# taking the plunge - getting a salt tank



## skyedale (Mar 14, 2011)

After years of my neighbour nudging me towards getting a salt set-up I think I am getting closer to taking the plunge. 

When I started with my freshwater tanks I made a number of mistakes. The biggest one being buying “cheap” equipment that really didn’t do the job efficiently. As time progressed I bought the correct equipment and spent more money, which actually landed up costing less to maintain. 

Now that I am looking at salt I don’t want to make the same mistakes again. Having said that I don't want to pay money for things that I don’t need or buy a brand name that has a less expensive equal.

I am thinking I want to be in the 75-125 gl range. I do have space for up to 200 gl but I don’t want to re-mortgage the house to do it. I want a coral and reef tank with small hardy bright coloured fish, some shrimp/crabs/starfish. I guess what I am saying is that I want a “community” salt set-up. I also need a supplier that maybe more knowledgable than the employees of chain and big box stores.

I am still very much in the information gathering stage. I suspect this will take 6-12 months to do it right. I will also need that much time at least to put the funds aside to do it “right”.

Any and suggestions at this point would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards

Judi


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*hey*

hey there and congrats to going to the dark side .... 
not sure if u can get to big als scarb , they have a few tanks on a good sale price ranging from 125-150 reef ready tanks ..may want to call them to verify price and availability I think the 125 was 229.00 .
well deff this site is the place to find things list what u are looking for and have a look at the classified section great place to find a used skimmer or fairly new depenind on what people have .
good luck and keep us up to date 
cheers 
tom


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

TomG is right about the deals to be had out there and also check the for sale section on this forum 
It's a challenging hobby but one with many rewards too 
This is a good forum with good members and I suggest that you ask a lot of questions and spend a lot if time upfront doing research - it will pay off later


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Hmmm...BA in Scarborough... Another road trip in our future? Did any spy any nice cube tanks on sale there?


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## paulie (Mar 25, 2013)

I would suggest first, you get your list of needs, wants and would be nice to haves written up.

Then watch the classifieds. You can tick off what you need when they are available. You don't sound to me like you're going to rush it, and you can sometimes get better quality items than you had originally planned.

Best of luck!

Paulie


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

The absolute first thing you're going to do is contact one of us and come over to see one of our setups. 

Going into a store or getting advice in a forum is great but will never match up to actually seeing a tank working.

There are quite a few tanks in your area and good people to talk to, and you'll get tons of information on what to do and what not to do.

Then you go to one of the local reef shops like ARA, CC, AK, or RB and talk about stocking your tanks.

As for a tank itself, I would just go thru our classified section here on the forums since I think it's the best deal for your money. 99% of the time you're going to get a used tank in great condition for a fraction of the cost and the previous owner can walk you thru the problems they had with the tank.

Good to see another saltie!! 
Soon enough we'll get rid of the freshwater section


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

I think you're off to the best start! Visit lots of people's set ups. Have a lot of patience. My two biggest tips: 

A new salt water set up can take 6 months for it to "mature" - when it is able to begin forming new coraline algae, on bare rocks and on glass. That's when it's best to host most types of corals and marine life. (doesn't mean you can't start having any before then. there are hardy types).

Best coral shipments and finds come in around this time of year: Dec-Feb or March I believe. Keep in mind though purchasing tank aquacultured corals have a better chance of adapting to your aquarium than those straight from ocean. 

And be prepared for set backs, despite all the best of your efforts. That's part of this hobby, and the process. 

It's a lot of fun! Enjoy the process. 
Cheers!


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## CanadaCorals.com (May 12, 2013)

I am glad to see you are doing your research before pulling the trigger. 

The most cost effective tank in the 75-125g range will be 75g or 90g because they are 4ft. I prefer 75g because its not as tall. Once you get into the 6ft tanks, you will need more expensive lighting.

Feel free to drop by anytime for answers to your questions.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Bayinaung said:


> I think you're off to the best start! Visit lots of people's set ups. Have a lot of patience. My two biggest tips:
> 
> A new salt water set up can take 6 months for it to "mature" - when it is able to begin forming new coraline algae, on bare rocks and on glass. That's when it's best to host most types of corals and marine life. (doesn't mean you can't start having any before then. there are hardy types).
> 
> ...


The idea of adding corals when you have coraline is pretty out there.
You can ask Sig how long he waits until he adds corals, and it ain't 6 months!
Also, you shouldn't need to worry about shipments of corals since you don't have a tank yet.

Lastly, definitely head over to see Dan or Isabelle at Canada Corals if you want some sound advice and eye candy


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## paulie (Mar 25, 2013)

altcharacter said:


> The idea of adding corals when you have coraline is pretty out there.
> You can ask Sig how long he waits until he adds corals, and it ain't 6 months!
> Lastly, definitely head over to see Dan or Isabelle at Canada Corals if you want some sound advice and eye candy


To add to altcharacter, use purple up if you want, takes weeks not months for it to really get going!!

As for purchases, I wait until the wife is out, then tell her when she gets home. Better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission!

And yes, go to Canada Corals. great place, if only just to browse and make sure what you are buying works with what you want to keep!! It's a good idea also to visit other reefers too!! Listen to their stories, they will be able to help.


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## Pruss (Nov 25, 2014)

Congrats on deciding to take the plunge. You and I are parallel pathing here. It will be fun to see how you build your setup. I look forward to learning along with you.

-- Pat


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