Thinking about getting into SW!

[johnnymisty]

Ahh its not that bad

[allysangels]

it's just funny... my store used to have saltwater, but they took it out cause they lost too much money.

[AHP]

funny story- talking to a customer about a year ago, and i admitted to never having done salt, and thinking about giving it a try. he offered me this advice:
"if you want to know what it's like to have a salt tank, go out and buy the biggest tank you can afford/have room for. then get all your equipment, lights, filter, skimmer, so on. set it all up, but with no water. then, take all he cash you have left, and throw it in the tank. then light it on fire. keep putting any money you get into it, to keep the flame going as long as you can. that's what it's like to have a salt tank."
needless to say, i still don't have one.

Thats just sad!
Yeap I still want to do a SW tank again. I used to have one a long time ago for about 1-2 years, until I moved off to college. The only thing is I just cant remember anything, so basically I am new to this again.

[allysangels]

with HFB anything is possible!

[raleigh19]

You'll remember it again once you got your hands wet with the saltwater...

[Hangman]

If you have questions, just hit me up with a PM. Iam not saying I have all the answers, but I am more than willing to share what Ihave experienced and also give any tips that I have learned.

One word of advice though, salt is a financial pit that gets deeper as you get more into it.

[rage]

Keep in mind I also dose. If you dont dose then you may need to up WC. I havent had anything other than PM skimmers. I dont run a skimmer on my nanos I have had because there isnt enough room for it. One thing I dont like about the Reef Octopus that I have seen is there is no availablility for a separate collection cup so you have to constantly take off the top and clean it.

I have an Octopus skimmer and I skim dry so I don't clean it out but once every 2, 3 weeks.
Mine also has a drain at the bottom of the cup if I should want to run a line out to an extra collection container.

BTW, after the initial cost, I don't spend much on my tank any more. Once a month water change of 25% is all. My last purchase was in April for a couple of fish because I wanted them, not because I had to.

[Darbex]

Thinking about getting into SW!

Agree if you do it right from the beginning the only cost is water and salt.

[AHP]

Thank Hangman and Rage!
I will take you up on that offer Hangman, I am sure I will have alot of questions soon.

Darbex,
You said you have only used PM Skimmers, what series? (Bullet Series, Bubble Magus)
This one looked nice: (Bullet Series 1) http://www.precisionmarine.com/Produ...oductCode=BLT1
or (Reef Octopus XP1000) http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/protei...e-skimmer.html



I would like to find a 75G tank that is already Reef Ready with a overflow box in the top middle of the tank. Maybe something like 1200 GPH overflow box.


Sump layout I am thinking is going to be:
Skimmer -> Refugium -> Return
OR
Skimmer --> Return --> Refugium.
I could maybe make something like this... http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/f/sump_f.html

I enjoy the DIY jobs and I have time to get everything the way I would like it.

[AHP]

So I ended up taking my son with me to FJW and meet Dennis, great guy and very nice he also tried to answer all of my stupid questions.
My son ran around saying "Fish" (he is 2) for the next couple of days. Thanks Dennis you were a real trooper seeing how I didn't buy anything.

I think I am going to shoot for 90G rather than 75G, not much different minus the height. As for the skimmer I thinking Bubble Magus Nac7 if I have enough height in my Sump/Refugium to support the skimmer.