Need help Starting 55 Gallon Saltwater Tank

I tried to keep a running list of costs to start up my little 30 gal tank

RO water 15.00 (from the machine at Meijers)
aragonite live sand 40.00
additional live sand 20.00
2 power heads 104.00
new bulb (already had hood and ballast) 65.00
salt 22.00
heater 36.00
hydrometer 14.00
thermostat 2.00
Remora Aqua C protein skimmer 185.00
30 lb live rock 204.00
tank 55.00
stand 70.00
magnet scraper & fishnet 8.50
probably 100.00 for test kits and I still don't have Mg yet

I won't add this all up because I don't want to know!

I bought nearly all my equipment from LFS's because I needed advice and some hands on instruction. I also particularly wanted to see what I was getting before purchasing live rock. I'm sure you could get cheaper by ordering over the net but don't forget to add shipping.

 

thres the tank i have and the hardware lol

YouTube - New saltwater tank

 

Dude.....do you have that right next to a window?

 

yes but there is a black backround picture behind the tank

 

Just be careful. Those who have natural sunlight directly showing into their tank tend to have algae problems. Indirect sunlight is not a problem, but direct.......Watch out.

And I am not sure about the water purifier on the sink. It is certainly better than 'out of the hose', but I am not conviced that is better than RO water. You would want to test the water for silicates, nitrates and phosphates to see if it would be suitable.

Anyone else on this.......I am not 100% on this one. Pretty sure I am right, but, as stated, not 100%.

 

So there is really no other way to treat tap water other then just buying pre filter RO water then? this is gonna be a pain transfering 60 gallons of water around the only RO filer is at Wal - Mart and its inside the store thats a lot of 5 gallon jugs >_<

 

I set up a 55 reef tank last may so I will try to help you out. Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.
I bought some of the equipment off Ebay, I got my AquaC remora skimmer for $120 with a maxi jet 1200, as compared to about $160-70 without a pump. When I first started I only want a FOWLR tank, no corals, but that changed to say the least. Also, I planned on only spending $700 with some livestock, that really changed. The HOB filter is ok for now, I used one until I made a sump, just make sure to clean it weekly. As for rock, I suggest buying base rock, you get more for your money b/c it's dry and you don't need to worry about nuisance algae and pests. I bought some from bulkreefsupply.com and really liked it. They just got a new shipment in. It's $2.79 a lb, which is a pretty good deal. If you want to have corals, you will also need some good lighting, this gets expensive. I use T5 HO, but you can use Metal halides, most expensive, or pcs.

You have a lot of shrimp in there, usually you should only use 1, and it should be a raw shrimp, not cooked. Also, if you cycle with out live rock, when you do get some, you may go through another cycle (depending on whether it is base rock or not) because of the organic material being introduced. Having just sand in there won't create as much surface area for bacteria to populate the tank. Even if you use dry rock, you will have to wait for the rock to become populated with bacteria which could take a few weeks.

As to the water filter on the faucet, it is probably only carbon, so it will help, but not that much. Nitrates, silicates and phosphates will still get by. You could get an RO/DI unit, I got mine for $100 from airwaterice.com.

 

Not that I know of. Over the months, I have collected a bunch of five to seven gallon containers, so every time I go on a water run, I am getting twenty to thirty gallons at a time. There is a modest initial cash layout for the containers and the garbage can that the water goes in, but it is worth it. For example, after my current run to the store, I have a thirty gallon garbage can with about 25 gallons in it, two six gallon containers with RO water I use for top off on my 90.....and a two gallon container I use for top off on my upstairs 10g Nano. The garbage can water I use for mixing and adding bicarb, calcium and magnesium.

 

I also wanted to point out, and should have said this in my first post is that this is a very expensive hobby. Nothing is cheap. I needed to save up for 4 months before I started my tank and what I thought would cost me $700 probably cost me about $1500 or more including live stock. If you need to wait, i would wait and not do it piecemeal.
Plus there are the ongoing expenses of salt, test kits, supplements, filters etc.

 

LOL!!!!! Ain't that the truth!!!!! I started out spending $400 or $500 and it went to $1500 really quick. Same thing. .......And that was just the beginning for a 75g tank.