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Gardnaaa

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Hey HVRK, my names Zack and I just found this forum. I’m 27 and I’m looking to start my first saltwater tank. I have a 60g tall, not the best aquascaping tank but due to where it is in my house, it fits perfect. I my 2.5 year old son absolutely loves fish, so I think this could be a hobby we can do together. I just don’t know where to start! I never tried this hobby because of all the negative things you hear about it. Being to hard, to expensive and to advanced can freak the normal person out haha. Hoping to meet some locals (I’m in Kingston) and maybe be able to pick your brains and if you have spare equipment lying around, maybe purchase it so I can get started in this long journey. Thank you everyone!
 

mattdg

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Welcome and great to meet you. I too enjoy many aspects of reef keeping with my 6 year old son. Great hobby for young minds.

When all of the social distancing stuff finally settles, you should come to a club meeting. Keep an eye on the forum and one should pop up at some point later on this year. We have some very knowledgeable members who will happily share their experience and advice with you.

Also, there are a couple stores here in the HV that can set you up with the equipment you'll need... Hudson Valley Fish-N-Reef and Aquarium Solutions 101 to name two.

In the mean time, feel free to reach out to me with questions. I am happy to talk you through a basic first time reef tank set up.
 
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Gardnaaa

Gardnaaa

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Welcome and great to meet you. I too enjoy many aspects of reef keeping with my 6 year old son. Great hobby for young minds.

When all of the social distancing stuff finally settles, you should come to a club meeting. Keep an eye on the forum and one should pop up at some point later on this year. We have some very knowledgeable members who will happily share their experience and advice with you.

Also, there are a couple stores here in the HV that can set you up with the equipment you'll need... Hudson Valley Fish-N-Reef and Aquarium Solutions 101 to name two.

In the mean time, feel free to reach out to me with questions. I am happy to talk you through a basic first time reef tank set up.
Awesome! So what is really the bare minimum I need to start? Trying to start on the cheaper side and upgrade as I go. I keep checking craigslist, letgo and offerup to see if people are selling used equipment. I found a girl selling 30lbs live rock for $40. Not sure if that’s a good idea or not.i just don’t want to deal with someone else’s problem, who knows what shape her tank was in when she took it down. I was going to buy the live sand and just do dry rock. I’m in no rush for the cycle to complete. I do have a canister filter, but I’d like to avoid using it. It seems like it’ll be more work using one. I’d like to do a sump eventually, but just trying to get started small. Thank you I appreciate it!
 

mattdg

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Really, the bare minimum is good salt, hydrometer, a proper spectrum light, heater, circulation pump or two and live rock. If you are sticking with basic / easy coral, everything else is optional. Get some test kits to monitor when the tank is ready for fish and you are good to go.

This is exactly how I plan on setting up a 10 gallon green star polyp / anemone tank, with clown fish, for my son, in a year or two.

If you use established live rock, the tank may cycle quicker, though you will still experience some die off. A protein skimmer will help with that, but is not necessary to start.

You can start off with the canister filter, but don't plan on using it for the long haul.

If you are looking for something to grow in to, I'd personally recommend a 40 breeder or a four foot 75 / 90 or 120 gallon tank with overflow installed, especially if you plan to add a sump later.

You can not do too much research. This is a challenging hobby to get right, especially as you graduate to high end LPS and SPS coral.

I hope this helps you get started.
 

Aquatic acrobat in your aquarium: Have you ever kept an eel?

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