Hello, I've been lurking and reading for almost two and a half years and have finally decided to start my very own tank thread.
I, like so many before me, entered this hobby with a small tank. I did not to listen the advice I had heard time and time again, which was: buy the biggest tank you can afford. I should have listened. At the time, I really wasn't sure that I would enjoy reefing and I was afraid that I would be a terrible reefer. Despite these fears, in January of '09 I took the plunge and got my first tank. Alas, two days later I broke my fibula, which put me out of commission for a few weeks. Maddeningly, I sat on the the couch staring at my new tank all boxed up in the hallway.
In the meantime, I acquired a 30 LB piece of Marshall Island rock from Mike (Herefishyfishy). I kept the live rock in a rubbermaid container with a heater and powerheads until I could get the tank set-up. It was clear from the moment I brought the live rock home that I was hooked for life. I was fascinated by all of the hitchhikers. I used to sit and examine the rock for what seemed like hours (and still do). After a few weeks of recovery, I was finally able to set the tank up and here are the specs:
- 20 gallon with internal overflow and sump
- 30lb Marshall Island live rock
- 1.5 bags of CaribSea oolite sand
- MP20
- Elos E-lite on timer
I cycled the tank for a month or so until my parameters were spot on. I got many of my first SPS, LPS, and Zoanthids from Ben (Classclown). All creatures were growing, showing great polyp extension, and coloration. As for maintenance, I tried to keep it really simple by doing weekly water changes. I ended up changing approximately 40-50% of the tank water per month, which is about 2.5g per week. The water change schedule kept all of my parameters in-line.
I, like so many before me, entered this hobby with a small tank. I did not to listen the advice I had heard time and time again, which was: buy the biggest tank you can afford. I should have listened. At the time, I really wasn't sure that I would enjoy reefing and I was afraid that I would be a terrible reefer. Despite these fears, in January of '09 I took the plunge and got my first tank. Alas, two days later I broke my fibula, which put me out of commission for a few weeks. Maddeningly, I sat on the the couch staring at my new tank all boxed up in the hallway.
In the meantime, I acquired a 30 LB piece of Marshall Island rock from Mike (Herefishyfishy). I kept the live rock in a rubbermaid container with a heater and powerheads until I could get the tank set-up. It was clear from the moment I brought the live rock home that I was hooked for life. I was fascinated by all of the hitchhikers. I used to sit and examine the rock for what seemed like hours (and still do). After a few weeks of recovery, I was finally able to set the tank up and here are the specs:
- 20 gallon with internal overflow and sump
- 30lb Marshall Island live rock
- 1.5 bags of CaribSea oolite sand
- MP20
- Elos E-lite on timer
I cycled the tank for a month or so until my parameters were spot on. I got many of my first SPS, LPS, and Zoanthids from Ben (Classclown). All creatures were growing, showing great polyp extension, and coloration. As for maintenance, I tried to keep it really simple by doing weekly water changes. I ended up changing approximately 40-50% of the tank water per month, which is about 2.5g per week. The water change schedule kept all of my parameters in-line.
) on freshly mixed batches of saltwater my parameters were way off. I started noticing that my snails weren't doing their normal cleaning and were rather lethargic. Also my two softies (Sinularia and Xenia) started to look slightly off, but the SPS and LPS corals still looked great and were extending polyps per usual.
