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

[TriBeard]

Brand new

Brand new

Hello all, I'm about as new as they come.

I had a 10 or 20 gallon fresh water tank when I was a kid - late 80's, but it lasted less than a year. I then had a 30 freshwater with a couple of oscars for about 18 months, but couldn't keep it due work commitments. But that was 20 years ago.

The idea of a saltwater tank has been on my mind for a couple of years and I'm finally starting to make it happen. I've got a 30 gallon tank on order and a custom cabinet being made now. I've got a box with some equipment sitting in the corner ready to go and have purchased about 11 lbs of base rock and plan to buy more live rock from the lfs I am getting the aquarium from.

There's a lot of information to take in and it seems like more than one way to get and maintain a successful tank. I'm sure I'll have ups and downs but hope as time goes on the successes will out number the loses.

 

[Derik0566]

:hb2:

 

[Parkey Canada]

Ready for Crew - New to Reef

Ready for Crew - New to Reef

Hi, All,

I've been reading for a few months, and relying on a lot of advice here - I have an LED Biocube 32, Rock and sand which have now been successfully cycled - Set up Oct 24, did a frozen shrimp cycle, and my current values are:
Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 10, Salinity - 1.026, PH - 8.2, Temp - 77F

I think I'm ready to start with a CuC!

Currently, I have just a small amount of visible algae, and have not invested in a quarantine tank yet.

My plan: set up a 5 or 10 gal QT with water from my first water change, using some media from my established tank in a hang on filter. QT the CuC for . . . how long?

I'd appreciate advice on the number and mix of my CuC - Hermits, shrimps, snails - how many of each?

I've read so many differing opinions, would truly appreciate your advice.

Thanks, unfortunately, I don't know how to make the photo file small enough to share.

 

[Parkey Canada]

Forgot to mention -

Forgot to mention -

I also have a UV sterilizer - not turned on right now - does that alter quarantine time?

Thanks again.

 

[AlenaBrenda]

My Introduction

My Introduction

Hello, My name is Alena Brenda. I am a housewife have 2 sweet kids who love to eath best turkey burgers. my husband Eric and be both are a social worker and we love to help others. I hope my this introduction will be enough and i will love to help people here. :spin1:

 

[Parkey Canada]

Can someone please confirm that my posts are seen by others? I've never had a response, and I don't show up in the e-mail summaries - are my settings wrong?

 

[Andi76]

Hi All.

I'm currently on holiday but the day after I get back I take delivery of my Redsea series S 400.
Saltwater is completely new to me and after several months of reading (lots on here) it seemed only right to join. I hope to share my experience with you all and put all your welcome help and tips on to practice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Infinity76]

Hello I'm Infinity restarting 80G Salt...

 

[JUNBUG361]

Hello everyone that's new here & welcome :wavehand::wavehand::thumbsup:

 

[JRBaker]

Hey everyone! I just signed up for RC, but have been browsing for quite some time. I'm not new to aquariums, but am new to the saltwater side of things. I previously had a 75 gallon mbuna tank as well as a 75 gallon planted tank (high tech setup-EI dosing, CO2 injected, high lighting,...etc). I'm now setting up a small reef tank in a 20 long. I'll be sticking to soft corals primarily (for now, anyway). I look forward to being a part of this forum!

 

[JayNew]

I see ya!

 

[JayNew]

Hi folks! I consider myself relatively new to the hobby. I had a FOWLR for a few years 5 years ago, but broke it down due to a move and have been dreaming ever since. Just got a 125 gallon tank and I'm jumping back in. Boy is set up a lot of work! I know just enough about the hobby to want to get everything set up just right. These forums have proved invaluable to me already, these past few weeks. I hope to start off with FOWLR and maybe move to reef once I have some success. Thanks in advance!

 

[LoveReef1]

Hello Everyone!
This is really not a reply, but I just can't find the way to post a new post (just subscribed). However, I have A same question as I have a newly established 125 g saltwater aquarium with 60 Lbs live sand and 30 Lbs live rocks and some green chromis. Everything is good so far!
I recently purchased 80 Lbs of Pukani dry live rock. My question is how to add the dry rock to an established aquarium. Any help will be appreciate it and thank you.

 

[zatch]

Hello

My name is Zach - used to post here 'back in the day' as zfriedrichs - but can't remember my old password :strange:

Have been in the saltwater hobby off and on for about 10 years - primarily nano tanks. Setting up a new 20G and getting back on RC to catch up on the last few years!

 

[Oldfishman]

Back in the hobby

Back in the hobby

Hello all I am 73 years old and have been in and out of the hobby since I was 11 years old. In 1956 before most of you were born I was raising and sell live bears and angels to pet stores. In those day small angels the size of a quarter
would bring me 25 cents and live bearers would bring a dime a peace. I had a 50 gal salt water tank in the mid 70's and then a 125. After the tank developed a crack and I had it fixed I went back to a 125 freshwater.

I was out for a number of years but returned 5 years ago with a 300 gal fresh water that was my pride a joy but we had to move and I could not take the tank.

I have been looking at cub tanks and keeping a reef tank so I just purchased a JBJ 28 gal intermediary with LED lights. I really want to keep it simple and safe and not get carried away like most of us do.

 

[JMC180]

Good evening gents and ladies, I'm Jacob, 36 and from Manchester, England. (Sounds like a tv gameshow)

I've long been interested in keeping fish but coming from a large family and getting married young this passion was only something I could start to indulge in my mid 20's with a 180litre tropical set up with a low tech planting scheme. I kept at this for nearly 6 years keeping a whole host of Amazonian type fish and this gave me and my family great joy. Maintenance was a chore but when isn't it and eventually due to losing a bit of interest and being heavily focussed on setting up my business I sold the equipment and went out of the hobby for about 6 years.

A couple of years ago I bought a house that needed a complete refurbishment and it was always in the plans from day one to build a marine tank through the wall in the morning room and siting the tankmin the lounge. Knowing precisely aero about marine tanks I got in touch with a local chap who helped me set the tank up. What I have now is a 670litre 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank with a small sump beneath containing a skimmer, ozone, reactor containing rowaphos and carbon and a Vecton 600 UV plus ATO etc.

Slowly slowly I've been building up my knowledge and stock levels and I'm pretty much at capacity I feel.

However the more I research, the more I find that I was advised in to quite a low tech set up with no scalability as the sump is so small. Before I fully furnished the lounge where the tank is a, I feel it prudent to consider my long term plans and make the necessary changes now before it is too late.

So, despite huge amounts of dissatisfaction from the missus I'm planning to double the length to12 feet and go taller to 30" and deeper in part to 30" possibly 36 " where it goes through the wall and 30" deep for the extended bit within the room itself.

The idea is to create a system supported by a huge sump, a massively oversized skimmer ozone big UV lots of bio bricks, wet dry trickle filter and bio pellets to eventually create a very low maintenance reef. Initially I will go fish only but later when funds permit upgrade the lighting for corals.

Principally my question is am I mad? The room can handle it. It's 18feet wide and 28feet long and the 30" high by 12 ft long wall of marine beauty will be sensational but will I end up regretting this?

Thoughts on a postcard would be much obliged. Someone (very experienced and knowledgeable) has offered to lend all their expertees and design and build the sump etc but has asked for quite a lot of money. Around £5k exc materials so I'm really unsure whether to use them or just do my own research and go for it...

Some pics below of the tank now and the proposed design and I look forward to being an active contributor.

Thanks guys and gals.

Jacob.









Proposal. The tank will be 2250 litres exc the sump which will probably be at least 500 so a big system.

 

[Coy3]

Im new to Reef Central but have been a reef junkie for about 11 years. I have a 125 Acrylic.

 

[MizellB]

Hello All, about 7 years ago I had a 75 gal FOWLR done on such a budget I had bare minimal equipment, and I worked my TAIL off to maintain it. I eventually got rid of it for that reason...I told myself that if I ever were to get back into the hobby I would do it the right way... well the time has come that my budget now allows for it (for the most part, as I'm still a tightwad).. I have a friend of a friend selling his 180 after being in the hobby for 25 years. The equipment he has is too long to list, but the big items include: 180gallon tank 72x24x24 (euro braced, stand/canopy, cooling fans in canopy, 75gallon sump (drain, refugium, and return areas) 3 Apollo led lights with 2 spares, apex controller with 3 eb8's, vdm and lsm modules, 2 dosing pumps, 36watt uv sterilizer, Two tunze 6105 with 7095 controller, Mag 9.5 return pump and a spare, ASM g3 skimmerTwo 500 watt heaters, about 150 lbs of LR, half that amount in DR, 3 inches of black sand in the tank, 3 inches of white sand in buckets that once was used in tank, 3 fish, auto topoff, and a ton of extras.

 

[Evossoughi]

Hello!

I am a beginner when it comes to saltwater tanks! I received a 55 gallon tank for christmas this year! We have put crushed coral on the bottom of the tank and filled the tank up with the reef crystals solution. We have an Aqueon Quiet Flow LED PRO power filter for a 75 gallon tank running. We also have an Aqueon 200W Aquarium heater running for 80 degrees.

My question is, how long typically does it take for the tank to become clear? Ours is still very cloudy after running for about 12 hours. Also, my salinity is reading off the charts (literally). Will that go down on its own after a while or is there something i should do to help it? We mixed the reef crystals according to the directions on the container which said 1/2 cup for every gallon. So filling a 5 gallon bucket, we used 2.5 cups of salt for 5 gallons of water.

We chose not to used live sand because we plan on getting live rock and i liked the look of coral best!

 

[swthoneybee]

Newbie!!!

Newbie!!!

Good evening!!!

I am new to the forum and new to saltwater and reef ownership. I acquired a very neglected 29gallon Biocube with a Clown and electric blue damsel.

I have since been working with my local fish guy that's been extremely helpful and full of information and also been trying to research on my own as well.

I had to start over completely and thankfully after cycling the tank and introducing my 2 fish into their newly cleaned home they have been doing well for the last 2 months.

My question for now is how many snails and crabs and or other reef cleaners should I keep in the tank? My tank now is producing diotoms, how long does this cycle last and is there anything I should do at this point?

Any advice is welcome, I've added 4 types of softies and looking to add more in the fire, excited to see my tank develop.

Thanks for your help!!

Melissa