Hello to everyone!

[Witulo]

Hello all, just getting back into reef tanks after a 15+ year hiatus and I already feel like I started out wrong (again)! Currently setting up and cycling a 36 Gallon Aqueon bowfront tank with 40 pounds of fiji pink live sand and 40Lbs of live rock. Unfortunately, I went the route of a canister filter and I am hearing the screams of anger from those who are telling me to dump it and start over. Really wish if the local aquatic stores were going to sell marine equipment then if the canisters are so bad, why did they sell it to me in the first place. Unfortunately, this is an expensive hobby and the only thing I have seen happen so far is the bank account get smaller. Here is what I have so far:

36 Gallon bowfront
Stand for tank
Reefbreeders Photon 24 LED
Hydor 250 Canister with Chemipure elite, purigen, Matrix, and polyfilters in place
2 Sicce Voyager Nano 2000LPH powerheads
150W Eheim heater
All the miscellanous test kits, refractometer, cleaning tools, and other incidentals

I hope to get some feedback from folks who have been down this road. I cannot afford to go sump, I don't have the room for a much larger tank, and I still haven't decided to get a HOB protein skimmer since I can't trust it overflowing all over my hardwood floors while I am away. I talk to 20 different people and get 20 different opinions at this point so I hope I can get words of encouragement and tips to make this endeavor less of a headache and more rewarding than before. My last experience ended in disaster when I lost every coral and fish due to new tank syndrome. I plan to take this much slower and test everything along the way.

Not really planning a huge bioload, but a few clowns, a coral beauty, wrasse, hippo tang (don't scream at me for that one) a mandarin goby, and some shrimp, crabs, and snails or a combination of those. Will be a while before I look at SPS, mostly just planning some polyps and other soft corals or a gorgonia bed to start out.

Sure wish we had internet forums like this one the last go round, maybe I would have never left the hobby. Hope to make many friends on here, possibly purchase some equipment along the way, and gain a lot of knowledge from everyone here.

Kevin

 

[mike007]

We are glad to have you back in the hobby.

 

[Rob.D]

Hello all, just getting back into reef tanks after a 15+ year hiatus and I already feel like I started out wrong (again)! Currently setting up and cycling a 36 Gallon Aqueon bowfront tank with 40 pounds of fiji pink live sand and 40Lbs of live rock. Unfortunately, I went the route of a canister filter and I am hearing the screams of anger from those who are telling me to dump it and start over. Really wish if the local aquatic stores were going to sell marine equipment then if the canisters are so bad, why did they sell it to me in the first place. Unfortunately, this is an expensive hobby and the only thing I have seen happen so far is the bank account get smaller. Here is what I have so far:

36 Gallon bowfront
Stand for tank
Reefbreeders Photon 24 LED
Hydor 250 Canister with Chemipure elite, purigen, Matrix, and polyfilters in place
2 Sicce Voyager Nano 2000LPH powerheads
150W Eheim heater
All the miscellanous test kits, refractometer, cleaning tools, and other incidentals

I hope to get some feedback from folks who have been down this road. I cannot afford to go sump, I don't have the room for a much larger tank, and I still haven't decided to get a HOB protein skimmer since I can't trust it overflowing all over my hardwood floors while I am away. I talk to 20 different people and get 20 different opinions at this point so I hope I can get words of encouragement and tips to make this endeavor less of a headache and more rewarding than before. My last experience ended in disaster when I lost every coral and fish due to new tank syndrome. I plan to take this much slower and test everything along the way.

Not really planning a huge bioload, but a few clowns, a coral beauty, wrasse, hippo tang (don't scream at me for that one) a mandarin goby, and some shrimp, crabs, and snails or a combination of those. Will be a while before I look at SPS, mostly just planning some polyps and other soft corals or a gorgonia bed to start out.

Sure wish we had internet forums like this one the last go round, maybe I would have never left the hobby. Hope to make many friends on here, possibly purchase some equipment along the way, and gain a lot of knowledge from everyone here.

Kevin

Hi Kevin, welcome to R2R and welcome back to the hobby!!!

I'm also in Knoxville, TN,

First off, you can run canister filter so long as you keep it routinely maintain the filter.

Second, why not run a overflow box, if set up properly, they work great and all you would need is a 10 gallon as your sump with a small skimmer.

Most importantly of all, please rethink adding a blue hippo tang, your tank is really too small and hippo tangs grow quite rapidly and will not fare well in a 36 gallon tank.
Also, your tank should be at least 6+ months old for a mandarin, a hob refugium would do well to supply the tank with a safe zone for pods to repopulate the tank with pods.

What type of wrasse are you wanting to add? A lot of wrasse also eat pods and with two pod feeding fish in a 36 will definitely strip the tank of all pods.

Check out our local forum East Tennessee Reef Club

 

[CastAway]

Welcome back in Kevin!

 

[Witulo]

Thanks for the tips Rob,

I suppose I will pass on the Coral Beauty and the wrasse then. I was seriously looking at a 6 line since I had one before, but if they are destructive to a soft reef then I would rather not start with the trouble. On my previous attempt I had a brain coral, bubble coral, a few soft polyps a purple gorgonia and some frogspawn but it was all short lived. I want to make a successful reef tank this time so I guess I have a lot to learn about the compatibility. Are cardinals reef safe, they don't appear to be detrimental and a pajama and bangai would be sufficient. Also, if the hippo tang is out, would a sailfin tang be adequate? I prefer the butterfly fish over the sailfin but they look so much alike the coloration is all I am looking at. I know the butterfly is detrimental to a reef so just looking at some other suggestions. Firefish and jawfish are also in my preferences.

Thanks again, and I will look into the HOB refugium and overflow box. Unfortunately, all I am hearing right now is the sound of my credit card being swiped. If this starts to appear successful I am by no means against upgrading to a 40-60 cube with a sump since the space requirements are fairly close to my current configuration.

Kevin

Hi Kevin, welcome to R2R and welcome back to the hobby!!!

I'm also in Knoxville, TN,

First off, you can run canister filter so long as you keep it routinely maintain the filter.

Second, why not run a overflow box, if set up properly, they work great and all you would need is a 10 gallon as your sump with a small skimmer.

Most importantly of all, please rethink adding a blue hippo tang, your tank is really too small and hippo tangs grow quite rapidly and will not fare well in a 36 gallon tank.
Also, your tank should be at least 6+ months old for a mandarin, a hob refugium would do well to supply the tank with a safe zone for pods to repopulate the tank with pods.

What type of wrasse are you wanting to add? A lot of wrasse also eat pods and with two pod feeding fish in a 36 will definitely strip the tank of all pods.

Check out our local forum East Tennessee Reef Club

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[kschweer]

Welcome back to the hobby and to R2R!!! While canister filters are not ideal it is possible to have a successful tank running one. Just keep up on the maintenance like stated earlier. Keep an eye on the for sale forums as well. You may find a good deal on an overflow box and then can use a cheap tank for a sump. Best of luck moving forward.

 

[kireek]

*Welcome to Reef2Reef,Kevin!* I would suggest looking for creatures and used equipment from your local reef club,it may save you money.Also I believe you can buy moisture sensors that can be placed on the floor by your aquarium,they sound a alarm if they get wet.This will protect your floors at least when someone is home.