Fear of failure...

LordJoshaeus · 2026-10-01T19:20:42-0400

I have committed myself to setting up a saltwater tank...and boy am I scared

I've had quite a bit of experience keeping and breeding freshwater fish, but my past experiences with saltwater were quite negative - the tanks were ugly and the corals and macroalgae did not thrive and typically died off (the fish and mobile inverts typically did fine). The fact saltwater is so expensive to set up and maintain does not help matters...I guess I am just looking for someone to tell me "you've got this!" and maybe give some advice to help ensure that happens. Thanks :)

keagan · 2026-10-01T19:41:59-0400

You got this! Take your time, go slow doing everything. There's no rush to cycle, no rush to add coral, patience is key. My first reef tank was a mess, coral grew well but I struggled constantly with issues that could've been prevented, all because I wasn't patient enough. Good luck and I'm also building a new system ATM so if anything's frustrating you reach out I'll be dealing with the same little problems that come from running plumbing, dealing with the uglies, etc.

kitti-fish · 2026-10-01T19:43:35-0400

I’m gonna be honest with you. The first year the tank ain’t going to look great. Mine didn’t! It was a lot of trial and error. A few coral losses. A few fish losses. I was going to throw in the towel but I already put so much money into this hobby so I wanted to see it through. It’s worth it in the end. You might not have a YouTube worthy tank within 1-2 years (I sure don’t) but it brings me so much joy to see my coral growing, my fish getting better, and the tank maturing over time. It’s not the easiest hobby and everyone is going to throw 1000 different thoughts on how to run your tank. In the end, do what’s best for you and don’t get discouraged too early. What size are you looking to get into? AIO, sump, HOB, or canister?

LordJoshaeus · 2026-10-01T20:54:40-0400

keagan said:
You got this! Take your time, go slow doing everything. There's no rush to cycle, no rush to add coral, patience is key. My first reef tank was a mess, coral grew well but I struggled constantly with issues that could've been prevented, all because I wasn't patient enough. Good luck and I'm also building a new system ATM so if anything's frustrating you reach out I'll be dealing with the same little problems that come from running plumbing, dealing with the uglies, etc.

Thanks :) I'll be extra patient this time.

kitti-fish said:
I’m gonna be honest with you. The first year the tank ain’t going to look great. Mine didn’t! It was a lot of trial and error. A few coral losses. A few fish losses. I was going to throw in the towel but I already put so much money into this hobby so I wanted to see it through. It’s worth it in the end. You might not have a YouTube worthy tank within 1-2 years (I sure don’t) but it brings me so much joy to see my coral growing, my fish getting better, and the tank maturing over time. It’s not the easiest hobby and everyone is going to throw 1000 different thoughts on how to run your tank. In the end, do what’s best for you and don’t get discouraged too early. What size are you looking to get into? AIO, sump, HOB, or canister?

It is a ten gallon I am setting up for my Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis colony. It has a 150 gph internal Aqueon Quiet flow filter, as well as an inch of aragonite sand and 7 lbs dry rock (may add more, perhaps live, rock). I am going to get used media from a nearby lfs to jump start the cycle and will further reinforce it with some fritz turbo start 900. I am planning to keep the lights off for months, adding copepods all the while, to allow micro fauna to build up before the uglies start...I want to see if I can minimize them that way. When should I add soft corals? When the uglies end? (Not planning on adding hard corals to this setup).