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

[Reefneophyte007]

Hello everybody, my name is Chris and I am new to this site. It is great to see how much information about this hobby is out there now and you don't have to just listen to the so called expert at your LFS. I'm in the planning process of a new 300g reef setup. I left the hobby 6 years ago b/c of a move to a different state but now I'm in a home I do not plan to move from for the next 20 years. My first reef tank was a 55 gallon with over the top overflow 21 years ago. I then upgraded to a 115g custom built tank that I had running for about 5 years before I moved. This time around I would like to try and get the setup right the first time (if thats even possible). Fortunately I have matured a little and now have the patience and deeper pockets to hopefully get the setup to be more enjoyable and less work.

 

[david0485]

new

new

hey im david from ohio and im new to the rc , but i have been in freshwater for about 8 years and im ready to graduate to a saltwater reef tank.i currently have a 29 gallon nano reef in the cycle stage, looking to get the hang of what im doing befor i jump into converting my 150 from freshwater to saltwater.so if you have any pointers its always greatly appriciated...

 

[Pdetevis]

Hello RC new member here

Hello RC new member here

Hello my name is Phillip, I'm new to the Reef Hobby and have had a FO saltwater tank in the past. Currently I have a 55g Tru Vu acrylic Tank with a 25g Sump and A 20g QT. both are cycling right now and my DT is semi cycling I think. What I mean is I only have about 40lbs Live sand and 45lbs LR. I want to add 60lbs of LS and 40lbs of LR to the sump and DT. Then I guess I will officially start the cycle date from then. Not quite sure how that works with the cycle if I have enough now to cycle or if I have to start over once I add more. I've read lots of sticky's and love all the info, those of you here that post that stuff it is a great honor to have received that info, it is very knowledgable and useful, thank you so very much. I want to do this right and a few years from now have a few beautiful tanks to show for my patience and skills. Right now I'd like to get the 55g going and learn from that so I can start to build a 6 foot long tank for my dining room.

My current issue or Question is with the power heads, I have a few hydor koralia pumps, a 1050, 1400, & 1500. My tank size is 48Lx15Wx18D should I be using all three? The sand moves a lot and with return pump also coming in I have mounds in different places and a few bare bottom spots. Any advise, I can also purchase more different size ones if I need to.

 

[mghnsfrd1]

Hello from Kentucky, I am Michael.
Three months investigating and in the 3rd week of cycling my tank.
60' x 18" x 25" with a 35 gal sump. External pump, 4 bulb T5 w/ moonlite. I was advised to start with all dry rock and use the Bioptium Start-up process.
Currently the Am is at 1.0, Trite 0 trate 0 PH 8.2 Temp is 74.5.
I have been told that I can add a couple of crabs now but I am afraid to do this as I don't wish to sacrifice any animal.
I am a 60 year old partially retired consultant who has a very supporting wife, at least for now ha ha, who is fascinated in my new passion.
I look forward to getting to know some of you and leach some of your knowledge.

 

[ilikemyusername]

Returning after tank crash ( details inside )

Returning after tank crash ( details inside )

Hello everyone, how's it going? I'm not new to the hobby or new to RC, but I'm returning to the hobby. I've kept FW tanks since I was 7, and when I turned 25 it was time for my first reef. I studied extensively then purchased a 65g drilled tank with a skimmer and was on my way. I kept soft corals, Lps and a few spa but the SOS never had a chance to grow, more on that in a minute.
I quickly outgrew the 65 when I found a 125 on Craigslist with a WD filter and a 20 gallon refugium, stand hood and NO fluorescents for 500. The price miraculously dropped to 200 by the day I was to pick it up. I purchased a nova extreme pro and set the tank up. All was going great and I had accumulated 38 species of soft and stony corals. I had a RBT and a few clowns, a powder brown tang, a law mower Blenny, fire fish and a host of other creatures like mythrax crabs, hermits, turbo snails and brittle stars, a cleaner shrimp had his station set up and the tank was a thing of beauty and a source of enjoyment for the whole family.
One day we were going to my in laws house for dinner and my wife pointed out that the tank looked cloudy. I jokingly said "yeah, everything is going to die" wow, that was prophetic because when we returned 4 hours later everything was dead and the last few turbo snails were falling off the glass. I think we may have shed a few tears that night as I drained the tank and threw away the livestock, or dead stock as it were. I saved the liverock by throwing it into a cooler and keeping it outside for a few years. The skimmer was eaten by my puppy but the tank and stand are still fine.
I never really found out what happened but the sand smelled like low tide in the bay, stinky and thick and there was a lot of black stuff in it. I presume my tank succumbed to hydrogen sulfide but that's only an educated guess.
What I plan on doing is putting the 65g on the 125 stand giving me 25 inches to build shelves next to the DT to keep chemicals and an ATO. I intend to go skimmerless and incorporate an ATS instead of the bio ball section of the sump and setting up the fuge. I will be posting pictures as I progress in the hobby again and I will not have a DSB, I'm going to keep it nice and shallow. I want to build some PVC shelves to keep my rocks from tumbling. and I'm going to be extremely patient. I'm in no rush.
Now my main question is ; what's the best way to get my dead rock live again? And I don't mean a bacterial film. I mean macro and micro inverts, algaes, sponges, coralline and all the tiny feathery worm creatures that used to be on it.
I'm thinking its going to take more live rock and more patience but as I said, I'm in no hurry and I want to do it right this time.

 

[americantomboy]

Help adding new fish & copepod infestation!

Help adding new fish & copepod infestation!

Set up my 30g dome tank 4 months ago. First time with SW fish. I have a small canister sump with biowheel, and an extra poly-filter, 20# live rock, with a fake colorful coral reef on top - looks awesome. Salinity 1.023, temp 78, all perameters are perfect. LED light with blue light option. 3 hermit crabs, 1 red common starfish, a few little asterina, 3 margarita snails, a Xenia coral, bristleworms and a sudden huge population of copepods!

I started out with 2 yellowtail damselfish. Couple weeks later, a clownfish. Every other week I added a yellow tang, then a hawkfish. We finnly got to the 3 month mark, and added a beautiful, $55 flame angel. Ugh. The hawkfish wouldn't leave it alone, and the yello tang wasn't happy about the new angel, either. Next day I took the fake reef out to catch the hawkfish & return to the store. After refilling the tank with the same water, within 24 hours the flame angel was hiding behind the LR at the bottom of the tank. Finally coaxed him out...then came the slime coat, then it died. We were crushed. Turns out, as I am learning as I go here....the Nitrates went up to 80ppm due to me moving around everything in the tank. It took me weeks of water changes to get the level down. All was well for a few weeks, then the yellow tang got ick. Treated with Melafix. Day 6 of 7 of the treatment, it came back, worse. The damsels got white splotches all over them, the ick was on the yello tang, and the clownfish looked fine. Put them all in established QT tank, and treated with the ick medicine. Ick went away, but I lost a damsel within 24 hours, day 2 was the other damsel, then 6 days later the clownfish got the white splotches all over...did @ 30% water change in the 10g QT tank. he perked up, then died a few hours later. Next day, yellow tang was rapidly breathing, and seemed half paralyzed. I felt aweful. After all the freaking hard work I'd put into this tank over the past few months and I lost all my little friends. Worst part - my husband has Lou Gehrig's Disease and lays in a hospital bed watching the fish all day or TV. So...I have completely emptied and cleaned the QT tank. It's been almost 4 weeks since the fish have been out of the DT (so the ick will die off). Turns out the LFS had a fungus in their tanks, about 2 weeks after I brought the flame angel home. Hmmm...:idea:

So I need to start over with the fish. Will probably start with a couple damsels again, then a pair of clowns. I'd only like 5 fish total due to the size of the tank. I really need something to feed on these copepods! :mad2: They are making my head spin! :fun4:I'm putting a very small pinch of pellets in every other day so the hermits have something to eat, but these darn copepods grab them so fast the hermits rarely get anything to eat. Don't want to lose them, too!

Could use some help in adding new fish. Also, I'm looking to add a little algae to the tank. I have barely enough to even notice it on the glass, and want to make sure the starfish & snails have enough to eat.

Any suggestions would be great! Thanks! :rollface:

 

[cgray07]

Hey RC! My name is Connor and I am fairly new to the hobby. I started with a 30g FOWLR and quickly upgraded to a 55g softie tank. 6 months of my 55 and 1.5 years into the hobby there's no backing out for me! I'm hooked. My girlfriend is already sick of it but I'm already planing a 120g!!

 

[Reef_Mania]

Whats going on RC! Name is Jeff from Cincy. Somewhat new being that I've only owned nano sized tanks and looking into setting up my first larger sized tank. 75Gallon! Look forward to talking to some new people about this hobby and learning much more!!!!

 

[Kawi9_cf]

Hey guys my name is Nick. I have been keeping freshwater tanks for around 5 years now and have been eager to get into reef keeping. I was able to get a fully stocked jbj nanocube from a friend who was getting out of the hobby. I have already learned a lot from this site and look forward to future input from everyone here and progressing further into the hobby.

 

[Debbiej]

Good morning

Good morning

Good morning, I bought my first saltwater tank almost 2 weeks ago. So far so good. I look forward to learning the proper way to manage my new tank.
I live on Vancouver Island .

 

[Mbtech83]

Hello everyone, my name is Thomas. I'm new to saltwater fish and have just started my first!! I've been a fish admirer for a long time, but until the first of this year never had the opportunity to really get involved. I got started in freshwater fish almost a year ago and have always wanted to do a salt tank due to the wider range of options and they are so much more beautiful. I am about 2 and half weeks into the first cycle with my 45 gallon corner tank with 60lb live sand and 50lb live rock. I'm looking forward to speaking with all of you to get any assistance and advice anyone might have in this new venture.

 

[Yschen]

Hello everyone I'm Martin from Sweden. I've just become very interested in SW tanks the last couple of months.
I currently have two Malawi cichlid tanks up and running, been running smoothly for almost a year. My parents kept freshwater angels when I was small and my granddad bred every freshwater fish he could lay his hands on.

I hope you guys can help me with all my newbie questions! Thanks in advance!

 

[bobbravo2]

I'm back after a long hiatus! Looking to start up a nano reef!

 

[HectorP]

Back after many years

Back after many years

Hello my name is Hector, I've had fish tanks since I can remember . My uncle would build them for me with glass and silicone as you would imagine they were fresh water , anyhow I grew up.........got married, children etc..... got back in with a 55 gal aggressive fish tank(clown) huma huma, queen triggers, grouper, lion fish, eel, yellow naso tang queen and flame angel. Had and my tank for several years. Then I went through a divorce and got rid of everything. That was 1995 now seventeen years later when I least expect this I run into a win win situation, maybe now is a good time to tell you what I do, I Have a Kitchen and Bath showroom and am a contractor, now back to where the win win, customer has a 125 All Glass predrilled tank with about 100 lbs of live rock wet dry, uvlamp two 36 in square pin lamps , protein skimmer, chiller ,two large colonies of large hairy mushrooms, small colony of purple frog spawn, and 19 fish. I'll run them off 1 large pacific foxface, one large Ebae Percula? not sure if spelled correctly, two false Percula's two black and white Percula's, One large Hippo Tang (Royal Blue) one not sure he's gray with yellow sheen tang, one Fire hawk, one purple (pink) corris, one Yellow Purple( pink) corris, one 4 Line Wrass,1 fork tail Gobie, 3 I think their called verticle line Gobiesand two Chromosand a Coral Beauty and one anemony, I gave her a 500 dollar credit for all this and here we are again, the last thing on I could ever imagine doing......... I've since added pulsating xenia.....whew sorry to bore

 

[tcs0201]

Hello I am very new. Only have tank, light, test kits, salt and am about to buy a sump system. Obviously I have a lot of questions. I am going to do a reef tank from a 45Gal Hex. Any comments yet?
first Question - I am loooking a buying a CPR SYS 192. It will fit in the area i need and it appears to contain all of the filtering abilities I need.

 

[tcs0201]

By the way I live in North Eastern Ct. An hour from the Ocean. would that water be OK to use.

 

[K0rwen]

Howdy from Central Texas!

I'm new here, and I don't have a reef yet, I've learned it's better to do research before you spend money, so I'm here trying to figure out exactly what I want, and what the best way to go about it is!

This will be my first saltwater tank, but I've kept freshwater before. I had a 55, a 125 and a 30gallon with cichlids of all varieties, South American, Malawi, Tanganyikan, and even some Malaysian Flowerhorns.

I'm hoping eventually I'll have a 20-30 gallon reef setup, but I don't know where to start. Filtration, Lighting, Heating, I imagine it will all be very different for saltwater than I'm used to, but I'm excited to figure it all out.

Thanks for the excellent resource here on the forums, I'm looking forward to my future endeavor.

 

[EJs DAD]

new member...

new member...

hello and thank you in advance... hope to make some new friends and build a great tank with you guys!

 

[ReefJoy]

Hello Everybody!

Hello Everybody!

Hi, I just became a member a little while ago. I've read through some of the threads on here and found a lot of useful information. I had freshwater fish from the time when I was about 8 years old until about 14. Then I bought and set up another freshwater tank two years ago and kept looking into saltwater. I was very hesitant because the prices for everything in saltwater aquariums were very high and keeping params in check and fish/corals alive could be very costly if you screw something up. Finally I converted my freshwater tank to a salt water and don't ever plan to go back.

I currently have a 72 Gallon Bow-Front Tank set up as a community reef tank.
2 - 150 Watt 10,000K Metal Halides
2 - 460nm T5HO
A 4x3W LED Moonlight
~80 lbs of crushed coral substrate
~140 lbs of live rock
Canister Filter
Hang-On-Back Protein Skimmer
2 - 75 Watt Heaters
Koralia 4 Powerhead

Fish:
2 - Yellow Tangs
2 - Clowns (Mated Pair that hosts in their anemone)
2 - Electric Blue Damsels
2 - Half Yellow/Blue Damsels
1 - Yellow Tail Damsel
1 - Cleaner Shrimp
10 - Hermit Crabs
3 - Big Snails (don't remember type)
Recent explosion of small snails (don't know what type)

1 - Large Green/Tan/pink bubble tip anemone
1 - Small bubble tip anemone that keeps crawling around my tank
1 - Large White carpet anemone
A few small (jewel?) anemones

Corals:
Purple Mushrooms
Green Mushrooms
Purple Kenya Trees
Pink Kenya Tree
Zoanthids
Toadstool Mushroom
Green/Purple Hamerhead LPS

I also have a 29? Gallon Bowfront where I have a mated pair of stripped damsels (I had to take them out of the 72 Gallon because they were laying eggs every 6-8 days which hatched about 3 days after they were layed and the rest of the fish had a good hearty meal). This way the fry might have a chance at survival.

I plan to put in a 20-30 gallon sump with a section to have a refugium in it and a Aqua Euro Reef 130 Protein Skimmer onto my 72 gallon tank.

I'm in the Seattle-Tacoma area in Washington State.

 

[Reef_Paddy]

Hey there, I'm new to RC, well starting to post here anyway. I've been lurking in the background for a while! Just starting up my RSM130D from scratch again after loosing all (4) my fish, cleanup crew and mainly softies due to a power outage for 6 days. I've learnt a lot, and starting with redundancy in mind (And justification to spend even more money in the process)

I'm one for tinkering so constantly changing things with regards to hardware and DIY'ing bits onto the tank.

The name is Jason, and live in Jersey City, NJ.