Hey,
I'm brand new to reefing. My buddy got me hooked and I recently started a reef tank. I'm a medical student so I love learning new topics and I've enjoyed all of the chemistry I've learned so far. This hobby can be super overwhelming as I can see. There are so many factors in play and there are millions of ways to approach the same problem. I was just looking for some resources I can turn to so I can learn more about every aspect of the trade. If you could recommend some books or video series I would deeply appreciate that.
If any veterans have any wise words of wisdom I'd love to hear your insight.
So I'm balling on a budget (student loans are rough) and won't be able to afford the ultimate reef tank of my dreams for another 5ish years, but I started regardless. I have a 20 gallon tank. I bought 15 lbs of live rock from a LFS and began my cycle last week. I'm stoked because the cycle is already underway (ammonia 1ppm, nitrites 5ppm, and nitrates 10ppm). I can't wait for my levels to drop so I can move forward with introducing fish and coral.
I do have some questions that would help me with the initial phase of my tank:
-When I go forward with adding corals should I buy a colony or buy a frag and grow them?
-I'm planning on starting simple so I can learn the skills of maintaining a reef tank while not harming the corals I have. With that I plan on having mushrooms, zoa, and softies (I'm slightly confused with the nomenclature so this may be redundant). Do I have to be monitoring Calcium, Phosphate, and pH heavily for these corals?
-I live in an apartment and I currently have limited space for my tank. I don't have space for a sump so I'm considering a refugium. Can I set this up post cycle or does it need to be put in place prior to the cycle?
Okay that was a lot. In all I'm stoked to start my reefing journey and I appreciate all of your help. If there are any reefers in the Staten Island/Brooklyn area hit me up.
I'm brand new to reefing. My buddy got me hooked and I recently started a reef tank. I'm a medical student so I love learning new topics and I've enjoyed all of the chemistry I've learned so far. This hobby can be super overwhelming as I can see. There are so many factors in play and there are millions of ways to approach the same problem. I was just looking for some resources I can turn to so I can learn more about every aspect of the trade. If you could recommend some books or video series I would deeply appreciate that.
If any veterans have any wise words of wisdom I'd love to hear your insight.
So I'm balling on a budget (student loans are rough) and won't be able to afford the ultimate reef tank of my dreams for another 5ish years, but I started regardless. I have a 20 gallon tank. I bought 15 lbs of live rock from a LFS and began my cycle last week. I'm stoked because the cycle is already underway (ammonia 1ppm, nitrites 5ppm, and nitrates 10ppm). I can't wait for my levels to drop so I can move forward with introducing fish and coral.
I do have some questions that would help me with the initial phase of my tank:
-When I go forward with adding corals should I buy a colony or buy a frag and grow them?
-I'm planning on starting simple so I can learn the skills of maintaining a reef tank while not harming the corals I have. With that I plan on having mushrooms, zoa, and softies (I'm slightly confused with the nomenclature so this may be redundant). Do I have to be monitoring Calcium, Phosphate, and pH heavily for these corals?
-I live in an apartment and I currently have limited space for my tank. I don't have space for a sump so I'm considering a refugium. Can I set this up post cycle or does it need to be put in place prior to the cycle?
Okay that was a lot. In all I'm stoked to start my reefing journey and I appreciate all of your help. If there are any reefers in the Staten Island/Brooklyn area hit me up.