Help with new setup

I have join because I will soon need to pick ya brains on certain issuse as they arise : I have kept fish only for seven years but always wanted to setup a reef system so I have bought a tank 7' (L x 2'.5'' D x 2' W) I will use my( 4 X 2 X 16'') for the sump,if anyone out there has a similiar size setup I would be very interested to hear about there filteration setup,maintainance routine stocking levels etc.etc.
This project is at the very first stage I want to get as much info as possible from you guys before a grain of sand or drop of water goes in my tank.
Many Many thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply with there experiences.
Steve

[da colts]

welcome, there are soooooo many different ways to set up a tank and make it work,. i use a wet dri, skimmer, chiller, 6 vho lights(3 blue,3 white)a coiled denitrator,a uv sterlizer, and 2 scwd for current. the next guy you talk to may have a dsb or a refugium, the next guy or gal may use a undergravel filter or a canister filter. probably the only constant is patience, patience, patience. take it slow, never hurry. trust me, it will be worth all of the waiting. here is a pic of my 125 reef, feel free to ask me any questions, and i will answer in my best ability.

[karlas]

da_colts

that is one sweet tank you got goin there [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[da colts]

thank you karla, here is a pic of my 55 gal fish tank

[da colts]

and 1 of my 25 fresh

[karlas]

those are all nice tanks if i ever get a bigger house i would love to have my reef that i have now along with a big aggressive tank and maby get a freshwater tank or a chiclid tank again but i only got room for my 75 right now

[Steve88]

Many Thanx da_colts that truely is an excellent tank ,how old is it?,how long have you been keeping?,can I ask if you have had any bad experiences that you have now learnt from and would care to share?
As for my current thinking I'm going for skimmer,DSB,couple of canisters to pack in some phosphate,nitrate killer,some sort of gravity feed trickle filter,UV (not too sure as to wattage just yet any Ideas,will it depend on stocking levels or should I just go by gallonage?).if you or anyone thinks any of the above sound like a bad idea I'm all ears............

[da colts]

the only really bad experience i have had was putting a new fish in the tank before going on vacation...if something is going to happen it will mostly happen then. other than that i have been very lucky, of course i have lost some fish and corals and it really bothers me when that happens really deeply as i have been doing this for 17 years

[omard]

Greetings Steve88...

"Experiences" of every kind to be found here, both good and bad. People at 3Reef are not "shy" about "sharing" and really no better source for good to know, 1st hand experiences.

da_colts...your tanks look great! - keep those photo's coming!

Rgds,

ScottD

[Steve88]

:huh:Sorry to hear about your losses but as you indicate that is somthing that is bound to happen from time to time no matter how experienced,17 years is quit a long time you must have come along way in your knowledge and experiences since 1987?.do you quarantine and if so for how long and if you do why didn't you leave the fish in quarantine until you got back?

Regards da_colts [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Regards also to ScottD thanks for the grate welcome message nice one [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]