Hello from Arizona! Would love to find some friends that can help me on this journey...

Gondeep11

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Hello all,

Thank you for the great forum and from what I can see already a wealth of knowledge and great members.
I have been viewing the forums for a few days and definitely acquired some great info.

30+ years ago I had my first and only saltwater tank, fish only.... Things have changed so incredibly much as far as technology it's amazing and intimidating all in the same breath.

First, I would love to find some friends locally that I can bounce some ideas off of, kind of my security blanket knowing I have friends locally I can pick up the phone and call. I decided to get back in the hobby since I really enjoyed it 30 years ago.

I started out looking locally at a few LFS, originally I wanted to start with a Desktop Nano tank, of course I'm a typical guy and that went to 30gal, 60gal,90gal, 125gal and I think you get the point... I hoped to have a tank last weekend and have really had to put on the brakes and think about why I was doing this and what I would be happy with in the end... I plan on building another home in the next 1-2 years and at that point I can go as large as I want without the headache of moving a tank...

Wow, I'm long winded... I would like to stay within 36" to 48" width since this will be in my home office, I've looked at the Red Sea, Waterbox, Cade, IM and some of the local Aqua Japan... I have completely confused myself to the point I don't know which direction to go.. Sump, AIO, etc... Red Sea leaking issues have scared the heck out of me from reading, I love the idea of a sump but again, it looks intimidating... I plan on having fish, and a few easy to keep corals, again the coral thing is brand new to me...

I don't want to say money is not an object, but I am a firm believer you get what you pay for and I am not afraid to invest in this...I also don't want to throw money away either... I think something 60 to 90gal will fit the bill, anyone local that can help me get started and help out it would be appreciated...

Sorry for the long winded intro, I just want to make the right decision and not rush into the first thing I saw...

Thanks Pete (Queen Creek area)
 

Peace River

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Welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

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vetteguy53081

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Kristopher Conlin

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Welcome to Reef2Reef!!

In my opinion if you plan on moving in the somewhat near future I would go AIO. It's less work then putting together a system with a sump and the gear is typically cheaper. It would be easier to move when the time comes and if you follow the path most of us do you will want a second tank/frag tank when you get a future larger tank in the new house. You could easily use the AIO you buy now for that.
 

OldRed1

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Hello all,

Thank you for the great forum and from what I can see already a wealth of knowledge and great members.
I have been viewing the forums for a few days and definitely acquired some great info.

30+ years ago I had my first and only saltwater tank, fish only.... Things have changed so incredibly much as far as technology it's amazing and intimidating all in the same breath.

First, I would love to find some friends locally that I can bounce some ideas off of, kind of my security blanket knowing I have friends locally I can pick up the phone and call. I decided to get back in the hobby since I really enjoyed it 30 years ago.

I started out looking locally at a few LFS, originally I wanted to start with a Desktop Nano tank, of course I'm a typical guy and that went to 30gal, 60gal,90gal, 125gal and I think you get the point... I hoped to have a tank last weekend and have really had to put on the brakes and think about why I was doing this and what I would be happy with in the end... I plan on building another home in the next 1-2 years and at that point I can go as large as I want without the headache of moving a tank...

Wow, I'm long winded... I would like to stay within 36" to 48" width since this will be in my home office, I've looked at the Red Sea, Waterbox, Cade, IM and some of the local Aqua Japan... I have completely confused myself to the point I don't know which direction to go.. Sump, AIO, etc... Red Sea leaking issues have scared the heck out of me from reading, I love the idea of a sump but again, it looks intimidating... I plan on having fish, and a few easy to keep corals, again the coral thing is brand new to me...

I don't want to say money is not an object, but I am a firm believer you get what you pay for and I am not afraid to invest in this...I also don't want to throw money away either... I think something 60 to 90gal will fit the bill, anyone local that can help me get started and help out it would be appreciated...

Sorry for the long winded intro, I just want to make the right decision and not rush into the first thing I saw...

Thanks Pete (Queen Creek area)
Welcome to the forums! There is so much great information available on here for you. Looking forward to seeing your build thread down the road!
 

Fish Think Pink

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Hello all,

Thank you for the great forum and from what I can see already a wealth of knowledge and great members.
I have been viewing the forums for a few days and definitely acquired some great info.

30+ years ago I had my first and only saltwater tank, fish only.... Things have changed so incredibly much as far as technology it's amazing and intimidating all in the same breath.

First, I would love to find some friends locally that I can bounce some ideas off of, kind of my security blanket knowing I have friends locally I can pick up the phone and call. I decided to get back in the hobby since I really enjoyed it 30 years ago.

I started out looking locally at a few LFS, originally I wanted to start with a Desktop Nano tank, of course I'm a typical guy and that went to 30gal, 60gal,90gal, 125gal and I think you get the point... I hoped to have a tank last weekend and have really had to put on the brakes and think about why I was doing this and what I would be happy with in the end... I plan on building another home in the next 1-2 years and at that point I can go as large as I want without the headache of moving a tank...

Wow, I'm long winded... I would like to stay within 36" to 48" width since this will be in my home office, I've looked at the Red Sea, Waterbox, Cade, IM and some of the local Aqua Japan... I have completely confused myself to the point I don't know which direction to go.. Sump, AIO, etc... Red Sea leaking issues have scared the heck out of me from reading, I love the idea of a sump but again, it looks intimidating... I plan on having fish, and a few easy to keep corals, again the coral thing is brand new to me...

I don't want to say money is not an object, but I am a firm believer you get what you pay for and I am not afraid to invest in this...I also don't want to throw money away either... I think something 60 to 90gal will fit the bill, anyone local that can help me get started and help out it would be appreciated...

Sorry for the long winded intro, I just want to make the right decision and not rush into the first thing I saw...

Thanks Pete (Queen Creek area)

Hi Pete and Welcome and Welcome Back after 30 years! Glad you joined.

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID). There is no such thing as too early!

This might help you find people local to you in Queens Creek Arizona (might also help if you changed your Account - Location from USA to at least Arizona, but that is up to you):

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:
 

tharbin

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Welcome to R2R! Like you I reefed a long time ago. Started back in 1976 with a Fish-Only-With-Dead-Coral-Skeletons and progressed through all the various stages/fads/discoveries/etc. I stepped away about 15 years ago when we moved. I got back in a little over a year ago and don't regret it. Everybody is different but what worked for me coming back in was to get a small AIO (a Waterbox Mini Peninsula 15, now called the Waterbox Cube 15). I wanted to be sure I was really ready to dive back in without breaking the bank or getting stuck unloading a ton of gear if I decided I was making a mistake starting up again. I'll hopefully be getting a 100 gallon AIO (I've had sumps but I prefer the safety, quiet and simplicity of AIOs) in the near future.

My suggestion would be to get a low-complexity tank if you are planning to move in the near future. Also, when you move there is a fairly good chance you will want a different tank anyway. An AIO would be ideal. Don't let the Red Sea scares put you off too much. I haven't read of any problems with the new G2 tanks. Red Sea, Waterbox, IM, and Cade all make really good tanks.

I would also suggest you look into joining AZ Frag as there are lots of helpful and outgoing people there. They have monthly meetings in the Phoenix metro area.

R2R-Welcome3.jpg
 
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Gondeep11

Gondeep11

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Welcome to Reef2Reef!!

In my opinion if you plan on moving in the somewhat near future I would go AIO. It's less work then putting together a system with a sump and the gear is typically cheaper. It would be easier to move when the time comes and if you follow the path most of us do you will want a second tank/frag tank when you get a future larger tank in the new house. You could easily use the AIO you buy now for that.
Thank you, this makes perfect sense!
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 78 38.0%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 69 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 26 12.7%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 30 14.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 2 1.0%
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