Tank prep

This evening i stripped the tank down and cleaned each individual part to get rid of all of the old gunk from the previous inhabitants.  Tested all the equipment including the power head for the filter, the heater and the lights or though i will change the lights at some point as they are white and red and i want sunlight and marine blue. I’ve scrubbed the inside of the tank with just water and tissue. I didn’t use any cleaning products inside the tank because the chemical residue will harm or kill live stock.

Unfortunately the floors in my house are uneven in places so I’ve had to add pieces of carpet under the cabinet to level things out. Not ideal i know but it will do!

Salt water

So much for me having the idea to treat and add salt to tap water. Reef salt water tanks need RO/DI water (Reverse osmosis Deionised). To make this water yourself you’ll need a piece of equipment to run tap water through.  The RO/DI machine retail between £80-£300 which is a pretty hefty price if, like me you’re on a tight budget! Alternatively, i asked my local fish store (LFS-an acronym i keep coming across) if they sell RO/DI water pre mixed with salt, which i was pleasantly surprised they do, £6.50 for 25 litres. This will be handy for the first few months but ultimately i will need a machine to mix my own at some point.

The only problem with pre mixed bottled salt water is you’re going to need some in back up for the weekly 10% water change. This pre mixed salt water needs to be circulated (ideally) whilst being stored. So a small water pump (powerhead or wave maker) will be required for this. hopefully i can find a container to keep the spare salt water in and store it under the tank in the cabinet.

Water storage sorted! one 25 litre container for salt water and one 25 litre container for fresh.

I have a very small power head in the salt water container keeping the water moving, although im not sure that its really needed for this amount of water. i’ll see how it goes.

The tank

Been out a bought a tank! Bought it second hand, only a year old and paid about a third of the price if it was new. + it came with a heater! Its 130 litre (approx 28.5 gallons). For a beginner it is recommended that you use a minimum of 90 litre (arppox 20 gallons) if its any smaller than that toxins can build up too quickly (if like me you are inexperienced) and can wipe out your entire reef! This tank is an Aqua One 620t. Its going to need a few tweeks but should be perfect for my needs. Some say a shallow tank is better for easy access to the rocks, decor ETC… but with the space i have ive gone for a deeper tank rather than a wider one.

New to it all

So… Im as new to blogging as i am to “reefing” building and maintaining an reef aquarium. This will be an update on steps, purchases and processes i learn along the way. Hopefully my research and learning curves will help others that want to start building a reef aquarium. Ill try and keep it as short and to the point as i can, as there are so many geek sites out there that make everything sound like keeping a reef is like nuclear physics! This will mostly be a low budget set up but like everything, if you do your research you can get amazing results without spending a ton of cash.