Hello and Good Morning from the UK

simecircle

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Good day!

In the interests of being sociable, I thought I would introduce myself as per the etiquette as I was hoping to ask a question. My daughter and I thought it would be fun to give saltwater a go. I have always enjoyed freshwater tanks since I was a child and we both enjoy the learning and science that comes with the hobby as well as the fascination of beautiful and characterful creatures in an approximation of their own eco system.

We only have a limited space to give, from an aesthetic point of view so after many weeks of research I decided a Fluval Evo would be perfect to fit. The space wouldn’t allow one of the larger cubes on the market, being more suited to a peninsular, but there is sufficient area that I calculated a bespoke cut tank with an inch or two more width and six or seven in length would give me a lot more water in the future and the tank itself is surprisingly one of the most commercially upgradeable parts of the whole system. I have bought an AI Prime HD, new pumps and soon a power head, all of which I expect to be transferable, if and when I make this leap.

So, I am up and running! I took my time (some might argue too much, but I like data and graphs and have cycled freshwater tanks successfully with ammonia). I chose fishless cycling for two months and now have what I believe to be a fairly happy tank in its early stages with a bunch of “live” rock, a couple of clownfish (please see earlier note re future upgrade before judging too harshly), a couple of tiny crabs and a couple of snails. Regular tests show me pretty stable at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, around 5ppm nitrates, a tiny amount of phosphate and normal kH (~125) and calcium (~440) with salinity steady at 35. The tank is around 3 months old in total and gets weekly 10-15% water changes.

My question is this: when to add my first coral?

I read that a tank must go through all the “stages” and I was pleased to discover this morning that the level of brown dust/ diatoms that had actually peaked last weekend had completely gone this morning (being first observed two weeks ago), but what are the other stages? Must I see GHA or cyano or other blooms before I buy a GSP or a Xenia? And if I don’t ever? Do I wait a few months for good measure? I’m in no hurry, but keen for opinions.

Thanks so much for reading!
 

ScottR

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Good day!

In the interests of being sociable, I thought I would introduce myself as per the etiquette as I was hoping to ask a question. My daughter and I thought it would be fun to give saltwater a go. I have always enjoyed freshwater tanks since I was a child and we both enjoy the learning and science that comes with the hobby as well as the fascination of beautiful and characterful creatures in an approximation of their own eco system.

We only have a limited space to give, from an aesthetic point of view so after many weeks of research I decided a Fluval Evo would be perfect to fit. The space wouldn’t allow one of the larger cubes on the market, being more suited to a peninsular, but there is sufficient area that I calculated a bespoke cut tank with an inch or two more width and six or seven in length would give me a lot more water in the future and the tank itself is surprisingly one of the most commercially upgradeable parts of the whole system. I have bought an AI Prime HD, new pumps and soon a power head, all of which I expect to be transferable, if and when I make this leap.

So, I am up and running! I took my time (some might argue too much, but I like data and graphs and have cycled freshwater tanks successfully with ammonia). I chose fishless cycling for two months and now have what I believe to be a fairly happy tank in its early stages with a bunch of “live” rock, a couple of clownfish (please see earlier note re future upgrade before judging too harshly), a couple of tiny crabs and a couple of snails. Regular tests show me pretty stable at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, around 5ppm nitrates, a tiny amount of phosphate and normal kH (~125) and calcium (~440) with salinity steady at 35. The tank is around 3 months old in total and gets weekly 10-15% water changes.

My question is this: when to add my first coral?

I read that a tank must go through all the “stages” and I was pleased to discover this morning that the level of brown dust/ diatoms that had actually peaked last weekend had completely gone this morning (being first observed two weeks ago), but what are the other stages? Must I see GHA or cyano or other blooms before I buy a GSP or a Xenia? And if I don’t ever? Do I wait a few months for good measure? I’m in no hurry, but keen for opinions.

Thanks so much for reading!
Welcome to REEF2REEF!!!

You don’t have to wait to add coral really. As long as you check and keep up with parameters (temp, salinity, alk, PO4, no3, etc). Soft corals are much easier and way more forgiving. Xenia. Mushrooms. Zoas. LPS corals can be easy as well but some have specific care. SPS corals prefer cleaner water and are usually best kept after gaining confidence from keeping easier corals first. Feel free to ask as many questions here as you like. Everyone is here to help!
 

Storm Trooper Reefer

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Welcome to REEF2REEF!!!

You don’t have to wait to add coral really. As long as you check and keep up with parameters (temp, salinity, alk, PO4, no3, etc). Soft corals are much easier and way more forgiving. Xenia. Mushrooms. Zoas. LPS corals can be easy as well but some have specific care. SPS corals prefer cleaner water and are usually best kept after gaining confidence from keeping easier corals first. Feel free to ask as many questions here as you like. Everyone is here to help!
If new, a small rock of something soft, add pods and then lps or sps. The big question is do now coral like the lights and the stability of your tank?
 
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simecircle

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Well, thanks all for such warm welcomes and encouraging advice!!

I was heading to out with the family to a local garden centre/ aquatics shop (the two are very often found together in the UK). My plan was just to get some shells for the hermits (one has shed and it feels like he might need a new shell), but I think I might treat us to a soft and hardy coral and see how we go.

Thanks so much!
 

Storm Trooper Reefer

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Well, thanks all for such warm welcomes and encouraging advice!!

I was heading to out with the family to a local garden centre/ aquatics shop (the two are very often found together in the UK). My plan was just to get some shells for the hermits (one has shed and it feels like he might need a new shell), but I think I might treat us to a soft and hardy coral and see how we go.

Thanks so much!
Have fun.
 
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