first reef aquarium

[wizardz]

hello there,

i've been a freshwater aquarist for the better part of the last decade ( we have a 12G nano lowtec planted shrimp aquarium, and a 30G with neon tetras..lovely little *******s )

so basically we spend the better part of the last year researching what to do, and most specifically what NOT to do with saltwater !.


we are in the process of planning our basement "completion" ( new house, basement unfinished) and we were thinking about a 240-300Gallon ciclid/discus tank. (so the tank is planned, as well as all the stuff required (wet/dry/lightning/controllers/batteries/etc...) basically there is a dedicated 11 x 4 room for the aquarium, sump/refugirium and all other stuff, everything electrical is in another dedicated room

then we discovered the beauty of saltwater aquariums (thanks google!)

fast forward about a year and here we are! so basically we would like to maybe switch our 30G from freshwater to saltwater (to learn the ins-and-outs of saltwater), or buy a seperate 30G specifically for saltwater..
our planned "ecosystem" would be something "Indo-Pacific"....

soooo, i turn to you experts... do i wait and go all out? or i start small, knowing that i will build a NEW ( no upgrade there) bigger tank?

 

[Chameleon]

Glad to see your getting into reefing! Couldn't hurt to start small to get some experience, but I would personally do a lot of research now before you have a tank and start big from the get go. If you do want to start big I would highly suggest getting into contact with some local reefers and observing their setups so you can get a better first hand experience with how things work. There is lots of information in these forums and if you do decide to go big to start with I am sure that you will find more than enough suggestions from other people on how to do it successfully the first time.

 

[wizardz]

thanks Chameleon.

my wife wants an aquarium in the bedroom, (i was just handed her birthday gift list...) so i might as well take that opportunity to buy a small reef aquarium. i have heard the names BioCube 29 and Red Reef Max...and the reviews are not bad for both...

 

[impur]

I have a biocube 29gal and its a great little tank. Very quiet and lots of things you can do with it. Keep an eye out for used setups, you can get really great deals this way. Thats how I acquired mine

If you start smaller, then it will take you longer to get up to the bigger tank. I started with a 10gal, upgraded to 29gal, upgraded to 75gal, then to a 60gal with 20gal frag tank, now i'm building a 93gal with two 20gal frag tanks :lol: But really a lot depends on your budget so figure that out first. Then once you get your tank and it starts its cycle you can figure out the plan for livestock if you haven't already. Get in touch with your local club, they are great resources and as stated above you can check out various systems and how they work.

Good luck, you are gonna love having a reef tank!

 

[wizardz]

thanks impur!

i'm not sure where to look for local clubs.. anyway...wife definitly wants a reef in the bedroom so this is where i'll start. i know for a fact that i'm going to get a 240-300gal for the basement living room. will it be a reef or freshwater...that remains to see.

i will start looking for used setups in the area..but knowing my wife..she will want me to buy it new ( she likes to unpack stuf...you know..)


i actually started with my first aquarium as a chilling tank for a watercooled dual xeon workstation. the only difference between an aquarium with fishs and watercooled computers? you don't want ANYTHING living in your watercooled computer!

 

[Saltwatertaylor]

IMO Reef tanks are much more rewarding and colorful than freshwater aquariums, but need much more time to take care of. If you are really passionate about the hobby and have the time and money to spend, then I would definitely go with saltwater. The tank size that you are picking out are very nice! There is much research to be done on both types of tanks, but especially saltwater. I would recommend reading this forum for months before deciding to build a reef tank.
If you want a saltwater tank but don't necessarily want it to be a reef tank, then a FOWLR ( Fish only with live rock ) is also a great option. As I said before, even a FOWLR tank needs preparation, planning, and maintenance.
Hit home message is... RESEARCH!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Welcome to R2R!

We appreciate your membership!

Thanks for joining and please make sure and post often!

 

[AsphaltPays]

Hello and Welcome to R2R!! I hope you enjoy your new adventure and one thing I learned the hard way saltwater is a marathon and not a race Happy Reefing


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

 

[SPSjunky]

Welcome to r2r!!!

 

[RJT]

Welcome to r2r. If you get a small tank for the bedroom a marineland 29g is a great option. Later it can be your qt for your big tank.

 

[wysiwyg]

welcome to r2r would love to see some pics

 

[Steelerfan747]

Hello wizard and welcome to the site. I hope you enjoy your stay and that you find the perfect tank

 

[Pappy]

Welcome to saltwater!

 

[Pappy]

I would def go used for a first tank and save a whole bunch of money also I would start with a 55(but be prepared to upgrade shortly because this is an addicting hobby). The bigger the easier to maintain parameters and less swings.

 

[wizardz]

thanks everyone! we will definatly be researching befor buying anything...


thanks!