If You Are New to Reef Central, Introduce Yourself Here!
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
Welcome. Do you already have a tank or are you researching/planning?
RobertP1969
New member
Hello everyone! Looking forward to this new adventure,attemted it once upon a time with limited success
Welcome!
RobertP1969
New member
Thank you. I plan on taking my time my time and doing my research this time. I've bought a tank and a few other thing but am in no hurry lol
Welcome. We’ve got a pretty wide range of experience here from people who are very old school (80s/90s style reef keeping) to people who are super up to date on the most modern equipment and tech.
Feel free to ask away with questions but, always remember, there is no one right way to be successful. What works for one person may not work for another.
RobertP1969
New member
I guess I will will start by listing the the stuff I have purchased already and ask ask for advice on what else I
should get. I would like to get as much as I possibly can up front to start it out right this time.So far I have a
Waterbox Reef 150.4,5 stage RO system,Sicce 7.0 return pump,3 Kessil 360's,Neptune Apex A3,(2) Ecotech
MP 40 powerhead. I know I will need to get sand and rock but will wait until I'm closer to starting it up to get it
Any advice on anything would be greatly appreciated. The last time I attempted this the livestock paid the price for
my lack of understanding and I would like to not make the same mistakes
should get. I would like to get as much as I possibly can up front to start it out right this time.So far I have a
Waterbox Reef 150.4,5 stage RO system,Sicce 7.0 return pump,3 Kessil 360's,Neptune Apex A3,(2) Ecotech
MP 40 powerhead. I know I will need to get sand and rock but will wait until I'm closer to starting it up to get it
Any advice on anything would be greatly appreciated. The last time I attempted this the livestock paid the price for
my lack of understanding and I would like to not make the same mistakes
Based on your list, you definitely seem to be off to a great start. I’m definitely more of a keep it simple kind of guy. Not needed right now, but maybe later as you get into corals would be a dosing system. Possibly a skimmer (I don’t run a skimmer currently but have one if I needed it).
Are you going to be starting with dry or live rock? If you do dry rock, I always recommend picking up a few pounds of live rock to seed the dry and jump start everything.
If you’re doing dry as well, you may also want to consider getting it a bit earlier and setting up a mock tank out of cardboard to design your aquascape and glue/epoxy any rocks together that you want together (just remember not to glue the whole structure as one big heavy piece
)
Are you going to be starting with dry or live rock? If you do dry rock, I always recommend picking up a few pounds of live rock to seed the dry and jump start everything.
If you’re doing dry as well, you may also want to consider getting it a bit earlier and setting up a mock tank out of cardboard to design your aquascape and glue/epoxy any rocks together that you want together (just remember not to glue the whole structure as one big heavy piece
)
Great advice here.Based on your list, you definitely seem to be off to a great start. I’m definitely more of a keep it simple kind of guy. Not needed right now, but maybe later as you get into corals would be a dosing system. Possibly a skimmer (I don’t run a skimmer currently but have one if I needed it).
Are you going to be starting with dry or live rock? If you do dry rock, I always recommend picking up a few pounds of live rock to seed the dry and jump start everything.
If you’re doing dry as well, you may also want to consider getting it a bit earlier and setting up a mock tank out of cardboard to design your aquascape and glue/epoxy any rocks together that you want together (just remember not to glue the whole structure as one big heavy piece
Test kits. At a minimum:
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Alkalinity
pH (unless you’re adding a PM1 to the Apex)
Calcium
Magnesium
RobertP1969
New member
Is any brand of testers better than another. I’m intrigued by the Hanna testers
ironwill723
Well-known member
Really look into trying to start with as much live rock as you can. It will make your life so much easier with setup and cycling. You can get great real live rock from KP Aquatics or TB Saltwater online. I avoid the dry stuff as much as I can.
Hanna have a good reputation in the hobby. I use a combination of Hanna and Salifert. I've also used Red Sea but, I prefer Salifert to Red Sea.
RobertP1969
New member
The live rock vs. dry rock is by far the thing I have been back and forth on the most. Seems like both have their pros and cons.
If I was starting a completely new tank and had the funds, I would go all live rock. I’d do a mix of KP, Tampa Bay, and Australian.
RobertP1969
New member
I will look into those three
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