Yesterday I purchased my very first tank every so go easy on me. I'm taking my time with it as well to make sure i get it right.

~40G tank
~Emperor 280
~Stealth Heater
~36" Formosa

Today I went and go a little live rock.

I'll post pics later

Also would a prizim skimmer work for me. My LFS said around $200 for one. That just seems high. Let me know.

The Pics




let me know what y'all think. Again its my first time so any and everything is appreciated. It is a work and progress

you can use a sea clone 100 skimmer hang-on. works great i have used them an SM tanks and like them and the price is about $70.00 good luck.

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what ever works for you is the way to go!!!!!!!!!

you think the sea clone is a better product than the prizim

i had a sea clone on one of my 75 gallon reef tank and it kick a$$ for a cheap skimmer... but that's just me

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what ever works for you is the way to go!!!!!!!!!

I got a shrimp today and three snails. I'll try to post some pics later.

SLOW DOWN!!! your tank should cycle for at least 6-8 weeks before you start adding live stock and every time you add LR you can send your tank into a small cycle. I would not waste my money on a Prism or Sea Clone pure junk IMO get your self a good skimmer and save some headaches, Aqua C Remoras are good skimmers, are you planning reef or just fish if reef take the HOB filter off as soon as you get a GOOD skimmer and proper amount of LR with proper flow and that is all you will need for filtration, here is a link for a skimmer. AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer With Rio+ 800 Pump

You will need good PH's and depending on what you plan to keep will determine what size PH's you will need but I would say at least Koralia #2's and here is a link for them also

Hydor Koralia Circulation Pump/Powerhead UL

Alright here is some more pics of the tank and new additions I picked up today.




Snails

My coral banded shrimp (I think)

edit

Ok I will. I went to my LFS to see how my water was doing and he said it would be ok to add those. This is my first tank so I don't really no how long to wait and stuff. But if you say 6-8 weeks I'll hold out. I just get excited every time I go to the store. How do I know it is ready though when that time comes around? Also you think Aqua C is the way to go? Is it a hanging skimmer?

Edit: Ok the skimmer is a hang on

I also didn't even no I would need a power head. I hope I don't mess this all up.

You need to get the basic test kits and test your water every couple days and let your ammonia, nitrites climb and when your trates go up and the others go down do a water change then you can slowly add stock, get ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph test kits for now and I recomend useing a refractometer instead on a swing arm salinity tester but if that is what you have then test it against a refractometer. You should have your water circulateing 30-50 times your total water volume with just PH's. I am sorry if it sounded like I was yelling when I asked you to slow down but this hobby is expensive enough without making mistakes and remember most all of the LFS's are in buisness to sell and make money so you should always research before buying anything. I dont really think you have messed things up bad, you might lose the snails and shrimp because they cant handle nitrates but if that is all you lose thats pretty good. I have setup several home tanks and setup 2 stores to carry SW stock and all are doing great. I understand how hard it is to let your tank sit there without any live stock in it for 8 weeks but trust me your tank will be in much better shape if you will do that the best looking tanks have gone up to 4 months with out adding any live stock. I feel you should let the tank cycle naturally and not use chemicals because almost every tank that I have seen that has tried to take shortcuts has ended up crashing at about the 8 month time so just let it all happen slowly and you will have a beautifull when it is done.

I didn't think you were yelling. Just love what you do and don't want to see someone else with less experience mess up. I appreciate it. Thank you. It want be hard to let it sit. My wife is pregnant so we got the tank for our child. Do you purchase anything from the internet? What websites do you use? So with my 40G tank I need to invest in a protein skimmer, one or two powerheads?, a basic test kit(to use every couple of days), and a refractometer? Thank you for helping me out.

How is this refractometer

Your link doesnt work but this is a good one the $50 one
Marine Depot Aquarium Refractometer
and I do order from marine depot and this site DIYReef.com Reef Aquarium Lighting and Supplies along with this site Pet Supplies, Dog Supplies, Cat Supplies, Pet Meds & Pet Products
Just because you let your tank cycle doesnt mean you wont start seeing life in your tank because as the tank cycles you will start seeing pods, bristle worms, feather dusters, stomatella snails and maybe even some polyps if you buy LR and it will also give you a chance to get the bad hitch hikers out of the tank before you start stocking with fish, inverts and corals

Yes Please slow down Bud, this process is about patience not immediate results. Get yourself some flow in that tank, You can do this powerheads like the Seio type heads like hereSeio power heads After that your skimmer needs to work overtime to help with Cycling. Never add animals right away. They die off and you cant find em then Nitrates and other stuff happen in your tank and you have to do more work to get rid of it. Read, Read and Read somemore. To be perfectly honest never, never listen to a LFS. Their whole job is to make profit and sell you stuff you dont need. If you know what you want before you go in, you will end up with nicer and less stress tank then if you go by what they tell ya. Learn to test and test again. Its all available to you if just ask before you do. I wish I had the internet when I first started reefing.. There is No STUPID question.

I agreed with all the advice. by the way I have a seaclone skimmer in one of my tanks and I dont like it. dont think it works good enough. I do have a two emperors 280 in my 65g and love them. but the skimmer I recommend buying something better which means higher price but worth it in the end.

read thru this website. it contains just about everything you need to know.
Wetwebmedia, Aquarium, Pond, Marine and Freshwater Fish, reef tanks, and Aquatics Information
I also recommend these sites for supplies. they usually have great specials.
Pet Solutions
Aquarium Supplies - Aquarium Supplies for your Tropical Fish, Saltwater Fish, Reef Aquarium, Marine Fish, Saltwater Aquarium

most important read a lot and get a good understanding of the hobby. you will then probably know what kind of setup you want based on your interest and the maintenance you will have to perform. I recommend reading this book
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists.

Thanks so much for all the advice guys. I have def. went with it. I've been researching, I order the book that was recommended, and I'm going to be ordering the test kit, refractometer, powerheads, and then a skimmer in the following week.

Thanks for listening to all of us, your tank will look much better and a lot less work on your self. Remember research everthing you consider putting in your tank and even come here and ask us just so you know you have covered all the bases especially with hardware and corals you are looking to buy.

i"ve heard that live rock mis suppost to make the tank cycle quicker...must have been wrong...if your interested, there is alot of othewr ways to cycle a tank that won't crash it...hre is a good link The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

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I'm so sorry I haven't been on the forum in so long! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten this lovely website! I moved to a different county back in May 2011 and started high school in a totally different school district. So I'm still adjusting and studying hard, and don't presently have any aquariums. But once I do, I'll be right back on this forum!