Stang67
KEEP CALM AND REEF ON
View BadgesPartner Member 2024
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My Tank Thread
We're going to give this thing a shot. With anything in life it just takes time and money and typically you don't have one or the other. So in my case I needed a new hobby to start. I scuba dive once or twice a year in the Caribbean so starting a SW tank made perfect sense. I could enjoy the underwater world all year long.
I am starting this as more of a personal journal for future reference as well as to help anyone else out there that may be looking for another opinion on how to get started in this hobby/addiction. We all know what opinions are like, am I right.
SO HERE GOES NOTHING.....
I do have a bit of experience with FW. I have a 55G set up now that I have been running for about 15 yrs. successfully I have a 13" pleco and 2 Ciclids in it with some plants. Nothing crazy.
Originally the plan was to convert the 55 to salt and move the FW family to a smaller tank (29g). I am limited on space that is suitable for a tank set up thus the 29g. Issue was the Pleco, he's really too big now to move to anything smaller. So instead I am reversing the plan a bit. Starting SW in the small with the intention of eventually converting the 55 and just use the 29 as the sump. I don't have a ton of money to throw around but I have managed to save up about 500.00 to start this project. The research is an endless maze of rabbit holes and digressions so its been very hard to stay focused. I found that as long as I kept the "end game" in mind it helped me to not go crazy with any aspect of the build. Plus it seems if you can make SW work in a small then you should have little to no trouble upgrading when the time comes. And the time will come.
So I found a spot for the new set up to live. I like to have all my tools ready before I start a project so I had a list, thanks to all that research from all over the interweb and my LFS. I knew what I "needed" and what I could "wait" to get. Yeah that worked great. So here is what I have ordered so far :
29 G starter tank set up from PetSmart (incl tank, heater, HOB filter, thermometer and lid w. LED)
Tank stand Petco Metal open front no shelving
Refractometer saltwateraquarium.com
All of the following purchased from Chewy.com cant beat free shipping plus $$ was right
40lb dry rock
40 lb live sand
Koval LED (to upgrade the light for Corals in the future)
Marineland Pump 400 and 900 (one for tank if needed and one to mix SH2O)
14 lbs of Instant ocean Reef salt (tank will be a reef tank)
Filter floss pads
Aqueon PRESET 200w heater
Aquatic Life RO Buddie 4 stage 50 gal RODI
Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride
Seachem Prime
Eco 396 pond pump (water changes for both salt and FWT)
siphon covers
Misc items from HD and my local Ace Hardware
5 gal buckets, Acrylic sheet w cutter, egg crate, Plastic tubing, sponge rollers
So I have already pretty much blown the budget, but I think I have 99% of what I will need right out the gate and I have some backups, and multi use items and items for when I covert things over in the future.
Where I am today:
Stand assembled added a "top" from an old solid wood cabinet door so the tank made better surface area contact with the stand.
Painted back of tank plan on painting side tonight
Determined aquascape
Goals: (all subject to change as needed)
Next few days and this weekend: Hook up RODI machine to start water, rinse sand, add sand and scape to tank, mix salt water and after 24 hrs add to tank. let settle and warm up. add ammonia and bacteria.
2 wks : Cycle tank
3 wks: Add CUC
4 wks (aka May 1) evaluate and proceed accordingly 1 fish and a couple coral to start
2-3 months evaluate and proceed accordingly 2 fish Clowns and an anemone MAYBE
4-6 M eval and proceed once anemone settled pared up and doing well add addtl corals
I have taken a couple pix on my cell but I cant seem to get them to upload (work computer). Will try off phone directly tonight.
So this is where I am today. Let me know your thoughts, and if there is anything that I can clarify for you. Also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me feedback and I welcome any and all opinions. I just ask one thing, that you don't tell me what I am doing is WRONG just because you prefer a different way. Again we all have opinions and we all know what those are like
THANK YOU !
I am starting this as more of a personal journal for future reference as well as to help anyone else out there that may be looking for another opinion on how to get started in this hobby/addiction. We all know what opinions are like, am I right.
SO HERE GOES NOTHING.....
I do have a bit of experience with FW. I have a 55G set up now that I have been running for about 15 yrs. successfully I have a 13" pleco and 2 Ciclids in it with some plants. Nothing crazy.
Originally the plan was to convert the 55 to salt and move the FW family to a smaller tank (29g). I am limited on space that is suitable for a tank set up thus the 29g. Issue was the Pleco, he's really too big now to move to anything smaller. So instead I am reversing the plan a bit. Starting SW in the small with the intention of eventually converting the 55 and just use the 29 as the sump. I don't have a ton of money to throw around but I have managed to save up about 500.00 to start this project. The research is an endless maze of rabbit holes and digressions so its been very hard to stay focused. I found that as long as I kept the "end game" in mind it helped me to not go crazy with any aspect of the build. Plus it seems if you can make SW work in a small then you should have little to no trouble upgrading when the time comes. And the time will come.
So I found a spot for the new set up to live. I like to have all my tools ready before I start a project so I had a list, thanks to all that research from all over the interweb and my LFS. I knew what I "needed" and what I could "wait" to get. Yeah that worked great. So here is what I have ordered so far :
29 G starter tank set up from PetSmart (incl tank, heater, HOB filter, thermometer and lid w. LED)
Tank stand Petco Metal open front no shelving
Refractometer saltwateraquarium.com
All of the following purchased from Chewy.com cant beat free shipping plus $$ was right
40lb dry rock
40 lb live sand
Koval LED (to upgrade the light for Corals in the future)
Marineland Pump 400 and 900 (one for tank if needed and one to mix SH2O)
14 lbs of Instant ocean Reef salt (tank will be a reef tank)
Filter floss pads
Aqueon PRESET 200w heater
Aquatic Life RO Buddie 4 stage 50 gal RODI
Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride
Seachem Prime
Eco 396 pond pump (water changes for both salt and FWT)
siphon covers
Misc items from HD and my local Ace Hardware
5 gal buckets, Acrylic sheet w cutter, egg crate, Plastic tubing, sponge rollers
So I have already pretty much blown the budget, but I think I have 99% of what I will need right out the gate and I have some backups, and multi use items and items for when I covert things over in the future.
Where I am today:
Stand assembled added a "top" from an old solid wood cabinet door so the tank made better surface area contact with the stand.
Painted back of tank plan on painting side tonight
Determined aquascape
Goals: (all subject to change as needed)
Next few days and this weekend: Hook up RODI machine to start water, rinse sand, add sand and scape to tank, mix salt water and after 24 hrs add to tank. let settle and warm up. add ammonia and bacteria.
2 wks : Cycle tank
3 wks: Add CUC
4 wks (aka May 1) evaluate and proceed accordingly 1 fish and a couple coral to start
2-3 months evaluate and proceed accordingly 2 fish Clowns and an anemone MAYBE
4-6 M eval and proceed once anemone settled pared up and doing well add addtl corals
I have taken a couple pix on my cell but I cant seem to get them to upload (work computer). Will try off phone directly tonight.
So this is where I am today. Let me know your thoughts, and if there is anything that I can clarify for you. Also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me feedback and I welcome any and all opinions. I just ask one thing, that you don't tell me what I am doing is WRONG just because you prefer a different way. Again we all have opinions and we all know what those are like
THANK YOU !