Hello Reefers!

Old Time SW Guy · Jun 13, 2018

I'm brand new to reefing although I have had SW FO and FOLR tanks for several decades. My FO tanks were large (240 and 300 gallons) but that was when I lived in Florida and the house was built on a slab. When I moved up to NC I shifted to FW tanks and have had a 90 gallon Angel tank for quite some time. Recently I decided to get back into SW but on a smaller scale while taking a stab at reefing. I'm pretty sure a 240 in this house would wind up in the crawlspace so downsizing was pretty much mandatory. However... as we all know, it always starts out small but the addictive nature of the hobby somehow always leads to ever larger tanks. I suspect a structural engineer may be summoned at some point in the future.

For now, at least, I purchased a JBJ 45 flat panel rimless and it's been up a running for about 8 weeks and is fully cycled. I have a few "softies" (see, I'm already learning some of the terminology) and a couple of fish and all are doing well so it's time to add a few more residents. It is my good fortune to have a friend who is a Marine Biologist at a local University and he has been kind enough to point me in the right direction a few times. His help is greatly appreciated and needed as I immediately realized that reefing was a whole different ballgame with much more to consifer than FO.

I'm looking forward to populating my reef and watching it grow. Some of the tanks I see on YouTube, both large and small, are just absolutely gorgeous and I'll be thrilled if mine looks half as good in the future. I'm also looking forward to conversing and learning from the members of this forum. Participating in a good forum is invaluable in achieving success in any hobby and is enjoyable as well.