And so it begins...

G Santana · Mar 17, 2022

Welcome to R2R and the obsession

Projects with Sam · Mar 17, 2022

Fish Think Pink · Mar 17, 2022

B33TR00T said:
Thanks to extensive (honestly, extensive) research within the archives of this forum, along with the guidance of a bunch of youtubers - I'm finally out of the equipment researching stage for my first reef tank, I made a few mistakes and misjudgements, a couple of orders went wrong, but they're all corrected now and everything is locked in...

I'm now the proud owner of a brand new Red Sea Reefer 250, it's white, v3, spectacular.

I've got my hands on 40lb of used Caribsea Life Rock, I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to use it, I might scrap the idea and go brand new to eliminate any risk and make things simpler.

Not quite ready to start building yet, although I am close -

One purchase I'm definitely happy with is my choice of 2x EcoTech Radion Gen5 XR15 Blue LED's, I've spent a lot of time watching BRStv, exploring every possible option, with aims to begin with soft and LPS corals - to then introduce some SPS corals high and center - later on down the line, I believe I've made a good choice here, these may slot nicely into a hybrid T5 fixture later on down the line.

I've gone quite cheap on some other things -
Jecod DCP4000 DC for the return
2x Jecod SOW-4 Wavemaker's
Bubble Magus Curve 5 Protein Skimmer
Eheim ThermoPreset Heater 200w
100g/day 4 stage RODI system

...and I've picked up a couple of cheap DD gadgets, TDS meter, Thermometer, Refactometer, and also a couple of API Master Test Kits (Saltwater and Liquid Reef).

No sand for me, I'm in love with the bare bottom look, I know it will make things harder to begin but I'm settled on that idea, I do have a natural HDPE starboard - but I might even skip that and go full glass.

Next is dosing, how I'm going to start the cycle, and how I'm going to dose going forward, it's an area in which I still have a lot of research to do, I'll begin this manual and then look to automate it as time goes on / once I fully understand my tank and everything I need to know about its parameters.

Exciting times.

I've found the information available on this forum to be absolutely invaluable throughout, so thanks reef2reef, happy to be here, and I'll see you around.

Welcome! Glad you joined.

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I wish I had started while still in planning stages, and sounds like you are also about to leave that phase. Instead, I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you:

Global Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. 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 no...

www.reef2reef.com

B33TR00T · Mar 17, 2022

Fish Think Pink said:
Welcome! Glad you joined.

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I wish I had started while still in planning stages, and sounds like you are also about to leave that phase. Instead, I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you:

Global Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. 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 no...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks, I absolutely will!

I'm currently in the middle of building the reefer cabinet right now, will be sure to start a build thread early once the tank is up and plumbed!