Not since I was a kid...

jsker · Jul 18, 2022

Welcome to R2R, welcome back to the saltwater hobby, and hello.

I took a long break before I got back into reefing 7 years ago. I agree there has been a lot of changes for the good.

Lights and a controller are a must for new systems. One of my mistakes was not to do more research on lighting. lighting is very important and there are many choices out there for you to consider. I bought one light and need to do and upgrade to get corals to grow.

Sthomp01 · Jul 18, 2022

Welcome to Reef 2 Reef

Just John · Jul 18, 2022

Sharkbait19 · Jul 18, 2022

Welcome to Reef2Reef!! You’ll love it here!

I and many others will be more than happy to help if you have any questions!

G Santana · Jul 18, 2022

Welcome to R2R and back to the dance, I know all about long layoffs.

OrchidMiss · Jul 18, 2022

T-SULLI said:
Well... Here we go! I have not had a tank either fresh or salt for about 22 years. For the past 2 years I have been back and forth on if I should even allow myself to have yet another expensive hobby. Seriously guys, it's out of control. Once I made the decision to dive back in, I sat on whether or not to go salt. It's harder, more expensive, and the last time I did it, I lost all of my favorite fish wayyyy to quickly. At the end of the day though, salt water has always fascinated me over fresh water. Sooo ok decision made... Now where do I put it? Ultimately I was forced to move my kegerator as home brewing is another one of those expensive hobbies I was talking about. It isn't ideal as it is close to an exterior door and will most likely get small amounts of sunlight. But, there was nowhere else in the house that made more sense all things considered.

Here is where I am so far... I just pulled the trigger on this but unfortunately I wont be getting it any time soon. I am sure pretty much all of you are familiar with this one. https://www.innovative-marine.com/shop/EXT-40L-Aquarium-w-APS-Stand-Black-p461765293

It is almost exactly the same size as the kegerator that was in that spot so not much will change space wise which is awesome. I went with the ext so I can do a sump underneath. It obviously holds a few benefits. The 2 biggest ones for me are that it effectively makes the overall volume of the system larger which hopefully leads to better water stability and that all of my equipment can be hidden underneath as I personally am not a fan of hang on equipment for a display tank or having a portion of my display space taken up by an AIO system.

The plan is to create an absolutely alien world inside my house. I cant think of a better way to describe it. Vivid colors, coral which is like a plant but somehow an animal, and other animals that breath water... Fascinating!

I do have some experience but obviously a lot has changed over the past 2 decades and could definitely use some direction. If you guys have any suggestions on equipment that you think would pair nicely with this system, please don't be shy. I have a few ideas already but nothing set in stone yet. Since I have made the decision to have another expensive hobby already, budget is set at around $3k for now. That leaves $1800 left since the tank and stand where about $1200. I am sure that will be blown out of the water in about 15 mins as it always is with my other hobbies but whatever haha!

I will make sure to give updates as we go. Seriously don't be shy. If I'm being an absolute idiot in my decision making process I need you to tell me! Maybe throw an "atta boy" in there every once in a while though... Haha!

Thanks for the advice in advance! I look forward to the conversation.