Hola... and help!!! :-p

MikeyinTX · Dec 30, 2015

Hi,

To introduce myself a bit, I live in the great state of Texas and while I am not completely new to salt water aquariums, it's been in the neighborhood of about 9 years since I have had one. I started with aquariums in middle school and had fresh water/tropical aquariums till around my senior year when I started an 80ish gallon salt water tank. I initially made all the rookie mistakes and lost the tank ($300, but a lot for a kid with a part time minimum wage job). I did some learning and research and was able to get an aquarium up and going. I started as it should be and went very slow and took my time making the transition from strictly fish to adding some corals and other cool specimens. However with school, $$$ and life I never really got to a full reef aquarium, I started having difficulty finding the time to care for it, and eventually decided to shut it down and went to a much lower maintenance fresh water set up again.
I then got into a relationship and while I had intended to go back to a salt water/reef set up, I constantly heard complaining and issues with the fresh water aquarium not being astatically pleasing , blah blah blah, as well as a move from the north east to Texas, I ended up selling EVERYTHING.
I Thought maybe one day I would set up again, but the relationship headache with it always proved to be the bigger headache.
10 years later... I'M SINGLE!

We'll be selling the house we have together and I have secured a lease on an apartment. I am DETERMINED to get back into having an aquarium and have already purchased a used 60 gallon tank and stand from a friend. It has a canister filter that I don't have any specs on, nor are we sure it works.

Here is were I am looking for y'alls advise and input. I have a 15 month lease and then plan to move again, and while it will most likely be a local move, I don't want to get super elaborate until I'm back in a house that I own and won't be moving the set up for a while. I would like to get SOMETHING though. I'd prefer to go directly into salt rather than get set up for fresh and switch as I remember needing to sell and change out several things when I made the switch before. In the end I would like a very large (150+gal) reef tank with some more exotic/unusual specimens.

I plan on spending this next month getting the ESENTIAL equipment together , as well as getting the tank cleaned set up and cycling. I don't think I'll be ready for any sort of residence before mid Feb or early March.

I've noticed that there's been a ton of changes since I've been around last and am happy to take advise on what the best course of action and equipment will be. If you got this far, thanks and I really am not normally so long winded!

twilliard · Dec 30, 2015

Welcome to R2R!
I have a 46g bowfront cause I know one day I will move.
Tearing down a salt tank is no easy task

Reefing Madness · Dec 31, 2015

chessplayer86 · Dec 31, 2015

Welcome! my best wishes to you

Diesel · Dec 31, 2015

A Very Welcome on R2R my friend from the BIG State of TEXAS.
Where in TX are you?
A 15 month lease and than on the move again.................. I would invest in a medium frag tank, something like 48x24x12 or so.
With a sump, good light, great skimmer and the whole nine yards.
Build a nice Island in the center of your tank for some fish and grow out all the corals you want, frag some along the way to make some money for your new build when you get a house after 15 months or so.
A frag tank is a lot easier to move than a full setup, and when your new tank is cycled you just move your matured corals and fish all over and you will be a happy camper (read Happy Reefer

)

MikeyinTX · Dec 31, 2015

Diesel said:
A Very Welcome on R2R my friend from the BIG State of TEXAS.
Where in TX are you?
A 15 month lease and than on the move again.................. I would invest in a medium frag tank, something like 48x24x12 or so.
With a sump, good light, great skimmer and the whole nine yards.
Build a nice Island in the center of your tank for some fish and grow out all the corals you want, frag some along the way to make some money for your new build when you get a house after 15 months or so.
A frag tank is a lot easier to move than a full setup, and when your new tank is cycled you just move your matured corals and fish all over and you will be a happy camper (read Happy Reefer )

I'm just outside Austin... Keepin it Weird

, I really didn't want to go to an apartment, but logic an common sense dictated it made the most sense for now, and I ended up with a 15 month lease. Long enough that I wanted to get started on something, but not long enough to put the time into anything super elaborate. I like your idea about a frag tank, I remember reading a bit about it when I started my first one, I'll have to brush up and make it happen.

Diesel · Dec 31, 2015

MikeyinTX said:
I'm just outside Austin... Keepin it Weird , I really didn't want to go to an apartment, but logic an common sense dictated it made the most sense for now, and I ended up with a 15 month lease. Long enough that I wanted to get started on something, but not long enough to put the time into anything super elaborate. I like your idea about a frag tank, I remember reading a bit about it when I started my first one, I'll have to brush up and make it happen.

Any time.
If you do so start a build thread and you'll get lots of support to make it happen and before you know these 15 months pass on fast and it's time to upgrade.

Pfisherman · Dec 31, 2015

Are you aware of biocubes, nanocubes or other all in one setups? If I were smart that's what I would have. Actually I think I want one for my bedroom. Wife probably won't though.