Newbie from Sydney :-)

[G Santana]

Welcome to R2R and the obsession

 

[mdb_talon]

Welcome!

So far I have about 2” sand, Aquaforest reef salt water at 1021 salinity and 25 degrees

Will want to increase that salinity some before you start adding corals, but should be fine until then.

And also unfortunately was recommended a cheap needle type hydrometer so wonder if I need to replace that?

If it is a floating hydrometer you speak of that is not a bad thing. Depending on the scale they can be hard to read, but generally they are quite accurate.

 

[flomich]

Welcome!
If you're in Sydney,
What's your lfs? I think ive been to all of them within sydney, theres a lot that don't give great advice

Thanks! I have been checking out stores north of the bridge, there are more that I haven’t got to yet. I think Eastwood has been the most helpful so far.

 

[fluked]

Thanks! I have been checking out stores north of the bridge, there are more that I haven’t got to yet. I think Eastwood has been the most helpful so far.

Eastwood are really good.
Arc in horsby are helpful as well. But ive only been there once as its a trek.
A few of the guys from bespoke in blacktown are great.
Auburb aquarium is basically an aptasia growout store last few times i went there.

 

[rmorris_14]

Welcome!

Here is a good thread about CUC inverts

Choosing Cleanup Crew Critters.

Choosing Cleanup Crew Critters. Cleanup Crew. Tank Janitors. Tank Cleaners. Functionally, it means the same thing to every hobbyist…. inverts added to your tank to keep it nice and sparkly. It’s a necessity (Well, not an absolute necessity) Everyone has one. But, if you ask those people what...

www.reef2reef.com

And here is one about QT

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

I would recommend starting up your own QT before adding anything to your main tank. If you don't want to do that, its good to try to buy quarantined fish from a trusted supplier. Once certain diseases gets introduced into your tank, you then have to go fallow for a period of time, and that's no fun.

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Hello and welcome to the cool kids club. Glad to have you.

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R and back to the salty world Michelle. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hi I’m new to the forum!

I got a friend’s (I think about 50gal) Aquaone reef 195 about a month ago and have almost worked out all the things I’m not doing yet!

I shared a 300litre tank in 1992, and I always wanted to get one again, and now I realise it is so much more technical and complicated than back then!

So I understand that I’m supposed to be patient and cycle the tank properly and quarantine all inhabitants first. I’m not by nature a patient person so this part is hard

So far I have about 2” sand, Aquaforest reef salt water at 1021 salinity and 25 degrees Celsius with filter fluff and ceramic balls in the sump. There was no skimmer with the tank and I am looking for a quiet one that will be suitable.

I have finished 2 base rock towers held together with super glue and rock dust and reinforced with Aquaforest Stone fix. Bloody hell, that ‘creativity’ took ages! Anyway, I let it harden for a couple of days before washing it and putting it in the tank yesterday.

I was recommended Seachem Stability to start the tank, which I did when I put the water in a month ago. I was adding a bit of fish flakes which did nothing so added a bit of prawn for ammonia yesterday. Yesterday the pH was 8.2 and the ammonia 0.5ppm, nitrites and nitrates 0.

I started my Wishlist for inhabitants including shrimp, soft corals and some fish starting with 2 common clown fish. I guess I need a clean up crew, but not sure when they go in. I’m not sure whether I should start a quarantine tank now for things to go in first? I have an old ~20 litre tank is that too small?

I (unfortunately it seems) purchased API test kits so they’ll have to do for the time being. And also unfortunately was recommended a cheap needle type hydrometer so wonder if I need to replace that? I’m not sure if I can trust the LFSs that I am visiting. Only one seems to have given me good advice.

I’m reading and watching everything I can to learn, and getting confused because there is so much conflicting advice and I do want to ‘keep it simple’. Stop laughing!

Also I see products recommended here that I can’t buy here online, eg Amazon Australia, like Dr Tims products, so I’m not sure who is the best online distributor for Sydney, Australia?

I am happy and excited to be starting this journey and a bit relieved to have found this forum, so thanks for listening!

Michelle

Welcome! Glad you joined. It doesn't *have* to be more complicated ... sometimes I feel its just the manufacturers trying to sell things... but maybe that's just my own opinion. I do know what USED to work DOES STILL WORK... but keep in mind we also had lower goals in the 80s... so now that we CAN do more advanced reef keeping, it can take more work to make those advanced new goals work well... so ... it depends on your goals

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. 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 no...

www.reef2reef.com