Please Be Gentle...

[Cardi]

My first post so hello everyone...

I'm just setting up my first marine tank although I've previously had many tropical set ups including some incredibly cool piranhas!

Marines have been cool so far, I've not kept tropicals for a while and most of my equipment has been sold or binned. So I thought getting back into it could be expensive. This is where I've been stupidly lucky! A guy I know had stacks of aquatics stuff he wanted to get rid of.

So I'm running 70 gallon corner tank with a Eheim 2229 filter, Tunze Protein skimmer, 150 watt Metal Halide light system , Hagen 802 Powerhead for water movement and a RO unit. In reserve I've got 3 Hagen 402 Powerheads, a Nitrate Reducer and a Tunze Osmolator all of which will eventually replace the Eheim to become a sump/refugium filter system. :)

On top of all this I've got various bits I don't need so keep an eye out on E-Bay for a Eheim 2227 Filter, 2 Fluval 303 Filters, another cannister filter which I've not examined yet and stacks of odds and ends I don't need.

Just to annoy you all into never talking to me again :angry: I got all of this for 250 quid... :D I just need to buy some fish now! :wacko:

[Jevs]

Nice one Cardi and welcome.
You'll get loads of decent advice on here from newbie and experienced alike.
It's a great section of this hobby to get into, although it can get a bit involved at times but the thing to remember ( and not too many reefers do) is that we all had to start at the beginning sometime.
Do lots of reading, visit lots of web sites and ask tons of questions.....however silly they may seem and you'll get loads of help.
Stock your tank slowly, a fish or two and a couple of corals to start then build the corals up, adding the fish at a slower rate (corals produce very little waste...but fish do !!!)
Try to put plenty of live rock in...it's a damn good filter and produces lots of little critters (the bugs, starfish, worms, shrimps etc) to keep your tank healthy.
Good luck and keep asking !!!!
Regards
Andy

[Lisa Page]

Welcome to UltimateReef

Regards

Lisa

[Lemans]

Hi Cardi

Welcome on board.

An often quoted saying is the only silly question is the one you don't ask!

You will get lots of help here - don't worry if you think its a topic that may have been covered before - try a search of the board. If you get no joy ask 'cos someone will help or point you to a link.

Regards

[MrFish]

I just need to buy some fish now

Was this a working system when you picked it up or had it been dry for a while?

[Garry thomas]

Hello Cardi, wellcome to the jungle :lol: No question is silly. As jevs said we all had to start somewhere. Feel free to ask anything. :rolleyes:

[Cardi]

All the gear had been sitting in a storage warehouse for years. Consequently I've spent hours cleaning and scrubbing glass, rocks and equipment :angry: Then there were the electrical safety checks and trawling through boxes of junk to dig out the useful stuff ;) Then I learnt how long RO units take, 2 and a bit gallons per hour into buckets and then into the tank as the tubes wouldn't stretch! So all in all its been an adventure just to get to now and I've only been cycling the tank for 2 weeks. Patience really is a virtue! :D

[taff]

HI WELCOME ALL THE BEST WITH THE NEW SETUP :D

[Cardi]

First few pics...

http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/Initial Setup.JPG

http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/Initial Setup Lights On.JPG