Trying to learn how to reef correctly!

[Money63]

Hello reefers!!! im a fresh water hobbyist trying to fit in to the coolest world ive come to kno thank you all for the welcome i hope we can help eachother as i learn and grow threw the hoppy been trying to reef for a little over a year with little success i have finally got fish and feeling good trying to learn the coral curve as i call it thank you all in advance for any help!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Welcome to your new home for saltwater reef aquarium resources and fun! Welcome to the family! :D

 

[Crabs McJones]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Utubereefer]

Welcome to the club

 

[Talisker]

Welcome! Reefers are cool

 

[Gman83]

Welcome!

 

[fishface NJ]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[jsmkmavity]

 

[BonnieB]

Welcome to our R2R family!

 

[kevgib67]

Welcome, glad you are here!

 

[Bruttall]

There is no Cookie Cutter, one size fits all, reef method. Chemistry in each tank is slightly different requiring different methods to maintain healthy coral and fish.

Best starting advice I can offer today is once you decide what size Tank you can afford, start looking at Members who have that size tank and what they have done to make it all work.

The things I do on my 300g just simply would not be practical on a 10g tank even though the principals behind it are the same, the methods vary greatly.

 

[Money63]

There is no Cookie Cutter, one size fits all, reef method. Chemistry in each tank is slightly different requiring different methods to maintain healthy coral and fish.

Best starting advice I can offer today is once you decide what size Tank you can afford, start looking at Members who have that size tank and what they have done to make it all work.

The things I do on my 300g just simply would not be practical on a 10g tank even though the principals behind it are the same, the methods vary greatly.

thank you this is great advice, i have begun with a 60g after an attempt in an old 29 gallon failed a year ago been running 6 months and hit a wall. trying to dial it in has gave me nightmares lol

 

[bast]

Welcome!

 

[Bruttall]

thank you this is great advice, i have begun with a 60g after an attempt in an old 29 gallon failed a year ago been running 6 months and hit a wall. trying to dial it in has gave me nightmares lol

This is my opinion, but I get the feeling most people dig deep into what they want the tank to look like, without really digging into the filtration needed to keep that system healthy and thriving.

Have you considered what type filter you want to use. HOB, Cannister, Sump? etc

I run a massive sump system on mine, Using a 125g 6ft tank as a Sump. Hit my Build Thread :)

The other thing is if you plan on keeping/growing coral is the Lights. Maybe the second most important investment you will make after buying the tank. I'm a big fan of Reefi-Lab Uno 2.0 lights. It's what I use, but by no means is that the only light available, there are a Ton, and some get really expensive. Mine are Very High End, but about half the cost of "Leading brands". Most High End lights have a 24 inch x 24 inch foot print. Means they will illuminate a 2 ft square area.

Bulkreefsupply.com has a really informative 52 weeks of reefing video series I highly recommend watching. Yes they try and sell you products they stock, it's a huge infomercial for BRS Products, but there is a ton of solid reef keeping info as well, just ignore their product ads.

And ask alot of questions here. There are a lot of folks here with solid advice on what works for them.
Good Luck.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello reefers!!! im a fresh water hobbyist trying to fit in to the coolest world ive come to kno thank you all for the welcome i hope we can help eachother as i learn and grow threw the hoppy been trying to reef for a little over a year with little success i have finally got fish and feeling good trying to learn the coral curve as i call it thank you all in advance for any help!

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium 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 nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Bruttall]

Also pay attention to Super Badge Guy, aka @vetteguy53081 ! He's been known to steer folks in the right direction more often than not. I know he taught me a lot :)
And @Paul B , I think Paul B's. thread should be a REQUIRED Read. after 47 years I'm pretty sure he has forgotten more about reefing than I will ever know.

 

[Money63]

This is my opinion, but I get the feeling most people dig deep into what they want the tank to look like, without really digging into the filtration needed to keep that system healthy and thriving.

Have you considered what type filter you want to use. HOB, Cannister, Sump? etc

I run a massive sump system on mine, Using a 125g 6ft tank as a Sump. Hit my Build Thread :)

The other thing is if you plan on keeping/growing coral is the Lights. Maybe the second most important investment you will make after buying the tank. I'm a big fan of Reefi-Lab Uno 2.0 lights. It's what I use, but by no means is that the only light available, there are a Ton, and some get really expensive. Mine are Very High End, but about half the cost of "Leading brands". Most High End lights have a 24 inch x 24 inch foot print. Means they will illuminate a 2 ft square area.

Bulkreefsupply.com has a really informative 52 weeks of reefing video series I highly recommend watching. Yes they try and sell you products they stock, it's a huge infomercial for BRS Products, but there is a ton of solid reef keeping info as well, just ignore their product ads.

And ask alot of questions here. There are a lot of folks here with solid advice on what works for them.
Good Luck.

you asked about filtration im currently running a canister with a UV in it, however many many people in the hobby have talked me into switching to a sump with a small refugium for balancing chemistry.

Is this true truthfully idk but i have the extra tank and some glass laying around figured get a pump and a overflow box and couldnt hurt me none.

now my light is a nicrew hyper reef 150w on a 48Lx18Wx24T im running at about 40% blue and 15% white peaks (information is hard to find for light and i dont have a par reader) but doing the best i can.

 

[CoralB]

Welcome !!

 

[mmorrison55]

thank you this is great advice, i have begun with a 60g after an attempt in an old 29 gallon failed a year ago been running 6 months and hit a wall. trying to dial it in has gave me nightmares lol

Welcome to R2R.

What is your wall, and what are you trying to dial in, what specific parameters?

We all have setbacks, even guys who have been keeping reefs for 20+ years. It’s how you adjust to those setbacks is where this forum has helped me.

maybe create a build thread so others can see how you are set up and what you are using. Post details about your feeding habits, your testing routing, and maintenance routines. This can help diagnose some of the problems you may be having.

Im fairly new, 10 months since getting back into the hobby, and in the early stages, I had issues with getting everything stable. I had an ich outbreak that wiped out 80% of my fish population and had to basically start over @ the 3 month mark.

One thing I did when I “reset” my tank, was add live rock. Since doing so, things have definitely been more stable. This worked wonders for me, but YMMV.

Also, one of the biggest things that you hear over and over, but almost none follow… take things slow.

Good luck, there’s lots of good and useful information on this forum, but it can be information overload at times too, so try and not get overwhelmed by it all.