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Tresa View Drop Down
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Joined: November 17 2003
Location: United States
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Points: 733 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tresa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 03 2011 at 8:19am

I would make sure that whatever you get is drilled..... much easier that way. I am also in South Jordan if you want to stop by sometime.....
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superchud View Drop Down
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Joined: December 31 2010
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Points: 49 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote superchud Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 03 2011 at 10:12am
Thanks that would be great!
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Will Spencer View Drop Down
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Joined: September 04 2003
Location: West Jordan
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Points: 6799 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Will Spencer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 03 2011 at 11:04am
I started out with my reef by moving a complete system to my home from the sellers home.  It's not difficult if you make a good plan, but it is a lot of work and takes hours to do it right.  It is totally worth it though if you find the right tank and can save you a ton of money over starting from scratch and buying everything new.  I love to talk about aquariums and I'm out in West Jordan so not too far away.  I'm also home most of the day since I work out of my house.  You are welcome anytime and I can give you a run down of how I moved my 180 gallon reef.  (I've also helped move MANY tanks for other people and learned a few lessons on the way.)
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superchud View Drop Down
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Joined: December 31 2010
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Points: 49 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote superchud Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 03 2011 at 11:17am
Sweet, I have today off I will give you a ring!
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Deluxe247 View Drop Down
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Joined: December 02 2009
Location: Salt Lake City
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Points: 336 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Deluxe247 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 03 2011 at 8:48pm
Whatever you do, take lots of pictures and post the whole thing in the tank build section! Those are my favorites to read. I think it's great that you're talking to lots of people before diving in. You will get some great advice, some perhaps contradictory because there's simply more than one "right" way to do things. Take it all in and weigh it against your own needs, wants, and budget.

Since you have experience with freshwater, you probably have a good understanding of the basic biology that makes up an aquatic ecosystem. In my experience, a reef may be more complex, but generally if done well, it is a more complete ecosystem than most freshwater tanks, and therefore can be more self-sustaining and easier to maintain.

Anyway, welcome to "reefers anonymous." We're all a bunch of addicts.
90G Mixed Reef
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vadryn View Drop Down
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Joined: February 05 2007
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Points: 771 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vadryn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2011 at 2:08pm
Hi,
 
I entered SW a lot like you, after a few years in FW tanks.  I converted a 90g tank to SW about 20 months ago.  I'm a HUGE fan of the 90g tank.  It is an extremely flexible size that will allow you to house most reef-safe fish as well and lots of room for LR and coral.
 
I'm working towards a large SW setup, but some things are concerning.  To quote my wife, "A small percentage of a big number is still a big number."  In a 180 or 210 setup, anything you do will have to be done "big" and the cost really adds up.  Expenses that you just don't see in FW.
 
A 20% water change on a 210 will cost $15 in salt.  You will also need a container to mix that much SW in, a powerhead/pump to mix it, and a way to get it into the tank.  A minimum of 25x flow in a 210 is 5250 gph.  That's a lot of powerheads/pumps.  Reefs require expensive lighting and, oh yeah, all this shows up on the power bill. Censored
 
I'm not trying to talk you out of it.  You just want to move into this with the eyes wide open.
 
Prepare the wife to be patient.  I new SW setup can look ghetto (inside the tank) for months.  It takes 8-12 months for a tank to start to settle in.  My 90g is in my entryway and we had a lot of raised eyebrows and even comments on how poor it looked while the system was getting established.  I loved seeing it, but cyano and bubble algae are an acquired taste. Geek 
 
I guess I'm biased, but I think doing one from the beginning is a worthwhile endeavor.  I would NOT recommend buying new, though.
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Luckedout View Drop Down
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Joined: October 11 2009
Location: Layton
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Points: 1495 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Luckedout Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2011 at 3:18pm
I would not recommend buying new or buying big as well unless you are wealthy or have estimated your costs. I was told when I first started my business that you should take what you anticipate in costs and double them and you'll be a lot closer to the actual number. I find that works pretty well in this hobby as well. It's always more expensive than you anticipate.

If you can find a good reef system put together for a good price I would jump on it. You might not be happy with everything it comes with or how it was set up, but you can tweak it and you'll still save money in the long run.
-Ben



90g Mixed reef



www.body-balancechiropractic.com
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superchud View Drop Down
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Joined: December 31 2010
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Points: 49 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote superchud Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2011 at 7:37pm
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all their input. I am so much more excited and energized about doing a reef tank now then I was before I joined here.

And a special thanks to Lincoln and Will for taking time out of their days to let me and my wife come visit with you and check out your tanks that was awesome. 

I met another great person this weekend, Jerry from Marine Aquatics, he will be moving whatever used tank I end up purchasing in the future.

I am in a fortunate situation my wife wants to create a reef tank almost as much as I do. And if we can find a sitter Thursday night we will be at the frag fest even though we wont be able to purchase anything we still want to come and check out the atmosphere and frags of course (funny a week ago I had no idea what a frag was).
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