1st reef tank, needs to be done cheap (I keep freshwater planted ecosystem aquariums)

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reefinatl

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A 2” gulf mantis can’t hurt stuff
A 2" wennerae will wreck full grown emeralds for fun. Been there, done that. I'm pro liverock, even gulf aquacultured stuff, but everything has risks and every critter is different.
 

Tamberav

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And I’m getting nps I don’t wanna burn them
Sun corals do not burn under lighting. I have several sun corals on a frag rack just a few inches under the water and they do not care at all. They don’t have zoo in them to bleach or anything. There is no light acclimating them other then training them to open in the day.

RBG light is not the same as a reef light. You don’t need to spend a lot of money but please get a cheap reef light. It’s only 65-100 dollars or even a good freshwater planted light like what tigerboy runs.
 

Sharkbait19

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Not to mention the live rocks will bring in ich and velvet and other likely parasites.

You’re looking at a 45 day fallow minimum after you put in that rock.
 

Sharkbait19

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RBG light is not the same as a reef light. You don’t need to spend a lot of money but please get a cheap reef light. It’s only 65-100 dollars or even a good freshwater planted light like what tigerboy runs.
+1.

There’s a huge difference between a flashlight and a light built for a tank. Besides, I know I feel like a broken record with this, but a $150 aio will give you everything you need from reef lighting to adequate filtration.
 

Camaro Show Corals

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+1.

There’s a huge difference between a flashlight and a light built for a tank. Besides, I know I feel like a broken record with this, but a $150 aio will give you everything you need from reef lighting to adequate filtration.
And a better looking tank with better quality.
 

|Frank|

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And a better looking tank with better quality.
I wish I did more research and got an aio for my first tank. Mainly because of glass quality. I tried to be cheap and got one of those top fin starter tank deals :/.
 

homer1475

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I must be bored.....

Just read all 41 pages.

What I take away from this thread......

Op already knows everything, and is just here to tell us we do everything wrong.
Some of the best coral keepers in the hobby( @The Camaro Show ) know nothing.
I wish I was 13 again so I knew everything.
Op has no idea what a biotope is.
OP has no idea how to do any meaningful research for himself.
OP is a typical teenager these days that needs everything spoon fed because they have no idea how to actually use the internet to do actual research, besides what youtube, or wikipedia tells them.
 
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Sharkbait19

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Mind if I just give a list of what a first reef should look like?
-20 lbs live sand (not mud!)
-30 lbs live rock
-rodi water with Instant Ocean reef crystals (that’s just what I use and it’s inexpensive and straightforward)

Livestock:
-(peaceful) damselfish and clowns
-gobies
-brittle stars (if you want a really unique but easy invert)
-leather corals

Trust me, you’ll be happy with this list as a first-time reefer. You can always expand from there to get to your end goal. But instead of starting out large, start simple then work your way slowly towards the bigger picture.
 

Camaro Show Corals

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Here’s example test kits of everything you’d need. Far from “NASA” grade. Get used to $120 bucks it’s nothing in this hobby. You have no idea even what maintenance orders will cost even on a small tank.
DDCA7658-9766-4D5D-AD74-EDAD1CB01E31.png
 
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NoahLikesFish

NoahLikesFish

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Acropora dosent even look Like how it does in reef tsnks in the wild
 

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NoahLikesFish

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I don’t even want a colorful tank, i am choosing fish that have lesser color because they Look more adapted to the habitat I’m making. I am thinking of ditching the clingfish and doing a caribean deep gorgonian, softies and macro and sessile inverts reef
 

homer1475

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Look your going to do what you want regardless of what anyone here tells you.

So just drop the thread, and do what you want. Your going to anyways.

Then when everything starts to die(simply because you know better then 90% of the reefers here that have been doing it for decades), you can post a thread about why. We'll then send you back to this thread for research on how to properly do things.

I don't like my tanks to look like a windex bottle either, but I'm not brash enough to think some blue light isn't needed for healthy corals of any kind(not just acros).
 
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NoahLikesFish

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I’m going to use flood lights, I don’t think softies and macros and sessile inverts would need like extremely acintic lights
 

Sharkbait19

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I’m going to use flood lights, I don’t think softies and macros and sessile inverts would need like extremely acintic lights
How many times must we say that floodlights do not provide proper lighting for just about any coral.
Would you use a regular light bulb on a bearded dragon because it is cheaper and looks better to you. No you get a proper heat lamp and Uv bulb.
 

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just go build your tank nobody is stopping you and show us the amazing success story! (obvious sarcasm)
 

homer1475

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I’m going to use flood lights, I don’t think softies and macros and sessile inverts would need like extremely acintic lights
Super actinic, certainly no. But they still need the correct spectrum and color intensity(par/pur). To which your "flood lights" will not provide. Softied expecially need the correct light as they get 99% of their nutrition from their zooxanthellae.

But don't lt the 20+ years experience from me tell you how to run a tank properly. By all means do it your way.
 

Sharkbait19

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None of it is glowing though
Zoanthallae produces a protein that glows under strong blue light. That is a natural biological reaction, not something genetically altered to occur. Corals have simply been bred for color. Nothing wrong with preferring wild type, but you are claiming that because something looks different in different conditions, it does not require something scientifically proven to be required.
 
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