about 50 million videos on how to get started. This video isn’t so much a step-by-step

how to, but rather some practical tips to think about before you get started. I’ve

been in this hobby a really really long time, and this is the top5 things I wish I knew

as a beginner.

The first tip has to start with tank selection. Seemingly nothing could be simpler than picking

out a glass box, but there really is a lot to consider. Obviously there are considerations

such as “will it fit in the space I’ve selected?” You don’t need to watch a video

on that type of stuff. Those things are pretty obvious. I want to talk to you about some

of the technical details of tank selection and how selecting a particular tank affects

everything else.

So I will start at the end and work my way back. The best tank for a beginner is a 48”

120-gallon tank. How did I come up with that? In short, it is the best combination of volume

to surface area. Larger volumes of water actually make the hobby easier because chemical fluctuations

in large tanks happen more slowly compared to smaller tanks.

The surface area part might need a practical example. First consider that one of the most

popular tank sizes is a 48” 55-gallon tank. When you walk into a local pet store it’s

probably the first tank you see for sale. They are very very very popular. Ubiquitous.

They measure something like 48x13x21. It’s not a very good size because of that narrowness

in that width. It limits what one can do with rock work, but worse of all, a tank like this

55 will cost almost as much as that 120-gallon I recommended.

How does that work, because the sticker on that 120 is definitely going to be higher

than the 55. A lot higher even. What people just starting out in the hobby don’t realize

is the cost of an aquarium, the glass box itself is... basically free in the grand scheme

of things. Reef keeping can be done on a budget, but chances are, someone that’s new to it

won’t be able to easily figure what corners can be cut. If you don’t believe me, for

you experienced reefers out there, how much of your original equipment do you still have?

Did you spend your money efficiently the first few years? I for one could fill warehouses

full of aquarium-related junk I bought over the years that I know now I didn’t need.

So going back to my main point, the cost of an aquarium is basically free given the cost

of everything else. The cost difference between that 55-gallon tank and 120-gallon tank is

not something you will ever remember. Besides livestock, the two most expensive pieces of

equipment in the hobby will be your lights and filtration. There is a good chance that

the lighting and filtration you would use on a 55 would be more than adequate for that

120.

So for that tiny bit extra cash spent on a tank early on, you end up getting nearly twice

the water volume which comes with more chemical stability, more aquascaping options, and more

space for fish and corals that would otherwise crowd a 55.

Now I understand not everyone has room for a 120. For space restricted would-be hobbyists,

consider tanks in 2’ x 2’ sections. The reason that a 120 is so efficient is most

modular lighting these days lights a 2’ square. So, in the previous example, two light

fixtures required to light a 55-gallon tank which is 4’ long would easily light a 120-gallon

that is also 4’ long. If you can’t fit a 4’ tank, consider getting a 60-gallon

cube that measures 24” on each side. Again, you are maximizing the space that your lighting

and filtration can handle while giving you a decent amount of volume to work with.

I’ve glossed over the filtration equipment to a large extent so far, but I’ll touch

on it a bit later. What you need to remember for right now is that equipment scales well

to larger tanks. For example, medium sized protein skimmers of any decent quality can

handle most tanks from 55 to 250 gallons. Reactors scale even better. A typical calcium

reactor can handle at least 250 gallons. If you decide to use dosing pumps to dispense

additives, those scale to just about any size aquarium you can dream of.

Right now there is a lot of technology floating around that wasn’t here 10 years ago. Things

like biopellet reactors, granular ferric oxide, zeovit, heck, even LED is a relatively new

technology. Someone who was in the hobby 15 years ago that is just now getting back into

it now would have a lot of catching up to do. Because there is so much stuff out there,

it is hard for people to figure out what is really needed.

The best way I can simplify this for people just starting out is to keep things very simple.

There are really only three things you have to provide for a successful aquarium. Those

three things are good light, good water movement, and good water quality. There are plenty of

debates to be had on how to achieve all three of those ideals, but as long as you have those

three working, you will be successful with most things.

Here is a practical tip for getting started. Find a tank you like and copy it. Better yet,

find ten tanks that inspire your creative juices and see what they all have in common

and set that as your baseline. Your journey through this hobby will be something that

is uniquely your own as you figure out over time with what works for you, but to get started,

copy someone’s setup that you like.

Let’s assume that you’ve listened to me up to this point and you want to do some shopping.

Hold off! Hold off as long as you possibly can and absorb information. I’m going to

make up some numbers here, but for every day that you spend researching this hobby, you

will save $1000. It is that important. Rushing into things is a guaranteed way for stuff

to go horribly wrong fast.

But Than... there is so much conflicting information out there! Where do I go for good information?

That’s true. You are going to hear a lot of conflicting viewpoints. What makes it even

more confusing is that both people might actually be right because there are a lot of ways to

be successful in this hobby. Ummm... not helping is it? The internet is still a sea of noise?

Here is a tip that can help you source better information. There are plenty of eloquent

contributors to online communities that will claim some sort of expertise. Want to know

if they are actually legit? Look at their tank. It’s as simple as that. If their tank

is garbage, it does not matter what credentials they have as far as I am concerned. A glorious

tank speaks for itself and the person that designed and executed it will have a wealth

of information on all the challenges it took to get it to that point. This stuff is not

taught in schools. It’s not theoretical. It has to be experienced.

One way to conceptualize it is this: a great reef tank is an iceberg. It is the thing that

sticks up out of the water that you will actually see. What you don’t see is the 90% still

under the water. That 90% is the hard learned lessons like tank crashes, regrettable equipment

purchases, incompatible livestock choices, janky plumbing projects, horrible electrical,

the list goes on. That’s why I suggest learning as much as you can from build threads of tanks

you really like and take from them as many ideas as possible.

Ok... you’ve done all your homework and finally it’s time to shop. The first thing

I want you to do is go look outside. Is it snowing out? For those in warm areas without

snow, is it basketball season? If so, it’s not the best time to buy. People don’t realize

this, but this hobby is seasonal. Very seasonal. Once summer hits, this whole industry almost

grinds to a halt. People spend less time in the house when the weather gets nice, and

it’s common for there to be a little neglect of the home aquarium. Often times, people

bounce out of the hobby altogether. If you are looking to save a bit of money on startup

costs and don’t mind buying equipment second hand, the summer time is the time to do it.

If you haven’t already, consider joining a local aquarium club. There is a proliferation

of online communities especially with Facebook Groups, but there are still some benefits

to joining a local club. Chief among those are the ability to see people’s aquariums

in person if that club does a tank tour of local members, and purchasing equipment from

fellow club members without having to deal with shipping.

I’ve saved the best tip for last... show Tidal Gardens some love! Subscribe to this

channel if you haven’t already! Share it with your friends. Follow us on Twitter Instagram

and Facebook and if you want to become a patron of Tidal Gardens hop over to Patreon and check

out some of the perks for becoming a donor. Seriously though, stick around this channel

for long enough and I guarantee you it will make your time in the hobby a lot easier,

but you probably wanted a real tip so I’ll give you a quick one about water chemistry.

Chemistry can be a really overwhelming topic and it is important that you learn as much

as you can about it, but to get started consider two things:

Number one... water changes fix just about every problem imaginable. Got high nitrates

because you fed too much? Water change. Corals looking stressed? Water change. Calcium, Alkalinity,

and Magnesium all out of whack? Water change. Hair algae? Water change. Basically when in

doubt, do a water change. Water changes are like exercise and flossing. People think they

do them a lot more than they actually do, so when people ask me about a problem they

are having and tell me they do water changes every week, it’s a little improbable. Why

don’t you go ahead and do another one right now and see if you still have issues.

Number two... don’t dose any chemical you aren’t actively testing for. I get this

question all the time. Should I be dosing blank chemical? I don’t know? Did you test

your water and was it low? Blindly adding chemicals to a tank is unwise. If you are

not testing for it, don’t add it. Just do a water change. water change.

Ok, I hope these tips were helpful to you guys. Until next time, happy reefing.