If You Are New to Reef Central, Introduce Yourself Here!

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hey everyone,

Just came across someone that doesnt have the time for their tank anymore and is just going to give it to me. Unfortunately this tank has been neglected for about 5 months now and is overrun by aiptasia. I will be doing lots of research over the next few weeks as i get this bad boy set up and start killing this stuff

[welcome]
free is always a good price

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hi,

Just picked up a 70 gallon bow front tank today from a guy. I love this site and look forward to all the expert advice that I can get.

[welcome]
a 72 bow front is a good tank to start off with. good luck

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

wazaaa to all the reef lovers!! my name is jin nice to meet yall!! ^^

[welcome]
good to have you here.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hello, just started my 1st ever FOWLR 4 days ago. Stumbled on this site by accident and i must say its a great site. Here is a picture of my 4 day old tank.

72g Bow
Wet/dry filter
Crushed Coral
100lb LR
berlin skimmer

[welcome]
looks good, as you read through this site you'll realize that crushed coral isn't a great choice, it traps detritus, as well as the wet dry filter, they are more for fresh water, but as long as all you're going for is a fish only tank, high nitrates (which is what trapped detritus becomes) aren't a big concern, but when you venture into the coral arena you'll want to set yourself up for success.

 

[M3P]

Hi Everyone! I'm new to the reef scene. I've been messing with African Cichlids for the past 10 years and have decided to turn my 200 gallon into a reef tank (lucky for me it is already drilled and I have a sump running on it already). I'm in the process of selling/trading all of my fish and things I don't need from it right now. I ordered my light fixture (Marineland 72 inch 3x150W MH, 8x39W T5, and some LEDs), so things are starting to get rolling. If anyone has advice on getting this monster going feel free to message me, plus that will give me a chance to figure this forum out. I'll get pictures up soon and hopefully start a thread for the tank from start to finish! Thanks in advance for all the help I will probably get from you guys. Oh, I'm from the St. Louis area, so any of you guys from St. Louis or Southern Illinois, feel free to shoot me a message.

 

[aquaman760]

Hi, everyone new to saltwater. In june I acquired an empty 46 bowfront, sand and rock from another tank. As of now I'm doin biweekly wc's, skimmin' hookin up 10 refugium this week. Some of the rock I had was covered in gha, still fighting it but I'm winning. Have a couple clowns and a mandarin. Hammer, frogspawn, fl ric, yellow gorg, green palys, condy an. The last two came on the rock. Plus cuc. Been reading here off and on since I setup found good info so thanx guys.

How are you fighting the green hair algae and winning? I'm fighting it too, but not yet winning. I've been scrubbing and doing frw water changes. Using Chemi Pure elite, PhosGuard. Should I get a Phosphate Reactor?? any other ideas?

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hi Everyone! I'm new to the reef scene. I've been messing with African Cichlids for the past 10 years and have decided to turn my 200 gallon into a reef tank (lucky for me it is already drilled and I have a sump running on it already). I'm in the process of selling/trading all of my fish and things I don't need from it right now. I ordered my light fixture (Marineland 72 inch 3x150W MH, 8x39W T5, and some LEDs), so things are starting to get rolling. If anyone has advice on getting this monster going feel free to message me, plus that will give me a chance to figure this forum out. I'll get pictures up soon and hopefully start a thread for the tank from start to finish! Thanks in advance for all the help I will probably get from you guys. Oh, I'm from the St. Louis area, so any of you guys from St. Louis or Southern Illinois, feel free to shoot me a message.

[welcome]
Wow a 200 gallon is a great tank to start off with, when converting a fresh water to a reef tank you have to be sure that you didn't use any chemicals that are harmful to a reef tank such as: like copper (which tends to be absorbed by the seals of the tank and slowly leached back into the tank.

As far as where to get started, RC has a forum designated just for large reef tanks such as yours in the Large Reef Tank forum. And as far as locals from your area RC also has Local Forums so that you can hunt out others in your area and see what's going locally.

HTH good luck.

 

[ccsuzy]

Hello, my husband and I are about to "inherit" a 29 gallon biocube reef tank from my son. We have had freshwater tanks for years and have wanted to go salt for a long time. This will be our first! He is bringing it down and setting it up for us, complete with some corals and some fish (it's been set up in his apartment for some time, but he has graduated to a larger tank). I'm sure we will have lots of questions in the days to come!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hello, my husband and I are about to "inherit" a 29 gallon biocube reef tank from my son. We have had freshwater tanks for years and have wanted to go salt for a long time. This will be our first! He is bringing it down and setting it up for us, complete with some corals and some fish (it's been set up in his apartment for some time, but he has graduated to a larger tank). I'm sure we will have lots of questions in the days to come!

[welcome]
don't hesitate to ask away. Nothing like inheriting an already running reef tank. Good luck.

 

[crocopotamus]

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I am starting a new reef with a FOWLR 20 gallon high tank that I got from an acquaintance two weeks ago. The tank has a 4" clownfish that is black and white but has orange fins and nose (no idea what species), and a 3.5" three stripe damsel. The tank, when I got it, had not been cleaned, or the water changed, in 4 years. It is full of microalgae, and has been difficult to clean. I ran a test kit when I got the tank, and the pH is 6.4, the ammonia and nitrite are zero, but the nitrates are over 160ppm, even after four 50% water changes. The test tube goes dark red immediately, and I'm surprised the fish are alive. I replaced the gravel substrate with a DSB, and removed the undergravel filter. I also added a powerhead for circulation. I ordered some chaeto and a clean up crew, and will make a HOB refugium from an old biowheel filter. I also have ordered an AquaticLife Mini Skimmer 115. I have also ordered a Workhorse 5 ballast and two 36watt 50/50 PC bulbs and will make a canopy for it. In the past two weeks, I have raised the pH to 7.4, but the nitrates are still steady at 160ppm+. Do you think I should just do daily water changes until it decreases? Is there anything essential I am forgetting? I've had all sorts of pets in the past, and cichlids, but never a reef tank. Thanks for your help, and I'm happy to be a part of reefcentral. I've attached a pic, but the water is quite foggy, so it is hard to see.

 

[tmeade]

New to RC. Can't wait to attend next frag meeting/auction

New to RC. Can't wait to attend next frag meeting/auction

Hello. I was told about Reef Central several years ago but just joined. Although I'm not new to saltwater reefing, in it for about 5 years or so now, I feel like a newbie because I am learning something all of the time. Looking forward to the next frag meeting/auction in Phoenix, Az area (I saw some interesting pics on member posts). Let the learning and reef-building begin!

 

[JPKelly]

Hey,

My name is James. I'm currently living and going to school in Starkville MS. I have around two semesters left on a BS in aerospace engineering. I have been in the hobby for about six months. I've been researching saltwater for a couple of months now and absolutely love this site. I started out with a 20 gallon freshwater. I recently purchased a 55 gallon and I am working on making it a FOWLR tank. I have a DIY counter current skimmer I hope to have functioning very soon (still deciding on an air pump), a 10 gallon sump with a hang on back filter for now, around 60-65 lbf of largo LR and some fiji and about 2 inches of aragonite sand. Thanks for the great site!

 

[danko1979]

Hello everyone!

Hello everyone!

:bounce3:My name is Adam. I live in NE Ohio. My wife and I have been reefing for about 6 years now. We started in Oct 2004. We were on our honeymoon in VA Beach at a LFS. They had a 2 gal. nano reef fully stocked for $500.00 (know now, way over priced!). The tiny intricacies caught our eye though! We carefully hauled fish, corals, tank home 11 hours via car. Not having any clue on what we were doing, was quite a chore for us. We have been in love since. We upgraded to a 12 gal biocube. Got my father into the hobby after my mother died. Gave him the 12 gal biocube in trade for a new 29 gal oceanic bio cube (not a bad deal on our end). He upgraded in Feb to a 72 gal bowfront. Out of jealousy we upgraded to a 75 gallon in March. We still have the 29 gal as well. He's talking about a 120 gal, which means we will of course need to out do him. But right now it is just talk.....Thank God!

75 gal
Remora bak pak skimmer with surface skimmer box
405 fluval
3 koralias
4 T5's 2 actinic 2 white
2 T12 blue actinics

2 cleaner shrimp
1 black tip star
1 sand sifting star
1 brittle star
1 blue damsel
1 percula clown
1 two spot goby
1 bicolor blenny
1 scooter blenny
1 Hectors goby
1 purple firefish
1 citron goby
1 clown goby green
10 blue legs
5 astrea snails
8 nassarius snails


29 gal
1 banded pistol shrimp
1 yasha goby
4 sexy shrimp
1 anemone crab
1 arrow crab
1 pink tip anemone

My wife and I are in the process of starting a fragging system in the basement. 25 tank system totaling 750 gal. That is a year off still. Lights and power heads add up!

 

[stonemanbytes]

newbie

newbie

Hi! My name is Ryan and I live and was born and raised in Phoenix AZ. I'm about 1 month into the hobby and I think joining RC is the first thing I've done right. I've talked to a lot of tropicalfish store owners in the area and the word in the industy is......join ReefCentral.com. so here's the rundown. I purchased a 14gal Oceanic Biocube at auction for around 25 bucks. I started getting it set up with live rock and live sand and then I decided that if 14 gallons was nice 29 would be more than twice as nice. Therefore I now own a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube. Different people have been telling me different things so I kinda mixed up peoples suggestions and threw them all together and now I feel screwed! I ran my tank for 2 weeks then added 3 blue legged hermits, and 2 turbo snails. A week later I added an emerald crab. 4 nessarius snails, 2 clowns and a engineer goby. I didn't learn about cycling the tank for an alloted amount of time before running lights so now I have too much brown algae. My ph is rising, today it read 8.4, my cal is at 500, nitrates at 40ppm nitrites at 0, and my ammonia is at .25. I'm going to do another water exchange tomorrow. I did 1 at 2 weeks. 1 of my hermits died today and I'm afraid for my other tank residences. Any suggestions oput there would be greatly appreciated. I'm already hooked and I just want to know how to do things right. Wow what an addiction! I hope to hear from somebody soon before my clowns or goby meet the same fate as my crab. Thanks for reading.

 

[macktab]

just like new member

just like new member

Hello to All....I have been following this site for a while, and finally decided to express my appreciation for all the great and interesting topics, solutions and opinions. I will be starting up a 72g bowfront reef after years of using it for freshwater SA dwarf cichlids - don't fret, they have their own 55g now. I have been keeping freshwater fish for most of my time, with the exception of a year or so with a Fish Only SW tank back in 1976. And yes, the 55g mentioned earlier is the same tank, 3/8in glass no intended centerbrace & never leaked. Funny though, the 72g bowfront is a RR oceanic from 2006 and I am fixing it's slow leak! I will be modding my wet/dry plexi sump for my new SRO 1000sss skimmer....So wish me good fortune.

 

[JDUB916]

What's up everyone. I am new to RC and I am looking forward to my journey in this hobby of Salt Water Reef Tanks. My name is Jeremy and I am a 31 year old resident of Sacramento, CA. I am a Business Analyst in IT and have been raising all types of fresh water fish; from a 300 gallon Arrowana and Oscar tank, all the way down to a 65 gallon cichlid tank.

A close friend just gave me his 100 gallon Salt Water Reef Aquarium over the weekend. It was already established for 8 years, and was moved once before about 4 years ago so this transition went well.

I have alot of live rock, and very healthy fish in it. 2 Clown Fish, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Blue Tang, 1 Foxface, and 1 Flame Angel. I am looking to add Coral and few other goodies, but I want to learn as much as I can first so I dont harm the current setup.

Here is a picture of it. Thanks !

 

[Emerald525]

Hello Reef Central!

Hello Reef Central!

Hello Reef Central! :wave:I am new to this site! I started out in this hobby May of 2009 with a 55 gallon setup I bought used. I told myself if I kept it up a year I would upgrade but in 7 months I went from this:

to this:

after the sand settled:

and here is the tank most recently. Sorry bad picture

I also have a 150 gallon glass tank , a 14 gallon nano tank now and a 34 gallon Solana that I will post pictures of later.

 

[finchflex]

hello my name is tim mullins, i rather new to the hobbie, and i love it..i started out in the fresh water world and found that it got rather dull (no challenges really) so last december i got into the salt water side of the hobbie, myself i love the salt water and might have some in my veins, i grew up basically on the ocean, i love the smell of the sea, all all it has to offer, it feels good to have a little at home too, i love the website i posted a couple of post already and got some good ffedback all ready heres my line up:
i have a 75gallon FOWLR
it contains:
1 green wolf eel
2 snow flake eels
1 lunar wrasse
1 yellow tang
3 clown fish
5 damsels
1 lawnmower goby
1 trigger
1 red grouper
3 anemoes
1 black spine sea urchin
1 white sea urchin
1 STAR FISH
90 pounds of live rock
2 hydor 4's for current
1 48" compact 2- 10,000k's
1 48" t-5 H.O.(1-10,000K BULB, 1- ACTINIC

40 gallon reef tank
45 pounds of live rock
3" fine sand bed
a whole bunch of coral
2 anemoes
1 algae blenny
1 lawn mower blenny
1 baby blue hippo (small)
1 blue dungeon goby
1 bar goby
1 anthist
1 mandarin
1 scooter blenny
1 white and orange blenny
10 hermit crabs
10 snails
5 massive snails (huge ones)
1 cleaner shrimp
2 peppermint shrimp
1 SEA SLUG (BLACK)
2 aqua clear powerheads 50's
4 48" T-5 H.O.(2-10,000K,2-ACTINIC) AND 9 BLUE L.E.D.S.

sump
50 gallon sump
5.5 gallon fuge w/ 3" DSB
1 PROTEIN SKIMMER
2 return pumps (1 to 40 gal,1000gph/1 to FOWLR tank, 1200gph)
3 aqua socks
1 fluval 205(packed with just phosphate remover/ and carbon
1 heater 200watt
4" DSB

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I am starting a new reef with a FOWLR 20 gallon high tank that I got from an acquaintance two weeks ago. The tank has a 4" clownfish that is black and white but has orange fins and nose (no idea what species), and a 3.5" three stripe damsel. The tank, when I got it, had not been cleaned, or the water changed, in 4 years. It is full of microalgae, and has been difficult to clean. I ran a test kit when I got the tank, and the pH is 6.4, the ammonia and nitrite are zero, but the nitrates are over 160ppm, even after four 50% water changes. The test tube goes dark red immediately, and I'm surprised the fish are alive. I replaced the gravel substrate with a DSB, and removed the undergravel filter. I also added a powerhead for circulation. I ordered some chaeto and a clean up crew, and will make a HOB refugium from an old biowheel filter. I also have ordered an AquaticLife Mini Skimmer 115. I have also ordered a Workhorse 5 ballast and two 36watt 50/50 PC bulbs and will make a canopy for it. In the past two weeks, I have raised the pH to 7.4, but the nitrates are still steady at 160ppm+. Do you think I should just do daily water changes until it decreases? Is there anything essential I am forgetting? I've had all sorts of pets in the past, and cichlids, but never a reef tank. Thanks for your help, and I'm happy to be a part of reefcentral. I've attached a pic, but the water is quite foggy, so it is hard to see.

[welcome]
Sounds like you inherited a doozy. however with some TLC you'll get it back to normal. Nitrates aren't a big deal for fish only tanks, however 4 years of no water changes has built up some serious nitrates, keep doing what you're doing, and pay attention to what you're feeding the tank making sure that those 2 fish aren't being overfed and allowing the uneated food to fall to the substrate. As for your DSB I would like to stress that you fully understand what's going on withh the DSB because too many times people run into problems because they don't know how to care for it.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hello. I was told about Reef Central several years ago but just joined. Although I'm not new to saltwater reefing, in it for about 5 years or so now, I feel like a newbie because I am learning something all of the time. Looking forward to the next frag meeting/auction in Phoenix, Az area (I saw some interesting pics on member posts). Let the learning and reef-building begin!

[welcome] glad to have you with us, when you can, be sure to lend your experience to those that have none.