BTC_Stacker
New Member
Hey all! Brand new to all this, but been reading and watching videos for months and think that I'm ready to take the plunge into the reef keeping hobby!
I was scuba diving in the Philippines, Bali, Australia, and Fiji and the sights I saw got me hooked on the diving hobby, but for when I'm at home in the desert of Reno and don't get to jump in the water, I still want to see awesome corals and fish! After seeing some reef tanks at my buddies place in Perth and all the pics I see on this forum and elsewhere, I know I need this in my home!
I'm probably crazy, but I have a tendency to go big or go home, so in that spirit... I've been looking into setting up a 30x96x30 or 24 (350 or 280 gal) mixed reef tank for my first build. Maybe that's being a bit ambitious and larger than I should start with, but I have the space and funding isn't an issue... But I know it is going to be a sizable investment and want to make sure I do it right from the beginning! Any suggestions on aquarium builders for that size? I've been looking at custom aquariums, but still shopping. Am I crazy trying to start this large?! Once populated with frags and fish, I expect to spend roughly 10-15k$ and still have a fairly empty tank with small frags that need time to grow, so I'm aware that this is a serious investment of time and money, but I need this in my life! I'll be doing a lot more reading and research, any tips or reading material suggestions would be appreciated!
I'll be placing the tank against a wall with a basement directly below, so I won't have any issues reinforcing the floor for the 5,000 lb load. There is space in the basement for reservoirs for auto water changes as well. The basement is unfinished and below plumbing but I think it could be used as an auto water change reservoir room or something. I do like to travel so I plan to add as much automation as possible, so I'm sure I'll need to figure out some auto water change system and numerous fail safes for everything... Can anyone tell me how much time I should expect to spend maintaining my tank if it is mostly automated? I understand the glass still needs regular cleaning and auto feeders and water change tanks need to be refilled, and sand should be vacuumed regularly. I have the time to do these things, but would be nice to have an idea of the ongoing regular maintenance time commitment I'm signing up for.
This is going to be a big project! I'm not sure if I'm more nervous or excited to start!
I was scuba diving in the Philippines, Bali, Australia, and Fiji and the sights I saw got me hooked on the diving hobby, but for when I'm at home in the desert of Reno and don't get to jump in the water, I still want to see awesome corals and fish! After seeing some reef tanks at my buddies place in Perth and all the pics I see on this forum and elsewhere, I know I need this in my home!
I'm probably crazy, but I have a tendency to go big or go home, so in that spirit... I've been looking into setting up a 30x96x30 or 24 (350 or 280 gal) mixed reef tank for my first build. Maybe that's being a bit ambitious and larger than I should start with, but I have the space and funding isn't an issue... But I know it is going to be a sizable investment and want to make sure I do it right from the beginning! Any suggestions on aquarium builders for that size? I've been looking at custom aquariums, but still shopping. Am I crazy trying to start this large?! Once populated with frags and fish, I expect to spend roughly 10-15k$ and still have a fairly empty tank with small frags that need time to grow, so I'm aware that this is a serious investment of time and money, but I need this in my life! I'll be doing a lot more reading and research, any tips or reading material suggestions would be appreciated!
I'll be placing the tank against a wall with a basement directly below, so I won't have any issues reinforcing the floor for the 5,000 lb load. There is space in the basement for reservoirs for auto water changes as well. The basement is unfinished and below plumbing but I think it could be used as an auto water change reservoir room or something. I do like to travel so I plan to add as much automation as possible, so I'm sure I'll need to figure out some auto water change system and numerous fail safes for everything... Can anyone tell me how much time I should expect to spend maintaining my tank if it is mostly automated? I understand the glass still needs regular cleaning and auto feeders and water change tanks need to be refilled, and sand should be vacuumed regularly. I have the time to do these things, but would be nice to have an idea of the ongoing regular maintenance time commitment I'm signing up for.
This is going to be a big project! I'm not sure if I'm more nervous or excited to start!
Hope you have space for that future 500g 
