Is it worth it?

[RooBeeDooBee]

Hey guys I've been a lurker here for a little bit about a month now. I recently bought my 55 gallon aquarium from a guy on Craig's list for a 55 gallon tank, sump, bubble magus protein skimmer, and a return pump for $170. It was a long drive to The oc but we will save that story for another time.
Anyways. Due to the holiday season my hands are tied in regards to my tank and I will be waiting until the start of a new year before I begin my tank progression. I've been scouring the internet for the vast amount of knowledge that there is for the hobby and hoping to grab one grain of that with the vast oceanic sand bed of knowledge that there is to know about the hobby?! I need a refractometer how much is that ****? Oh 40$. ****. Powerheads? If I get the Maxspect XF230, I would only need one for a 55g tank, which is a big deal And I can use wave makers or some other device to help create "currents" to make something unique. Apex?! What is that?! A computer for your fish tank?!(I've realized that was for when I was a dedicated hobbiest). Or even the dang I forgot this one because there's so many dang options! It would be the Photon 48-v2 due to size.style. Led life expectancy. what the spectrum it produces would allow to grow. And me not having a lid.
Omg i almost had a heart attack i thought this article was almost deleted.(almost deleted this article. heart attack moment.). That would of been a sad day. I once read that quality goes a if one comes to mind I forgot which one it was And that brings me to my final point.
Elsewhere. I have read someone once say on the forums #shoutout "a gentleman once said " if you can't light a $100 dollar bill on fire, without the bat of an eye. Only then are you ready for reefing".
Is this hobby all it's cut out to be. Am I really going to catch "gallonitus" seeing as this is my first my first tank. Are there really going to be those hitch hikers from the live rock I order. Am I really going to have to deal with diatoms and the dreaded *shudders* dinoflagellates. Equipment failure. Salt creep. And the God forsaken bio nuke?!
And if then... Am I able to recover. Persevere though all the hardships. My first fish death... coral not having the right par lighting and moving them to make them happy. I really want a golden dwarf eel the one that stays apparently a pencil width thick and 6"-12" long. It says 55 gallon aquarium minimum (I know, I know, don't hang me.) But I really want it because apparently it could eat things bigger that it's mouth. But because it's so small it wouldn't Intentionally attack anything because of its natural small size. So if I keep him fed then I can keep a type of shrimp (not the smaller ones but some type of cleaner ones) and maybe.
Just maybe!
If he's the right temperment...
I would not have any problems with him if I keep him well fed.
But that's later later. I'm not pooping money.
And if you have listened this far I honestly want to become a reefer. To join the community. Go to frag swaps. Reefapalooza. Be able to go to my local fish store to browse, See a fish I like, and take that home to be apart of my family. My little slice of ocean. My Aquarium.

 

[sfin52]

This hobby is worth it. I love my tank. I have a 75gallong reef. If I were do it over I would go smaller. Like a 55 or 45 bow front.

You reef all the horror stories. Yes you get algea hope not the Dino but they are treatable. You’ll get hitchhikers, some will be bad some will be good. ;Nailbiting You’ll loose fish and live stock ;Dead

It’s a hobby you’ll enjoy and see new things in the tank all the time. Example I found 2 new feather dusters in my tank last night.

You could always go with a fish only tank. You’ll end up with a reef in the end

 

[kevyg]

I am brand new and haven't even fired up my tank, but, shed that anxiety and just enjoy the tank, don't overthink all of this. Just make sure you have redundancy so if there IS a failure, you don't nuke your tank. Other than that, follow the rules of what you can have in the side of tank. If you want to keep different things that require a bigger tank. Get it in your upgrade a few years from now. Take it slow, be patient and don't over think. "K.I.S.S" (I like to say keep it stupid simple so as not to offend) methodology seems to be the best life practice to apply to this.

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

Yea. I get you I guess the fact I have to play the waiting game. On the main page when you scroll you see stories that will make you laugh. Make you cry. And the horror stories of Marine Velvet. Needing a QT when you don't necessarily have the room. Have always had fish tanks in the past. Once I had a saltwater but that was when I was a child. And less financially stable to take up this hobby, but I have heard patience is your greatest asset in this hobby that's why I'm taking this time now during the holidays as a trial period before I start all the cycling which I don't quite fully understand, but I'll figure it out when the time comes.

 

[MSB123]

Welcome to R2R! Its all worth it in he end! Why don't you start a build thread so we can follow your progress? Happy Reefing!

 

[Legal Reefer]

Welcome to R2R and a great hobby. Patience is key. Like others stated earlier keep it simple and go slow. You can always invest in the higher tech and automated stuff at a later time. I keep my equipment basic and lower cost and still enjoy my little reef. One word of advice, as some of us have learned at the expense of a poor animals life, get a mesh top before adding livestock. It will save some creatures life and you some money in the long run.

 

[sfin52]

If you use live rock and live sand the cycling starts immediately and is possible to slowly add fish with lr and some live bacteria.

New to salt water page has a great sticky on cycling.

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

@LegalReefer yea I need a cover due to some of the livestock I've been eyeballing. Don't know where to begin in regards to looking for one or even DIY because for some strange reason my tank has. Glass panel across the middle of it and I don't know why. Or if it would conflict if I have a light that had clamps to hang on the back for the led options.
@sfin52 I've read I to the cycle a little bit. It's just the live rock price point is a bit much for the amount of rock needed in the 55gallon. I was considering using dry rock but I saw all the issues that come with that choice. Considering seeding a rock in a trash bin but that adds to the waiting/cycling period. The things we do to save a buck!

 

[sfin52]

Combo of both is another way. I built my rocks over 3 yrs. 55lbs is not too bad to build up.

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

Yea that was an option too. Yea I know just have to get over this initial start up cost hurdle.

 

[sfin52]

My first batch of coral was 30lbs. Over the next three years 50lbs. Just a picked this dead pagoda coral up. Going to let gsp(green star polyps) cover it. Slow and steady.

 

[ciscomania]

I'm a fairly new reefer myself(started last Dec) so I'll share my experience. I'm not going to lie to you, this is a expensive hobby. My gf likes to call it a money pit.
Always buy the best equipment you can afford even if you have to wait a little to save up so you don't end up buying the same equipment twice.

If you have tendency to give up easily or lack dedication, this is not the hobby for you. In the beginning, it's going to feel like a second job to maintain your reef, constantly fiddling,testing, and checking on your tank. But once your reef becomes stable, all those hours of hard work and dedication pays off big time. Now I can just sit back, relax and enjoy watching a small piece of living ocean eco system in a box that I've managed to create and let me tell you it's a beautiful thing.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Welcome to R2R

 

[Flippers4pups]

Welcome to reef2reef, @RooBeeDooBee! I can say it's been a salty journey for me and truly a salty addiction all these years. I fell in love with salt tanks back then and still feel the same way today.

The learning and applying knowledge to my hobby is what drives me and keeps me centered. Accomplishments are rewarding and gives one confidence in this hobby. There will be failures and times it will test your endurance, patience and will, but given a desire to succeed will see you through theses times.

It costs money, time and patience. Worth it? Only you can answer that question. Me, priceless.

 

[PatW]

Welcome to R2R.

The 55 gallon is a good size. It is large enough to be fairly stable. It also gives you a decent list of fish to keep. You have a decent stand. It has a nice sump and a skimmer with plumbing. So it is a nice system and you should fare well with it.

An apex is a computer also called a controller. Mine monitors salinity, temperature and pH. It controls the heater, the powerheads, the skimmer, the return pump, the fans if the tank gets warm, the lights for the refugium etc. it can control dosers and all sorts of stuff. I can call it up from a smart phone and check the readings. It is probably more than you want right now.

Here are a few suggestions, take em or leave em:

Get an auto top off system. It can be a simple as a float in your sump that senses when the water level is low and turns on a pump in an RODI water reservoir to turn on and fill the tank back to the right level. It will help keep the salinity stable. I got an ine pensive one from autotopoff.com and an inexpensive pump and it has worked great.

Get a RODI system. RODI is highly purified water. You use it to top off your tank and to mix salt water. Buying salwater at $1 a gallon and hauling it home gets old real quick. It will pay for itself in about 6 months. A cheap system costs a bit over $100. I got mine from Bulk Reef Supply. Many people really like the Spectrapure systems. Mine fills up a Brute Trash can with a float to turn it off when it is full. Get the float or you will have floods....many floods. I have another Brute Trash can in which I mix salt water.

Rock. You tank will need rock. After fish eat, they excrete ammonia. Ammonia is really to toxic. Aquariums have rock in them for bacteria to live on. The bacteria turn the poisonous ammonia into less poisonous nitrite to pretty benign nitrate. You will want rock that is made of coral reef that is made of Calcium Carbonate. You can get dry rock which needs curing which you have to do. The old rule of thumb is a lb of rock per gallon but some people get by on half that. The rock also provides shelter for the fish and places to mount your corals.

Powerheads. You do not want to skimp on powerheads. If you can afford it, get ones that provide variable flow. The don’t skimp rule also applies to lights.

Oh, remember patience is your friend. Nothing good happens fast in reefing.

Good luck to you.

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

First I just want to thank everyone that took time out of their day to respond. I appreciate all the support and encouragement from all of you. This is something I have not been able to stop thinking about and something I'm looking forward to do. The test of patience is definitely going to be the hardest test in this hobby. Even right now my desire to go out and purchase things is putting my patience to the test. I am looking forward to being apart of this community and soon will share the joy so many of you felt when starting tank from the sump up. [emoji16]
Will most definitely refer to this thread along with a plethora others when the time has come. To reflect upon the advice bestowed upon me and i have never been happier to be here!

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

If you use live rock and live sand the cycling starts immediately and is possible to slowly add fish with lr and some live bacteria.

New to salt water page has a great sticky on cycling.

What's Ir

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

My first batch of coral was 30lbs. Over the next three years 50lbs. Just a picked this dead pagoda coral up. Going to let gsp(green star polyps) cover it. Slow and steady.

Is gsp an Lps?

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

I'm a fairly new reefer myself(started last Dec) so I'll share my experience. I'm not going to lie to you, this is a expensive hobby. My gf likes to call it a money pit.
Always buy the best equipment you can afford even if you have to wait a little to save up so you don't end up buying the same equipment twice.

If you have tendency to give up easily or lack dedication, this is not the hobby for you. In the beginning, it's going to feel like a second job to maintain your reef, constantly fiddling,testing, and checking on your tank. But once your reef becomes stable, all those hours of hard work and dedication pays off big time. Now I can just sit back, relax and enjoy watching a small piece of living ocean eco system in a box that I've managed to create and let me tell you it's a beautiful thing.

Okay I just have to get over the grind! Seems everything in life is a grind then like the aquarium it gets good. (After you get out of the noob phase)

 

[RooBeeDooBee]

Welcome to reef2reef, @RooBeeDooBee! I can say it's been a salty journey for me and truly a salty addiction all these years. I fell in love with salt tanks back then and still feel the same way today.

The learning and applying knowledge to my hobby is what drives me and keeps me centered. Accomplishments are rewarding and gives one confidence in this hobby. There will be failures and times it will test your endurance, patience and will, but given a desire to succeed will see you through theses times.

It costs money, time and patience. Worth it? Only you can answer that question. Me, priceless.

Wow what a beautiful and well structured response. :'( truly beautiful. I want to build a saltwater reef. But the confusing part is all the different things out there. Ro/di water purifiers do I really need those? How do I set up risers. The apex would I even understand all the features and be able to handle the complexity of setting it up. I am not very good at DIY.