Starting a Reef tank thoughts and discussion

[Krish]

Mojo, do you want me to totally destroy this thread with one single post??


Great topic!! Great feedback so far as well. Should come in handy for a lot of people. For me, the first thing I consider is actually where my wife will allow me to put a tank and then what I can get that will fit there. Then it's checking the wallet which decides pretty much the rest of it.


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[DolphinLVR]

For me, the best advice I can give is to go slow! Do alot of researching, see with your own eyes what others are doing an come up with a list of everything you are going to need. This list should even include the type of rock ( live or dead ) and the sand if any.

My first attempt back in 2002 failed as I jumped in and bought a tank, sump and stand. It sat around for 4 years as I never had the money to get the rest of the stuff I needed to get the tank up and going.

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[Peppie]

Mojo, do you want me to totally destroy this thread with one single post??


Great topic!! Great feedback so far as well. Should come in handy for a lot of people. For me, the first thing I consider is actually where my wife will allow me to put a tank and then what I can get that will fit there. Then it's checking the wallet which decides pretty much the rest of it.

This is defiantly a hobby that will cost a good amount of money. That should be considered by both spouses. If one doesnt think it is worth the money the other will have a rough time convincing the other they need a $100 gadget to make water.

 

[NC2WA]

..or $200 for fish.

 

[Darthv247]

just go to the LFS and tell them to give you EVERYTHING u need :bolt:

 

[Sasquatch]

just go to the LFS and tell them to give you EVERYTHING u need :bolt:

sarcasm... 10 points and a free red balloon lol

 

[mojoreef]

Ok so far we have the following:


> find a location that has the area and floor strength to hold the tank. Also make sure you have access to enough electrical capacity and room around the tank.

> Research the types of equipment that are going to be needed to put the tank together to help develop a budget for the build. Put together a general list on the equipment and then search out if going used or new is the best route.



Ok from that point we started bouncing around a bit with most talking about do several types of research via books, web sites and possible mentors.

So lets pick it up again from here, I have a location picked out and I have a general idea about the equipment involved. BUT in my research I have realized that the equipment really varies in the kind of tank I want to run??? SOOooooooo

I pose the question. I know their are choices between softie tank, are sps style tank and a FO tank, so where should I start my adventure and what are the differences between the three I have listed in the ways of equipment, maintenance and general knowledge????


Mojo

 

[dnjan]

I think you really need to decide what exact environment you would like to re-create (lagoon, reef shelf, etc).

Then determine as many parameters as you can about that environment (water movement, light intensity, disolved/suspended nutrient level, etc.)

And finally figure out what you will need to do in order to actually (re-) create that environment.

Once that is done, it is time to research the types and compatibility of the animals and plants that inhabit that environment in nature.

Too many people start this hobby with a "mixed reef". In my opinion, mixed reefs end up killing too many animals due to incompatibilities between the environment provided and the needs of the inhabitants.

 

[Peppie]

OK, I have done my research and have decided to start with softies. WHY? from what I have read, they are easy to keep, My water doesnt need to be perfect, My lights wont cost as much. Once I get the hang of maintaining my tank I can up grade my equipment to have a better chance and understanding on what it will take to keep sps alive and growing. In the mean time I have a saltwater tank in my livingroom.

This is exactly how I did it. I did not add a sps to my tank untill I had almost 2 years experience, and the proper lights.

 

[oldsaint]

I pose the question. I know their are choices between softie tank, are sps style tank and a FO tank, so where should I start my adventure and what are the differences between the three I have listed in the ways of equipment, maintenance and general knowledge????


Mojo

It would be my recommendation for a new hobbyist to start with a fish only tank. IMO, this has many advantages, FO tanks require less maintenance, less testing, less chemicals, and in general are more forgiving if you do end up making a mistake. Softies tanks are probably the next easy tanks to maintain with SPS being considered the more difficult. At each step FO to SPS there are more hurdles to over come. Some animals require cleaner water, others require supplementation of elements used up during the process of building tissue and skeletal structures and some have specific diets that need to be considered. These tasks can be accomplished with the addition of new equipment or through more maintenance. All too much for the new hobbyist to handle upfront.
I'd keep a FO about a year before adding corals. If corals are your main goal make sure to only add reef safe fish from the beginning. Once you become familiar with maintaining a FO tank then start treating that tank as a reef. Watch your parameters, adjust and maintain them to reef specs. Once you've become comfortable with maintaining parameters within reef limits then consider adding coral.

 

[mojoreef]

Ok cool so I like this direction, so lets dig in a little deeper. I think the order of difficulty that Oldsaint says is correct and Dnjan is correct on some of the things required for each. So with that in mind lets explore a bit.

FO or fish only = with a Fo tank you can still build a good base to be able to upgrade your tank to softy tank or sps if you set it up with that in mind. So one should look for the same style equipment you could use down the line, so Protein skimmer, heaters (always twice as much for redundancy) possible use of ozone, UV, carbon and so on. Lighting does not have to be that good, just enough to see the fish good. You still going to have to cycle the tank and watch your nitrogen based levels by testing, but calcium and alk and magnesium are not really required as the demand is low.

SO lets say I start here and have a FO with live rock and sand and its been up for anywhere from 6 months to year. Now I got the ich so whats the next step to get into a reef tank??

Mojo

 

[NC2WA]

Now I got the ich so whats the next step to get into a reef tank??

Mike, helluva a pun...I think you meant itch. :whoo:

 

[Sasquatch]

Next step to getting into a reef... simple, get rid of the damn fish! Can't say Im liking this crossdresser FO to Reef thing, how you going to get all that copper and impacted sand bed fixed up? Fish are filthy!

 

[mojoreef]

No it was a pun Kirk, ice pick up, lol

Sas well thats something we need to talk about then, if someone wants to go down that road what are some of the dos and donts??

Mike

 

[Sasquatch]

No it was a pun Kirk, ice pick up, lol

Sas well thats something we need to talk about then, if someone wants to go down that road what are some of the dos and donts??

Mike

sure put me on the spot lol.
HMM? first and foremost would be quarantine and prophylactic treatments, now we have a new fish person that needs to set up for qt and treatment (like that happens how often?) I think its much better to go right to corals, Then add fish not the other way, fish have a pretty bad habit of dying, the selection for a FO probably will not suit a reef, Fo's generally run pretty high trates and with that and reef lighting we quickly have a very disappointed newb.
Reef from the start is a well documented process, starting without fish eliminates a couple of big starter issues and provides time for the beginner to learn water management and what will be appropriate to the tank.
There is nothing wrong with a simple mushroom and zenia tank to start with, this hobby 9 out of 10 times is way too much flash, way too much cash and too often the crash.
So in summation, reef from the start... easily followed instructions. FO/FOWLR to reef... find me a guide lol

 

[NC2WA]

mike.

hhahahaha...good one, well at least I was reading your posts.

I would agree with QT fish when getting fish along with proper water management. Unfortunately, water management takes time to understand and to develop and with the introduction of fish it makes this even more crucial to understand it. When I was a newbie close to 15 yrs ago, I started out with fish and didnt touch corals until I had several years under my belt. When I made the leap to corals, I started with easy corals (softie, leathers) then worked up to LPS and finally SPS. But to get to the point I felt comfortable with SPS took almost 10yrs.

 

[Peppie]

sure put me on the spot lol.
HMM? first and foremost would be quarantine and prophylactic treatments, now we have a new fish person that needs to set up for qt and treatment (like that happens how often?) I think its much better to go right to corals, Then add fish not the other way, fish have a pretty bad habit of dying, the selection for a FO probably will not suit a reef, Fo's generally run pretty high trates and with that and reef lighting we quickly have a very disappointed newb.
Reef from the start is a well documented process, starting without fish eliminates a couple of big starter issues and provides time for the beginner to learn water management and what will be appropriate to the tank.
There is nothing wrong with a simple mushroom and zenia tank to start with, this hobby 9 out of 10 times is way too much flash, way too much cash and too often the crash.
So in summation, reef from the start... easily followed instructions. FO/FOWLR to reef... find me a guide lol

I cant belive I am posting this " I agree with Sas " LOL.

So now I have had fish in my tank for 6 mos. and it is time to add coral!!!! I need to upgrade my lights (possibly) I need to get good test kits for additional water parm. I may need to deal with fish that are not reef safe. Is there anything I can add to my system to keep my water parm in check. Maybe a reactor.

Now is a good time to make adjustments or tweek your system more to your liking. And most importantly do some research on corals

 

[Sasquatch]

mike.

hhahahaha...good one, well at least I was reading your posts.

I would agree with QT fish when getting fish along with proper water management. Unfortunately, water management takes time to understand and to develop and with the introduction of fish it makes this even more crucial to understand it. When I was a newbie close to 15 yrs ago, I started out with fish and didnt touch corals until I had several years under my belt. When I made the leap to corals, I started with easy corals (softie, leathers) then worked up to LPS and finally SPS. But to get to the point I felt comfortable with SPS took almost 10yrs.

stick people lol, did you ever convert your fish tank to a reef?

 

[Sasquatch]

I cant believe I am posting this " I agree with Sas " LOL.

few are so kind as you Peppie (I corrected your spelling too) eggs easy over and foot massage right! lol

 

[NC2WA]

did you ever convert your fish tank to a reef

if you mean a full reef, no.

I like the fishes too much.