New 15 gallon Helloreef tank

[HeatherAymond]

My husband bought me a helloreef 15 gallon tank and stand. Well I decided to make it a reef tank instead of freshwater. My question is about salt and ATO products. For the salt….. since I’m months away from being able to add corals to it. Do I need to buy Red Sea coral pro salt or just Red Sea salt? Is it okay to change to the coral pro later? Also what ATO systems do you recommend for this size tank. I haven’t had good luck finding one with good reviews yet.

 

[HashyReefer]

Just use Red Sea blue bucket it’s easier to manage the alk. Once your corals start consuming a lot you can switch up but for the 15g Red Sea blue bucket is more than enough with weekly water changes.

 

[Fish Fan]

Congrats on the new tank!

You don't need Red Sea brand salt at all, there is maybe a dozen or so brands, and they all work, especially if you're just keeping fish at the beginning. I'd suggest good old fashioned Instant Ocean Sea Salt (not Instant Ocean Reef Crystals) to get started with. It's very popular, inexpensive, and perfectly fine for a wide range of aquariums, even those with corals. Once you get into corals you may decide that a different salt mix is more suited to the animals (corals specifically) that you want to keep, and you're personally style of reef keeping.

https://www.instantocean.com/products/sea-salt-mixes/sea-salt

Good luck!

 

[HashyReefer]

My husband bought me a helloreef 15 gallon tank and stand. Well I decided to make it a reef tank instead of freshwater. My question is about salt and ATO products. For the salt….. since I’m months away from being able to add corals to it. Do I need to buy Red Sea coral pro salt or just Red Sea salt? Is it okay to change to the coral pro later? Also what ATO systems do you recommend for this size tank. I haven’t had good luck finding one with good reviews yet.

For ato I have an icecap EZ ATO it’s small and works great just make sure you change your filter sock. It’ll slow down water flow making your ATO think water is evaporating when it’s not and it’ll keep topping it off with fresh water. But that’s goes for any ATO.

 

[HeatherAymond]

My husband bought me a helloreef 15 gallon tank and stand. Well I decided to make it a reef tank instead of freshwater. My question is about salt and ATO products. For the salt….. since I’m months away from being able to add corals to it. Do I need to buy Red Sea coral pro salt or just Red Sea salt? Is it okay to change to the coral pro later? Also what ATO systems do you recommend for this size tank. I haven’t had good luck finding one with good reviews yet.

For ato I have an icecap EZ ATO it’s small and works great just make sure you change your filter sock. It’ll slow down water flow making your ATO think water is evaporating when it’s not and it’ll keep topping it off with fresh water. But that’s goes for any ATO.

Thank you for the information. I will check it out.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I use a Kamoer ATO on my 15 gallon. It’s been perfect for me for 4 years now, I’m so happy with it I bought another for my other tank.

 

[Fish Fan]

Thank you for the information. I will check it out.

Did you get your questions answered? Please let us know

 

[steveschuerger]

Well can’t answer you on the ATO cause I’ve never used one, but as far as salt goes Instant Ocean works well and it’s what I started using originally but changed to AquaForest on a friends recommendation. That being said, if things are smoothly “if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it” as the adage goes. Also I personally hate socks for the tank. I always get rid of them and just use media trays.

 

[HeatherAymond]

Thank you for the information. I will check it out.

Did you get your questions answered? Please let us know

Yes I did

 

[AquaDoodle]

I have a Hello Reef tank also. If you are new to saltwater, like I am, I recommend watching all Hello Reef videos. The ones that come with the tank's QR code and the"Moderate" experience videos on YouTube. I bought a Tunze ATO like he recommends and a few of the other upgrades. It was very easy to set-up and helpful to have video guide since I had no clue what I was doing. I figure if I kinda of follow along with the videos for my first reef tank. I can start experimenting more with the second one. Happy Reefing!

 

[Aquacrazed]

There's a lot of marketing around salt, like a lot of things in this hobby. Just get the cheap reef crystals and stick to it. And you can put some hardy fish (ex: tank raised clownfish) and easy coral (tank raised zoas, branching hammers etc.) after the tank finishes cycling.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I'm going to recommend two threads that would help you out!

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

Salt mixes/brands: What is everyone currently using?

As this subject came up today, In an ever changing industry, What salt brand are you using currently and what brand were you using previously if this applies? Did you find better results with the current salt and which was better? If your favorite brand was no longer available and out of stock...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[kevgib67]

Instant Ocean is probably one of the most popular. My understanding is that is what the public aquariums use.

 

[HeatherAymond]

I have a Hello Reef tank also. If you are new to saltwater, like I am, I recommend watching all Hello Reef videos. The ones that come with the tank's QR code and the"Moderate" experience videos on YouTube. I bought a Tunze ATO like he recommends and a few of the other upgrades. It was very easy to set-up and helpful to have video guide since I had no clue what I was doing. I figure if I kinda of follow along with the videos for my first reef tank. I can start experimenting more with the second one. Happy Reefing!

I didn’t get the bundle…. Just the tank and stand. So no access to the videos. I did find a few that were posted from the guys from BRStv

 

[AquaDoodle]

I have a Hello Reef tank also. If you are new to saltwater, like I am, I recommend watching all Hello Reef videos. The ones that come with the tank's QR code and the"Moderate" experience videos on YouTube. I bought a Tunze ATO like he recommends and a few of the other upgrades. It was very easy to set-up and helpful to have video guide since I had no clue what I was doing. I figure if I kinda of follow along with the videos for my first reef tank. I can start experimenting more with the second one. Happy Reefing!

I didn’t get the bundle…. Just the tank and stand. So no access to the videos. I did find a few that were posted from the guys from BRStv

You can also search Hello Reef on YouTube, there is a Playlist there as well that are good and a nice summary of those with the kit. The guy who does Hello Reef also works for BRS.