1st reef tank

RobertReefer86 · Aug 9, 2020

Hello everyone! My wife and I are looking into starting our first reef tank. We have had several tropical freshwater tanks and been very successful with them. We are ready to take the big leap into saltwater now and I'm feeling quite overwhelmed after spending the last 2 days online doing research. Between lights, reactors, skimmers, refugiums... I feel so lost and confused. I'm looking at getting a Red Sea reefer 350 for our initial setup and have no idea what type of return pump I should get, how many and what type of powerheads I should buy, what lights to get (I'd like the kind that attach to the back of the tank as I don't want them hanging from my ceiling) we know we want corals and as many fish as possible that the tank would allow without over crowding. We want bright colorful fish and shrimp and snails... all kinds of beautiful creatures. Any help or advice or input about the reefer 350 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Kryptonian · Aug 9, 2020

Welcome to R2R! You're definitely going to get some great suggestions and tons of help from everyone here!

Remember, there are tons of options for everything! You're already on the right track doing your research. Here are some suggestions that worked great for me:

1. Refugium Starter Pack. Algae Barn makes some great products to get your tank cycled and fuge up and running.

The Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack by AlgaeBarn

The Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack comes with everything you need to cycle, set up, and seed your refugium. Free Shipping & 100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee!

www.algaebarn.com

2. Clean up crew. Some great packages on Reef Cleaners.

Cleaner Packages - Reef Cleaners

A list of all of our algae eating saltwater cleaner packs. They are all reef safe.

www.reefcleaners.org

3. Return pump. You're going to want something that does between 600-1000gph (general rule of thumb is 5-10 times tank volume in gph). Also suggest something that does more so you're not running it at 100%. I like running around 60-70%. Running two returns in case one goes down is also an option.

Apex COR 15 - Controllable Flow/Return Pump - Neptune Systems

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

4. Powerheads. Flow is a tricky thing. You're going to want to make sure all corners of the tank and the behind rock parts all get enough flow to keep gunk from sitting. You just need to decide if you want wires in the tank, out of the tank, and what type of control you want. One plus side of getting products from one company is they can often all be controlled within the same app. Two decently strong powerheads + your return will probably do the trick. A third for circulation is probably options.

5. Skimmers. Reef Octopus is a fantastic brand and has great units that will fit in your sump. This is another area where bigger can be better. If you get one rated for a slightly larger tank, you're going to have better control over export.

Classic 110 INT Protein Skimmer - Reef Octopus

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

6. Heater. 3 Watts of heater for every gallon is pretty standard. Look for a 300 Watt. Eheim Jager is pretty popular. I went with a Hygger because it can mount horizontally within the sump.

Again, these are all just things that have worked well for me. Others will have different suggestions that are just as great! Take it slow and find the products that work for you. Good luck!

NashobaTek · Aug 9, 2020

Welcome to the team

MaxxuM · Aug 9, 2020

The easiest and most successful aquariums begin with a plan... Go to a build thread that matches your idea of what you want, put together a list of equipment based on their failures/successes and then let people critique your ideas.

You took your first step. Welcome to Reef2Reef! This hobby isn't easy or cheap. Anyone that tells you different is lying. Your first and most critical attribute will be patience. Go slow. Don't get sucked into the getting all the gadgets. And whatever you do, don't start buying without thinking things out for at least a week of pro/con consideration.

Because this hobby is so tough, the rewards can be spectacular. Happy reefing!

RobertReefer86 · Aug 9, 2020

NashobaTek said:
Welcome to the team

Thanks!!

RobertReefer86 · Aug 9, 2020

Kryptonian said:
Welcome to R2R! You're definitely going to get some great suggestions and tons of help from everyone here!

Remember, there are tons of options for everything! You're already on the right track doing your research. Here are some suggestions that worked great for me:

1. Refugium Starter Pack. Algae Barn makes some great products to get your tank cycled and fuge up and running.

The Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack by AlgaeBarn

The Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack comes with everything you need to cycle, set up, and seed your refugium. Free Shipping & 100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee!

www.algaebarn.com

2. Clean up crew. Some great packages on Reef Cleaners.

Cleaner Packages - Reef Cleaners

A list of all of our algae eating saltwater cleaner packs. They are all reef safe.

www.reefcleaners.org

3. Return pump. You're going to want something that does between 600-1000gph (general rule of thumb is 5-10 times tank volume in gph). Also suggest something that does more so you're not running it at 100%. I like running around 60-70%. Running two returns in case one goes down is also an option.

Apex COR 15 - Controllable Flow/Return Pump - Neptune Systems

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

4. Powerheads. Flow is a tricky thing. You're going to want to make sure all corners of the tank and the behind rock parts all get enough flow to keep gunk from sitting. You just need to decide if you want wires in the tank, out of the tank, and what type of control you want. One plus side of getting products from one company is they can often all be controlled within the same app. Two decently strong powerheads + your return will probably do the trick. A third for circulation is probably options.

5. Skimmers. Reef Octopus is a fantastic brand and has great units that will fit in your sump. This is another area where bigger can be better. If you get one rated for a slightly larger tank, you're going to have better control over export.

Classic 110 INT Protein Skimmer - Reef Octopus

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

6. Heater. 3 Watts of heater for every gallon is pretty standard. Look for a 300 Watt. Eheim Jager is pretty popular. I went with a Hygger because it can mount horizontally within the sump.

Again, these are all just things that have worked well for me. Others will have different suggestions that are just as great! Take it slow and find the products that work for you. Good luck!

Wow! Thanks for all the information and the warm welcome, I can tell I'll be spending lots of time on here lol . This is something we've spent alot of time thinking about and planning. We've got a really good idea of what we are wanting the end result to look like and even sketched it out. I need to start figuring out exactly what fish and coral we want.

WIReefer · Aug 9, 2020

Welcome to R2R!!!

Vette67 · Aug 9, 2020

Welcome aboard. One thing to remember is that nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank. Take things slow. And ask a lot of questions. You will probably get a lot of opinions, some even conflicting, but remember to do what you think is right, after weighing your options.

And did I mention to take things slow?

Oropher · Aug 10, 2020

Welcome to R2R.

It's good that you have decided the tank and you would already know the dimension of your tank.
While waiting for everything to arrive (shopping for equipment could be overwhelming), if you could imagine your ideal aquascape with coral (or not), then you could start purchasing the rocks and try to dry aquascape them according to your vision. This breaking and reglue pieces of rock is fun too (if you like it). Or you could order the hardscape that resemblance your vision.

Point is once you get the rock into the shape you like, then you can start cycling the rock with brute container using starter bacteria and of course saltwater and some powerhead. No need lamp.

This is multitasking. But fun anyway.... happy reefing.