damnsnowak
New member
1st- I have never posted on forums before. Please take pity and advise if im posting in wrong place or doing something else dumb, annoying or self-embarrasing
Hello reef central. I guess i've been lurking long enough. I have learned so much that way its nice to be able to surf through all the forums and find so many answers and handy tips ready for newbies like myself attempting to reduce my ignorance before jumping in. I loooove the stickies for beginners I still have many questions and appreciate any guidance or tips from more experienced (at this point that is anybody who has or has ever had a tank with saltwater inside of it haha). And thanks ahead of time to anybody wading through what is already shaping up to be a tl:dr. Talking through things out loud helps me clarify my jumbled thoughts...and also provides me with great company
About me? I am a 32yo Alaskan lady... *snicker* Okay, "lady" isnt quite appropriate. I dont think Alaska is conducive to producing ladies. Last time I wore high heels was for a trip to Seattle. I took them off right in the airport, threw them in the trash can and left walking the filthy sidewalks barefoot. Okay, back on topic and less rambling maybe. I have never had a saltwater tank before and am trying to decide on a setup. Been researching for an all in one as i dont feel experienced enough to pick out my own quality mid-priced components and put them together and have it look (and work) nice and professional in the end. Also, ive tried to price builds selecting each piece of equipment according to reviews, ratings and compatibility and the price is as much (or more) as plug and play kits.
I started out thinking small and looking at the reef ready 29g biocube. While researching basics i realized something this small would be severely limiting for me and likely result in wasted money and multiple tank syndrome...having 4-5 expensive jerry rigged hard to maintain setups running. When i first got into freshwater keeping, my own ignorance (and the shadiness of my lfs) resulted in incompatible tankmates, badly sized fish and multiple craigslist tank purchases!
Soooooo, i decided against the biocube and went right to the red sea max s 650 as popular advice says to start out right off the bat with the very largest you are able to afford and have room for. So, i was saving and preparing my shopping list of newbie saltwater supplies to buy and i begun feeling like I had swung too far the other way and that starting out that huge felt like gung-ho madness.
Now, i would still l.o.v.e. the s650 but now i am thinking as i have no seasoning to huge tanks or saltwater it seems like it may be much more reasonable to start with a 50-70 gallon? As well, i have to think about shipping prices to Alaska as my lfs is an atrociously expensive sadly run joke. Example? (floating fish are standard & $2.00 for 1 ghost shrimp).
Question #1- (A) is a 50-70g the most logical beginning? Im thinking it should be able to provide years of enjoyment and a fair amount of options while gaining experience or (B) should i start out learning with the cheaper option of a nano. Maybe a small 29g hard to maintain/regulate tank but could possibly serve as a good quarantine tank later (with a 10g quarantine ready to go)? or (C) should i start out with a huge droolworthy tank as it may be more cost effective in the long run than upgrading even though frankly, even as i drool, the sheer size and volume frightens me a smidge.
I plan on starting out very slowly (i learned that from lurking!). Being new to the vast options of saltwater and reef keeping, I am planning on starting with keeping a very small mixture of cheap easy invertebrates, fish, and different hard and soft corals (all tbd by compatibility) to gauge where my interests lie. I'd like to see what i get excited by and find out by plain old experience what i discover to be the most personally rewarding and interesting.
Q#2-Is this an okay idea or should i somehow have a much better idea of my reef type goals to begin with?
I want my tank to be as fully capable as possible from the very start to handle any which way i decide to go. Though it will be more expensive to start i think it will be easier, more aesthetically pleasing and more cost effective to start that way rather than being forced to upgrade and adapt the lighting and filtration components in the future anyway.
I really like the looks of the cadlights systems. I have contacted cadlight via email for information on Their 50g cube and their 70g rectangle artisian 2 all in one systems and pricing for shipping. Living in Alaska, I fear the shipping is not going to be pretty but we will see. I found their website off some reef forum or another. www.cadlights.com their systems are supposed to come with everything needed even for high demand corals including appropriate skimmer lighting refugium etc. with the matching stand available.
Anyone with extra time or a surplus of boredom have any input on suitability or quality of these cadlight complete systems? All that i know is to a newbie, they look gorgeous and all of their components sound like everything is specially picked out for excellent performance without any hassle or upgrading required... Any comments or suggestions? Also, i do have some struggle finding companies that will ship aquariums larger than 29g to AK. Thats why i have been surfing and pricing the smaller more custom manufacturers that have more shipping services to customers. I was looking at the RSM 250 it seems like the owners really love the system but it also sounds like they also end up needing to upgrade every component one by one? I know the nature of the aquarium hobby game may be a constant striving to make it more and more perfect/better/bigger. But surfing the red sea max forums, it seems like its a pretty package but the system doesnt start out with powerful enough or good quality components? Any Input or comments on that as i still may choose that route?
Along that subject, while researching and pricing the rsm 250, I was planning on adding an in cabinet sump/refugium right off the bat to make it better and easier to maintain. I looked into Lifereef custom systems and I have to add that should I need one after my tank purchase I will be going with someone named Jeff from Lifereef. He has shown Lifereef to have stellar customer service and their systems look great in the pictures and on all of the forum reviews i was able to find. I dont know about pricing comparisons as i wasnt able to find too many builders for that but if youre in the market for one, look up Lifereef in your buying research because they get an A+ in my book for being leagues ahead of other companies in striving for customer satisfaction. I like to hear about companies that treat customers well instead of just trying to make a buck off them. Companies that understand the importance of word-of-mouth advertising and repeat customers. So, thats that. Swear im not a spammer. I dont even own a lifereef anything but they were so responsive to all of my dumb questions they deserved a pat on the back
We do have a petco moving in mid-october. I dont know how their in store products compare to online products available but i have not found any complete reef packages at all nor tanks in my size range that I think look nice. Any input? I am happy there will be somewhere besides mail order and shady lfs to buy supplies and food though
TLDR? Hello Reef Central. Alaska checking in for service. Wanna play 20 questions and listen to my disjointed ramblings?
Hello reef central. I guess i've been lurking long enough. I have learned so much that way
its nice to be able to surf through all the forums and find so many answers and handy tips ready for newbies like myself attempting to reduce my ignorance before jumping in. I loooove the stickies for beginners I still have many questions and appreciate any guidance or tips from more experienced (at this point that is anybody who has or has ever had a tank with saltwater inside of it haha). And thanks ahead of time to anybody wading through what is already shaping up to be a tl:dr. Talking through things out loud helps me clarify my jumbled thoughts...and also provides me with great companyAbout me? I am a 32yo Alaskan lady... *snicker* Okay, "lady" isnt quite appropriate. I dont think Alaska is conducive to producing ladies. Last time I wore high heels was for a trip to Seattle. I took them off right in the airport, threw them in the trash can and left walking the filthy sidewalks barefoot. Okay, back on topic and less rambling maybe. I have never had a saltwater tank before and am trying to decide on a setup. Been researching for an all in one as i dont feel experienced enough to pick out my own quality mid-priced components and put them together and have it look (and work) nice and professional in the end. Also, ive tried to price builds selecting each piece of equipment according to reviews, ratings and compatibility and the price is as much (or more) as plug and play kits.
I started out thinking small and looking at the reef ready 29g biocube. While researching basics i realized something this small would be severely limiting for me and likely result in wasted money and multiple tank syndrome...having 4-5 expensive jerry rigged hard to maintain setups running. When i first got into freshwater keeping, my own ignorance (and the shadiness of my lfs) resulted in incompatible tankmates, badly sized fish and multiple craigslist tank purchases!
Soooooo, i decided against the biocube and went right to the red sea max s 650 as popular advice says to start out right off the bat with the very largest you are able to afford and have room for. So, i was saving and preparing my shopping list of newbie saltwater supplies to buy and i begun feeling like I had swung too far the other way and that starting out that huge felt like gung-ho madness.
Now, i would still l.o.v.e. the s650 but now i am thinking as i have no seasoning to huge tanks or saltwater it seems like it may be much more reasonable to start with a 50-70 gallon? As well, i have to think about shipping prices to Alaska as my lfs is an atrociously expensive sadly run joke. Example? (floating fish are standard & $2.00 for 1 ghost shrimp).
Question #1- (A) is a 50-70g the most logical beginning? Im thinking it should be able to provide years of enjoyment and a fair amount of options while gaining experience or (B) should i start out learning with the cheaper option of a nano. Maybe a small 29g hard to maintain/regulate tank but could possibly serve as a good quarantine tank later (with a 10g quarantine ready to go)? or (C) should i start out with a huge droolworthy tank as it may be more cost effective in the long run than upgrading even though frankly, even as i drool, the sheer size and volume frightens me a smidge.
I plan on starting out very slowly (i learned that from lurking!). Being new to the vast options of saltwater and reef keeping, I am planning on starting with keeping a very small mixture of cheap easy invertebrates, fish, and different hard and soft corals (all tbd by compatibility) to gauge where my interests lie. I'd like to see what i get excited by and find out by plain old experience what i discover to be the most personally rewarding and interesting.
Q#2-Is this an okay idea or should i somehow have a much better idea of my reef type goals to begin with?
I want my tank to be as fully capable as possible from the very start to handle any which way i decide to go. Though it will be more expensive to start i think it will be easier, more aesthetically pleasing and more cost effective to start that way rather than being forced to upgrade and adapt the lighting and filtration components in the future anyway.
I really like the looks of the cadlights systems. I have contacted cadlight via email for information on Their 50g cube and their 70g rectangle artisian 2 all in one systems and pricing for shipping. Living in Alaska, I fear the shipping is not going to be pretty but we will see. I found their website off some reef forum or another. www.cadlights.com their systems are supposed to come with everything needed even for high demand corals including appropriate skimmer lighting refugium etc. with the matching stand available.
Anyone with extra time or a surplus of boredom have any input on suitability or quality of these cadlight complete systems? All that i know is to a newbie, they look gorgeous and all of their components sound like everything is specially picked out for excellent performance without any hassle or upgrading required... Any comments or suggestions? Also, i do have some struggle finding companies that will ship aquariums larger than 29g to AK. Thats why i have been surfing and pricing the smaller more custom manufacturers that have more shipping services to customers. I was looking at the RSM 250 it seems like the owners really love the system but it also sounds like they also end up needing to upgrade every component one by one? I know the nature of the aquarium hobby game may be a constant striving to make it more and more perfect/better/bigger. But surfing the red sea max forums, it seems like its a pretty package but the system doesnt start out with powerful enough or good quality components? Any Input or comments on that as i still may choose that route?
Along that subject, while researching and pricing the rsm 250, I was planning on adding an in cabinet sump/refugium right off the bat to make it better and easier to maintain. I looked into Lifereef custom systems and I have to add that should I need one after my tank purchase I will be going with someone named Jeff from Lifereef. He has shown Lifereef to have stellar customer service and their systems look great in the pictures and on all of the forum reviews i was able to find. I dont know about pricing comparisons as i wasnt able to find too many builders for that but if youre in the market for one, look up Lifereef in your buying research because they get an A+ in my book for being leagues ahead of other companies in striving for customer satisfaction. I like to hear about companies that treat customers well instead of just trying to make a buck off them. Companies that understand the importance of word-of-mouth advertising and repeat customers. So, thats that. Swear im not a spammer. I dont even own a lifereef anything but they were so responsive to all of my dumb questions they deserved a pat on the back
We do have a petco moving in mid-october. I dont know how their in store products compare to online products available but i have not found any complete reef packages at all nor tanks in my size range that I think look nice. Any input? I am happy there will be somewhere besides mail order and shady lfs to buy supplies and food though
TLDR? Hello Reef Central. Alaska checking in for service. Wanna play 20 questions and listen to my disjointed ramblings?
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