Set up a new marine tank

[Zainuddin]

Hi reefers I would like to know is it difficult to set up a reef tank n to take care of the tank.

[JMW]

It's doable, not tough. Be prepared to set up hours to maintain it though. Commitment is required there.

IMO one of the most impt factors is to decide on is the tank size. Contrary to popular belief, a smaller tank is actually harder to maintain. Water parameters fluctuate alot more with a smaller tank. Myself I have a nano, so things like evaporation, salinity, temperature, nitrate/phosphate levels, etc, require daily observation. So, a bigger tank, if your planned place can allow it, is better overall, water parameters are more stable which ultimately result in happier inhabitants.

Once you have the tank, cycle with patience, add LS slowly. Corals can come after your parameters are stabilized. Soft corals are more tolerant of water parameters. Hard corals are more demanding. 'Simple' corals include green star polyps, mushrooms. 

Hopefully this provides you some insight. There are many informative sites when googled on how to start a reef tank, many seniors & experts here in this forum too... Welcome to reefing! 

[Metalian81]

It depends on what u want to keep either SPS, LPS or just a FOWLR... But whatever type u start, patience is the key to success... Dont rush things and there are no short cuts in reef-keeping... Good luck bro...

[leejwa]

it is not difficult if you have the money.. heehee just kidding. 

fortunately this hobby is cheaper and easier to start now as compare to before all thanks to china !

[RayL]

Big and small tanks have their pros and cons.

Big tanks are forgivable in terms of chemistry fluctuation as jmw suggest. But maintenance cost is high.

Small tanks once you get things right, stable and routine (i.e. stop adding new things) then they are good for months or years ahead for much lower cost.

Ultimately depends on your budget, your purpose and objective. What type of viewing do you want etc.

My 4ft fowlr tank cost me $150 per month extra on utility bills alone. :X

[sulpherx]

$150 extra on PUB bill is a lot for 4ft FOWLR setup.

[expert]

Don't get too freak out when you get diff advice, and some sounds tough and too over, stopping you. all you need to do is let your new water run for 4-6 weeks. this is the only tough part as newbies tends to get itchy during this period and start adding live stocks. for those water treatment medicine where you will hear all sorts from fish shop that they tell you its essential ranging from a-z that cost at least a thousand, is all bullshit. if you are keeping just fish, bacteria will do just good. with coral, plus iodine and coral food. thats it. for water changing, i have 2 tanks. for my 6ft tank i change 20% of water once a month only. another 2ft, once every 3 weeks. some ppl will tell you big tanks change twice a week, small tanks change once a week. but all my fishes and corals are going great.

all in all, its not that difficult neither you need to be a pro to do it. go for it. its not really that expensive either. the really expensive live stocks are fresh, not salt. please post a pic if you decide to set up one:)

[hooey]

Yea just go slow and steady, I too approach it with zero knowledge of anything beforehand and slowly learn along the way.

The satisfaction you get from enjoying your tank will be worth the effort.

[expert]

Yea just go slow and steady, I too approach it with zero knowledge of anything beforehand and slowly learn along the way.

The satisfaction you get from enjoying your tank will be worth the effort.

totally agree. the eye soothing moment makes every process worth while.

[kohanson]

It is not tough to setup a marine tank once you are familiar with what you are doing. I started with a very small 10 litre tank with a huge eheim liberty 200 filter. The tank is like a washing machine when set to max. I do water change weekly and I only have 2 clownfish a cleaner shrimp, mushroom corals, RBTA, GSP and some Zoas. Corals were not doing well with my Aquaponic and I decided to try a maxspect nano on this tank. It was overkill but the corals started to grow! I used tapwater and red sea coral pro salt for water change and for a small tank like mine, I found out that parameter swing is really drastic. The salinity will drop 0.002 like every week which I feel isn't really good for my fishes and corals. All survived for 3 months and I decided that it was time to give them a proper home and maintaining a marine aquarium should not be too hard. 

I then decided to contact Aquarium Artist to custom make a proper 1.5ft cube in my living room. I used the china bubble magus curve 5 as it is the most affordable protein skimmer and I only use an ANS fan to cool the tank and now, I just change my tank water once every 2 weeks with salt mix. I will siphon out a pail from my sump and pour back a pail of salt mix back. My yellow tang was with me the longest since I started my tank and he eat and shits the most. I only dose 1 capful of seachem carbonate once a week to ensure KH is enough for corals to grow. I am still using tap water for water change as it is the most convenient but I will not recommend it if you are keeping corals and I have rowaphos placed in media bags in my sump to reduce phosphates.

Anyway, I am now waiting for my 3.5ft tank to arrive this Sunday from Aquarium Artist again as I have just decommission my 3 ft planted tank!

Lastly, most reefers here are helpful and they will help you out when you encounter any problem. 

[Kelvin Ang]

It is not tough to setup a marine tank once you are familiar with what you are doing. I started with a very small 10 litre tank with a huge eheim liberty 200 filter. The tank is like a washing machine when set to max. I do water change weekly and I only have 2 clownfish a cleaner shrimp, mushroom corals, RBTA, GSP and some Zoas. Corals were not doing well with my Aquaponic and I decided to try a maxspect nano on this tank. It was overkill but the corals started to grow! I used tapwater and red sea coral pro salt for water change and for a small tank like mine, I found out that parameter swing is really drastic. The salinity will drop 0.002 like every week which I feel isn't really good for my fishes and corals. All survived for 3 months and I decided that it was time to give them a proper home and maintaining a marine aquarium should not be too hard. 

I then decided to contact Aquarium Artist to custom make a proper 1.5ft cube in my living room. I used the china bubble magus curve 5 as it is the most affordable protein skimmer and I only use an ANS fan to cool the tank and now, I just change my tank water once every 2 weeks with salt mix. I will siphon out a pail from my sump and pour back a pail of salt mix back. My yellow tang was with me the longest since I started my tank and he eat and shits the most. I only dose 1 capful of seachem carbonate once a week to ensure KH is enough for corals to grow. I am still using tap water for water change as it is the most convenient but I will not recommend it if you are keeping corals and I have rowaphos placed in media bags in my sump to reduce phosphates.

Anyway, I am now waiting for my 3.5ft tank to arrive this Sunday from Aquarium Artist again as I have just decommission my 3 ft planted tank!

Lastly, most reefers here are helpful and they will help you out when you encounter any problem. 

Pls whatsapp me ur new tank soon

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[kohanson]

Actually coming this morning but vincent could not make it, so come tomorrow morning!

[vidios]

I want to start a nano reef tank also. Where should I get all the information from?

[JMW]

Hi there & welcome!

What info are you looking for? More details on your planned setup would help too, in focusing the search.

we have a sub-forum specifically for nano/pico tank reefers where they share their tanks & experience. You might be able to find what you are looking for there....

[shy88devil]

I want to start a nano reef tank also. Where should I get all the information from?

Welcome to the Nano Reefing Family

how big is your nano tank size ?

Maybe post so pictures of your tank set & equipment will help us to assist you in your enquires.

Like JMW  mention there is a sub-forum specifically for nano/pico tank, feel free to check there out

[vidios]

I am having a 30 gal ios tank with 2 nemo fish and some live rocks. Dynmax wave maker but dunno what model.

Edited November 5, 2015 by vidios

[JMW]

Hi is this a 30g tank or a 30L tank? From your photo looks like a 30L(10g) tank..

[vidios]

Ops ya. It a 10 gal 30 litr tank. 8P