Deciding if I should enter the hobby and feeling overwhelmed with information

[hominamad]

Hi there - hoping some experienced people here, or maybe other beginners could help me out. I am really interested in getting into this hobby and want to set up a simple starter reef tank. I had a 10 gallon fresh water tank in which I successfully kept a single beta fish alive for 3 years. I was pretty good about doing regular water changes, monitoring levels, etc and took pride in having a super clean tank. So I do have a bit of exposure, but never with saltwater.

I've been doing a bunch of research and am feeling a bit overwhelmed with information. A lot of the beginner guides seem incredibly complicated and involved. I am wondering if there is a way to gradually step into this, start simple and add as I go?

I'm considering doing a 30 gallon tank this time around. I would like to have 3-4 fish, maybe some soft corals, and a couple of shrimp and crabs as my end goal. The main thing I'm grappling with is what type of tank to get and where to put it. As far as tanks, do people recommend any of these starter kits, like the bio cubes, etc that come with all the basics to start out? I don't mind getting a kit, but I do want something that I can expand on and would be concerned about getting stuck if I want to advance further.

Are there any brands or specific ones that are recommended? Or should I just buy everything separately?

Also, as far as locations go - my issue is that I have a ton of windows in my house, and it's hard to find spots out of the sunlight. Below is where I used to keep my 10 gallon tank. I measured and found a few 30 gallon long tanks that seem like they could fit there. The height from the cabinet to the counter is 16" and I saw some tanks that were 13" high. Are there any potential downsides to have the tank be right under the cabinets like this. With the 10 gallon, I used to slide the tank forward to do the water changes - which I suppose will be much harder with 30 gallons with all the rock and sand as well. Also I'm not sure about lighting. Are the lights on saltwater tanks built in to a lid like in a fresh water? I just want to make sure I have enough room to work, etc.

Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

~H

 

[Flippers4pups]

Hi there - hoping some experienced people here, or maybe other beginners could help me out. I am really interested in getting into this hobby and want to set up a simple starter reef tank. I had a 10 gallon fresh water tank in which I successfully kept a single beta fish alive for 3 years. I was pretty good about doing regular water changes, monitoring levels, etc and took pride in having a super clean tank. So I do have a bit of exposure, but never with saltwater.

I've been doing a bunch of research and am feeling a bit overwhelmed with information. A lot of the beginner guides seem incredibly complicated and involved. I am wondering if there is a way to gradually step into this, start simple and add as I go?

I'm considering doing a 30 gallon tank this time around. I would like to have 3-4 fish, maybe some soft corals, and a couple of shrimp and crabs as my end goal. The main thing I'm grappling with is what type of tank to get and where to put it. As far as tanks, do people recommend any of these starter kits, like the bio cubes, etc that come with all the basics to start out? I don't mind getting a kit, but I do want something that I can expand on and would be concerned about getting stuck if I want to advance further.

Are there any brands or specific ones that are recommended? Or should I just buy everything separately?

Also, as far as locations go - my issue is that I have a ton of windows in my house, and it's hard to find spots out of the sunlight. Below is where I used to keep my 10 gallon tank. I measured and found a few 30 gallon long tanks that seem like they could fit there. The height from the cabinet to the counter is 16" and I saw some tanks that were 13" high. Are there any potential downsides to have the tank be right under the cabinets like this. With the 10 gallon, I used to slide the tank forward to do the water changes - which I suppose will be much harder with 30 gallons with all the rock and sand as well. Also I'm not sure about lighting. Are the lights on saltwater tanks built in to a lid like in a fresh water? I just want to make sure I have enough room to work, etc.

Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

~H

Welcome to reef2reef! Glad you joined us!

The location in the picture would be difficult for numerous reasons.

One is the lighting necessary to keep corals. Most lighting will require them to be kept higher than the space in the picture.

Second would be if a AIO (all in one) type tank is chosen, it will require room for maintenance/servicing.

There are other reasons.

 

[DarkSky]

Welcome!

What's your budget? That might help people make better recommendations.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its like a Puzzle. Once you get started, it all starts to make sense and then you find yourself figuring things out. As Flippers questioned, the Kitchen is the LAST place I would place a tank due to sudden temperature changes from cooking/baking not to mention the atmospheric grease and fumes.
Rub your finger across the top of stove panel or the hood and toaster oven in your pic and that would be the same substance that would land on and in your tank.
In the pic there is a door and hallway I see? That would be a good spot although the ideal location is Living room or where you spend the most time allowing you to enjoy the beauty of the ocean in your home.

 

[Dine]

I’ll try to touch on all your questions. If I miss any I’m sorry!

-The kits or all-in-ones (AIO) are a fine way to go. Nothing wrong as there are some good options out there. I like the innovative marine brand personally but there are others.

-if you decide to go with separate equipment you may want to consider going with a sump setup (a 2nd tank under the display tank that holds the equipment). The spot you have shown would not be great for this type however since I assume you don’t have access to underneath.

-my concern with that location is evaporation and what it might do to to the cabinet. Also if you plan to keep coral you will need a light and I’m not sure you’re going to have the room even with the shallow tank you mentioned.

-the lights are typically not built in however there are some biocubes that do. Just keep in mind for certain types of coral lights are very important so having the option to hand what you want in the future might be better then being tied to a built in light.

-go as big as you can with the space you have. More water=more stability.

-I highly doubt you will be able to drag this tank forward (physically or safely). I’d plan on maintaining it wherever you fill it up at.

What else are you curious about?

 

[Jon Fishman]

I personally would never have a tank on my counter.

It can be done easily, and an all-in-one is good for that, but it won’t leave you open much for “adding to” later, but that’s fine. Softies and fish/inverts would be fine.

One easy way to do it is buy good coraline-algae covered rocks from a local fish store and start there.

Welcome

 

[S.Pepper]

As a newbie, I appreciate your sentiments. Do your research, and then do more research. But in the end, u just have to jump in and be willing to succeed or fail. Not fail in the sense of giving up, but be willing to accept the outcome of what u think is right/good, and adjust. You're going to make mistakes; Just deal with it and move on. There is not right answer, nor is there a wrong answer, it's what works for you. GL

 

[Terri Caton]

Hi, I feel your pain
It's not that hard.
I think it's really the sheer amount of information you find on the internet that's overwhelming.
A Biocube or similar is a great way to go! If you get one I'll give you a few tips on how to make it better. Nothing major.
Start with live sand, saltwater from your local fish store (LFS).
And in an ideal world a piece of live rock but not necessary. Many people don't use it because it can have pests, algae, etc.

Have an extra 5 gallons of saltwater and 5 gallons of RO (water without salt from your LFS) on hand just in case. You'll end up using it. You will need to bring your own buckets. I get them from Home Depot.

Set up the tank, wipe it down.
Put in your rockscape if doing one. Dry rock is best. You don't have to cure it and it won't have hitchhikers.

Get some Turbo Start or similar. Get a cheap fish but one you won't mind keeping after or can give back to your LFS.

Put in your sand and then water. Add the Turbo Start and fish.
Let the tank cycle. Basically check for Ammonia, Nitrates and Alkalinity.

When the Ammonia and Nitrates are zero and when you get a diatom bloom (brown algae) your tank is cycled.
A couple of weeks.

You don't need to worry about water changes until you start adding more things to the tank.

You want your Ammonia and Nitrate levels at zero, your temp 77-79 and Salinity 1.025 - 1.026. That's easy to do (more on that in a min.) Alkalinity 8-9

Add only one or two fish at a time. You can add a little more Turbo Start each time to help the tank acclimate to the new fish.

If you stick to soft corals it will be a breeze. If you want to venture into LSP (Large stony polyps) it's a little more complicated. You can get away with less perfect water parameters with soft corals.

Once you see your parameters rising do a water change with saltwater from your LFS. Maybe a couple of weeks later. 10% per week is recommended. Easy with a Biocube. This alone should keep your parameters in check. No need for all kinds of fancy additives.

The nice part about Biocubes and similar is that they have a hood and you don't have much evaporation. If you do want to top off the water use RO water. The water evaporates, the salt does not. That makes your salinity rise.

If this is helpful let me know and I'd be happy to recommend my favorite foods, upgrades, etc.

Good luck, relax, and have fun!

(No doubt there will be people who disagree with things that I have said. Everyone has their own preferences. To me, this is the easiest way and successful.)

 

[Terri Caton]

I think on the counter is ok as long as the tank won't be exposed to overhead lights, heat, etc.

 

[Tamberav]

Hi there - hoping some experienced people here, or maybe other beginners could help me out. I am really interested in getting into this hobby and want to set up a simple starter reef tank. I had a 10 gallon fresh water tank in which I successfully kept a single beta fish alive for 3 years. I was pretty good about doing regular water changes, monitoring levels, etc and took pride in having a super clean tank. So I do have a bit of exposure, but never with saltwater.

I've been doing a bunch of research and am feeling a bit overwhelmed with information. A lot of the beginner guides seem incredibly complicated and involved. I am wondering if there is a way to gradually step into this, start simple and add as I go?

I'm considering doing a 30 gallon tank this time around. I would like to have 3-4 fish, maybe some soft corals, and a couple of shrimp and crabs as my end goal. The main thing I'm grappling with is what type of tank to get and where to put it. As far as tanks, do people recommend any of these starter kits, like the bio cubes, etc that come with all the basics to start out? I don't mind getting a kit, but I do want something that I can expand on and would be concerned about getting stuck if I want to advance further.

Are there any brands or specific ones that are recommended? Or should I just buy everything separately?

Also, as far as locations go - my issue is that I have a ton of windows in my house, and it's hard to find spots out of the sunlight. Below is where I used to keep my 10 gallon tank. I measured and found a few 30 gallon long tanks that seem like they could fit there. The height from the cabinet to the counter is 16" and I saw some tanks that were 13" high. Are there any potential downsides to have the tank be right under the cabinets like this. With the 10 gallon, I used to slide the tank forward to do the water changes - which I suppose will be much harder with 30 gallons with all the rock and sand as well. Also I'm not sure about lighting. Are the lights on saltwater tanks built in to a lid like in a fresh water? I just want to make sure I have enough room to work, etc.

Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

~H

Your goal is very easy and doable... All you would really need to do is regular water changes for soft corals with rodi water or distilled.

You should not use tap water.

I have kept reef tanks near and in front of windows and it never made any difference. Reef lighting is powerful enough to grow algae anyways if it is going to grow. Some people literally grow their corals with sky lights that live in more tropical areas.

I still would avoid putting it directly in front of a window for heat reasons but dont fret about it being near one.

There are some AIOs that come with lights and a hood and most do not as powerful lighting requires airflow. For soft corals you can do either.

That is not a good spot for a tank....maintenance will be a nightmare.

I had a tank similar to a biocube and dont really care for them.... They need serious modding for certain upgrades if you want better lights ever and can overheat. I also don't care for curved corners.

I really like the innovative Marine tanks for nanos. All you need to add to them is a heater... wavemaker....and a light. IM makes lots of equipment to fit it perfectly if you ever want skimmers... Uv... Reactors... Etc. They are easy to add on to later as your needs change and they are not tied to a specific light or some such.

 

[Terri Caton]

Reading your post again I think you would be very limited in that space on the kitchen counter. An All-In-One wouldn't work because you would need to lift the lid. They do have the led lights already built in.

You can always remove the top later if you want to upgrade lights for different corals.

Personally, I wouldn't get into a sump at first. You wanted simple. That's not simple.

 

[raketemensch]

I’m probably too new to give solid advice, but from my research...

You can start out somewhat slowly. The tank takes about a month to fully cycle until you can put living things into it, so that’s good time to do research once you’ve decided on a location and gear.

To have corals and a light load of fish plus crabs, you could start with a CleanUpCrew once the cycle is over, and you’d have crabs and snails to start. Reefcleaners.org has some nice starter packs for reasonable prices that would handle that for you — I’m sure there are other companies that do the same thing, but that’s where I personally went. Their packages are huge, so it seems like lots of people order kits that are smaller than their tanks. I ordered a 15-gallon pack for a 55 gallon tank, and it’s still 34 snails/crabs.

They’ll clean your sand and algae somewhat.

For fish, maybe start with a diamond goby. They seem to be peaceful and reef-friendly, and they’ll also sift your sand for nasties.

Then, when you’re ready for more fish, I’d say maybe 6 Blue Green Chromis — they’re the least aggressive of the damsels from what I read. They’re pretty hardy, and reef-friendly too.

At that point I think you’d have a bunch of good experience with your chemistry and with keeping things alive, and maybe it’d be time to get some LPS corals.

Everything with this plan, or any plan, moves slowly and takes time, so as you complete each step you have time to research the next.

Again, I’m new to this, so if I’m off-base I hope people will point it out.

 

[Terri Caton]

I’ll try to touch on all your questions. If I miss any I’m sorry!

-The kits or all-in-ones (AIO) are a fine way to go. Nothing wrong as there are some good options out there. I like the innovative marine brand personally but there are others.

-if you decide to go with separate equipment you may want to consider going with a sump setup (a 2nd tank under the display tank that holds the equipment). The spot you have shown would not be great for this type however since I assume you don’t have access to underneath.

-my concern with that location is evaporation and what it might do to to the cabinet. Also if you plan to keep coral you will need a light and I’m not sure you’re going to have the room even with the shallow tank you mentioned.

-the lights are typically not built in however there are some biocubes that do. Just keep in mind for certain types of coral lights are very important so having the option to hand what you want in the future might be better then being tied to a built in light.

-go as big as you can with the space you have. More water=more stability.

-I highly doubt you will be able to drag this tank forward (physically or safely). I’d plan on maintaining it wherever you fill it up at.

What else are you curious about?

More water = more stability. Very true.

Just get the stand that comes with the tank you want. Put it in a place where you will be able to see it a lot. Because you'll want to If you put it in your kitchen you will be spending a LOT of time in the kitchen.

Can you close the shades on a window or 2 so you can have a better location?

 

[Matt Carden]

Welcome to R2R!

KISS is the perfect acronym for a person starting out in this hobby. Unless you have plenty of money to burn don't go out and buy all the expensive name brand equipment because you never know if you'll stick to it. You will be able to find a way to repurpose the cheap stuff when you upgrade.

 

[thewalkingdad]

I too was also very overwhelmed with the task of getting into a potentially complex hobby like this. I also had not clue where to start. I couldn't find any real good resources that walked me through the process...until I found the BRS 160 video series. I consumed those videos as fast as I could and have probably watched the entire series about 3 times through.

It answered a lot of my questions, demystified the hobby, and got me so much more excited about jumping in.

 

[Dine]

I too was also very overwhelmed with the task of getting into a potentially complex hobby like this. I also had not clue where to start. I couldn't find any real good resources that walked me through the process...until I found the BRS 160 video series. I consumed those videos as fast as I could and have probably watched the entire series about 3 times through.
It answered a lot of my questions, demystified the hobby, and got me so much more excited about jumping in.

This is a great series. It’s time consuming but worth watching as you get to the various stages.

 

[WallyB]

This is a wonderful hobby, and everyone started as beginners, and even after 25 years, you still feel like an advanced beginner since there are always mysteries to solve.

So start simple and build up your skills. Listen to gather information, and make decisions on your own, since sometimes people give (knee jerk, bad, or misunderstood) advice that's isn't necessarily good for your situation.

My advice if you want to enjoy that counter is put a Microwave there instead. (Just kidding)
However, also thinking practical, since a tank right there with the Cabinet above isn't ideal for Top Access.
Doesn't look like there is any sink in that Area (not important but handy).
You will need to clean the tank, and sometimes things will get messy, spills, and access is convenient.

Not sure what other locations you have in mind, the good thing about the counter is it's solid.
You need your tank on a solid top, somewhat close to sink so you are not dripping between tank and sink. (Towels, buckets, bins work too).

Wherever you decide, one piece of Advice that you should listen to is make sure your AC power is an GFCI OUTLET , to ensure if anything goes wrong (Spills, equipment failures), everyone is Safe From Electrocution. Salt water is more conductive than regular water and you know that Regular water and AC voltage can kill you.

Also look into this. GFCI doesn't work all the time (if no Ground). A Titanium Ground probe on your tank will ensure your GFCI works near 100%. A 2 pronged heater with no Ground can fail, and still be a shock Hazzard (Even with a GFCI outlet and Tank not grounded). I learned that once very quickly.

 

[S.Pepper]

Wherever you decide, one piece of Advice that you should listen to is make sure your AC power is an GFCI OUTLET, to ensure if anything goes wrong (Spills, failures), everyone is Safe From Electrocution. Salt water is more conductive than regular water and you know that Regular water and AC voltage can kill you.

Yup!

 

[KleineVampir]

You are talking about entering the world of biology, chemistry, and probably biochemistry...lol. It'll probably cost like $3,000 and you'll basically have to be a biochemist. It seems like some hobbyists end up knowing just as much as the actual biologists and chemists. Especially biology though. Whether entering that world is for you or not is impossible to answer since I don't know you well enough.

 

[thewalkingdad]

You are talking about entering the world of biology, chemistry, and probably biochemistry...

And this is even before you begin to enter the world of animal husbandry, lol