Need help with new tank

[jerseytankgirl]

hello. first of all, i would like to say that i love this site. i am very new to this hobby and stumbled on this site while doing a search for information and have been reading posts and info for about a couple of weeks. i have finally decided to take the plunge and would like someone to look at my list so far. like i said, i have been doing a little bit of reading on this site, spoken to 3 LFS, and have read one book. i know i need to do a lot more research but...i'm so excited!

i ordered a 72 bow front reef ready oceanic tank and am also anxious to purchase everything else i need. here is my list that i have decidied upon - it's a combination of things that i have read and advice from my LFS. i would LOVE input from anyone. i just don't want to be mislead by my LFS into thinking i need something when i really don't. i'm not saying that money is not an issue, but i don't mind paying a little bit more for something a little better that may make my experience a little easier.

- oceanic 72 gal bow front reef ready tank
- sea dragon max skimming sump
- supreme mag-drive 7
- acura 1000 heater 300W
- sand from my local HD, if i can find it (i live in NJ) [vs. crushed coral??]
- not sure about lighting

i want to take it very very slow. i'm in no rush to add fish. want to start out with live rock and will work up to fish and some invertebrates someday. what do you think? is this ridiculously off course for a beginner?

thanks a million for reading this post! any advice would be appreciated.

[Konadog]

jerseytankgirl, first off,

To Reef Central

Don't you just love starting from scratch! I don't know much about the skimmer, but your off to a good start. If I were you, I would get two smaller heaters, just incase it sticks, its only half as much. That or look into getting a controller for it, don't trust the thermostat it works off of. Your lighting depends on what you want to keep. Depending on this, and think hard about it, you may want to get the better lights now "vs" upgrading later. Keep reading, and asking questions, and in the long run, it will save you $$ and you will enjoy your tank more.

[Nuhtty]

Originally posted by jerseytankgirl
hello. first of all, i would like to say that i love this site. i am very new to this hobby and stumbled on this site while doing a search for information and have been reading posts and info for about a couple of weeks. i have finally decided to take the plunge and would like someone to look at my list so far. like i said, i have been doing a little bit of reading on this site, spoken to 3 LFS, and have read one book. i know i need to do a lot more research but...i'm so excited!

i ordered a 72 bow front reef ready oceanic tank and am also anxious to purchase everything else i need. here is my list that i have decidied upon - it's a combination of things that i have read and advice from my LFS. i would LOVE input from anyone. i just don't want to be mislead by my LFS into thinking i need something when i really don't. i'm not saying that money is not an issue, but i don't mind paying a little bit more for something a little better that may make my experience a little easier.

- oceanic 72 gal bow front reef ready tank
- sea dragon max skimming sump
- supreme mag-drive 7
- acura 1000 heater 300W
- sand from my local HD, if i can find it (i live in NJ) [vs. crushed coral??]
- not sure about lighting

i want to take it very very slow. i'm in no rush to add fish. want to start out with live rock and will work up to fish and some invertebrates someday. what do you think? is this ridiculously off course for a beginner?

thanks a million for reading this post! any advice would be appreciated.

You are right on track.

I am not familiar with your skimmer, either. Are you planning on a sump or will everything be in-tank?

What is the Mag7 for?

What other powerheads are you looking into?

Lighting depends on what you want to keep in the tank.

I would suggest (2) 150w heaters rather than (1) 300w heater. Less workload for the heater and a backup in case one goes out.

[drjrose]

Originally posted by jerseytankgirl

- sea dragon max skimming sump
- acura 1000 heater 300W

Not familiar with the sea dragon. Here is a vendor's opinion of skimmers, but I am not sure how they came up with their data: http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_...x.asp?CartId=. I bought mine from http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch..._Code=Skimmers

Go for the titanium heaters rather than glass. The controller types are safer for the tank. I bought the Finnex from http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...ode=Finnexheat

Lighting is more complex. Plan for the future. It may cost a little more now, but it will be cheaper than an upgrade later.

[drjrose]

Oh yeah - give serious consideration to a combined refugeum-sump. They are not very expensive if you DIY out of a 30 to 40 gallon tank from a garage sale. This is my basic design:

[jerseytankgirl]

thanks for the replies so far. i will definitely get two heaters instead of the one. the mag7 is for the return pump. here is a link to the sea dragon max - it's a skimming sump. what do you think? anyone have this?

http://www.superskimmer.com/SD_max%20sump.htm

just like all of you mentioned, i'm not sure about lighting yet because i'm not sure what i'm going to keep in the tank yet.

drjrose, thanks for the excellent diagram, i will keep this handy for future reference. i don't plan on doing any DIY yet. i'm just beginning, so i'm not that confident in myself.

[jerseytankgirl]

well, it has now been a month and a half. we are taking things VERY SLOW. we have made some changes and this is what we have ended up with so far. nothing is set up yet, no water, empty tank, so we can still make changes if we absolutely have to. let me know what you think:

72 gal bowfront reef ready
ASM G3 protein skimmer
GS1 Berlin Sump (23"x10"x12")
2 - 150W ebo-jager heaters
Typhoon III RO/DI (Air Water Ice, Inc)
250 lbs of the legendary "Southdown" sand from my local HD
(i know i don't need that much but i wasn't sure so i just bought
5 bags)

now that we've done some more research, we now know that we needed much more than we thought so we got:

Pinpoint pH monitor
a portable refractometer
Salifert NO3 Profi Test Kit
Salifert NO2 Profi Test Kit
Salifert H4 Profi Test Kit

like i said it's been months now that we've started purchasing things. we don't want to start until we're absolutely SURE that we have EVERYTHING we need.

the only thing that we haven't bought yet is the return pump (we'll probably get the sedra 5000 or the mag7) and our live rock (approximately 75-100lbs). any suggestions? also, my hubby is researching lights because we eventually want to get some anemone. oh yeah, and some empty bins for water changes (should be get another heater for the bins for the water changes?)

now, is that all we need? i'm anxious to get started.

[stelow]

Instead I would get these Euro-reef CS6-1 protein skimmer and 2 Won-pro titanium 150 watt heaters.

[joseney21]

jersey tank girl what kind of anemone are you looking for, i have a huge sebae i'm looking to give away to a good home.btw have you checked out manhattanreefs.com, also another local site with alot of info and a good crowd.

[spe934]

Depending on how much flow you would like in your tank, you might want to get a mag9.5, that is what I use on my 55 gal.

[jerseytankgirl]

thanks joseney21, but it will be a LONG time before we even set up the tank, let alone put anything in it. i have only done research on dry goods and equipment. next step is livestock. wish me luck! i did, however, check out manhattanreefs.com. thanks for the info.