HELP!!! NEWBIE ALERT!!!

[abcha0s]

Originally Posted by gobytron

welcome to the board.
once you have done a bit of research into the hobby (by trial or fire) you will realize how general the questions you are asking are.

Many people here would love to help, but you need to so some basic research into this hobby and establish some expectations first...otherwise we can only offer advicebased on what our expectations are.

+1

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by chopperman

. You shouldnt add corals until the tank has been running for at least 12 months. Is this a general rule of thumb?

Well, yes and no. I wouldn't suggest adding a $100 frag of acro, but certainly wouldn't shy away from some easier things. Assorted polyps, zoos, leathers, etc appear to be a bit more tolerant of mistakes. Even some of the LPS are reasonably tough. Once you have an idea of what you're doing, this time frame can be reduced drastically. My current tank was running for a couple of days before I fully stocked it with SPS, but I've killed enough of these in the past to have a good idea what to do and what to watch for. Certainly not something I'd recommend, but once your tank has been stable for a couple of months, you could start adding some easier corals. Again, this assumes your system is setup properly to support them (lighting, flow, skimming, etc)

[chris121277]

Do you plan on running the 2 90's linked in one system? or are you planning something different for each tank?

[whatcaneyedo]

Three pages of reply's and no one has said 'book'? Quite often when you ask a question online you'll get a lot of wildly differing opinions from people that might know less than you do. Books offer well researched advice with references to back up their claims.

Building a Proper Marine Aquarium Library
by Pro, Steven
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/tips/index.php

Remember to use the search engine too. I can almost guarantee that any question you have has already been asked and you'll find the answer by checking the older posts.

[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???