What up boyz? Total Aquarium Rookie researching a New Hobby

[Nautalis-II]

Welcome to R2R! We're here to help facilitate your future addiction!

It sounds you're taking a great approach and researching well ahead of time to give yourself the best chance for success. In addition to books, YouTube is a great resource with a wealth of knowledge available. Below are a few channels/playlists I would highly recommend.

• BRSTV - BulkReefSupply's YouTube channel has a ton of information. You should definitely check out their 52 Weeks of Reefing playlist. It walks you through the entire process of setting up and maintaining a reef tank. Their 52 FAQ is a good supplement to that series as well.
• Marine Depot Aquarium Supplies - Another vendor YouTube channel that has a ton of how to guides, product reviews, etc.
• Inappropriate Reefer - As his name suggests, IR does some "inappropriate" things that might make other reefers cringe, but his channel is extremely entertaining and informative as he documents his reefing journey.
• FishofHex - A very informative channel with a ton of videos covering beginner, intermediate and advanced reefing techniques. He also does Q&A videos pretty regularly so if you have specific questions he might answer them for you.

As far as purchasing equipment, I would check these forums to see if there are any local reef clubs near you with members selling used gear. You can also check Craigslist, Facebook and eBay for deals on used equipment. Given you've got two years to accumulate your equipment that should give you plenty of time to search out the best deals you can get on top of the line equipment. Best of luck to you and happy future reefing!

Thank you—this was super helpful. The youtube channels sound great. I plan on getting involved with a local reef club & forum for sure. What keywords would you recommend on Craigslist/Facebook/eBay?

 

[Nautalis-II]

Welcome to the REEF!!

Hey you're somewhat near.

 

[RevMH]

First let me say that I came here from r/reeftanks, and I'm so impressed with what's been done here. What a great community. A little about me from my profile:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

What up fellas.

Why I chose my username: My favorite part of many classics are the fictional ships that are a big part of the story. Let this one be a metaphor for my ambitious journey into uncharted waters.

I'm new to aquariums and slowly became captivated by saltwater reefs after only a few days of diving head-first into aquarium research. Initially, I had my sights set on a killer freshwater tank...but the more I read about reefs the more I want to know. As of now, I'm not in a position to start a tank for about 2 years, so I'm looking to build as much knowledge in that time as possible. If you know of really great reefing-science books or deals on equipment for me to start accumulating, please let me know.

The science, hard work, and skill behind forging a unique piece of living art is frankly incredible. I love water. I love drinking it, tasting it, listening to it, watching, and being in it. It drives so many of my hobbies, and I'm excited to add one more that might be the best yet.

My goal for my first reef tank is to minimize cost on a highly effective and sophisticated setup. I want to do this by balancing 2 things:

1. Purchasing as close to my dream saltwater system the first time.
2. Acknowledging that rookie mistakes are inevitable and my first aquarium should take this into account.

I know starting out with an ambitious reef won't be easy, but here's to trying!

Welcome to R2R. Looks like you're already avoiding a lot of rookie mistakes by posting on the most knowledgeable forum. There's too much info here to consume, but if you run into a problem, you can bet it's here. We welcome you!

 

[PRock]

Welcome to R2R!

Looking at your reading list, I'd honestly say ditch almost all of it unless you want it for a historical perspective. Knowledge in this hobby and the supporting marine industries are RAPIDLY evolving (especially over the last few years with testing improvements and automation) and outside of basic chemistry (like nitrogen cycle stuff) texts from 10+ years ago are going to be full of outdated information that will mostly lead you down the wrong track. In fact one of the things you're looking to watch (the BRS 52 weeks of reefing) has "outdated" information in it, and it's only a few years old. Don't skip it, it's an awesome series, but that'll give you an idea of how much things change.

As for getting started - There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying a $1/gal tank from PetCo on sale and setting up a 20-30 gallon fish only or softie system in your room. The biggest thing in the hobby besides patience is habit - doing your maintenance, your testing, your water changes on schedule, etc - getting those habits started on a smaller tank will carry forward to the later larger tank that's in your future. And once that larger tank does arrive, you can use the smaller tank as a quarantine/hospital system so it's not something that's just going to "waste" once you upgrade. Start simple, and expand as your experience/needs grow. Start with a fish only saltwater system, its lighting and filtering requirements aren't nearly as strict as a SPS Coral setup, but that's something you can use as a starting point and build from. I built my QT systems first, got them up and running and happy with some healthy livestock to prove to myself that I could pull this off before I purchased my first "big" tank, and they'll still be running as long as I have need for a place to stash a sick fish or QT a new arrival. Worst case, if you find you don't need something anymore, come on here, head over to the sales forums, and offer it up to another reefer for a deal. You'd be amazed how much stuff trades hands on here!

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Huzzah! Another young person who has discovered this hobby. I'm glad your liking what your seeing here at R2R and hope you stay as I did.
I admire your decision to be patient and start this hobby right. But however much patience helps in this hobby, Experience helps 10 fold. As you are in college (or so you've implied) I would recommend a Nano aquarium. While they may not be AS glorious as a 500 gallon system full of tangs and ultra expensive SPS they are still as fun to (or maybe more fun) to take care of. If your interested in going this route I would recommend watching coralfish12g on youtube (but not his AWFUL clickbait new stuff, his older videos are much more imformational). Your list of books is quite large already and i hate to make it longe. But check out Beginner to Breeder by Martin A Moe. That's is the book that I have found has the most universal (least out of date) info.
I Apologize for the word vomit and hey, even though your a redditer, Good luck dude

 

[Hitman]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Nautalis-II]

Welcome to R2R!

Looking at your reading list, I'd honestly say ditch almost all of it unless you want it for a historical perspective. Knowledge in this hobby and the supporting marine industries are RAPIDLY evolving (especially over the last few years with testing improvements and automation) and outside of basic chemistry (like nitrogen cycle stuff) texts from 10+ years ago are going to be full of outdated information that will mostly lead you down the wrong track. In fact one of the things you're looking to watch (the BRS 52 weeks of reefing) has "outdated" information in it, and it's only a few years old. Don't skip it, it's an awesome series, but that'll give you an idea of how much things change.

As for getting started - There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying a $1/gal tank from PetCo on sale and setting up a 20-30 gallon fish only or softie system in your room. The biggest thing in the hobby besides patience is habit - doing your maintenance, your testing, your water changes on schedule, etc - getting those habits started on a smaller tank will carry forward to the later larger tank that's in your future. And once that larger tank does arrive, you can use the smaller tank as a quarantine/hospital system so it's not something that's just going to "waste" once you upgrade. Start simple, and expand as your experience/needs grow. Start with a fish only saltwater system, its lighting and filtering requirements aren't nearly as strict as a SPS Coral setup, but that's something you can use as a starting point and build from. I built my QT systems first, got them up and running and happy with some healthy livestock to prove to myself that I could pull this off before I purchased my first "big" tank, and they'll still be running as long as I have need for a place to stash a sick fish or QT a new arrival. Worst case, if you find you don't need something anymore, come on here, head over to the sales forums, and offer it up to another reefer for a deal. You'd be amazed how much stuff trades hands on here!

How are testing and automation relevant to the underlying science? The facts of science have always existed and will continue to exist in the face of changing conditions and human understanding. I am highly skeptical that this has shifted so radically that it wouldn't be worth the time to read. I want a strong foundation in chemistry and marine science before I start lapping up everything I hear.

Maybe I've been misleading. I have almost no money available right now, and very little desire to start gaining any type of real experience, because frankly there are more important things for me to be investing my time in right now. I hate to lay it out so bluntly, but as excited as I am that is the current reality of my situation.

Thanks for challenging my perspective.

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Nautalis-II]

Huzzah! Another young person who has discovered this hobby. I'm glad your liking what your seeing here at R2R and hope you stay as I did.
I admire your decision to be patient and start this hobby right. But however much patience helps in this hobby, Experience helps 10 fold. As you are in college (or so you've implied) I would recommend a Nano aquarium. While they may not be AS glorious as a 500 gallon system full of tangs and ultra expensive SPS they are still as fun to (or maybe more fun) to take care of. If your interested in going this route I would recommend watching coralfish12g on youtube (but not his AWFUL clickbait new stuff, his older videos are much more imformational). Your list of books is quite large already and i hate to make it longe. But check out Beginner to Breeder by Martin A Moe. That's is the book that I have found has the most universal (least out of date) info.
I Apologize for the word vomit and hey, even though your a redditer, Good luck dude

I don't have the kind of money right now to justify purchasing anything that I know I'll simply replace soon in the future. Hate to lose out on all the fun and experience, but it's something I'll have to deal with.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

I don't have the kind of money right now to justify purchasing anything that I know I'll simply replace soon in the future. Hate to lose out on all the fun and experience, but it's something I'll have to deal with.

Definitely understand the money part. Started my first reef for under 200$ and am just upgrading now.

 

[Emarley]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Nautalis-II]

Definitely understand the money part. Started my first reef for under 200$ and am just upgrading now.

Any advice on how to do that? What did that setup look like?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

 

[rodney]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[TK_KW]

Yes! turning visions into a reality with hard work and discipline is what I'm best at. My natural abilities don't hurt either. Thanks for the response and I'd love to see your progress. How do I find a member's threads?

Click the Build Thread Contributor badge

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Welcome to R2R

 

[PRock]

How are testing and automation relevant to the underlying science? The facts of science have always existed and will continue to exist in the face of changing conditions and human understanding. I am highly skeptical that this has shifted so radically that it wouldn't be worth the time to read. I want a strong foundation in chemistry and marine science before I start lapping up everything I hear.

Maybe I've been misleading. I have almost no money available right now, and very little desire to start gaining any type of real experience, because frankly there are more important things for me to be investing my time in right now. I hate to lay it out so bluntly, but as excited as I am that is the current reality of my situation.

Thanks for challenging my perspective.

It's less that the older publications are giving you bad science and more that they have some outdated methodology because things that we have today didn't exist, or weren't readily available to a hobbyist when they were written. I have several of those books because I did the same thing when I started researching. What was modern understanding and aquarium tech when they were published isn't wrong or worthless, because a huge number of tanks were run using those understandings, and many of those tanks are still around today. But our understanding of how things work in our little (or big) tanks has evolved and new methods have been developed to take advantage of more accessible and newer technology, new discoveries, and changing opinions on sustainability.

You said it yourself, you're of limited time, so I'm just trying to say that you'd be better off referencing more modern sources for your information. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Any advice on how to do that? What did that setup look like?

Its a standard 10 gallon I de-rimmed, But a bargain freshwater HOB filter on (its for mechanical and charcoal) I just put a metal halide i scored from the marketplace section here for $50. IO reef crystals, Jebao powerhead (you can even get used for $20-$30 if you look hard enough) and some basic test kits and you have yourself a reef. The only things i would change is to go for a better filter (AquaClear would be best) and I would do a better job at de-rimming or just not de-rim it. Even something as basic as this grows SPS decently. LPS and Zoas thrive. Here are some pics from this system and im gonna include two FTS (no matter how ugly it looks)

 

[Nautalis-II]

It's less that the older publications are giving you bad science and more that they have some outdated methodology because things that we have today didn't exist, or weren't readily available to a hobbyist when they were written. I have several of those books because I did the same thing when I started researching. What was modern understanding and aquarium tech when they were published isn't wrong or worthless, because a huge number of tanks were run using those understandings, and many of those tanks are still around today. But our understanding of how things work in our little (or big) tanks has evolved and new methods have been developed to take advantage of more accessible and newer technology, new discoveries, and changing opinions on sustainability.

You said it yourself, you're of limited time, so I'm just trying to say that you'd be better off referencing more modern sources for your information. Take it for what it's worth.

This makes sense. I'll admit I'm very detail-oriented and highly organized, so I value a book that has been professionally researched and published. I really want a textbook-like explanation of the underlying science---if that contemporary information can be found at reef2reef so much the better. I really like reading and annotating physical copies, so maybe if I find good threads or posts I can print them out.

Thanks for the feedback. You convinced me it's best to do the vast bulk of my research here. A couple people have pointed out how experience is key, so I'm also resolved to get a budget nano-reef tank going as soon as I know enough to get me started. Thanks guys.

 

[Nautalis-II]

Its a standard 10 gallon I de-rimmed, But a bargain freshwater HOB filter on (its for mechanical and charcoal) I just put a metal halide i scored from the marketplace section here for $50. IO reef crystals, Jebao powerhead (you can even get used for $20-$30 if you look hard enough) and some basic test kits and you have yourself a reef. The only things i would change is to go for a better filter (AquaClear would be best) and I would do a better job at de-rimming or just not de-rim it. Even something as basic as this grows SPS decently. LPS and Zoas thrive. Here are some pics from this system and im gonna include two FTS (no matter how ugly it looks)

Thank you so much dude. Very cool! This is the perfect compromise. I'm gonna delve deeper into this later and check out your build thread when I get a chance. Sounds like it will fit my budget until I get a chance to really go wild.

Your coral looks amazing.