Hi folks -
My name is Amy. I live in the Chicago area.
I'm new to reefkeeping but have been keeping freshwater aquariums for more than 15 years. I previously lived in the Boston area where I was very active in the freshwater hobby, even was the president of the BAS many years ago.
Anyway, after seeing my brother's 75 mixed reef setup I decided that I was ready to take the plunge myself and bought a Marineland 60 cube which is exactly the right footprint for my current rental.
I'm in the process of getting the equipment together and plan on going with the following:
sump... still contemplating going DIY but might call for a custom build from nano sea creations. Would like to be able to have a small fuge in there if possible.
Skimmer - Probably the INS80 from Reef Dynamics (bro recommended them)
Thinking of going with a Sicce Syncra 1.5 pump for the return (I like the threaded outlet - looks almost foolproof)
Lights - planning on going with 2 x 24" Ecoxotic Panorama Marine LED (I have 1 fixture already, bought last year when it was on sale cheap)
Powerheads - Going with at least 1 Hydor Koralia (600 GPH) - going to see how much flow I get on the return + the powerhead.
Controller: Digital Aquatics Reefkeeper Lite
Heater - TBD... something that isn't as likely to shatter or get stuck "ON" after a month. The "heater fail" potential is my primary reason for wanting to invest in a controller.
I've already purchased an RO/DI system.
I started researching this project last year. My original thoughts were that I would do a smaller "nano" tank but after talking to more than a few experienced reefkeepers, and hearing my brother's voice ask "are you SURE you want to go nano?" too many times I decided to spring for a bigger tank that would be easier to keep healthy, and of course, allow me to keep a few more fish.
Thinking I'll start with some frogspawn and torch corals, and an anemone with a pair clownfish. I'm already reading up on aggressive species, and who plays well with others (and who does not). It was so much easier in the freshwater hobby (I used to breed South American and African cichlids so I know too well what happens to a tank when you get the dynamic "wrong").
One of my thoughts around having a fuge was that someday I'd like to be able to keep a mandarin goby, but I wouldn't want to do it unless I had plenty of food around.
Anyway, I plan on starting small and get the tank stable and healthy first. Get my maintenance routine down and grow the tank slowly.
Looking forward to learning as much as I can and avoiding typical "newbie" mistakes as much as possible.
My name is Amy. I live in the Chicago area.
I'm new to reefkeeping but have been keeping freshwater aquariums for more than 15 years. I previously lived in the Boston area where I was very active in the freshwater hobby, even was the president of the BAS many years ago.
Anyway, after seeing my brother's 75 mixed reef setup I decided that I was ready to take the plunge myself and bought a Marineland 60 cube which is exactly the right footprint for my current rental.
I'm in the process of getting the equipment together and plan on going with the following:
sump... still contemplating going DIY but might call for a custom build from nano sea creations. Would like to be able to have a small fuge in there if possible.
Skimmer - Probably the INS80 from Reef Dynamics (bro recommended them)
Thinking of going with a Sicce Syncra 1.5 pump for the return (I like the threaded outlet - looks almost foolproof)
Lights - planning on going with 2 x 24" Ecoxotic Panorama Marine LED (I have 1 fixture already, bought last year when it was on sale cheap)
Powerheads - Going with at least 1 Hydor Koralia (600 GPH) - going to see how much flow I get on the return + the powerhead.
Controller: Digital Aquatics Reefkeeper Lite
Heater - TBD... something that isn't as likely to shatter or get stuck "ON" after a month. The "heater fail" potential is my primary reason for wanting to invest in a controller.
I've already purchased an RO/DI system.
I started researching this project last year. My original thoughts were that I would do a smaller "nano" tank but after talking to more than a few experienced reefkeepers, and hearing my brother's voice ask "are you SURE you want to go nano?" too many times I decided to spring for a bigger tank that would be easier to keep healthy, and of course, allow me to keep a few more fish.
Thinking I'll start with some frogspawn and torch corals, and an anemone with a pair clownfish. I'm already reading up on aggressive species, and who plays well with others (and who does not). It was so much easier in the freshwater hobby (I used to breed South American and African cichlids so I know too well what happens to a tank when you get the dynamic "wrong").
One of my thoughts around having a fuge was that someday I'd like to be able to keep a mandarin goby, but I wouldn't want to do it unless I had plenty of food around.
Anyway, I plan on starting small and get the tank stable and healthy first. Get my maintenance routine down and grow the tank slowly.
Looking forward to learning as much as I can and avoiding typical "newbie" mistakes as much as possible.
