first build

Hello all, starting my build thread. I am just beginning the cycle to my first saltwater tank and any feedback recommendations would be great. It is an innovative marine 25g lagoon, for the filters I have on both sides poly pad, then chemi-pure blue, then seachem purigen, then seachem matrix...

My first saltwater tank was set up in high school and it was a 10 gallon FOWLR tank. I definitely made a lot of mistakes with it, 1 was using tap water to mix the salt, 2 was the second fish that I put in was a Mandarin Goby 😔 (thankfully my neighbor had a 200 gallon reef tank and he took him in...

Hey new reefer here! Recently got a 75 gallon ( space is a little less with figi drop in) could anyone provide suggestions or insight to my scape. It's my first time so im not sure if it's to much for the space. Enough swimming room ect. Planning for a mixed reef, with a pair of clowns...

Hello all, Just started my first saltwater tank. Purchased a 33 gal Hello Reef AIO, not a lot of info on this tank but got a good deal. Looking forward to sharing my journey with everyone.

So here we go. Starting this for my 29ish Gallon that I’m putting together. Started planning a while ago and reading then getting a couple things here and there. my wife found the tank and stand together so I decided to go for it. Collected a majority of what I need. Still waiting on the rocks...

Hey everybody! I have 2 freshwater tanks (75 gallon community tank and 60 litre shrimp tank) and I'm looking to start a 60 litre saltwater tank soon. For the tank, I'm going with an ADA 60P (60 litre, ~17 gallon) tank with a Seapora Empress cabinet. Due to size limitations, I am going to go...

I put this tank together for my wife Lindsey. It's my first Saltwater tank and my first Reef tank so here we go. Biocube 32 20 lbs CaribSea AragAlive sand 6 chunks of "Life" rock Seiche powerhead 150w Fluval submersible heater Inkbird heater/chiller controller FZone ATO Fivestar/InTank Media...

Hey guys, first post here! Me and my old man used to have a tank 12+ years ago, life got in the way, you know the deal. Late 2025 we decided the time was right to get back into this amazing hobby and so began our next journey into the world of salty fish! I tell you what, the hobby has changed...

Hello everyone! First post and first salt water tank (have some freshwater experience both tanks and large pond) I went with the hello reef kit for the convenience but it also helped with the spouse as well. My question to everyone is how often do you scrape your back glass? Can I put the rock...

Hello! I am in the process of setting up my very first aquarium. Atm I am preparing the aquascape will glue the right part together once I am 100% sure of the aquascape and I am also fixing the sump gear. Questions: 1. Min distance between glass and rocks are around 3.5cm is this enough for a...

Hey everyone 👋 I’ve been researching saltwater setups for about 9 months now ( and still learning more about it, watching @brstv ) I’m planning to start building my first reef tank next year. I’ll be getting equipment bit by bit and taking my time with the setup no rush, just want to do it...

Hey everyone 👋 I’ve been researching saltwater setups for about 9 months now ( and still learning more about it, watching @brstv ) I’m planning to start building my first reef tank next year. I’ll be getting equipment bit by bit and taking my time with the setup no rush, just want to do it...

My son sparked my interest in reef tanks, and once we had his up and running, I went straight to work on my first tank. I’ve never been one for the K.I.S.S. method, or “beginner kits”. I always want to have something different, unique, my own. So I started this half gallon pico waterfall tank...

*EDIT 10/20/25. As I've progressed with the tank I've enjoyed adding weekly updates. To go with this theme, I've gone back and added titles to most of my posts. This is so that both you and I can quickly skim through the thread as I can be a bit long winded. Enjoy the thread and share your...

I will get some pictures and do some writing, but this is a spot for me to track and show my build! It will (hopefully) be a 75g mixed reef. I posted my list so far in my welcome post, but i will here again. I cant really go much, if any bigger than a 75 with the space and house that i have, so...

Several life changes and home shifts later, I still haven’t set up my first tank. I’m not going for size here. I want some colorful anemones & soft corals, preferably self-sustaining. Thinking about where I could put one in my apartment, the best spot seems to be the mantle above the...

New to the community. This tank has been going for 5 months now. I need to start adding more softies since I'm going for a easy maintenance tank but looking for more color to pop. A new glass slab is coming in the mail so hopefully I can move away from the acrylic piece. Also, I used a 3D...

Here is my 40 gallon breeder. Just started cycle tonight after doing aquascape and filling. Equipment details below. Tank- Imaginarium 40 gallon Stand- Imaginarium 40ngallon stand Filter- Fluval AC70 Heater- Sicce Scuba Contactless ( going to change soon) Light- AI 30" Blade with riser brackets...

My most updated shot of the tank: Updated - September 9th, 2026 Origin story! Hello! My name is Andres and this will be a progress journal of my first ever saltwater aquarium! I am brand new to the hobby when an opportunity arose from a colleague to inherit their saltwater tank as they...

Hey everybody! First thread. I'm sure i'll learn quickly everything I do or say incorrectly. I currently have a 32 biocube with updated leds, a 13.5 evo, and a redsea reefer classic 450. Not going into stock list as i: a) can and will upsize tanks as my fish grow out b) have zero aggression...

So far I’ve been buying tu puce buy puce trying to keep the budget low and I know I’m going to get some hate for this but it’s okay I’m trying something . So far this is the build cost I’ll list everything and where I got it Fish tank cost and what I’ve bought Marineland 10 g rimmed - 10$-...

Hey everyone! First time posting here. Setting up my first saltwater tank and wanted some advice. The tank is the 15 gallon Innovate Marine cube AIO. Currently have the Nero 3 wave maker and the 130gph return pump the tank came with. Would y'all reccomend getting the Mighty Jet 326 as a...

Hi all, new to the hobby but I’ve been lurking on this forum for months. I have kept Malawi cichlids for a while and now looking to venture into the SW world! I will be getting the D-D reef pro 1500s eventually when we move house (21st march) but for now I have managed to bag a steal on FB...

I have had a 15 gallon fluval flex set up for about 8 months. I have put this tank through the ringer with an extreme hair algae outbreak, an anemone death, and swinging salinity. The hair algae i solved with a water change and a handful of hermit crabs. The salinity swinging was in the first...

I got bored of looking at my RGB-filled gaming PC which I always thought looked like an aquarium. Recently, my partner got a freshwater tank next to her painting studio and so I went down the rabbit hole of fish tanks... Here is my first marine tank! Current State (3 Months): For my purposes...