New to SW, need some help please!

[lorenz0]

My advice would be to just do what I did. Fill the tank with water and start getting your specific gravity up. Let that run for a week and add your sand in. Than your live rock and let it sit for a while to allow it to cycle. Alot of people say the bigger the better which is true but if you do your water changes on a nano weekly and keep on top of everything your tank will just thrive. And don't rush into anything, I did but somehow i did something right that favored me and now the tank is just thriving. esspecially once I changed my lighting which is the best thing you can do for your tank. Now with nano's you CAN fun just a fung but you will have less head acks with a sump and a skimmer.

When it comes to money with SW just don't think about it. I personally put $50 a week into my tank and try not to think about how much I have put into it. why, because at the end of the day I would rather look at my tank and watch it rather than watching tv and its extremely educational. Its the best thing I have ever done and I have no regret with this hobby.

read alot while your tank is cycling and don't even think about fish for a while. or even look at other peoples set ups.

I highly suggest this site for find tanks similar to your size and see what set up's they are running

http://www.nano-reef.com/

[michika]

29g is a great size. I also started out with a 29g for my first tank/system. You also don't have to spend $8-9 per pound of rock, and you don't have to have 1lb per gallon. Sand beds also aren't required, if you don't like them, you don't have to have 'em. Start by figuring out what you want your tank to be, a reef, a fish only system, etc. From there you can build your system geared to what you want to keep.

Watch the buy-sell forums for great deals on drygoods, hardware, and even livegoods. Visit a few stores around town and see their prices before you buy. Even ordering from stores a little further away can also save you some money, and offer you a greater variety of products.

[Ash3r]

Thats great guys, thanks alot for all the words of encouragement!
I do know I wanna go reed and not fish only, Ill use an aragonite sand bed as well

How much rock and sand would be good for a 29g tank if I dont have to go 1pound per gallon like you said?!

I will do lots of reading up before I go crazy into this! Plus I agree with not worrying about how much I will put into this. Ive put tons of money into my cichlid tank and have never looked back. I love it

[michika]

As much as you think looks good. Take a look at the past issues of ReefKeeping online, and look at the Tank of the Month features. It might help you get a good idea about the reef type look you want.

For example I have a 180g display with about 200g total volume. I have about 80 lbs of rock in my system. Some people go with less, some with more. The point is for you have good biological filtration. Try to look for porous rocks, and rocks with a lot of surface area for the beneficial bacteria you need in your system. Try a couple of rocks, place them and see what you think. If you need more then add it, if not, leave it.

Have you thought any into sumps, or refugiums? Both are great options to add extra rock for more filtration without cluttering your display.

[Ash3r]

I have thought about adding like a gallon sump. I know how they work, just not how to build one up. I know I can find some info on the web about building and making a sump work great. Im sure a 10g would be fine for a 29g?

I also know I need a skimmer and I will look around on the web for some good deals, The light that came with my set up was a t12 5000k 50/50 corallife...Im thinking ill need to go up to a t5 10000k? Anything else that comes to mind? I am also going to buy some books to help me learn a little more

[mseepman]

If you are thinking on doing a little DIY to keep your lighting costs down, look at your local hydroponics store for SunBlaze T5HO light strips. A couple of them hung above your tank (they can be daisy chained together) will give you a lot more light and you can control what bulbs you put in so that you get a more full range of light.

[Ash3r]

I was thinking about going this way as well, Ill check out a store on my way home from work today

[bignose]

I have a small 10G nano and It's really not that hard to take care of. It's just weekly water changes and daily top offs.
It's in my bedroom so it's nice to relax and look at it before I sleep.

I'm currently setting up a 50 or 55gal tank(not sure wich yet).
Once you get used to it you'll go bigger. It's like crack...... not that I know what crack is like..... I mean it's addicting.

[Ash3r]

haha sure you dont .

Well I think I should be ok. I do weekly water changes on every tank I have now so Im sure it will be ok