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

[catfish1952]

Hello, New guy to the hobby!!

Hello, New guy to the hobby!!

Hello all, not sure I'm posting in the right place to begin. If not, point me in the right direction. I've been a fresh water hobbiest for 20+ years, primarily catfish, but I've kept lots of different fish. Considering setting up a fish only salt tank for the first time and looking for advice on basic stuff. What I'm considering would probably be about a 30-40 gallon tank with a few small fish or possibly a single larger fish that would be comfortable in a tank of that size. Can it be done simply, say with a power filter such as an Aqua Clear or small canister and a power head or two?? or do I need to have skimmers, chillers, sumps, etc. for a FO setup?? ...thanks for any advice to basic start-up questions!!!

 

[TinaMarie]

Hi everyone! I've always kept freshwater, and by always I don't want to even mention how many years, but always wanted saltwater. I was just afraid to try. Three months ago I got a used 12G nano that was stable with 20# of LR, added a kupang damsel and royal gramma, and the addiction was on. Two weeks later I had bought a 90G that had been running for 9 months with 130# LR, and now have a diamond goby, lawnmower blenny, hippo blue tang and coral beauty angel, along with a few cool inverts I added, and the smaller guys that were there. I'm a DJ from the Nashville area, and eager to learn all I can about keeping a mini slice of the ocean!

 

[timskloss]

New member here

New member here

Hello! I'm Tim from Mukwonago, WI.

It's time for me to get back into the hobby after a 15 year hiatus. I'm setting up a 92 corner as a marine FO tank and would gladly accept any advice from the forum. I have 5 years of previous marine aquarium experience (29 show with a Koran angel).

So far this is what I have purchased but not yet setup:
Aqueon 92 corner
Custom stand (stock stand is too short)
Aqueon Proflex 3 sump
UV sterilizer
pump and accessories, 2-bulb T5 light, 120 lb crushed coral

My desires:
-Lots of fish and some invertebrates.
-Diversity is key. My kids are in middle school and this will be a learning experience.
-Nothing venomous or aggressive--I want at least some small space in the house that is peaceful (did I mention the kids???)

1st QUESTION: The Proflex can go wet/dry, refugium or berlin. What is best for a FO tank? I want to go refugium for the nitrate processing and added diversity but there seems to be a BIG controversy versus wet/dry.

Thanks!

 

[adamsarmywife]

New return

New return

Hi RC, I have been reading this site and living through all of you since my friend crashed my tank a few years ago.:hmm5:

Long story short I had a 75gal for a little under a year, and she dropped her watch in it and didn't notice for 3 days.
Day 4, I get home and the meltdown began.
Poor hubby couldn't handle the pressure so I sold it all.

I now have a 110 waiting for our reno's to be done to set up a 50 I just picked up sorta running and an 8 gal nano I keep at my neighbours that I accidentaly got and am in desperate need of help with. I'll be posting about that today.

Anywho thanks for letting me live through you guys for a few years. :spin2:

 

[dday80]

Good morning everyone

Ill be starting version 2.0 of my 28gallon jbj led tank here in the bay area and was hoping for some tips from local reefers about lfs's frag swaps and clubs in the area thanks!

Drew

 

[Tommy220684]

Hi All,
I just joined RC this evening. My name is Tom, I'm from the UK and I'm currently researching :reading: to setup my first saltwater aquarium:hmm5:

 

[Diaz]

New and addicted

New and addicted

Hey,

I've wanted a saltwater tank for years after doing fresh for quite a while. At Christmas, my wife got me a 29g tank and I have been a regular at my LFS ever since. The tank now has 2 clowns ( one orange, one black ), a banded goby, a royal gramma and this week I added my showcase fish which is an awesome looking potter angel. I've got a cleaner shrimp and a peppermint, as well as a couple of snails and 6 varied crabs. The addiction is getting bad, because I was telling my wife that I'm ready for another, bigger tank!

I love the site, and am doing all sorts of reading here...if anyone has advice or comments I'm always open to hearing it. I live in the DFW area and found the local marine group. My plan is to attend one of their functions and become a member because I think the experience of others will definitely make me a better aquarist. Anyone else in Frisco, TX ever want to exchange war stories or anything like that should send me a note!

Happy fishing,

Diaz

 

[Audi5000]

Hi all,
I am not new to fishkeeping but new to reefkeeping.
I haev a 28 gallon nano cube that has been up for about a month and a half now.
Nice meeting everyone!

 

[Rwburke]

Hello all,
I have been using the vast knowledge of this forum for over a year now and decided to finally register and introduce myself. My name is Ron and I live in Washington state. I have had my 180 gallon mixed reef tank up and running for a little over a year. I have learned a lot in that time and still have lots of learning to do.

Thanks everyone!!!
Rwburke

 

[D. Murphy]

Hello everyone,

I am new here. Working on setting up my first saltwater reef tank. I have always wanted 1, and just recently had a chance to get started on 1. It is a 44 gallon corner tank. I've got as far as getting water, salt, sand and live rock in it so far. Just added the last of the water, so waiting for the sand to settle down so I can see how it looks inside. I'm 43 yrs old (will be 44 in a few days) and live in Harpursville, NY.

Thanks,

Dan:wavehand:

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Is there anyone on here from Oregon?

[welcome]

Not sure if there are any local forms for Oregon, but you can check out the local forums to see if there's anyone in your area

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hello all, not sure I'm posting in the right place to begin. If not, point me in the right direction. I've been a fresh water hobbiest for 20+ years, primarily catfish, but I've kept lots of different fish. Considering setting up a fish only salt tank for the first time and looking for advice on basic stuff. What I'm considering would probably be about a 30-40 gallon tank with a few small fish or possibly a single larger fish that would be comfortable in a tank of that size. Can it be done simply, say with a power filter such as an Aqua Clear or small canister and a power head or two?? or do I need to have skimmers, chillers, sumps, etc. for a FO setup?? ...thanks for any advice to basic start-up questions!!!

[welcome]
Sounds like you're on the right track, for a fish only tank a skimmer and all the other bells and whistles aren't a must. However they will aide in keeping the tank cleaner. However if you plan on making the plunge into a reef tank, you'll want to have equipment setup to stabilize the system.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hi everyone! I've always kept freshwater, and by always I don't want to even mention how many years, but always wanted saltwater. I was just afraid to try. Three months ago I got a used 12G nano that was stable with 20# of LR, added a kupang damsel and royal gramma, and the addiction was on. Two weeks later I had bought a 90G that had been running for 9 months with 130# LR, and now have a diamond goby, lawnmower blenny, hippo blue tang and coral beauty angel, along with a few cool inverts I added, and the smaller guys that were there. I'm a DJ from the Nashville area, and eager to learn all I can about keeping a mini slice of the ocean!

[welcome]
The addiction only gets tougher to break. If you haven't already discovered it, check out the Nano forum

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hello! I'm Tim from Mukwonago, WI.

It's time for me to get back into the hobby after a 15 year hiatus. I'm setting up a 92 corner as a marine FO tank and would gladly accept any advice from the forum. I have 5 years of previous marine aquarium experience (29 show with a Koran angel).

So far this is what I have purchased but not yet setup:
Aqueon 92 corner
Custom stand (stock stand is too short)
Aqueon Proflex 3 sump
UV sterilizer
pump and accessories, 2-bulb T5 light, 120 lb crushed coral

My desires:
-Lots of fish and some invertebrates.
-Diversity is key. My kids are in middle school and this will be a learning experience.
-Nothing venomous or aggressive--I want at least some small space in the house that is peaceful (did I mention the kids???)

1st QUESTION: The Proflex can go wet/dry, refugium or berlin. What is best for a FO tank? I want to go refugium for the nitrate processing and added diversity but there seems to be a BIG controversy versus wet/dry.

Thanks!

[welcome]
there is a long running thread in the new to the hobby forum that is all about those corner tanks. I'll have to find it for you.

For your question, The best of those 3 is the refugium, allowing some macroalgae to grow for nutrient export.

I'm not a fan of the wet/dry use in the salt water aquarium with the exception being a fish only tank.
Your tank can definitely be a good biology lesson for the kids.
good luck.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hi RC, I have been reading this site and living through all of you since my friend crashed my tank a few years ago.:hmm5:

Long story short I had a 75gal for a little under a year, and she dropped her watch in it and didn't notice for 3 days.
Day 4, I get home and the meltdown began.
Poor hubby couldn't handle the pressure so I sold it all.

I now have a 110 waiting for our reno's to be done to set up a 50 I just picked up sorta running and an 8 gal nano I keep at my neighbours that I accidentaly got and am in desperate need of help with. I'll be posting about that today.

Anywho thanks for letting me live through you guys for a few years. :spin2:

[welcome]

be sure to start a thread documenting your tank when you get it up and running.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Good morning everyone

Ill be starting version 2.0 of my 28gallon jbj led tank here in the bay area and was hoping for some tips from local reefers about lfs's frag swaps and clubs in the area thanks!

Drew

[welcome]
when you say bay area, are you talking california? if so there are plenty of local forums to choose from. Look through these forums to find one in your area.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hi All,
I just joined RC this evening. My name is Tom, I'm from the UK and I'm currently researching :reading: to setup my first saltwater aquarium:hmm5:

[welcome]
Tom, while researching you come across something that you need explained, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hey,

I've wanted a saltwater tank for years after doing fresh for quite a while. At Christmas, my wife got me a 29g tank and I have been a regular at my LFS ever since. The tank now has 2 clowns ( one orange, one black ), a banded goby, a royal gramma and this week I added my showcase fish which is an awesome looking potter angel. I've got a cleaner shrimp and a peppermint, as well as a couple of snails and 6 varied crabs. The addiction is getting bad, because I was telling my wife that I'm ready for another, bigger tank!

I love the site, and am doing all sorts of reading here...if anyone has advice or comments I'm always open to hearing it. I live in the DFW area and found the local marine group. My plan is to attend one of their functions and become a member because I think the experience of others will definitely make me a better aquarist. Anyone else in Frisco, TX ever want to exchange war stories or anything like that should send me a note!

Happy fishing,

Diaz

[welcome]
DFW is a great place to be, there are a lot of great hobbyist in your area. You'll get a chance to meet one of my favorite, Marc (AKA Melev). He was one of my mentors. You'll learn a lot from those guys there. Happy reefing.
P.S. Don't go over a 210 gallon tank, that's plenty for ya.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hi all,
I am not new to fishkeeping but new to reefkeeping.
I haev a 28 gallon nano cube that has been up for about a month and a half now.
Nice meeting everyone!

[welcome]
Be sure to start a thread in the Nano forum documenting your progress.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Hello all,
I have been using the vast knowledge of this forum for over a year now and decided to finally register and introduce myself. My name is Ron and I live in Washington state. I have had my 180 gallon mixed reef tank up and running for a little over a year. I have learned a lot in that time and still have lots of learning to do.

Thanks everyone!!!
Rwburke

[welcome]
Good to have you hear and out of the shadows.