Aspiring Reefer from WNY

[Reefnman2]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r and the salt life!

 

[bdesign]

WELCOME!
I admire and am envious of your patience and thoughtfulness... I tend to just GO, which can become painful in many ways. haha

 

[SCReef'n]

Welcome to R2R.

 

[Webslinger]

GO Bills

 

[BeejReef]

Welcome!

My family still lives near Batavia. Solid Bills Country.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

WELCOME!!! You are going to start a build thread in the "Members Tanks" section, yes?

I definitely plan to, but being that I am still a couple months away from really starting the build I figured it might be too early?

 

[SPR1968]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Conor_K]

Welcome. Always good to see another Western NYer join the chaos.

 

[infinite0180]

I live in buffalo! Mystic Blue is also a nice LFS in Buffalo. Feel free to message me if you need any advice from a local.

 

[LiveWire]

Welcome to the REEF!!

 

[ReefGrammie]

I definitely plan to, but being that I am still a couple months away from really starting the build I figured it might be too early?

It's never too early to start a build thread! Welcome, and I very much appreciate your planning. I also started with FW some 26 years ago, and at one point still had that tank going plus a 46-gallon SW bowfront. I currently am rebooting a 90-gallon SW tank. Those Red Sea tanks are very nice, and you are already on your way to success with great planning!

 

[Rudzbrewski]

It's never too early to start a build thread! Welcome, and I very much appreciate your planning. I also started with FW some 26 years ago, and at one point still had that tank going plus a 46-gallon SW bowfront. I currently am rebooting a 90-gallon SW tank. Those Red Sea tanks are very nice, and you are already on your way to success with great planning!

I'll have to take your advice and get one started in the near future. Probably would help with getting advice on so many of the decisions: Which powerheads: vortech mp40, vortech mp10, or AI Nero 5? Which lights and worth the extra cost (can't ceiling mount): radions, AI (and which), Kessil A360, T5? And the list of questions, decisions, and options seems to go on forever.

 

[ReefGrammie]

I'll have to take your advice and get one started in the near future. Probably would help with getting advice on so many of the decisions: Which powerheads: vortech mp40, vortech mp10, or AI Nero 5? Which lights and worth the extra cost (can't ceiling mount): radions, AI (and which), Kessil A360, T5? And the list of questions, decisions, and options seems to go on forever.

Of course they do! I've had an MP40 for several years. I like it because the cleaning is easy. I don't like it because you can't angle it in the tank. I have a canopy on my 90 and recently bought an LED from Reef Breeders, which is mounted inside my canopy. No hanging from the ceiling from me either! I've had T5's before, which I really liked, but it's a pain (and costly) to change the bulbs every 6-8 months. Ask away!!

 

[Howlnsound]

Welcome!
I’m in North Tonawanda. I’ve been keeping tanks off and on for 20 years. Last few years it’s been on and I’ve had the best success dealing with the best places and having the right equipment.

ARC and Buffalo Coral Reef are in Cheektowaga by the airport. Randy and his guys (ARC) and Mike at BCR are great and very knowledgeable.
David at Mystic Blue in Tonanwanda is also great.
Joe at Saltwater Paradise in Tonawanda on Main Street is a staple and a must see as well.

These are your “go to’s” in and around Buffalo. (My typical Saturday morning - dangerous, but very relaxing and a lot of fun)

Coral Sea Aquatics in Hamburg is good, but a drive for me unless I’m in the area and has a lite selection.

Also the drive is definitely worth it to go see the folks at Caribbean Forest in Rochester! Great selection, great knowledgeable and friendly people, and custom woodworking and acrylic building in house.

When you leave, turn left at the corner and check out the Reef Shoppe half a block away as well.

Whatever you decide,
Ask questions from everyone!!!
The people at these places want to see you succeed because they also love the hobby and are excited about it everyday. (Find the right LFS and it isn’t all about the sale, it’s about the right sale and the right result)

Also, no matter where you buy from, DIP, DIP, DIP your new corals!!!
Some places are better than others but it’s not worth the chance, especially when you really get invested.
David at Mystic even writes the dates he received his Livestock right on the tanks so you know how long they have been there. It helps judge the health. And they will all feed them for you if you ask.

Also be aware, most LFS run some level of copper in their fish only tanks so verify when you buy and come up with a good acclimating routine so you don’t accidentally introduce copper into your reef.

Do it right the first time, trying to save a few dollars usually cost you 3 times as much. Buy good gear, save for the rest, and take time to Enjoy it!

Good luck!
Hope to see you at the stores! Let me know when your up and running. We can talk about trading corals.

Also, check out Queen City Reefers on Facebook. Good bunch of local guys who like to trade corals, help each other out, and talk saltwater reefs.

Kevin

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Welcome!
I’m in North Tonawanda. I’ve been keeping tanks off and on for 20 years. Last few years it’s been on and I’ve had the best success dealing with the best places and having the right equipment.

ARC and Buffalo Coral Reef are in Cheektowaga by the airport. Randy and his guys (ARC) and Mike at BCR are great and very knowledgeable.
David at Mystic Blue in Tonanwanda is also great.
Joe at Saltwater Paradise in Tonawanda on Main Street is a staple and a must see as well.

These are your “go to’s” in and around Buffalo. (My typical Saturday morning - dangerous, but very relaxing and a lot of fun)

Coral Sea Aquatics in Hamburg is good, but a drive for me unless I’m in the area and has a lite selection.

Also the drive is definitely worth it to go see the folks at Caribbean Forest in Rochester! Great selection, great knowledgeable and friendly people, and custom woodworking and acrylic building in house.

When you leave, turn left at the corner and check out the Reef Shoppe half a block away as well.

Whatever you decide,
Ask questions from everyone!!!
The people at these places want to see you succeed because they also love the hobby and are excited about it everyday. (Find the right LFS and it isn’t all about the sale, it’s about the right sale and the right result)

Also, no matter where you buy from, DIP, DIP, DIP your new corals!!!
Some places are better than others but it’s not worth the chance, especially when you really get invested.
David at Mystic even writes the dates he received his Livestock right on the tanks so you know how long they have been there. It helps judge the health. And they will all feed them for you if you ask.

Also be aware, most LFS run some level of copper in their fish only tanks so verify when you buy and come up with a good acclimating routine so you don’t accidentally introduce copper into your reef.

Do it right the first time, trying to save a few dollars usually cost you 3 times as much. Buy good gear, save for the rest, and take time to Enjoy it!

Good luck!
Hope to see you at the stores! Let me know when your up and running. We can talk about trading corals.

Also, check out Queen City Reefers on Facebook. Good bunch of local guys who like to trade corals, help each other out, and talk saltwater reefs.

Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks for all of the awesome advice on the LfS scene! I will have to go check these places out. Coral And Sea Aquatics is the closest of the bunch for me and where I always went for freshwater, but I stopped in at ARC and have been dealing with them primarily for the saltwater tank. They have been really helpful and spent a decent amount of time talking with me. I love supporting local businesses and developing a relationship with a place that you can hopefully turn to for advice and trust.

I am still reading a bunch to get more comfortable with QT, dipping, and acclimation for saltwater fish and coral.

As an update, I have decided to start with a 10 gallon tank that will allow me to get my feet wet before upgrading to a larger 75-90 ish gallon Reefer or Waterbox in 6-12 months where I will transition the 10 gallon to a QT tank. Full details are in my build thread. I know a 20 gallon ish tank would be better, but space for this auxiliary tank is limited and a 10 gallon fit the spaces available best.

I am in the process of selecting the location for this 10 gallon tank w/ ATO. I really want to put it on back office desk, but there is a hutch and I am worried if the evaporation and moisture would damage the surrounding wood. I do have a protective plastic on the desk surface, so that would be covered from minor spills and splashes. I will attach a picture of an example of the desk. It would go in the place where the back computer monitor is. Would love any thoughts.

 

[blurry]

welcome! The RSR tanks are nice, quite enjoying mine. Only thing I find limiting is the lack of a decent sized refugium which can be addressed down he road with a custom sump.

Buffalo area is a great sport to be - ARC is an awesome shop & Randy known his stuff! Tons of activity and local reefers in the area. A little drive down to Rochester and there are a few more great shops - The Reef Shoppe being my favorite.

with all the locals you should be able to find some used lights and skimmer to get you started without breaking the bank.

 

[Howlnsound]

Rudz,
If I’m not mistaken, that’s a solid oak desk and should be more than capable of holding the weight of a ten gal.
Your restriction would be height for a light but there a a bunch of LED options for for a tank that size that should work without breaking the bank and transition more than adequately to a QT tank.

If you serious about your plan of moving up to a 75+ gal, then I would highly suggest looking into an Apex and an ATK and DOS now. The DOS will do automatic water changes from and too the holding tank of your choice. The ATK will do an auto top off from a fresh water reservoir. They will be able to then be put on your larger tank when you get it. Randy can definitely hook you up with the correct path.

Innovative marine makes a nice looking glass holding tank in either 5 gal or 15 gal. The 15 is like $100-150.00 not too bad. They can be hidden pretty easily or left out as they are not obtrusive and look “classy” if you keep your plumbing neat. I got two of the 5s right before they came out with the 15s. Now I use Brute 44 gal cans but they probably wouldn’t work in your decor.....lol

Automation is a lot of fun!

Hope this helps, now it’s time to run to ARC and spend too much money (can’t help myself, they have great stuff!)

Kevin

 

[smiley28]

Don’t forget saltwater paradise!
I’d rank em arc, saltwaterparadise and coral sea aquatics are 2nd and 3rd then maybe buffalo coral reef and finally blue mystic. I’ve shopped at Randy’s for 10+ years but I’d say he has growing competition. I try to hit 3 shops each trip

 

[Ippyroy]

Welcome to R2R!