Wanting to return to the hobby..reef only

[KenBry]

So, its been 28 years since I was in the hobby. Life was busy and I moved and moved allot. Well, we have been in the house we are in for 10 years and I don't see us moving anytime soon (famous last words). I have been reading and looking at the industry here and there all the while.

This go around I plan on going reef only.

Anyway, my experence was a 75gal and a 55gal fish only set of tanks. I ran wet dry and skimmers on them.

My tanks average temp will be 74 to 76. Are these temps good for reef systems? I am just trying to figure out if I am going to need a chiller for my system.
My tank will probably be in the 75g size.
Also. looking for a good source with up to date info on the new systems and components. I know the first best thing I did was to sign up here.:celeb2:

 

[hkgar]

What kind of reef? Softies, LPS, SPS or mixed? I am sure a reef only is possible but quite often fish are dept in a reef tank for their production of the food necessary for the corals growth. From my particular experience, SPS tank, I keep a heavy fish load so they poop and produce the PO4 and NO3 needed for the growth of corals. It can probably be done through the addition of amino acids. You might want to take your question to one of the specific forums in the Coral Forums section.

 

[Kadee]

Lol! Same here with the fertilizer production crew! Never could get the growth out of any of my corals until I added the fish. All I am using right now are cheap Chromis and Clowns, but they work for me.
As for your temps, I have read and read and the only constant was that whatever temp you choose, keep it there! I run mine at 78, some run theirs lower and some run theirs higher. You can try different temps to see what your tank likes best, but make moves slowly. Good luck!

 

[Ejb]

I keep my tank at 78-79 so far I only have corals and its doing well. Acro on the top right was mostly white when I got him and hes recovering. Do have some snails though

 

[KenBry]

To be honest, when I say reef, I think, coral, inverts(shrimp), some fish (tank raised clowns, gobies, file fish, maybe a tang and a few damsels). Not interested in anenome for now. I would add a cleaning crew. But all this would be built up over a long time.
Understandably, I do have allot to learn regarding proper feeding of all these different types of critters.

 

[ladynavyvet]

I'm looking forward to when you do start building your new reef tank, and sharing the info and photos about the new build.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[Sk8r]

If you want a tang, go 100 to 150 gallons---fish does much better in that size. Modern reefs run filterless, using live rock 1-2 lbs per gallon depending on porosity, and the more pores the better. A sump is pretty well needful for sanity's sake, so you can hide the skimmer (cone is the best type, imho) and other gear. We've got an extensive how to in the stickies up top. Lighting has undergone changes: it's tending to LED, which is tricky to set up and not all light kits are created equal: depth and spread matter. And circulation is augmented by powerheads. I'm using a Gyre to replace about 3 powerheads---gets a flow top to bottom of the tank. Lots of surface agitation for gas exchange. We're keeping stony coral pretty easily these days; some softies are downright invasive in rate of growth; and sps is possible, but still a game of patience and really good equipment.