Beginner question
Paulette Tawzer
I am not new to aquariums and tropical fish. I have over the years done the
ciclid thing and at one time had 3 tanks going.
I now only have 1 tank and its time to break down. Its a planted 55 gal
tank. Been thinking of converting to a reef tank and try my first endeavor
with salt water.
Looking for a good book that is easy to understand and not over my fresh
water head. Just want to see what I am getting into. Can you recommend any?
Some of the books are very pricey so I want to make sure I get one that will
really help me.
Thank you for your help and time, This may be a start of something very
enjoyable. I hope.
Paulette Tawzer
Tennessee
Dave Johnson
news:GwWx9.54$jy2....@newsfeed.slurp.net...
> I am not new to aquariums and tropical fish. I have over the years done
the
> ciclid thing and at one time had 3 tanks going.
I think the most I had at once was 8. Now I have 5 and helping my
brother-in-law with 4 others. I know where you're coming from! LOL
> I now only have 1 tank and its time to break down. Its a planted 55 gal
> tank. Been thinking of converting to a reef tank and try my first endeavor
> with salt water.
First marine endeaver as reef, very ambitious! If you're going reef,
here's
some acronyms you'll need to know for this group (some of which you may
employ in your system, some you may not)
DOC - dissolved organic compound
PS - protein skimmer (used to remove DOC)
DSB - deep sand bed (many good things)
LR - live rock (many good things)
LFS - local fish store
ATS - algal turf scrubber (reduce nutrients in water)
RDR - reverse daylight refugium (reduce nutrients in water if macroalgae
is grown, place to grow "critters" - you want lots of critters
:)
In a nutshell (and very oversimplified!) if you want corals you'll want less
nutrients in the water, thus some combination of PS, ATS, RDR and others
to help do this.
Use LR and DSB as biological filtration to convert from bad to good, ie
ammonia->nitrite->nitrate->nitrogen gas
At least that's the most common approach I see talked about in this group.
It's known as the Berlin Method, you'll see it a lot in your readings.
> Looking for a good book that is easy to understand and not over my fresh
> water head. Just want to see what I am getting into. Can you recommend
any?
The Reef Aquarium (TRA) Vol 1
Modern Coral Reef Aquarium (MCRA) Vol 1
Jimmy Chen has a list of books he usually posts a link to, very good
ones there as well.
Here's a couple URLs
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/index.htm
and especially:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fw2mar.htm
http://www.reefcentral.com/
> Some of the books are very pricey so I want to make sure I get one that
will
> really help me.
If found my copies of TRA on eBay for around $50 each. Sometimes on
www.half.com around that price as well.
Read, read and read some more, ask lots of questions and then figure
out who's giving you good info and who isn't (and who may be trying
to gain from you buying stuff you don't need - some LFS do this!)
> Thank you for your help and time, This may be a start of something very
> enjoyable. I hope.
It is! Just remember this and you'll do fine "Only bad things happen fast
in a saltwater aquarium" Patience is the key element in SW. Well, OK,
having enough money (or DIY-ability) to get the right equipment helps. :)
Cheers,
Dave Johnson
jadavis01
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner
The Natural Reef Aquarium by John Tullock
I started with these and then went on to most in Jimmy's list.
Another great thing to do is find out if there is a local fish club/society near you.
I recently joined MASLAC (Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles County), after 2 years in the reef hobby. I have learned so much! Also I have met some of my reef "heroes" like Steve Tyree (a member) and Anthony Calfo and Charles Delbeek. We have Michael Scott (awesome photographer and author of another very useful book "Marine Fishes - Pocket Guide" ) this Friday!
Reef Boy
And another most folks will overlook; Right here!
I sat for weeks in this newsgroup simply reading all the posts that came in.
Some with great links to informative sites that are now part of my "Reef
Links" list in my browser. I'm so thankfull now that I booked marked 'em
all. It would be tough to go and find one when I really needed it.
Here's one of my favorite ones:
http://fins.actwin.com/reefkeepers/
In short, if it's happened or been done, someone here will tell you or
talk about it. :)
Good Luck!
Reef
"Paulette Tawzer" <pta...@tflt.com> wrote in message
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