New reefer

[Donnydickerson]

I decided about 8 months ago randomly that I wanted a saltwater reef tank with zero idea
of what that entailed. I have a friend that had a large tank and I reached out to him and he spoke gibberish so I knew I was in over my head. I live on the jersey shore surfing, spear fishing, fishing, and love the ocean. I went down the rabbit hole and realized their was a lot it learn before a purchase. I have been reading the forums, listening to podcasts, and consuming all saltwater material I can. I feel like I am back in 7th grade Science class. My wife Is not sold on a big tank (neither and am I honestly) I am trying to figure out where to start. I am torn between trying out the hobby in a 20 gallon AIO or just jumping in to a 40+ gallon with a sump. I really am interested in keeping a reef and aquarium with as much natural filters and processes as possible including a refugium. I know the aio is limited in this aspect. I also am not sure if I will love the commitment to the hobby and don’t want to over spend and realize it’s not for me. I have given it around 6 months and I can’t shake the itch and am completely obsessed…So I’m debating on trying small and moving up quickly or just going where I want from the get go. I know many of you may have been in my position before so I was looking for advice.
I have 3 children who all love the ocean and fish. My oldest 8 and my middle 6 would truly enjoy a tank with me learning and working through it all. I own my own business and can make time for this hobby but really have to love it. I want a mixed tank with LPS and softies. Would love to have an abundance of fish and life.
Would love to hear opinions on where to begin my journey. Thanks to this community as it has already given me so much knowledge and help. You all are amazing. Thank you!

 

[Fishology]

Well what I started with was a ten gallon, dot really recommend as much it is trickier to keep all the trace elements inline and stop ammonia, nitrate and nitrite form rising. the tank I’m gonna discribe is what could be made with a buffet of like 500dollars to setup. What I would do is got it a big box store like Petco and get a 29 or 30 it’s a good size and if you want a good amount of fish like 6. On Amazon they sell hang on the back refugiums and even aquarium rock. But. I would go to a local fish store and ask if they have live rock or dead rock which means it has no living thing in it. And then get a decent filter like a marine land filter for 50or 60dollars a light for Amazon for saltwater. And ya your good to cycle just remember to by the stuff needed to cycle as live bacteria and a skater testing kit.

if you have more money to spend, I would say go for a all in one tank which means it has the filter built into it which mean a you don’t need a refugium. Also to add refugiums aren’t needed for a successful tank the can help but are not the most necessary part of it. I would only get one for a big tank 60 and up.
hope this helps

 

[Sailaway]

Just bought and EVO 13.5 and I’m really loving the ease of setup and maintenance. Eventually I’ll probably upgrade some components but it’s working really well so far. Reef2Reef has really helped me though. I would just ask a ton of questions and create a “to-do” list, as it helps to know what needs to be done and in what order. once you do this, it seems simpler and the cloud of confusion begins to clear. have you done freshwater before?

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[DE FISH]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Reefer Matt]

 

[fishface NJ]

Welcome to R2R from NJ reefer from Monmouth county. 40 Breeder is a good size...not too small and not too big. You can easily drill it to add a overflow box (DIY Fiji Cube box) I'd stay away from HOB overflow boxes. If you go this route buy when Petco is having their sale.

 

[Donnydickerson]

thanks for all your replies. I know the nano 10 and 15 gallons are tough and I do feel like I would be limited fairly quickly if I did enjoy the hobby. Wanna stay away from them. I know the refugium is not needed but the filtration and copepods that you can grow in it fit my vision of function. I love the idea of the ecosystem working all together and the more natural items that stabilize that I feel I would want in my tank. I have a list of rock and sand that i plan on starting with along with CUC. I want to start with dry rock and live sand and cycle with a shrimp and some dr Tims to jumpstart then slowly introduce CUC as bacteria becomes apparent couple weeks in. I have no interest in rushing more interested in very slow since I have a lot to learn on the fly.

Welcome to R2R from NJ reefer from Monmouth county. 40 Breeder is a good size...not too small and not too big. You can easily drill it to add a overflow box (DIY Fiji Cube box) I'd stay away from HOB overflow boxes. If you go this route buy when Petco is having their sale.

I am down in ocean county! Nice to meet you and appreciate the input. I love the 40 breeder but I was thinking of a stepping stone before I get there….but I can be persuaded

 

[Dom]

I decided about 8 months ago randomly that I wanted a saltwater reef tank with zero idea
of what that entailed. I have a friend that had a large tank and I reached out to him and he spoke gibberish so I knew I was in over my head. I live on the jersey shore surfing, spear fishing, fishing, and love the ocean. I went down the rabbit hole and realized their was a lot it learn before a purchase. I have been reading the forums, listening to podcasts, and consuming all saltwater material I can. I feel like I am back in 7th grade Science class. My wife Is not sold on a big tank (neither and am I honestly) I am trying to figure out where to start. I am torn between trying out the hobby in a 20 gallon AIO or just jumping in to a 40+ gallon with a sump. I really am interested in keeping a reef and aquarium with as much natural filters and processes as possible including a refugium. I know the aio is limited in this aspect. I also am not sure if I will love the commitment to the hobby and don’t want to over spend and realize it’s not for me. I have given it around 6 months and I can’t shake the itch and am completely obsessed…So I’m debating on trying small and moving up quickly or just going where I want from the get go. I know many of you may have been in my position before so I was looking for advice.
I have 3 children who all love the ocean and fish. My oldest 8 and my middle 6 would truly enjoy a tank with me learning and working through it all. I own my own business and can make time for this hobby but really have to love it. I want a mixed tank with LPS and softies. Would love to have an abundance of fish and life.
Would love to hear opinions on where to begin my journey. Thanks to this community as it has already given me so much knowledge and help. You all are amazing. Thank you!

Hello Donny, and welcome to the forum.

So far, you've done everything right! Asking questions before making a move on equipment is the smartest thing you can do.

While it seems like a good idea to start small, the risk is, if you get hooked (pardon the pun) on the hobby, 3 months from now, you're may be looking to upgrade. This gets expensive as upgrading rarely allows you to reuse equipment.

The best approach is to ask yourself what kind of fish you would like to have and then tailor you tank build around those fish. A common mistake is to buy a setup, only to realize it can't accommodate a fish you'd like to have because the tank is too small.

In this hobby, STABILITY = SUCCESS. Smaller tanks are prone to bigger swings in water chemistry. For this reason, it makes sense to start with BIGGER rather than smaller.

You can be successful in keeping smaller tanks. I keep a 5 gallon tank with an anti-social clownfish and anemone. BUT I keep my water parameters stable by doing a FAITHFUL 20% (1 gallon) water change weekly. If you are faithful with your weekly 20% water changes, you will have relatively stable water parameters and success in the hobby.

Also, choosing the correct lighting is important.

So, what kind of fish would you like to have in your tank?

 

[Uncle99]

Welcome to R2R.
30g cubes are a great middle of the road starters, no tangs, but lots of other possibilities.

 

[Donnydickerson]

Hello Donny, and welcome to the forum.

So far, you've done everything right! Asking questions before making a move on equipment is the smartest thing you can do.

While it seems like a good idea to start small, the risk is, if you get hooked (pardon the pun) on the hobby, 3 months from now, you're may be looking to upgrade. This gets expensive as upgrading rarely allows you to reuse equipment.

The best approach is to ask yourself what kind of fish you would like to have and then tailor you tank build around those fish. A common mistake is to buy a setup, only to realize it can't accommodate a fish you'd like to have because the tank is too small.

In this hobby, STABILITY = SUCCESS. Smaller tanks are prone to bigger swings in water chemistry. For this reason, it makes sense to start with BIGGER rather than smaller.

You can be successful in keeping smaller tanks. I keep a 5 gallon tank with an anti-social clownfish and anemone. BUT I keep my water parameters stable by doing a FAITHFUL 20% (1 gallon) water change weekly. If you are faithful with your weekly 20% water changes, you will have relatively stable water parameters and success in the hobby.

Also, choosing the correct lighting is important.

So, what kind of fish would you like to have in your tank?

So that’s actually a funny question. I haven’t really dove down the fish path. I have been so obsessed with learning the processes of upkeep, parameters, and functionality of the whole eco system that I haven’t even thought about fish haha. A little weird i know. I know I want to start with 2 clowns, mantis shrimp and goby. After that I’m not really sure. Depends on the size I go with obviously, but the amount of fish overwhelm me and not sure where to start other than those that have caught my interest. I also wanna do LPS and softies and am completely lost as to where to begin with them as well. Again just haven’t really started researching. Any input or suggestions on fish with big personalities that would work in 20/30 gallon tank is always welcome. This forum has been insane with the amount of info available.