Absolutely Clueless!!

[faerymoonglow]

Hello everyone!! I just joined last night on the recomendation of my best friend. They have an awesome marine setup, and I'm completely envious. I've been doing freshwater for a little while, and I'm getting the saltwater itch! I'm looking into starting a nano reef in the near future, but I could use a lot of help!
I want to plan it all out so I don't make any mistakes trying this new system. The problem is, I don't know what to plan out! I have no idea how to pick which coral I want to grow, etc. because I don't know what anything is. I've read through the beginner's articles, and they have been very helpful on the topics of setting up the tank, etc.
I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of the best way to research live rock, coral, fish, and everything else that goes into this. This may be asking a lot, I know, but a simple nudge would really help!
Thanks so much for anything that you can do, Jess

[Doctor_Reef]

Welcome to our site....I would steer you to this link here on CF...once you read these things then ask questions about what you have read...this is a good place to start....

http://www.coralforum.com/kb.php

[newtofish]

Where are you located? You would be suprised as to how many of us reefers there are out here. Your best source of help and inspiration would be your friend who already has a tank. Ask questions untill they throw you out and then come back the next day and ask some.
There is not a reefer that I have met that does not like to share information.
As you are reading through some posts and you do not understand something just jump in and ask a question, do not be shy.
Good luck and ask away.
Richard

[Sefu]

Ask questions untill they throw you out and then come back the next day and ask some


:lmao:

Welcome to Coral Forum, faerymoonglow!

Looks like Ron and Richard have already pointed you in the right direction !

Good luck !!!

[specsgirl]

Welcome! You are already getting off to a good start by researching before you jump in...all too often people fail because they don't do their homework. If you have any questions the people on this forum will be happy to answer them so feel free to ask away.

[faerymoonglow]

Thanks so much for all of your help guys! I think my friend is excited to have me sent in her direction, LOL!
I am starting to learn a bit more and narrow down the things that I think will be best for me. For example, I've decided to stick with soft coral for my first go at this; it sounds like it's a little bit easier and requires less equipment. So, I guess I'm getting somewhere!!
I am having a hard time deciding what size nano I want to go with. I know that the smaller you go, the more difficult it can get, but I'm also looking at it from the price stand point. 12 seems to be the most middle of the road; does everyone think that that would be a good starter size?
I just want to say thanks again! Just let me know if my questions become a little overkill, ha!

[reefpaddler]

I have a 12 gallon nano cube by jbj which is nice. My wife loves it. This was my first reef tank but I had done fish only before. The new nano cube has better lights than mine does but mine still looks nice. The compact lighting of such a small area really looks nice. One thing I did on stocking corals was at various LFS(local fish stores) I would find mushroms or polyps that had fallen of rock and were just floating in the sand bed. You would be amazed at how many free mushrooms and polyps you get especially if you buy a 20-30 dollar coral already.

[specsgirl]

Soft coral is a great choice for starting out. Very tolerable for the most part to "beginners mistakes." I have never had a tank that small but the 12 nano's look like a nice all in one setup. Keep us updated on your progress.