The addition is real…

SinkorSwim9319 · Oct 31, 2021

So let me begin by saying I am still pretty much a newbie in this hobby. I started my first saltwater aquarium approximately 10 months now. The opportunity came when my son wanted a pet and my wife suggested a fish. (Goldfish in a bowl). Then the following week she comes home from work to find me with all of his gear and a new 13.5 Fluval.

We got a couple clownfish for that tank then I started collecting some coral… and as most of you know that can turn into an addiction worse then crack.

After about 5 months I was already thinking bigger tank… A few months later and with the permission of my wife I purchased a new Red Sea 300XL. (I am going to keep both tanks going)

The 300XL has been up and running for about a month and a half now.

With this thread I hope to share my experiences both good and bad that help someone along their journey.

Current setup:
Red Sea 300XL
Red Sea Skimmer 300
2X AI - Nero 5 wavemaker
2X AI - Hydra 32
Titanium 300W heater
Jebao DC 5000 return pump

SinkorSwim9319 · Oct 31, 2021

Cycling:

When cycling the 300XL I started with live rock, 2 clownfish and turbo start. My sand was on back order but has since been added. ( if there is a future tank I will add the sand before the water…)

SinkorSwim9319 · Oct 31, 2021

Here are a couple pictures of the tank. I found the cabinet underneath to be dark so I added some battery operated motion sensor peel and stick lights to brighten things up so I can see what I am doing under there.

flagg37 · Oct 31, 2021

SinkorSwim9319 said:
So let me begin by saying I am still pretty much a newbie in this hobby. I started my first saltwater aquarium approximately 10 months now. The opportunity came when my son wanted a pet and my wife suggested a fish. (Goldfish in a bowl). Then the following week she comes home from work to find me with all of his gear and a new 13.5 Fluval.

We got a couple clownfish for that tank then I started collecting some coral… and as most of you know that can turn into an addiction worse then crack.

After about 5 months I was already thinking bigger tank… A few months later and with the permission of my wife I purchased a new Red Sea 300XL. (I am going to keep both tanks going)

The 300XL has been up and running for about a month and a half now.

With this thread I hope to share my experiences both good and bad that help someone along their journey.

Current setup:
Red Sea 300XL
Red Sea Skimmer 300
2X AI - Nero 5 wavemaker
2X AI - Hydra 32
Titanium 300W heater
Jebao DC 5000 return pump

My story is almost identical to yours. I spent like $450 on my first trip to petco and barely got the basics. When I got home my wife was really upset and said she was thinking it would cost $60 at most. It made it worse for her to look at an empty tank for 4 weeks while letting it cycle.

SinkorSwim9319 · Oct 31, 2021

flagg37 said:
My story is almost identical to yours. I spent like $450 on my first trip to petco and barely got the basics. When I got home my wife was really upset and said she was thinking it would cost $60 at most. It made it worse for her to look at an empty tank for 4 weeks while letting it cycle.

Yes it is quite expensive of a hobby. Luckily my wife doesn’t ask to many questions on the cost of things…. When I was looking at the larger tank I showed her the cost $2300CAN…. (She thinks we are at around $3500 now…. But it’s really closer to $6000)
I was initially planning on getting a tank, drilling it to add a sump and plumbing etc…. Then I figured spend the money and have it all done.
I am really impressed with the quality of the Red Sea tank and glad I went that route! I would definitely recommend them. They are quite nice!

SinkorSwim9319 · Nov 1, 2021

Rented a par meter from my LFS. Doing some mapping of the tank. I took some photographs of it then I was able to label areas easier. My drawing skills are not the greatest so it would be much harder to visualize the correct area. But with the photos easy peasy!

GHOSTLY · Nov 30, 2021

Looking nice! Hope to see acros!

coralfishreef · Nov 30, 2021

Welcome! The cabinet lights look like they output a lot of light.

SinkorSwim9319 · Nov 30, 2021

coralfishreef said:
Welcome! The cabinet lights look like they output a lot of light.

They do when the batteries are new…. But then seem to die off. They were motion sensor but I have since replaced them with a 24” under cabinet light bar that I can control with my phone.

SinkorSwim9319 · Nov 30, 2021

GHOSTLY said:
Looking nice! Hope to see acros!

I will have to post a few new pictures…. I just had one of my nicer torches melt away… I removed it after it started loosing 1 head and put it in my 13.5 Fluval…. But it quickly lost the remaining 2 heads.

I have added some more Zoas and a couple other things…. Including a little red starfish.