :D

[Kyle McClain]

Casey

How long has your system been running ? It's a good idea to let your system settle in for a month or so before adding much more than you have.

Kyle

[dummyterminal]

Thanx peeps...

first off the tank is just over 3 months old now (date from first fish was added to begin cycling) ... it took about 35 days to complete the cycle...
the nitrites fell to 0 and ammonia 0... its been smooth sailing for the tank... i have lots of growth and life on the rock, and in the crushed coral bedding... i have a 48" actenic strip light and 2 24" eclipse day lights... the top dont have room for more tho or i would add more some time in the future... unless i can find a good light setup that will hold 4 48" tubes... i am taking it slow and i am also attempting to make my own live rock from cement ala GARF... we will see how that works, its been sitting in fresh water for 2 weeks and is ready for a good rinse and second go at soaking...

i am self employeed so i dont have much money to play with at the moment but when business picks up i will be sure to upgrade things on the tank as needed/when needed...

i have lots of algea growning on the crushed coral and are keeping the hermits well fed... im on a everyother day feeding schedual and check the water every 5-6 days just because i dont want to risk loosing fish...

i had a FW tank for over 7 years with various cichlids that side of fish keeping was easy in comparison to SW tanks... so im in a whole new world...

thanks for the help

Casey

[Kyle McClain]

Keep up the good work, do a LOT of research and you will find SW extremely rewarding. One thing I did not see on your equipment list you are going to want to consider is a protein skimmer If fact I stated out with set up almost identical to yours. What I found is the bio wheels in the long run just won't cut it. The single most dramatic change to make my system take of was moving to a sump style water movement system. If you already have an extra 10,15 or 20 gallon tank lying around all you need is a pump and some flexible PVC and you are on your way. Let me know if you want help setinp up a sump I would be glad to help.

Kyle

[JasonF]

dummyterminal

A 48" VHO retrofit will cost you $250 online, and $299 local at the reefshop, including bulbs. You could try making your own cap, if you have access to wood working supplies or get a cap from the manufacturer. Some pics of a cap one of our members made for me.

http://www.jfreeland.net/images/canopy2.jpg

http://www.jfreeland.net/images/doors%2520open.jpg

http://www.jfreeland.net/images/wide%2520open.jpg

[dummyterminal]

i would like to know how to make a good sump at a low price... i dont like the look of 2 big 'ol pumps on the back of the tank in the first place... for lighting... i saw the VHO setup at the reefshop today... nice.... i have a friend who is an expert in electrical setups, and he offered to make me something i could use ... but it costs about the same.. and would hold 6 strips... anyways thats still a ways off before i upgrade lighting... want the best filtration i can make first...
i built the stand my tank is sitting on.. its a little taller than the standard ones you can buy all over town so i have plenty of room under it for filters... and i have a couple 10 gal tanks sitting around... my main issue is the fact i live in an apartmnt and cant risk an over flow problem in the sump... but i know there are ways around that...

bring on some more thoughts... im listening

THANK YOU

[Don Davis]

Hello DummyTerminal, Sumps are really no problem to build yourself, especially if you already have an old tank laying around. There are many ways of configuring a sump. They can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. I would recommend something bigger then a 10 gallon if you have the room. I am just finishing up a sump for my 220 and will post some pics before I install it. In the meantime, here is some good reading on sumps and overflows. If you have any questions or need any help, just let us know.

Reef Plumbing FAQ (http://www.vatoelvis.com/Plumbing.html)

Later,

Don

[JasonF]

my main issue is the fact i live in an apartmnt and cant risk an over flow problem in the sump...

Same here, and exactly the reason I am sumpless. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, either plumb in another tank or go with a hang on refugium. I mainly want some sort of refugium for pods and nutrient export. I keep a low bioload anyway.

[dummyterminal]

anyone have some good links for DIY stuff and ordering fish and supplies

also have a question about some good stuff to put in the carbon baskets on my filters... other than carbon

[Don Davis]

Here's just about every aquarium link you could ever need. (http://simplypets.com/Pet_Directory/Pets/Fish/) :D

If you could be a little more specific about what you would like to DIY, or what you would like to purchase, I can supply some more specific links. There's tons of info on the web and most of us have already sifted through it and bookmarked the best links. But I have about 150 reef related links and am not sure what would be most helpful to you.

I would take the carbon and filter media out of your power filters and just use them for circulation. They really aren't good for much else in saltwater. Power filters just trap debris where it can't really be broken down properly, causing bad things to happen. You should get plenty of filtration from your sand and live rocks.

I know my answers weren't much help, but we really need more specific questions.:)

Later,

Don

[dummyterminal]

as the diy stuff goes i want to maybe build a light setup good enough for some excellent invert growth, sps, corals... stuff like that

also diy for sump... maybe some decor like the rocks im attemting to make from GARF...

also want to find some cheaper places to buy fish...