New Reefer...Again

SmokeBellew · Dec 17, 2014

Hello,

I am returning to the hobby after several years of absence so I feel like I am a complete novice. May years ago I had a large tank and had begun the slow process of a DIY tank. As I was just getting a good start a we had house fire, (unrelated to any electrical issues with the tank...fire started at other end of the house) and I never felt comfortable with the financial investment required once we had rebuilt. That was many years ago.

I have 2 children, one of which has recently decided she wants to become a marine biologist one day and swim with the dolphins at Sea World! She has been my inspiration to get back into the hobby...ok she has been my excuse when I convinced my wife I needed another reef aquarium. (I am not ashamed...I come from a long line of Alabama fans and my son was growing up with some Auburn cousin-in-laws so I reminded him Santa was an Alabama fan because he wore red and white...desperate times )

My wife and I are both educators, she is a special education teacher and I am a former principal running an alternative school, so a reef tank will hopefully provide relaxation...or enough work to not worry about stress! We also have 2 dachshunds and a English Chocolate Lab. The lab is well known in my neighborhood and has provided me with multiple opportunities to discuss his Whodini like abilities with local police.

I am looking forward to re-learning this hobby and hopefully creating a future hobbyist or two in my family.

Pete polyp · Dec 17, 2014

Welcome back to the hobby and welcome to r2r.

What kind of setup are we looking at doing here? Size? Overall goal with stocking?

luxauterna · Dec 17, 2014

Welcome back! We are glad to have you here. Have you already purchased a tank or are you still in the planning stages?

SmokeBellew · Dec 17, 2014

Pete polyp and luxauterna,

Thanks for the quick responses!

I have just agreed to buy a 65g reef ready aquarium, everything is about 2 years old.

65g with corner overflow
Acrylic sump (3 chambers)
Aqueon acp950 powerhead
Reef Octopus 110 protein skimmer
Ecoxotic 36" panorama pro LED lights
Triton 3 return pump
UV sterilizer (forget the brand/model)
and some dry rock

Will be picking it up Monday.

I had originally to plan much longer.

I hope to stay slow and disciplined as I re-learn what I have forgotten, (not that I knew much to start with), and catch up on the advances. From what I can see, LED lighting has been a big change. I also really want to turn this into a learning process for my kids, my daughter is already excited.

luxauterna · Dec 17, 2014

awesome! I have had a lot of experience with Ecoxotic products. Their customer service has always been great to me as well. Depending on how old the panorama pro is, make sure to keep looking at it for any burnt out LEDs. Also try and get a fan on them if possible. That'll help the longevity. Any idea on what you'd like to keep? Corals, fish, etc.?

Pete polyp · Dec 18, 2014

Very much has changed in a short period of time. Carbon dosing has had a huge impact on stretching the limits of livestock in a tank. Lighting has definitely changed rapidly as well. You came to the right forum to have your questions answered and to research. Lots of knowledgeable folks here will be more than happy to help out as much as you need.

SmokeBellew · Dec 18, 2014

luxauterna said:
Any idea on what you'd like to keep? Corals, fish, etc.?

Honestly, I am not sure at this point. As I had been researching lately I was trying to focus on advances over the past decade, etc. I never once started looking at specific corals and fish as I knew once I did that I would be getting an aquarium soon after. However, I stumbled onto this setup and decided to go ahead and dive in.

I am hoping that members on this forum will be able to offer guidance on good first additions. From what I remember Blue Damsels used to be considered a good initial hardy fish, somewhat aggressive maybe and mushrooms were good corals to start with...but a decade + may have my memory fuzzy.

I do want to eventually have an aquarium one day that has a coral reef as the center piece and fish as the accessories.

SmokeBellew · Dec 18, 2014

Pete polyp said:
Lots of knowledgeable folks here will be more than happy to help out as much as you need.

Thanks...it is and will be very appreciated!

Pete polyp · Dec 18, 2014

I would skip the damsel. Now days most don't use fish to cycle tanks. Most use a raw shrimp from your local grocery store, frozen fish food or pure ammonia from the hardware store.

My suggestion would be to look at what the ultimate goal with livestock for this tank and discuss that here and set a plan. Do you want soft corals? Hard corals? Many wrasse? Schooling fish? Etc. Its much easier to make the decision before you setup and work towards that rather than finding out in a year you really want something else and changing it.

SmokeBellew · Dec 18, 2014

Pete polyp said:
I would skip the damsel. Now days most don't use fish to cycle tanks. Most use a raw shrimp from your local grocery store, frozen fish food or pure ammonia from the hardware store.

My suggestion would be to look at what the ultimate goal with livestock for this tank and discuss that here and set a plan. Do you want soft corals? Hard corals? Many wrasse? Schooling fish? Etc. Its much easier to make the decision before you setup and work towards that rather than finding out in a year you really want something else and changing it.

The seller mentioned that cycling techniques had changed and he offered to answer any questions I had as well, (very helpful)...he specifically mentioned using ammonia. And I will definitely pass on the Damsel based on your advice.

I will work on the plan for the tank...I am just unsure of what this system will be able to sustain as is and I will need to mesh that with what we like.

Any advice y'all can offer for this planning process including any past threads that might provide guidance will always be appreciated.