New tank,new to the hobby (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

Ok, I am new, still reading up, haven't even bought a tank, for we are still trying to figure out what we are actually looking for.

After the meeting today, we went to 3 LFS, which we then were told that our idea of our tank would be a little different than what we thought.

We were thinking that the biggest tank we could get in the space we have available for it is a 60x24x24 150 gal. We were thinking Acyrlic tank.

I was thinking Skimmerless, was wondering about sumps, and if I really needed one, or if I needed a wet/dry filter? I was going to have a refugium, but didn't know if I needed a sump also.

Well we we whent by Tropical Village, they have a 150 show tank, or 165 but showed us how big it would look.

Then we went to Neptune, which the owner (I think he was, he acted like it) he sent me to Aquatic World to take to Dave about the tank.
He talked me into looking into glass just cause the acyrlic is more modern compared to our more traditional decor thats in our living room.

He told me the 60 inch is a bad tank for getting the lighting setup, without retro fits. Of course the lighting is where I have yet to read, so I didn't know (but didn't think he was leading me on, for he wants me to come back). So that means I will have to do a retro fit.

So the second question is is 60 inches a bad lenght?

Now was talk about weither going with Oceanic or another big name, or sounds like Neptune was having theirs built by someone local.

Plumbing will be come a concern that I thought I had a grasp on, but now don't know.

I think it is just getting late, and I am getting sleepy, so getting confused.

Nathan

 

[KarenB]

Oh, boy, so many questions.......

Well, we were in your shoes about 6 months ago, so I know how you feel.

There are LOTS of things I've learned over that time, and it does take a little while for things to sink in. First of all, get the largest tank you can afford and put into your space. The larger, the more stable you will be able to keep the water parameters. As a general rule, the more water surface area you have, the better, like long and deep as opposed to narrow and tall. But then it depends on what you want to put into it. Seahorses, for example, prefer a taller tank, whereas tangs, angels and the like prefer to have swimming space back and forth.

Then there's the question of corals. If you ever want to do corals, then you should plan on what lighting to get. A traditional hood with a florescent bulb ain't gonna cut it. That's a subject that baffled me for a while. Do lots of research here......

Basically start out by doing research on WHAT you want to put INTO a tank, and then decide from there and learn everything you can.

 

[tfifeco]

Hey Nathan,

I've been in the hobby for going on 1 1/2 years and am now in the process of breaking down my existing tank, selling it off and then later on will go with the same size tank you are talking about, 60x24x24. After reading and reading and reading and learning so many things I have found that most of the things that people say are BAD or "YOu shouldn't do THIS, or you should do THAT" are mostly based on Personally Prefereces. Of course there are the General DO's and DON"Ts and you will learn these in time as you get more and more into the hobby. For instance, this guy you talked to that said a 60" long tank is bad due to being limited to lighting choices. But you have to look at YOUR environment and decide what will work best for your situation, it sounds like you have done that and a 60" long tank will work best for you, and if you go with a Canope then purchasing a Retro Kit lighting setup will work fine and it will be a little cheaper anyway. Typically though a lot of the big manufacturers don't make the 60" long tanks because they cost about the same as making a 72" tank. The reason for that is b/c they use a 72" sheet of glass to make both sizes.

To answer you question: There is nothing wrong or Bad about a 60" long tank(I am going w/the same size) - But you will be a little limited on choices - I don't think Oceanic Makes that size. If you purchase from Neptunes they will more than likely have it custom made from "Universal"

Hope this helps

Trey

 

[KarenHorn]

Oh, boy, so many questions.......

Well, we were in your shoes about 6 months ago, so I know how you feel.

There are LOTS of things I've learned over that time, and it does take a little while for things to sink in. First of all, get the largest tank you can afford and put into your space. The larger, the more stable you will be able to keep the water parameters.

Basically start out by doing research on WHAT you want to put INTO a tank, and then decide from there and learn everything you can.

LOL, don't let her fool you. What she means is no matter how large you get you'll wish you had larger. So many fish and corals so little little space....

 

[Brad]

First, as tfifeco said basiclly this is just my opinion....

One reason they don't like 60" tanks is because they (the LFSs) don't sell 60" VHO bulbs. However, they are available online. I have a 60" tank and I just stager my 48" bulbs back and forth. On a 60" tank you could probably get by with 2 MHs if you were going to use MH for lighting. On a 72" you would probably need 3 MH.

I agree with the decision to go with glass. Much harder to scratch and you will be happer in the long run.

You really need to decide what you want to be able to keep first. That will then dictate lighting, tank size, filtration, etc. I spent 5+ months reading, reading, reading b/4 I ever bought anything so I knew almost the exact set up I wanted.

Also, just a helpful hint, shop around. There are many deals out there. You will find that some of the stores that you mentioned may be significantly more expensive than others. There are also price differences between the brands of tanks such as Oceanic, AGA, etc.

 

[Guest]

Ok, don't know names yet, but know that we want corals.
We don't like one that seems to be quite common, it normally appears pink, (think it is a BTA) that has huge bubbles for tips, and we don't like the slightly green and white very flexible corals that look like Romaine Lettece with all the leaffy part eatten off.

I like the look of the harder ones. Also was wondering if yall go for the particular ocean area theme or do yall mostly pic up what looks good together and will actually not attack each other?

As I told my wife we will go with the 150, just have to pay the little exta for the retrofitted lighting. The problem we would encounter with MH is that she wants it to be all in the top, with out anything hanging over the tank that can be seen. So worry about the MH and heating up the tank, don't really want to get a chiller.

Trying to read on what color temp lights we need, and how to put in maybe some fans to reduce that heat.

Yes I am going to continue to read, don't think I will stop.

Don't plan to have a ton of fish, so that removes the skimmer, I understood that. Still got to look how I am going to do the plumbing.

Stefanie is most scared of leaks, since this is our new house (the house is 20 years old, but we just redid every floor in the house, plus she repainted the whole inside herself, and she got new funiture.)

 

[AggieBrandon]

If you wanted to do the metal halides you could put some fans in your canopy and then only run the metal halides for a few hours during the day and use the VHO retrofit the rest of the time. And just so you know you can put together a retrofit kit yourself for much cheaper than they sell them for online etc. Buy the ballast seperate, the bulbs, and endcaps and wire it yourself. Very easy and cost efficient.

Brandon

 

[Guest]

Sometimes you can even get an Ice Cap 430 ballast or two as cheap as $10. If you go to the meeting. 8)

 

[AggieBrandon]

oh yeah....did adg have some cheap used hardware for sale too...I saw the pumps and stuff...just overlooked it.

Brandon

 

[Guest]

Mike sells all the stuff at ridiculously low prices.
Last time I got:
Mag 7 $10
Rio 1700 $5
Maxi Jet 900 $5
Tetra Tec Deep Water Air Pump $5
This time:
IC 430 $10
IC 430 $10
Tetra Tec Deep Water Air Pump $5

So far I have spent $50 with a retail value of of around $500.

 

[AggieBrandon]

I know who to contact when I get ready to set up another tank then.

Brandon

 

[ricpan]

If you want to sit down and talk about it I'll give you all the free advice you want. I've put in a number of wall units and I don't live far from you.

Rick

 

[Guest]

Rick, I think next month I might take you up on that.
Let me get a little more reading under my belt.
Unless a used 150 was to be falling into my lap, don't
see me getting it very soon.

 

[HolyBanana]

I have a 100 gallon tank that is the same length as a 75 just taller. From my experience I have no problems with my tank. But this all depends on what you are going to do. I have a variety of things in my tank, having a tall tank for corals I think it’s the best IMO. You can put the light demanding corals at the top and the lower light ones at the bottom. You can even provide shade for those who don’t like light , like the sun corals. As far as fish, that once again due to my setup I have only a few fish in my tank. Because of it being so tall and not wide, I am limited to small to medium fish, but don’t let this fool you. You can find some beautiful fish at those sizes. Being small or medium is not a bad thing. Specially for a fish hehe (less waste). Anyway, what I am trying to emphasize here is that due to it being tall is not a bad thing. Its your tank, you do what you want to do with it. I don’t consider myself the conventional aquarist either, and I am doing just fine. Even after my disasters im still alive. You just have to be persistent and do your research.