Thinking about new SW tank

[aresgod]

yea....look to spend alot more than 250$ on a 55 gallon reef, I have spent 1500-2000$ on my 40 gallon tank.

 

[bandito41]

I don't plan on getting a bunch of coral. Just some and get them gradually.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Um, you do realize you need like massive expensive lighting for most corals, right? (the other corals you just need semi-massive kinda-expensive lighting for)

 

[bandito41]

I was thinking about low light corals if any. Now I don't think I will get any. I like the fairy wrasses I will add them to my list.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Fairy wrasses are coral safe, the only thing they go after are bristleworms (which I think few if any people mind them doing). They are such awesome fish, always active.

 

[seastaar88]

or you could stick to things like tube anenomes, mushrooms, and the like..

 

[bandito41]

I have another question. How many pounds of live rock do I need?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Generally you want ~1#/gal. That's if it's good quality, if it's poor quality it'll be less dense so you'll need more. You can also get some base rock (dead rock) and some live rock over that, the base rock will eventually become live (takes about a year...). Base rock tends to be denser, too.

 

[aresgod]

less dense = better, not worse....you want the rock to be as porous as possible.....sorry to correct you but it is kind of an important idea.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Oops, that's what I meant. Got the base rock part right though.

 

[wayne]

Sadly reef aquaria end up being pricey. How much budget do you want to spend, 250 ish?
How big are 3 feet long tanks where you live (try to get a decent one or second hand) - I like 3 feet as a 'economy size'.
Do you need to buy a stand?

Do you live in a large metropolitan area? Do you have anything like a heater, HOB filters, powerheads and so on.

If you read the sticky at the top called my new tank or something likethat, that is about a 30 gallon I setup a couple years ago (and which still runs in some form) with the emphasis on economy.

If you want a heavily stocked reef 250 is not going to get you there. However if you can deal with low stocking, and are comfortable with thinking about what you're doing I think a FOWLR tank with a few fish and some inverts is actually possible.

tank
hood
lights
water
salt
test kits
hydrometer
HOB filter/cannister
powerheads
live rock.

That's a very basic shopping list. I have a very basic 20 long in my basement that is probably the most basic tank in the world, you can do better than that. That tank is also surprisingly successful.