First Salt Tank!

[COPE45]

So this is really exciting for me. Getting back into the aquarium hobby. Getting into salt for the first time and doing it with my kids!

This is going to be a ‘temporary’ tank. We’ve moved around a lot for my job. Think every 18 months or so for a while. This is our last temporary place and will be settling down permanently next. My son is 5 and was asking about tanks after I showed him some cool stuff. We planned to walk in and get a small 10 gal freshwater for him and it turned into this. I’m sure you all know exactly how that goes.. lol.

So I am using this tank as my start into salt and a learning experience for setting up a more permanent system in about a year or so when we buy and settle in one place.

My friends (non hobbyists) are fairly sick of photos and updates so I thought I’d share here!

 

[boacvh]

Exciting! Tell us a bit more about your plans!

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Following along!

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Also, one quick note. An API test kit is fine in the beginning, but once you run out of the testing chemicals, I would try to switch to Salifert. They are generally cheap, and accurate test kits that many hobbyists use.

 

[COPE45]

Also, one quick note. An API test kit is fine in the beginning, but once you run out of the testing chemicals, I would try to switch to Salifert. They are generally cheap, and accurate test kits that many hobbyists use.

Thanks! That’s great info, we currently live in South Dakota and so I just got what they had at the local Petco.

 

[COPE45]

Exciting! Tell us a bit more about your plans!

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Thanks! That’s great info, we currently live in South Dakota and so I just got what they had at the local Petco.

You can just order them online, I get mine from Bulk Reef Supply, they have decent rewards to from my experience.

Are you going to add coral?

 

[COPE45]

So tank is about a month and half old now, wanted to start this thread at the beginning.

Wanted to do fish only with live rock. Started with live sand, live nitrifying bacteria and then the live rock. Was able to get it established fairly quick. Added a pair of clowns and slowly kept adding more fish. Just did lots of testing along with some generous water changes to make sure levels stayed very good. Really still doing that but definitely feel that investing in the live sand and the nitrifying bacteria was hugely beneficial. (I know I rushed things here) but I like to think I did so with the willingness to invest the time and effort to keep everything happy. Things have been great. Haven't lost anything but a snail or two.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

So tank is about a month and half old now, wanted to start this thread at the beginning.

Wanted to do fish only with live rock. Started with live sand, live nitrifying bacteria and then the live rock. Was able to get it established fairly quick. Added a pair of clowns and slowly kept adding more fish. Just did lots of testing along with some generous water changes to make sure levels stayed very good. Really still doing that but definitely feel that investing in the live sand and the nitrifying bacteria was hugely beneficial. (I know I rushed things here) but I like to think I did so with the willingness to invest the time and effort to keep everything happy. Things have been great. Haven't lost anything but a snail or two.

Oh, okay cool! Do you feel comfortable showing a picture, when you can? I would love to see the tank!

 

[COPE45]

You can just order them online, I get mine from Bulk Reef Supply, they have decent rewards to from my experience.

Are you going to add coral?

I’m not going to do coral here. With the time it requires to grow out coral I don’t think it makes sense. I’m going to use this tank as a learning experience. Been doing a lot of research about coral and what it will take. That will be in the long term system I set up down the road. Just the fish have been a lot. I can be a bit of a perfectionist and obsess over things. I did add an anemone and a long spine urchin in addition to the fish.

 

[COPE45]

Oh, okay cool! Do you feel comfortable showing a picture, when you can? I would love to see the tank!

So this picture is a couple weeks old. A good nice picture of the scape and everything. Lately just been taking pictures and videos of the fish lol.

 

[COPE45]

Kind of nerding out and I’m more excited about my QT and RO/DI setups so wanted to show those as well.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

So this picture is a couple weeks old. A good nice picture of the scape and everything. Lately just been taking pictures and videos of the fish lol.

Looks awesome!

 

[COPE45]

Looks awesome!

Thanks! I see some of the tanks on here and I’m in awe. One day! Right now I’m most excited about the fish but I’ve been getting really into corals and the scaping. Excited for that down the road.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Thanks! I see some of the tanks on here and I’m in awe. One day! Right now I’m most excited about the fish but I’ve been getting really into corals and the scaping. Excited for that down the road.

Reef tanks are definitely very cool!