# New to the game and eager to get my hands wet.



## JesseK (Aug 1, 2011)

After reflecting on my life a little bit I realized just how much I'm obsessed with fish, I've always had a tank and now I feel it's time to take my passion up to the next level, with a salt water aquarium. I'm 16 years old and ready to start a hobby that I hope will carry me through the rest of my life.


What I'm asking if for well.... everything? I have the basic knowledge of running a freshwater thank but the differences between those and salt water are almost night and day I would imagine. Where I'm really at now is I want to do a more then adequate job researching everything necessary to start a thriving tank, and what I'm asking for is some resources that will let me do just that. When I'm doing with my research I want to know every single little thing I will need to start my fish and live rock (what I've heard is best for beginners) salt water tank and will feel confident to start my tank and develop a very successful ecosystem. 

Thank you very much for the time =) I can't wait to immerse myself in this community.


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## singlee118 (Aug 2, 2011)

Well,firend,have you thought about using a LED bar or LED strip to shine your tank?It will look more fantastic.


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## AZDesertRat (Apr 10, 2009)

The best advice I can give after 30 years in the hobby is have patience, only bad things happen quickly in this hobby, all good things take time.
Read all the reef forums and look for those with years of experience and many many threads and posts. Most forums have a beginners forum that will answer a lot of the more common questions. If you like to read, Bob Fenners book, The Concientious Marine Aquarist, is still an excellent book even though it is getting dated.
Take what the LFS tells you with a grain of salt, some are great but many are less informed and want to sell you something. If you find a good LFS stick with them and try to purchase much of your supplies and livestock from them in exchange for the good advice they provide you and the extra time they will take to point you in the right direction.

Start with the basics and learn the ins and outs of saltwater, how calcium and alkalinity react with each other, why magnesium is important and why pH, temperature and salinity are important. Learn about the nitrogen cycle and what cycling a tank means and what nitrosonomas and nitrobacter bacteria are and what they do to ammonis and nitrites. Learn about macroalgaes and their importance in nitrate export.
The list goes on and on but start out slowly, listen to good advice when it comes to purchases and methods, buy only good equipment so you only have to do it once, and you will enjoy this hobby!


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