Well, we did it. My 2 1/2 year old daughter chose the color (white) and I clicked the order button yesterday (actually signed the freight doc today via docusign so it's on the way already)!! I am as new as new gets to the saltwater aquarium world. In college, I kept a 40g freshwater system for years and loved it. Ever since breaking that system down and moving on, I've wanted the opportunity to dive into world of reef keeping. We've decided to name the tank "Shell Island" because that's a place my wife and I have grown up snorkeling and boating during the summer months. It's a long island directly off the coast of Panama City Beach and we have sooooo many incredible memories of time spent there - we're hoping to create our piece of Shell Island right here in our home. Anyway, back to the building part of this. Our daughter has fallen in love with Finding Nemo and this just seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to sneak the idea of a saltwater system into discussion - and it worked
As I mentioned earlier, I have no experience keeping anything in a saltwater aquarium alive so I am expecting quite the challenge. It will not help that the closest saltwater aquarium store to our town in southeast Alabama is about 4 hours drive away in Atlanta (Premier Aquatics). I was in Atlanta early February on business and stopped by to see what they had - I was blown away. The staff was super helpful and their store was immaculate. I'm sure I'll visit them again in the future but throughout this build I will not have the luxury of a local fish store to rely on for emergencies nor purchases of equipment/water/fish/corals/etc. EVERYTHING will have to be researched, sourced and purchase online. Any recommendations for online dealers/shops are welcome. I've ordered a few things from Bulk Reef Supply and SaltwaterAquarium.com, and of course, WaterBox. Speaking of which, HUUUUUGE shout out to Emily at WaterBox!!! She's got to be sick of me calling going through dimensions, recommended equipment, noise levels, sock sizes, etc. Anyway, thank you Emily, you were a big part of my decision to go with the WaterBox.
So at this point, I've got quite of few shipments on their way and I'll break-down the equipment list in a moment. I wanted to try to get most of the essentials ordered because I realize this Covid-19 thing could slow supply chains for a few weeks - hopefully not, but I also hope those same people preparing and executing those shipments are able to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and well. Time will tell, but my prayers first and foremost are for the health and wellbeing of us all - Shell Island can wait if it has too.
Alright, that said, our goal in this tank is simple so far. We want a couple Clownfish and some soft corals. If we can squeeze a tiny "Dory" in for a couple years, that would be bonus for the little but I realize this tank size will pushing the minimum requirement for a Blue Tang. Outside of that, we don't have anything picked out yet. I feel like I need to do a lot of research to find out what is compatible with what? Any input here would be much appreciated and at some point requested...
So here's the equipment breakdown:
Tank
WaterBox Reef 100.3 w/ white cabinet
RODI
BRS 4-Stage Value Plus 150g/d
Brute Can w/wheels
Salt
Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt 200g
Rock (do i need more?)
Caribsea Liferock - 40lbs mixed
Caribsea Liferock - 20lbs shapes
Marco Rocks Pedastal - didn't use
Mixing Station Heater/Pump
150w Eheim Jager
Koralia 3G 1350gph
Protein Skimmer
Nyos 120
ATO
XP Aqua Duetto
Testing
Hanna Salinity Checker
Hanna Alkalinity
Hanna UL Phosphate
HM AP-1 TDS Meter
Red Sea Marine Care Test Kit
Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Test Kit
Seneye Reef - Ammonia, pH and PAR
These are the things I know I still need, but have not ordered. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. The items listed are the ones i'm considering:
UPDATE 3/26/2020: ordered and received the following...
Sand
Caribsea Arag-Alive Fiji Pink 10lbs
Caribsea Arag-Alive Bimini Pink 40lbs
Caribsea Arag-Alive Special Grade 20lbs
Tank Heater
Finnex HPG 300w (x2)
Wave Pump
Ecotech MP40
Return Pump
Ecotech Vectra M2
LIGHTS
Ecotech Radion XR15 Pro x 2
Mixing Station Pump
Sicce Syncra 3.0
So, so far that's where I'm at. Barring further slowing/shutdown of freight/shipping lines, most of the ordered equipment should be delivered next week. I figure it will take a few days getting the RODI system primed and operating smoothly to create my saltwater mixing station. Soon after, hopefully the tank will be here and I can begin the build and then the cycling process. I have not purchased any Fritz or Dr. Tims bacteria enhancer stuff, should I?? If so, which one?
Anyway, that's all for now. If i am missing something that you think would help me be successful, please do not hesitate to reply and help a rookie out !!! Thanks for taking the time to check out the infancy stage of my build and I hope you'll follow along because, Lord knows, I'm going to need all the help i can get from this site!! As soon as things start coming in I'll be posting pictures and probably questions...haha. Until then, stay safe and happy reefing!!!
~DothanReefer
As I mentioned earlier, I have no experience keeping anything in a saltwater aquarium alive so I am expecting quite the challenge. It will not help that the closest saltwater aquarium store to our town in southeast Alabama is about 4 hours drive away in Atlanta (Premier Aquatics). I was in Atlanta early February on business and stopped by to see what they had - I was blown away. The staff was super helpful and their store was immaculate. I'm sure I'll visit them again in the future but throughout this build I will not have the luxury of a local fish store to rely on for emergencies nor purchases of equipment/water/fish/corals/etc. EVERYTHING will have to be researched, sourced and purchase online. Any recommendations for online dealers/shops are welcome. I've ordered a few things from Bulk Reef Supply and SaltwaterAquarium.com, and of course, WaterBox. Speaking of which, HUUUUUGE shout out to Emily at WaterBox!!! She's got to be sick of me calling going through dimensions, recommended equipment, noise levels, sock sizes, etc. Anyway, thank you Emily, you were a big part of my decision to go with the WaterBox.
So at this point, I've got quite of few shipments on their way and I'll break-down the equipment list in a moment. I wanted to try to get most of the essentials ordered because I realize this Covid-19 thing could slow supply chains for a few weeks - hopefully not, but I also hope those same people preparing and executing those shipments are able to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and well. Time will tell, but my prayers first and foremost are for the health and wellbeing of us all - Shell Island can wait if it has too.
Alright, that said, our goal in this tank is simple so far. We want a couple Clownfish and some soft corals. If we can squeeze a tiny "Dory" in for a couple years, that would be bonus for the little but I realize this tank size will pushing the minimum requirement for a Blue Tang. Outside of that, we don't have anything picked out yet. I feel like I need to do a lot of research to find out what is compatible with what? Any input here would be much appreciated and at some point requested...
So here's the equipment breakdown:
Tank
WaterBox Reef 100.3 w/ white cabinet
RODI
BRS 4-Stage Value Plus 150g/d
Brute Can w/wheels
Salt
Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt 200g
Rock (do i need more?)
Caribsea Liferock - 40lbs mixed
Caribsea Liferock - 20lbs shapes
Marco Rocks Pedastal - didn't use
Mixing Station Heater/Pump
150w Eheim Jager
Koralia 3G 1350gph
Protein Skimmer
Nyos 120
ATO
XP Aqua Duetto
Testing
Hanna Salinity Checker
Hanna Alkalinity
Hanna UL Phosphate
HM AP-1 TDS Meter
Red Sea Marine Care Test Kit
Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Test Kit
Seneye Reef - Ammonia, pH and PAR
These are the things I know I still need, but have not ordered. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. The items listed are the ones i'm considering:
UPDATE 3/26/2020: ordered and received the following...
Sand
Caribsea Arag-Alive Fiji Pink 10lbs
Caribsea Arag-Alive Bimini Pink 40lbs
Caribsea Arag-Alive Special Grade 20lbs
Tank Heater
Finnex HPG 300w (x2)
Wave Pump
Ecotech MP40
Return Pump
Ecotech Vectra M2
LIGHTS
Ecotech Radion XR15 Pro x 2
Mixing Station Pump
Sicce Syncra 3.0
So, so far that's where I'm at. Barring further slowing/shutdown of freight/shipping lines, most of the ordered equipment should be delivered next week. I figure it will take a few days getting the RODI system primed and operating smoothly to create my saltwater mixing station. Soon after, hopefully the tank will be here and I can begin the build and then the cycling process. I have not purchased any Fritz or Dr. Tims bacteria enhancer stuff, should I?? If so, which one?
Anyway, that's all for now. If i am missing something that you think would help me be successful, please do not hesitate to reply and help a rookie out !!! Thanks for taking the time to check out the infancy stage of my build and I hope you'll follow along because, Lord knows, I'm going to need all the help i can get from this site!! As soon as things start coming in I'll be posting pictures and probably questions...haha. Until then, stay safe and happy reefing!!!
~DothanReefer
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