HELP!!! NEWBIE ALERT!!!

[abcha0s]

You don't need a dionizer. You might need a dehumidifier?

I am also a newbie to salt and one thing that I have read is that it is good to follow the 12 month rule. You shouldnt add corals until the tank has been running for at least 12 months. Is this a general rule of thumb?

It isn't really a rule, but it does take a year for a tank to really mature. You can add corals on week two if you like, but as someone else suggested, if your tank crashes you could lose everything - and quickly. More important is the experience that comes with running the tank for a while. You would be surprised at how much there is to learn.

Some advice...

• Don't buy a chiller - use a fan for evaporative cooling
• Don't worry about Ozone or UV
• Consider biopellets or Zeovit, but not right away. Wait at least six months and read what the skeptics say before investing.
• Don't try to stock pile hardware - get the tank up and running and buy what you need.
• Don't under estimate the flow requirements
• Don't rely on your return pump for flow.
• Plan to experiment with a refegium, but not right away - it can wait.
• Buy what you really want now - don't plan to upgrade right away or you are just wasting your money on the first purchase.
• Big ticket items are the skimmer, lighting, live rock, live stock. This is where you will regret cutting corners.
• Be realistic about your budget.
• Google is your friend.

[DOMINATOR]

I have a sump with four chambers, can i use this as my main filter and put pads in each chamber to filter the water til it arrives at the last???
And do i need charcoal at the last chamber, im so confused.....you have the best advice so far but everyone has been so great.Cant believe a site like this exists....thanks to everyone again!!!

[Aquattro]

You won't use filter pads in a reef. Carbon, probably. You still need to let us know what kind of critters you want to keep

[DOMINATOR]

do i really need to think about what livestock i want now? I thought getting the live rock and water stable was a first priority that could take months...

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by DOMINATOR

do i really need to think about what livestock i want now? I thought getting the live rock and water stable was a first priority that could take months...

Figuring out what equipment you need depends on knowing what type of corals you plan to keep. To some degree, rockscaping does as well. Softie tank probably won't need the same level of skimmer, power heads and lighting. Internal flow and skimming is important for the initial water stability you're after. So no point buying gear at the wrong end of the spectrum.

I think it's pretty important up front to have some idea what you want to keep. You can always swap out gear later, but you're sure to lose money in the process.

[Bloodasp]

The idea is to think of what you want to do while you are waiting for your tank to cycle so you don't end up getting into too much impulse buying or ending up buying livestock that are not compatible with each other. Besides there's not much to do to the tank while it is cycling so might as well plan the livestock.

[DOMINATOR]

understood....coral reefs, colorful fish, maybe some shrimp, snails,a seahorse for the wife and starfish in one aquarium, as for mine....octopus, eels, something cool, mancave style, i dont know....suggestions???

[GMGQ]

Err... why is this tread in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum?

Can a mod move this thread appropriately?