How did you survive your first year of reefing?

[MarshallB]

I've seen more than a few posts on here of people struggling to make it through that first year. How did you do it? Do you still have the tank up? What would you do differently?

For me, I've had a 60 gallon planted freshwater tank for over a decade. That first year was a battle with algae and nutrient control. Then one day it just became easy. Nutrients stopped spiking, Algae slowed down and eventually went away. That experience has helped me through some of the things I've been battling in my 6 month old reef tank.

Please post then and now photos if you have them. Bonus points if you have photos of when your tank was just plain ugly. It's good for others to see that obtaining a coral filled slice of paradise can be a hard climb when first starting out. With a lot of effort, a lot of failing, learning, and more than a bit of patience the pay off is owning a beautiful piece of life.

 

[ZoWhat]

It takes a LOT of:

* reading and research

* patience in making decisions

* knowing that your tank is not an immediate gratification .... brainwashed by gorgeous showroom tank pictures. these "show-off" reef pictures is like comparing a $600k Lamborghini to your Toyota Camry. It's just not fair and depresses you

* it takes a lot of MONEY. you need high priced equipment thats an upfront cost

* it takes a lot of MONEY knowing there will be major failures. Unavoidable


.

 

[don_chuwish]

I'll have to dig up some old photos. It was stressful! At one point I thought my fish had crypto and I put them all through a full hypo treatment and left the tank fallow for 8 weeks. Livestock came through fine but I was a mess.

 

[pbenjbear2]

We survived our first year, but there was a HUGE learning curve and a lot of money thrown out the window! I wouldn't say we are ready to graduate from the training wheels - but I do say that we have learned some important lessons.

The most important and most expensive for us so far had been not QT anything coming into the house prior to going into the DT. Unfortunately this lead to an ich outbreak and the loss of quite a few fish! After tons of reading, research, posting questions of desperation and lots of money in QT equipment and medicine, we have a successful QT regimen that we will follow from here forward. This also lends into: RESEARCH YOUR FISH!!

Not being thorough on what type of fish we have and how to keep them, treat them and who they can hang out with lead to some other troubles as well.

Luckily we have taken our knocks without giving up on the tank - but it was close!

 

[Jib]

I'm only 5 months in, but research and patience has been key for me so far.

I spent a year casually watching YouTube videos and stalking R2R before I even got my tank. I tried to read every thread that had the red "Emergency" logo next to it. There were a lot themes in those "Emergency" threads that I learned from.

I've had my struggles, but a solid knowledge foundation before getting a tank really helped me.

 

[Tiger Brown]

It takes a LOT of:

* reading and research

* patience in making decisions

* knowing that your tank is not an immediate gratification .... brainwashed by gorgeous showroom tank pictures. these "show-off" reef pictures is like comparing a $600k Lamborghini to your Toyota Camry. It's just not fair and depresses you

* it takes a lot of MONEY. you need high priced equipment thats an upfront cost

* it takes a lot of MONEY knowing there will be major failures. Unavoidable


.

I could not agree more with @skimjim on his first two points. I survived my first year by not trying to slam my Toyota Camry and add 22 inch wheels, supercharger, and a huge wing and put Lambo badges all over it. In other words, I just stayed patient and let the tank mature slowly, not adding a bunch of livestock all at once.

The last two points I disagree with, but with the caveat that "a lot of MONEY" is hugely subjective. I have 2K in my reef, a lot of money to some, but I also have several friends who bought designer dogs with a "doodle" in their name for 10,000 bucks.

 

[MarshallB]

We survived our first year, but there was a HUGE learning curve and a lot of money thrown out the window! I wouldn't say we are ready to graduate from the training wheels - but I do say that we have learned some important lessons.

The most important and most expensive for us so far had been not QT anything coming into the house prior to going into the DT. Unfortunately this lead to an ich outbreak and the loss of quite a few fish! After tons of reading, research, posting questions of desperation and lots of money in QT equipment and medicine, we have a successful QT regimen that we will follow from here forward. This also lends into: RESEARCH YOUR FISH!!

Not being thorough on what type of fish we have and how to keep them, treat them and who they can hang out with lead to some other troubles as well.

Luckily we have taken our knocks without giving up on the tank - but it was close!

I would be surprised if the majority of tank owners did not go through this at some point. Luckily for me I went through that with freshwater first. QT?! What for, the fish costs like 5 dollars no biggie. Which lead to a huge ich outbreak that resulted in the deaths of all my full grown angels.

It's also funny you mention to research your fish. I was at my LFS last weekend. I was on my phone the whole time looking up all the fish, how big they get, diet, reef safe, etc. Was there for 2 hours and didn't get a fish. Ha.

 

[iamacat]

It’s been a long time and 3 different tank as 3 very different stages of knowledge.

first tank 2010. Only knowledge was 35ppt and 78 degrees kept things alive. Barely remember all the issues. We used tap water. My roommate mostly ran it.

Next tank was when I moved 2011-12. I had no part in the sump, I had a local reefer set it up. The tank shot is from 2017. The first year of this tank I had nothing to look at other than fish and sick coral. I had copper in the system from metal valves. I learned a lot from that experience. Biggest was not to trust another person with my hobby. From there I learned, slowly and poorly over the next 8 years.

this is where I am at now. I think the sump is the biggest indicator of my growth. I understand why I have each item, actually need to update my pics because these aren’t even recent. In terms of the display the tank has been up since October. One water change, uglies were no worse than a patch of cyano.

getting to this point is something I am still proud of because I know I did it myself. All of my struggles and failures are what allowed me to put together a plan for myself to be successful.

 

[don_chuwish]

First tank, 9 years ago, some memories:

36Bow with canister filter and live sand:

14 months later:

I still have the Blue Ridge coral and descendants of the hammer, tiny frogspawn top right, and the red plating montipora. Can't tell for sure but I think there's xenia in that photo too, still have that.
Quite a bit of the rock is in my current tank too. That center base rock has been the home of several candy strip pistol shrimp & goby pairs.

- D

 

[MarshallB]

It’s been a long time and 3 different tank as 3 very different stages of knowledge.


first tank 2010. Only knowledge was 35ppt and 78 degrees kept things alive. Barely remember all the issues. We used tap water. My roommate mostly ran it.


Next tank was when I moved 2011-12. I had no part in the sump, I had a local reefer set it up. The tank shot is from 2017. The first year of this tank I had nothing to look at other than fish and sick coral. I had copper in the system from metal valves. I learned a lot from that experience. Biggest was not to trust another person with my hobby. From there I learned, slowly and poorly over the next 8 years.


this is where I am at now. I think the sump is the biggest indicator of my growth. I understand why I have each item, actually need to update my pics because these aren’t even recent. In terms of the display the tank has been up since October. One water change, uglies were no worse than a patch of cyano.

getting to this point is something I am still proud of because I know I did it myself. All of my struggles and failures are what allowed me to put together a plan for myself to be successful.

Thanks for sharing. It's incredible to see almost total opposite ends of the spectrum.

 

[Silent]

It’s been a long time and 3 different tank as 3 very different stages of knowledge.

first tank 2010. Only knowledge was 35ppt and 78 degrees kept things alive. Barely remember all the issues. We used tap water. My roommate mostly ran it.

Next tank was when I moved 2011-12. I had no part in the sump, I had a local reefer set it up. The tank shot is from 2017. The first year of this tank I had nothing to look at other than fish and sick coral. I had copper in the system from metal valves. I learned a lot from that experience. Biggest was not to trust another person with my hobby. From there I learned, slowly and poorly over the next 8 years.

this is where I am at now. I think the sump is the biggest indicator of my growth. I understand why I have each item, actually need to update my pics because these aren’t even recent. In terms of the display the tank has been up since October. One water change, uglies were no worse than a patch of cyano.

getting to this point is something I am still proud of because I know I did it myself. All of my struggles and failures are what allowed me to put together a plan for myself to be successful.

I dont know...looks like you might have went backwards replacing that trusty Euro-Reef skimmer

 

[iamacat]

I dont know...looks like you might have went backwards replacing that trusty Euro-Reef skimmer

The dude who set me up with that really pumped it up. Basically the only thing I knew back then about my sump was that I had an awesome skimmer according to him. In the end it woke me up in the middle of the night when the motor burned out. The smell, my god the smell

 

[pbenjbear2]

I would be surprised if the majority of tank owners did not go through this at some point. Luckily for me I went through that with freshwater first. QT?! What for, the fish costs like 5 dollars no biggie. Which lead to a huge ich outbreak that resulted in the deaths of all my full grown angels.

It's also funny you mention to research your fish. I was at my LFS last weekend. I was on my phone the whole time looking up all the fish, how big they get, diet, reef safe, etc. Was there for 2 hours and didn't get a fish. Ha.

LOL - I do the EXACT same thing when I'm fish shopping! Standing in front of all the tanks with my LiveAquaria in hand!

 

[Biglew11]

Tank has been up for 4 years now. Currently going through an ugly stage of dinos.

Alot of luck
Alot of patience
Alot of pure stubbornness.
Lots of research and reading here on r2r.

 

[Hallowhead]

I got through my first year by getting a second tank! Twice the problems

I don't see them as problems though.. they're learning curves for the big tank I'm getting when I get a house.. this is at least what I tell my gf

 

[Jeffcb]

I'm back after 30 year break lol. Nothing else to do.

 

[andrewkw]

While I did make some pretty big mistakes - I originally filled this tank with treated tap water but moved to RO for all top offs then RO/DI shortly after. The fact that I was so eager to mix my first saltwater that I used tap water shows how impatient I was,. After that I got my live rock which sadly doesn't really exist much anymore, it was as simple as wait for that crazy algae to get under control, 6 weeks later get a cleanup crew, wait another month get some corals, then wait a little longer to get fish. Besides the filtration factor I think live rock kept new hobbyists more entertained. I'd watch the tank at night looking for worms, pods, other creatures that I had no idea what they were. Now people see them and kill them.

Of course fish got sick and died, algae grew, corals melted but for the most part I didn't do anything other than water change test and wait (with screw ups mixed in).

I do think it's harder these days with dry rock to get going, and in general people are not as hellbent on waiting. For instance there was a time where probably 4/5 reefers would call you out if you added an anemone to your tank within the first 6 months, and some would say 1 year. Now people (myself included) will add them the first week.

My Nano Reef in 2006 - started late 2005.

Later in 2006 I upgraded my nano to a 112 gallon. I still have some of those red discosoma mushrooms pictured in the tank above, and I still have that 112 gallon tank from 2006.

 

[fish farmer]

My first reef was awesome, broke it down around the 2 year mark.

I don't remember it being a struggle.

At the time..2000, I didn't skimp on lighting. I put a 175 watt halide and some actinic PC's on a 38 gallon tank. It was growing softies, lps and even a rescue porites frag. I was giving away toadstools, candy canes, xenia.

I used DI initially, but added an RO later on. I did WC's every two weeks 5 gallons. I had an ATO, I dripped kalk and when my tank matured at bit had to add reef builder for alk. Coralline was everywhere.

I used fresh live rock from Fiji and some dry base. I let it cycle in tank and siphoned the die off with WC's during the cycle. I added a CUC from IPSF as well as a softy weed coral about two months from start up.

I only added a couple of fish...three at any given time. I also had a couple of peppermint shrimp.

I didn't have a deep sand bed in the DT, just shallow 1inch sand/CC.

My DIY skimmer was lame so I bought a better skimmer and added a remote DSB/caulerpa refuge sump designed out of a 20 gallon long. That was lit with a Home Depot floodlight that was 6500k and everyone was raving about. I even grew a toadstool frag under it.

I kept decent notes. I tested every week, S.G., CA, ALK, pH, Nitrate and Phos occasionally, but I didn't panic if the numbers were off. I remember my alk was super low for about 3 months....everything was great except a sinularia, I got the alk back up and it opened up.

Sure I had some fish carpet surf, but I don't remember ever losing any corals in that tank, except the rock anemone that the shrimp picked at. I had an ugly phase too diatoms. cyano, GHA, I put the tube in there and siphon that stuff out. The biggest problem was this brown sheet algae that would stick in the crevices, nothing would eat that.

I don't even think I heated my water at water changes, just mix it up and make sure it wasn't cold.

 

[sfin52]

Luck and loads of mistakes. The really big one was starting with tap water. Yep did that. Went to ro. Than last year went rodi and a water storage. Life is so much easier.

 

[tnw50cal]

For me that was 52 years ago and is a bit fuzzy now, but I must have done OK as I'm still at it.