Ok so I'm a newb to reef tanks or saltwater for that matter. My girlfriend is wanting a living reef tank after I took her to a local fish store to look at cichlids. I was wanting to know how hard is it to set up and maintain a living reef tank. Is it the bigger tank the easier? She is thinking about a small tank like a bio cube or a 36 gallon bowfront. What all would I need to set up a living reef tank equipment wise, what all is involved in setting it up far as the water goes and how hard are they to maintain once they are up and running. I know that in saltwater you have to make sure the salt level is just right in the water and to mix the water a day or so prior to a water change so it will disolve into the water. Also what fish and corals do you suggest for a begginer at it or would it be better buying a established setup off craigslist?. I have kept african and south american cichlids for a while now and have two tanks of cichlids so I think I'm pretty good at freshwater but I know saltwater and reefs are a whole new animal. Any help is appreciated. If you could post up links maybe that would point me in the right direction.

I've got a crap load of links in this thread.
Just dreaming of a nano tank for now, I need help learning!
Also, for water changes in a Reef tank, a few options for you here: 10% every week, or 25% every 2 weeks is advisable. Also, mixing the saltwater to be changed out needs to set for 24hrs prior to changing. Most use a barrel or container form like Walmart to mix the saltwater in, and stick a powerhead in there overnight to keep the water moving. Once you have the initial investment set-up and running, its really not all that hard to maintain the tank. Mine has been set up for years, all I do is test the water once a week, wipe the glass down, scrape the Coralline algae off the glass front and sides, don't bother with the back. Clean out my skimmer cup,, and feed the fish. Reef can be easy, all depending on how much you have in the tank and how big they are, the bigger they get, the more you have to watch the water parameters, and feed CAlcium and a coral food. (liquid) Oh, and a 36g tank is a perfect starter.

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Thanks that's A LOT of usefull info. One question I didn't see the answer for that i have. Can I use some filter media in a saltwater tank like in a freshwater to speed up getting the beneficial bacteria growing. Or would it not work with saltwater.

It will, if your using beneficial bacteria thats from another saltwater tank. You can't use it if its from freshwater, they are not the same bacteria, you will kill off all that bacteria if you were to take it from a freshwater and throw it in a salt tank.

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Ok I didn't know if the bacteria was the same or not.

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