Brand new and more than a little confused.

[Wingin It]

Welcome to SW! it's fun...I still keep my FW setups (well some of them). I'm still new too, but IMO/IME the easiest corals to keep are Softies like Xenia, Green Star Polyps, Zoanthids and some of the LPS like Hammers. I would skip the Dragonette...I thought I had a well established population of pods, but my Dragonette was very efficient in almost cleaning out the entire population. I run a Canister Filter for now, until my sump is done, and no refugium to grow pods.

[reefwars]

get your tank stable for months before adding coral or any desireable fish especially a dragonette , start off small where you dont have alot of live rock go slow, you wont need a filter(canister) but a skimmer wouldnt go a stray and go with a sump/refuge if you can the benefits far exceed not having one. the white stuff is to be expected and will dissappear in time its a sign your cycle is not finished , pretty sure its just dieoff was your rock cured when you bought it or sold as un-cured?? you wont need lights if your just cycling without any fish . get your system established , once your readings are good wait a few weeks and see if they stay good then you should add a clean up crew like some snails and shrimp etc. once theyve been cleaning for a week or two then think about what you would like to keep and if its size will be a problem later on because they get big fast, also if you plan on keeping corals remember that alot of fish and other tank critters arent reef safe. the list is endless my friend read read read ask ask ask , if you dont like spending money and watching it die in a few days id do everything slow untill your absolutely sure you understand it and even then youll find its taking the plunge and forcing the knowlege upon yourself that keeps you going

cheers and welcome to one of the most rewarding hobbys out there im looking forward to seeing how your tank set up. keep us posted if you have any questions post them here and im sure someone will answer to the best of their knowlege

[Milad]

Get out now while you still have some money in your pocket!

[Seth72]

Originally Posted by Milad

Get out now while you still have some money in your pocket!

LoL....thats funny,im new to this whole saltwater thing too.I am picking my tank up on sunday used and slowly going to put together a whole system out of used parts.

I dont mind the cost of tank,but i refuse to spend 700 bucks on live rock or 800 on a nice light fixture so i will be keeping my eyes open for good used stuff.

I do have one question though,people say to buy your live rock cured and mine will be for sure because it will be used, but isnt half the fun of it in seeing what kind of little hitchhikers you get with it.

[Wayne]

Welcome to the dark side! Salt water is very fun and you need to be very involved with chemical levels till you get the hang of things (I'm still not there yet after 6 months).

Best recommendations are take it very slow! Be patient and to lots of research. If your running T5's your mainly limited to mushrooms, leathers, green star polyps, ect. The Clowns are a great fish, very hardy, they eat almost anything and they love to swim out in the open.

Just be careful about the cost. Its very easy to get carried away! The need to keep adding I don't think ever goes away.

Oh I run a canister filter for the moment. Just make sure to clean it weekly and it will work fine for you.

[Wingin It]

Originally Posted by Seth72

I do have one question though,people say to buy your live rock cured and mine will be for sure because it will be used, but isnt half the fun of it in seeing what kind of little hitchhikers you get with it.

Cured live rock means that it has gone through it's cycle. It'll still have all the goodies or otherwise in it. If it's not cured, it's not cycled and you will have to cycle it and you'll still get to see all the goodies and otherwise. >

[Seth72]

Originally Posted by Wingin It

Cured live rock means that it has gone through it's cycle. It'll still have all the goodies or otherwise in it. If it's not cured, it's not cycled and you will have to cycle it and you'll still get to see all the goodies and otherwise. >

I see..thanks. Still no chance of waking up and finding a little crab you never seen before with used rock or wondering what differant colors you will end up getting.

[Wingin It]

Oh don't say that...I got used rock and found me a crafty little white crab, and lots of other little critters. You never really know what you're going to get. I even managed to find a nasty little Nudibranch!

[naesco]

Originally Posted by Seth72

LoL....thats funny,im new to this whole saltwater thing too.I am picking my tank up on sunday used and slowly going to put together a whole system out of used parts.

I dont mind the cost of tank,but i refuse to spend 700 bucks on live rock or 800 on a nice light fixture so i will be keeping my eyes open for good used stuff.

I do have one question though,people say to buy your live rock cured and mine will be for sure because it will be used, but isnt half the fun of it in seeing what kind of little hitchhikers you get with it.

In my experience the best time in the hobby is the beginning. Watching fresh live rock with weird tiny inverts, encrusting coral, tunicates, algae worms and other surprising critters.
Every day the tank changes and you can spend hours with your nose pressed against the glass.
I have never understood why some reefers cook or cure live rock. To each their own and I respect that.

Best is to buy cheap dead rock and make sure you leave room for those choice pieces.
They are worth the price.

[Joseph Elliott]

Was just watching the tank (nose pressed against it lol) looking for signs of life when i noticed a little pink anenome thingy lol. about a cm tall and i can see through it, bulb shaped.. fat on the bottom thinner on top with tentacles waving around. first sign of life in my tank... any idea what it might be? I'll try to take a picture but my camera isnt that great.