Introduction :)

[Alaeriel]

Hello!
I'm very new to the hobby, but reefkeeping has been something I've wanted to do since I was a child. I finally convinced my husband to let me pick up a secondhand tank that we'll start setting up (hopefully) next year. I've been doing research on reefkeeping and fishkeeping in general for a few years, but there's so much more information out there. Currently, I keep a small menagerie of two cats, a very large rabbit, four snakes, and a ten gallon nano paludarium with dart frogs and neocaridina. Thanks for letting me join the forum and I look forward to learning as much as I can before we start cycling!

 

[Peace River]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[FlexingFishSticks]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[WIReefer]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[NashobaTek]

Welcome to the team!

 

[uhgster1]

Welcome! I lurked the forums for a couple of years before I decided to make this one my main source of information. You found the best. Good reefing!

 

[Alaeriel]

Thank you! I feel like this is going to be a wild ride; we have an RO/DI unit and a 200 gallon pre-drilled tank aaaaaaand that's it. Both were pre-owned and thus budget friendly. I'm working on building a plan to design the tank for a mixed reef, since I can't decide between my favorites of LPS, SPS, or softies and I've been told its challenging but possible! Any and all advice is extremely welcome :)

 

[BackToTheReef]

Welcome to the team! Planning is fun but try to avoid the paralysis by analysis I am currently having!

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[Alaeriel]

I figure since we can't set the tank up until next year anyway (we're in a mini duplex and would have to remove the couch to put the tank anywhere) researching and planning would be a good way to spend the time! My favorite fish is the humble firefish/fire goby and I adore sea urchins, so I'm fairly sure I can possibly fit one or two more critters in before I overwhelm the bioload.

 

[ichthyoid]

Welcome, to this menagerie! ;)

 

[dbowman5]

what you have to ask your self is how many shots did i fire? oops, channeling my dirty Harry, about to ask if you feel lucky.
lol welcome to R2R!!
if you actually only have the tank. are you looking for a stand? Will you have a sump? if so, will you have a refugium in your sump? where will your tank sit. what are your options for placing associated equipment. are your plans to stay where you are long-term? is your electric grid dependable?
so many questions to answer, and options to learn about and decide upon. none of them earth shattering if you head one way and later decide to change direction, but it is cheaper to figure out what you want ad create a plan before you start buying things that do not fit your plan.
of course random impulse buying is its own reward. i look forward to seeing your journey.

 

[Alaeriel]

We have a stand (with sump, refugium space included) and canopy that came with the tank. There is some space under the tank beside the sump for additional equipment, and the first question we'll be asking realtors is regarding the structural integrity of the floor in the living room space, as I'd prefer the tank not end up in the basement without us making that decision! We're looking at buying a place next year, and staying there for at the very least the next 15 years. We're also looking into possibilities of running a backup generator and doing cost evaluations there. With so many parts and pieces running already, I don't have very much data on how much electricity a reef tank uses, especially on how that scales up or down via tank size.

 

[Alaeriel]

To clarify; we, personally, are not running much, but reef tanks have everything from lighting to powerheads to skimmers, and so on. Those estimates are what we're looking to gauge. :3

 

[Ippyroy]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Bryn]

Welcome to R2R....

 

[fishface NJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Fred2482]

Welcome!

 

[dbowman5]

To clarify; we, personally, are not running much, but reef tanks have everything from lighting to powerheads to skimmers, and so on. Those estimates are what we're looking to gauge. :3

the electrical engineers who do this for a living could take the wattage of each piece of equipment and give you kilowatt/hr totals for various set ups. by looking for that information on prospective equipment some one good at math could calculate it too.
i like the idea of just planning everything until you get into your new place. as you look for houses/apartments/condos or whatever you can look at the way the aquarium would fit into the new place. the 200 gal will allow a bunch of critters. i am surprised that i like to watch the microfauna that crawls around as much as watching the fish.