Very nice aquariums Cyclops!

Hey s2kfanatic, all I can say is:

Get as big a tank as you can afford.
Get the best lighting and protein skimmer you can afford.
Set up a plenum system with a deep bed of live sand.
Get a significant amount of quality live rock.
Start off with hardy fish and invertebrates.
Populate your aquarium very gradually.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money in initial setup... but don't worry its well worth it.

And finally the first step is do lots of research.

For starters check out: www.wetwebmedia.com

And if yyou can read the books by Delbeek and Sprung.

If you have any more questions feel free to PM me or just ask here.

 

I have a 40 gallon reef. Mostly sps, mushrooms and clams. Lit up by 3 55w pc acitinics and 1 400w 10000K German bulb. For those that want to get started in this hobby PLEASE do yourself and the organisms a favor and go to this site www.reefs.org before you buy anything and I mean anything, dead or living.
It is by far the most comprehensive site regarding the Aquarium hobby. It has a discussion board like ours that people ask and share info. Do not listen to the guy at your local fish store. They don't know anything and give really bad advice.

dhess go with the ro unit you won't regret it. I highly recommend getting a ro/di unit though.
Go to www.reefs.org to find more info.

The best site for purchacing dry goods would have to be www.marinedepot.com I order from them all the time.

 

I couldn't agree more s2k_fever. Fish shop owners cannot be trusted!

When I wasetting up I had one idiot recommend that I get Moorish Idols to cycle my tank. For those of you that don't know moorish idols are one of the touchiest fish that the most experienced reefkeepers cant keep alive for a prolonged peiod of time. Thank goodness I'd done my research and settled for a tomato clown and a fiji damsel.

Other idiot dealers have told me that goniopora are easy to keep when in reality they are near impossible to keep alive.

Hey s2k_fever, if I switch to Ro water and do a few significant water changes do you think that my Turboflotor and Kalkwasser make up water will be enough to export the remaining nutrients out of the water or do you think that I should plant some caulerpa to mop them up?

 

My wife has 3 freshwater tanks, a 120, a 30, and a 10. She just ordered a CO2 injection system for the 120. I had no idea how expensive this was going to be, and this is just a freshwater tank! Anyway, we prefer freshwater, planted aquariums. If you are just getting started a freshwater is a good way to see if you like the hobby, it's a little cheaper and you don't have to have the best equipment to start out with.

 

S2kfanatic,
I hang out on www.reefcentral.com pretty good bunch there, lotsa good ideas! My name over there is Finatic.

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone....I'll definitely be doing research before I buy anything !

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dhess
[B]I couldn't agree more s2k_fever. Fish shop owners cannot be trusted!