I'm jumping in

[Be11yDancer]

It helps when you start a new hobby you are introduced to it through a friend. I've have wanted a reef tank since the mid-90s, and I'm finally doing it, blind! No help from friends, just books & internet. I'm hoping to find a friend here.

I am planning to buy this tank, it's still available, and the link still works as of today:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... B:AAQ:US:1

If I had a friend, I'd print it out and let them tell me what questions to ask. The seller is also willing to deliver and set up for $400.

Please, a little expert help, I've got no fish friends, and I'm afraid to do this without advice I can trust!

Is it a good deal? There are no corals as I thought 'reef' implied, but I still think it's a *decent* deal. Including set-up

Alexandra

 

[Anonymous]

It would be ready to go if you would like a FOWLER

You will need to upgrade the lights for it to be a reef unless you just want to do mushrooms and the like. You need to get up to at least (and I am going to get blasted for this) 200 W of light

The skimmer is OK, but may be slighly overmatched for this size tank.

It is a lot of LR and the coraline does look nice. On the other hand I am not a big fan of the bowed corner tanks as they are hard to aquascape and light.

If you like it, go fo' it!

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi Alexandra and :welcome:

I agree with Browncj7.

How far will they have to travel for delivery? Do you have your heart set on a corner tank?

IMO if the delivery distance is significant it's an OK deal considering the price of those corner tanks + how much effort it is to break down, move and set the tank back up + the amount of (what appears to be decent) rock included.

Keep in mind that for not much more than you're about to spend you can get a pretty nice similar size system started from scratch with better equipment if you're willing to do all the setup, etc. yourself (assuming a traditional rectangular tank that is pre-drilled - aka "reef ready").

JMO...

 

[Be11yDancer]

browncj7 & ChrisRD

Thank you SO much!

At least I know I'm not making a regrettable purchase with the info I have.

I do want a corner tank and the stand matches our furniture so these things are a plus.

browncj7: What is a FOWLER and LR?

The skimmer is overmatched, means I'll need a bigger one?

I found a list of the 10 easiest corals to keep on about.com, those are the ones I'd start with, and not until I get a grip on what I'm doing.

I'm less than an hour away from this guy . . . . . so it's not a huge distance to consider.

How much should I ask this guy to come down to to make it a better deal?

Alexandra

 

[ChrisRD]

FOWLR = Fish Only With Live Rock
LR = Live Rock

IMO the delivery charge is a bit much. Granted, the breakdown/delivery/setup thing will be ALL of a day. He'll probably need someone to help him too - at least loading/unloading the tank. Still, IMO you're paying a pretty healthy sum for the setup, so the guy should cut you some slack on the delivery thing. If it were me I wouldn't have the nerve to ask more than $200 to do that.

 

[Anonymous]

A guy at my LFS delivered and help me set up my 90g for $50!

Not bad for 3 hours work, but I do not think I will ever find help that cheeply again.

(BTW - LFS is local fish store)
(BTW - BTW is by the way)

$200 seems fair to high to me also...

And use the skimmer. It is the same one I have, and it is fine if you keep your fish population on the low side. You can upgrade it to a "turbo" model later, but I do not think that is worth it.

We can discuss skimmer options later!

 

[Be11yDancer]

I need to have the water ready to fill this tank, he's selling an RO filter and highly suggests it, making the water in trashcans . . . .

What other options do I have? Would a big bathtub work?


My husband comes home tonight and I will discuss the price with him. It's kinda my birthday present, but since he wants one too, we're going a little higher than we would normally for a gift!

What is really making me sure I can handle this is that your advice it so good that if I run into trouble, I know where to go for help, so again THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!


Alexandra - NJ

 

[ChrisRD]

The RO/DI unit is definitely a good idea. If you give us the details on the unit and what he's asking we can tell you if it's a good deal. Make sure to ask the age of the cartridges and membrane. RO/DIs have gotten very affordable so unless he's selling it cheap you might be better off just getting a new one. Do a search on the board for more info on RO/DIs including recommended units.

Plastic trashcans are popular for holding purified water and mixing new batches of saltwater because they are cheap and readily available. The heavy duty "Brute" ones made by Rubbermaid are probably the most popular because they are strong enough to withstand being filled with water (thinner cans may not be able to handle the pressure). You can find them in places like Lowe's. Clean plastic buckets work fine too for small batches.

Personally I woud avoid trying to use the bathtub as you might end-up with traces of household cleaning products in your water. Also, mixing saltwater in your tub will probably be hell on your plumbing fixtures as it's very corrosive.

HTH

 

[Be11yDancer]

He wanted $200 over the $1400 for the R/O, I said throw in the R/O free and I'll take it.

He said yes. Now I've got to make a trip up there to get the R/o, make the water, then he can deliver. Apparently it takes a few days to make the water.

Thanks for all your help and I will surely be back with lots more set-up questions.

 

[Len]

Congrats, and welcome to the addiction

 

[Be11yDancer]

I bought the r-o filter and used 92 gallon tank (including set-up) for $1400! It was installed yesterday. Everything looks great. The guys were great. In fact they recommended this board to me! I just got the salinity correct, it was a bit low. I've got a snail and a starfish lost in there. I thought I was going to be patient, but it's hard: How do I know when it will be ready to add fish?

I know I should start with a cheap one, they suggested a damsel.

 

[Josh Weber]

hey alexandra!
my name is josh and i am a friend who loves to help about this stuff!! i would not go with damsels. they are mean, i would try chromis. the live rock looked great and i think it's a good deal for the setup. very guy or girl who has got into this hobby has had a prob with being patient. (myself included) but you have to fight it for a little while, untill things get rolling. and i like corner tanks, for some reason i just think they look cool. have someone at your LFS check your water and if he say's it looks good then your fine to take baby steps. keep us poster and as len said, welcome to the addiction!!
josh

 

[Be11yDancer]

GREAT advice, hit myself on head, why didn't I think of that? The corner was made for this tank, it can be seen from three rooms and from the front porch.

We just had a new, posh, all salt store open near us, custom installations, etc. This is my new home, it even has a couch and feels like they should serve coffee. They are called Living in color and the number is NJ 856-985-FISH, no website or any listing I could find on the web, so I wanted to post here, just to get the word out.

I will bring them the sample, I know they will take good care of me . ..

Do I have to feed the snail and starfish?

 

[Anonymous]

Do not work about the snail and the starfish. They will find food on their own.

Take it slow on the fish - maybe even go for your first peice of hardy coral before you get fish.

Give your tank a couple weeks and see if you start getting your algal bloom cycle. Many do, though yours may not be as bad since you have an established tank. There still may be a bloom from the die-off caused by the move.

After this point get a clean-up crew (ie a bunch of snail and hermit crabs, if you are not on the anti-crab wagon) and then get a fish you like.

Chromis are OK fish, but they are not much more hardy than other fish available. They also like to like in groups and will probably have a decreased life span if housed singally.

That said - read some more - make a list of what you would like in the tank and post it in a new thread. Everyone here LOVES to critique peoples stocking list!

Good luck being patient!

 

[Meloco14]

I agree with everything above. You seem to be off to a great start. I would suggest planning your stocking list now. It is best to have an idea of how many and which species of fish, inverts, and corals you want to end up with from the start. Many species are not compatible so you need to plan accordingly. You dont want to put a fish in there now, just to get started, and months down the road find out he is not compatible with your dream fish. If you give us an idea of what you would like we can help you with compatibility and give suggestions. I would also suggest getting a good book or two to read completely through before proceeding further. Your tank will take some time to settle after the move. This can take up to a month or longer. Getting a couple books to read during this time will help kill the time and prevent you from going out and making those spur of the moment buys. The book I read that helped me a lot was Natural Reef Aquariums by John Tullock. If you search on this site you will find other great suggestions on books. Also check out the library on this site, and the advanced aquarist online magazine. Having said all that, a good beginner fish I would recommend would be a tank raised clownfish. They have great personality and just about everyone loves them. The tank raised ones are very hardy and of course have little impact on the natural reefs. Even before the first fish you may want to get some mushroom corals, zooanthids, or other hardy soft corals. These will not have as much impact on your system as a fish would. Anyway, welcome to the hobby, and good luck.

 

[Sponge_Bob]

Hi Alexandra,

I've read the post and there is something that was not recommended to you and I find it funny that no one suggested it. Mind you, I kinda read it fast, so maybe I'm mistaken.

I wouldn't trust ANYONE else than me, especially a LFS, to check my water parameters. I spend a great deal of time in LFS's and I've seen several clerks, even some very experienced ones, tell a customer that their water was fine when it was not. I was standing right next to guy doing the test. First, he did not respect the proceedure of the test, and secondly, he did not even bother to give the results in numbers. When the customer left, I asked him why he did that and he bluntly told me that he didn't feel like wasting time with this customer! That same guy, this last weekend, told another customer that he could keep 5 goldfish in a 10gal tank!!! I told him he was nasty!

Anyway, you will need a test kit for sure if you plan to keep corals. Furthermore, with only 110W of lighting, your choices will be pretty limitted, if not plain impossible on a long term basis. You will need more light. Also, you will need to monitor your Calcium on a regular basis.

Enough for now... Like others said, patience is the key to success here. SW requires time to setup and settle in. The worst thing you can do is to rush things and possibly crash your tank... which means, go back to start, do not pass go, do not collect $200!

Last words... I'm also a newbie in SW and you have found THE place to get good, sound advice from people that actually care. Stick with us and like me, you will learn a lot from those guys and gals!

Best of luck to you!

 

[Josh Weber]

hey
sponge_bob, i actually saw that at my LFS a day ago. i knew the guy and didn't like him but the test was free and normally they do it good. he pulled out a test strip and put it in my water and waited a few seconds and then proseeded to tell me every thing was ok,(amonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, and salinity) so i asked what my anomia level was at, he said "oh, i forgot that" and i said while your at it check phosphates, pH, and salinity. from the store that she mentioned i think it will be ok, but always keep a close eye and let someone you trust do it for you, or, just buy your own. and once you find out what you want in your tank. it might be better to try a mushroom or two. good luck with everything
josh

 

[Be11yDancer]

Okay, with this question you're gonna say this girl should not have a salt tank, but here it goes anyway:

What is the difference between a soft coral and an anemone?

Some look so similar!

I would like to start with a clown fish and one anemone.

I have kids, they want Nemo. Next would be a Blue tang (Dory). I've seen lots of Moorish Idols for sale, but I've read they're difficult to keep . .. maybe a by-color blenny instead, if I'm successful: a yellow tang and I'd have to get a cleaner shrimp, too, Jacques was my husband's favorite character, "Voila, ee is clean."

There was an awesome site for identifying the Nemo character species, but it's been shut down, It was called Tonya Marine biology www.tonya.me.uk Glad I printed out . . . Google has it cached, but it's no fun without the pictures . . .

 

[Be11yDancer]

I forgot to mention, if we crash our tank, we decided we'll go to the grocery store and stock it with lobsters. Then we'll have our friends over for dinner . . . . as far as conversation pieces go, we'd say a lobster tank might just win . .

 

[ChrisRD]

I'm sure your comments are well intended and meant light heartedly, but most of us here take the care of marine animals pretty seriously. No joking about tank crashes! :wink:

I'd recommend you stay away from anemones until you have more experience. Also the Hippo Tang will grow pretty large and they likes lots of swimming area. Not really an ideal candidate for a corner tank.

Clownfish are a great choice. If you get two juveniles they will pair up and may eventually spawn. Look into a hardy surrogate host like hairy mushrooms, etc. for them to make a home in instead of the anemone.