Reddit reviews The New Marine Aquarium

I'd highly recommend you read this book before you commit to doing/buying anything. It is by no means inclusive but will give you a feel for how the whole system should or will work.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1890087521

Once you've read that, I'd recommend reading the following article from Reef Keeping ezine. This will save you time and money on junk or unnecessary supplements.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

Edit: spelling.

It would be adequate, but not ideal. Get as big a tank as you can afford, both price-wise and size-wise. More volume means more stability, the ability to select larger fish specimens, and, overall, less headaches. Sumps are great and if you can afford the extra expense/setup time, you will never regret getting one. You can get another tank, maybe 15 gallon, and put your skimmer/heaters in there, as well as more rock. It's a great place to add supplements and increase your water volume.

Read and research all you can now. It's much harder to change things after you've got creatures living in your tank. Two great, essential books: http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Marine-Aquarium-Step-By-Step/dp/1890087521 and http://www.amazon.com/The-Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Professional/dp/1890087998

To hold you over until you get those books: http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm

The key here is patience. Yes, it's hard work, but most of the hard work is only at the beginning if you plan it right and don't rush it. Good luck! Feel free to ask me more questions.

Stop. Please do some research before diving into this.

This is a step by step book. It will help.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aquarium-Michael-Paletta/dp/1890087521/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=michael+paletta&qid=1569031273&s=gateway&sr=8-2

I also recommend Martin A. Moe’s Marine Aquarium handbook. https://www.amazon.com/Marine-Aquarium-Handbook-Beginner-Breeder/dp/0982026218

Doing some research will be a lot better than me telling you that you are going at it wrong.

I also recommend keeping fresh water for at least a year beforehand to get use to the little things like testing, feeding, and water changes.

When I first started my hobby, I picked up a copy of Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies. I found it to be MUCH more useful than The New Marine Aquarium. (If you're just getting into the hobby). I've always enjoyed The Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Fishes and the Marine Invertebrates as well. With the pocket experts, I find their information to be different from other sources that I use to research a fish before I make a decision to buy or not. A book that I can't seem to finish but always find myself skimming through is the Plankton Culture Manual. It can be a difficult read at times (for me anyways) but it's very helpful when you want to culture something.

I'm really looking for a book to help identify hitchhikers, but I can't seem to find one. Hopefully this thread turns a leaf. I've picked up the Reef Creature Identification books in hopes they would be what I was looking for, but they weren't.

The Nano-Reef Handbook Was a fun read as well. Gives you many ideas for the nano aquarium.

Last but not least, Algae: A problem Solver Guide has really helped when it came to figuring out how to battle algae or which algae would be awesome to have in a tank for decorative purposes.

Yeah, the diatom bloom started in the first couple of days so I immediately put it in the dark and they cleared up.

A couple of LFS experts, one of the books I'm reading, and a couple of online sources that I can't seem to find again recommended not adding sand until the cycle is complete. It's also clear that a lot of people don't wait, but I figure there must be a reason those people suggest waiting, right?

First and foremost you need to either find a really good store that will support you through it, a good book, and/or a good local reef club. If there are no local clubs, there is a wealth of information at Reef Central online, though those guys are kinda jerks to new people.

A great first S/W book: http://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aquarium-Step-Step/dp/1890087521

A more thorough, but a little dense to start with: http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Successful/dp/1890087025

The one thing they seem to leave out of marine biology is captive husbandry. I'm sure you get a little exposure to it, but it's not like doing it yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aquarium-Michael-Paletta/dp/1890087521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452143680&sr=8-1&keywords=the+new+marine+aquarium I think this is probably the best book, even after having multiple other books and 10+ years of saltwater aquariums I still find myself going back to it for minor refreshes.

Bigger the aquarium the smaller fluctautions so despite thinking smaller will be easier, thats actually wrong. When it comes to filtration Live Rock (I think rule is a # per gallon) also live rock. I wanna say on lighting you want 2-3 watt per gallon. I suggest you start off with some hardy fish (Nemo) and do a FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) then when you feel more comfortable add some of the easier corals (Mushrooms, Some Zooanthoids, Leathers, Zenia)

goto www.reefcentral.com and research FOWLR also get multiple opinions

>why is a 20g high a bad place to start?


I originally thought that a 20g-high tank was 20" wide; but a 20g-high is 24" wide, while a extra-high has a 20" width. When buying lights, you'll have a much easier time finding fixtures in increments of 12".

My first reef tank was a 29g, which I think is a perfect starting size, but a finding 30" lights at the time was a pain.


>Im not looking to go BIG. i already have big for fresh water, and thats where im sticking since i have this tank as an extra and want to make use of it.


Just pushing the concept that the larger the tank is, the more stable it is. Go with largest tank your available space and finances allow.


>I plan on educating myself as much before i start, so i know where to start as well, so all opinions are great, thanks!


Awesome starter book: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide


>And as far as patient, yes i plan on it. Looking for something that will slowly become a beauty, and something i can just sit back and watch life take over really. I plan on maybe 2 or 3 fish if that, small, a few shrimp or a star fish, and some coral, but i realize there are fish that destroy coral so im learning which are good which arent.


One of my beliefs is if you want a fish tank, build a fish tank. If you want a reef tank, build a reef tank. Try to pick fish based on how they can help maintain your reef, not just look cool. I love me some gobies and blennies.

Think about starting with soft corals. Zoonathids, Green Star Polyps, leathers and mushrooms are all great starting corrals.


>Why do you say bare bottom to start with also? I also want to have this as a self filtration tank also, that requires less maintenance once its stable and set.


I like bare bottoms because they're very easy to clean. If you really want to have substrate, I would still recommend going bare until after your rock is fully cured.