After years of wanting to set up another reef tank, I am finally diving in. It's time to put all that reading to good use...
About me:
I've been keeping aquariums since I was around 7 years old. I may have hit my peak when I had 10 aquariums in a two bedroom apartment when I was in my twenties. My first SW tank was in the early/mid 80s. That was when we used to take out our dead coral decorations and bleach them clean. My first FOWLR was in the early 90s. That one consisted of fish and LR I collected from the intercoastal and beaches. My first proper reef was in the late 90s. I took that down when I started driving a truck OTR. I wasn't home enough and my wife didn't want the responsibility of taking care of it.
My wife passed away 4 years ago. Thanks to a heart attack and subsequent small stroke which messed with my peripheral vision I am now semi-retired (see what I did there?) with a home based business. I am finally in a position to get back into reefing.
The original plan:
At first I was just going to go with a 55 gallon, like my last reef. That soon gave way to a 75, no, a 90...lol. I had an idea to build a stand that would incorporate a small 29g planted tank below the 90, with a sump made out of a 40. That is still a dream.
The current plan:
What I ended up with is a complete used 75 gallon. I saw it on FB Marketplace and couldn't pass up the deal. More on that later. My goal is to keep this as simple and low tech as possible, as well as as cheap as possible. This build will probably appeal more to newbies than sophisticated tech people. Nothing wrong with high tech, I just prefer a more hands on approach to reefkeeping.
This will be a mixed reef. LPS will probably be dominant. SPS will tie into whatever coral gobies I get. As for fish, I like the idea of a lot of small fish rather than a few larger specimens. More on all that later.
So I hope you enjoy my thread. I welcome any questions or comments/suggestions.
About me:
I've been keeping aquariums since I was around 7 years old. I may have hit my peak when I had 10 aquariums in a two bedroom apartment when I was in my twenties. My first SW tank was in the early/mid 80s. That was when we used to take out our dead coral decorations and bleach them clean. My first FOWLR was in the early 90s. That one consisted of fish and LR I collected from the intercoastal and beaches. My first proper reef was in the late 90s. I took that down when I started driving a truck OTR. I wasn't home enough and my wife didn't want the responsibility of taking care of it.
My wife passed away 4 years ago. Thanks to a heart attack and subsequent small stroke which messed with my peripheral vision I am now semi-retired (see what I did there?) with a home based business. I am finally in a position to get back into reefing.
The original plan:
At first I was just going to go with a 55 gallon, like my last reef. That soon gave way to a 75, no, a 90...lol. I had an idea to build a stand that would incorporate a small 29g planted tank below the 90, with a sump made out of a 40. That is still a dream.
The current plan:
What I ended up with is a complete used 75 gallon. I saw it on FB Marketplace and couldn't pass up the deal. More on that later. My goal is to keep this as simple and low tech as possible, as well as as cheap as possible. This build will probably appeal more to newbies than sophisticated tech people. Nothing wrong with high tech, I just prefer a more hands on approach to reefkeeping.
This will be a mixed reef. LPS will probably be dominant. SPS will tie into whatever coral gobies I get. As for fish, I like the idea of a lot of small fish rather than a few larger specimens. More on all that later.
So I hope you enjoy my thread. I welcome any questions or comments/suggestions.
