hello fellow 3 reefers .. newbie with questions.

I don't know wear you live so I don't know how accessible some stuff might be for you. If I would give you any advice it would definitely be to get a skimmer though. I would also wait a little while. If you're in a financial pinch wait a little bit so you can get exactly what you want. The last thing you want to do is spend your all that money and then realize it isn't really what you want. I would look on Craigslist for an aquarium, JMO. I live in Central Ohio and I see small aquariums for sale all the time.

Just take your time and follow the plan you set up.

 

thats what happened last time i bought a tank i bought it off of craigs list
the tank had a nitrate problem that i could after two months not get rid off

 

For those of you joining us that are new to the hobby - the best piece of advice you'll get around here as a saltwater newbie is 3Reef's slogan
"Go slow, let it grow."
And for those experianced hobbyists joining us - it's still good advice
good luck and post pics soon

 

lol im noticing you guys like pics so therefore i will be starting a build thread once i decide what im going to do here lol .

 

yes, pics are mandatory, not optional!
you can see my new tankmates in the links in my signature.

 

Somewhat agree,you can build a tank on a budget,but make it a realistic budget,and have a list of stuff you need before hand,never want to jump into this hobby partialy blinded...also a bigger tank will be more forgiving than the smaller ones people tend to start with..I for one started with a 55 gal with no saltwater experience..just ALOT of reading..

Im not to sure this was the tanks fault?? I could be wrong but if you tell us about your old system maybe we can find what went wrong for you...but you have done the smart thing by coming here asking alot of questions..
WELCOME TO 3Reef

 

thanks for the welcoming. this i how it went


20 gallon tall not sure on lighting i think some kind of 50 50 not sure tho
aqua c remora skimmer
hob
tank had a lot of lR not sure of exactly how much
damsel
some sort of goby
bunch of snails
emerald crab
bunch of hermits

all of the above came with the tank the only thing i added was some kind of grass to the tanks that was suppose to help with nitrates

After buying the tank I went to a local hobby shop close to our houses and the owner of the shop asked me where I had gotten the setup. Well come to find out that he use to always sell to the guy and i learned of the problem the tank had. apparently the setup i had crashed several times with mushrooms and fish i it. After about 3 or so months I decided to opt out of the hobby. It was a mistake because I never lost interest and still wanted a tank. I no i should not be starting big but since im young and fresh out of high school i wanted to use a all in one tank to start off and once i get more experienced and get a better job i could upgrade or just keep my small one and start a whole new tank from ground up.

 

Wow otty, a new welcome sign. I liked the flames better.

 

These systems can only be considered "plug-n-play" depending on what you want to keep in them.Many people find they want to upgrade after buying one,upgrading lights,adding a quality skimmer,ect.This can sometimes be a problem judging by all of the threads posted here on these subjects.