Keep me postitive

[SaltyMermaid86]

My parents live out on Hatteras. Let me tell you, there is no way on earth I would have a reef there. The hurricane/nor easter related power outage would have rebooting the tank once a year.

We decided not to purchase there when the economy took a turn. So that's why we decided it was the right time to start the reef tank. Hopefully in the future we can still buy there.

 

[SaltyMermaid86]

Honestly it sounds like you are buying much more than you need. A reef tank needs light, water motion, and surfaces for stuff to grow on. Anything else is just a way to do less water changes or manual work. I've gotten into the habit of really thinking hard about whether I need something or whether it's just "that's how it's been done" and as a result I've been slowly pulling pieces of equipment out of my old tank. First the filter floss went... Nothing changed. Then the heater was redundant because the pumps on that tank + lights keep it hot enough (maybe too hot in the summer). Next I might pull carbon too because I haven't changed it in a while and nothing's dead yet.

The things that stick out to me are the skimmer and the UV. You say you need to buy them, but why? What specific problem are you going to solve with them? Very few early tanks have too much nutrient buildup, and you can always add that skimmer later. UV for what? You are quarantining your fish, so disease is out. Pods, don't need to buy IMO unless you are trying to feed a mandarin. They will come in on corals for free. Phyto, again for what? You have nothing to feed. And also how did you know it's dead?

Take a step back, feed the fish. Takes time to build a reef not money. The good thing is much of this equipment will last you. Hanna checkers, tanks, cabinets, tools, can be reused as much as you want. Save money by not buying anymore stuff until you actually have a solid philosophy behind the purchase.

The UV for future use. I'm trying to figure out what else I might need to save for down the road. Pods and phyto, I do plan on a mandarin so I was going to start growing my own now. This does make me feel better considering I was already thinking I just needed to take a step back, stop worrying about the what ifs and enjoy what I have now. Thank you so much for you encouragement.

 

[SaltyMermaid86]

I like this. I have not run a skimmer or UV in my time of reefing, and I don't think my tank would be better with either of those! I have also not used filter socks, floss, carbon, or any of that stuff. Granted some of it can help with specific problems, but solve those when you get there!

I assure you that things will continue to improve from here. It all starts out so overwhelming but in a few months you will feel like an expert!

My thought on buying in advance was the shipping issues as well. I just wanted to prepare in advance. I am just going to take a step back and enjoy what I have for now.

 

[rmorris_14]

I’m only back into the hobby five months. I purchased a used, stocked tank with a GHA problem. It’s been so much more research and work than when I first started. The internet wasn’t really much of a thing, and in some ways ignorance was bliss. With so much knowledge at my fingertips, I feel an immense amount of pressure at times to make sure I research the right way to do things. Even after doing all of that, s$&t has still gone wrong. For the first time, this past weekend I told my husband, I was thinking about giving up. Just when I think I’ve got a handle on one thing, something out of left field happens and I am back to trying to figure out what is going on. It’s a lot and throw being a mom on top of it and it can feel like maybe it’s just not worth it. I think something @Sean Clark said is so true. We not only need to be patient with our tanks but also with ourselves. Go at your own pace and it’s ok to have moments to feel like giving up. Nothing in this life worth doing, is easy. Maybe see if you can connect with one or small group of people and let them be your “go to mentor(s)”. I think with so much information and opinions at our fingertips, it’s a lot easier to get overwhelmed. At least it is for me. I hope any of this resononates with you and provides some comfort that someone can relate. You got this! Welcome!

 

[ying yang]

One thing I would draw attention to is if buy sone equipment that not ready to use just yet then the countdown timer on the warranty starts from when bought so if try to plan what equipment needed and buy it all upfront but takes say 6 months before get to actually use it and say you get 1 year warranty,you only got 6 months left to use it before warranty runs out,now granted some companiesay give you little extra and fix it anyway if say sat in a box for 6 months without use but they don't have to and they no real way to know if you plugged it in amd used it on day obe or after 6 months so in my opinion is make a plan on what you want to achieve from your tank and research equipment you may use and look at the reviews and put money aside and buy it just before you actually want to use it to get full warranty from it.now if got money coming out of your ears and have attitude of not bothered I will just pay whatever it costs to get a new one if breaks then fair enough ( for me I want to get a bargain and get the most out of something.
I bought 90% of what I needed to set up my tank 6 years ago to start tank but had health issues pop up so had 5 years equipment sitting there unused so just got someone to help me make sure equipment actually worked then got boxed back up until I could look after a tank and all was well but could of quite easily a piece of equipment last a week after finally got to use it and dont think Any manufacturer would fix any equipment even if said I promise you I didn't use it for 5 years then only lasted 1 week when did ha ha.
Anyway seems like you off to a good start with your research and tank up and running so good luck and hopefully you and your family get great enjoyment from it.

Lots of current helpful threads on r2r and threads from years ago that still relevant,I often read one thread then go to bottom of page and just press on a thread that I may find useful and arm's me with lots knowledge of problems/ potential problems that others have faced before me so if I start to see a problem occur then hopefully I have the knowledge what to look for and what to do about it or in some cases do nothing is best practice ^_^

 

[ying yang]

What is that!! A R2R guide to common new tank hitchhikers.

One of the greatest things about starting a reef tank is getting your live rock in and admiring all the diversity within it. The rock comes to life different creatures. This is a guide that I, along with a very well known critter identifier @KJ , have put together for the new reefer on what...

www.reef2reef.com

I know when I first got started and even know after just over one year since tank set up I get great enjoyment from looking in tank after lights out and watching all tje wonderful critters/ pods/ worms and common hitch hikers that we have in our tanks so here a basic list of some of the more common hitch hikers good and bad we may find .
I personally got scared of reading all the pests that seemed abundant and crashed tanks and made people start over ir quit hobby even so bought all dry rock but in that extra 5 years off Ill health gave me extra 5 years of research and learned that majority of pests/ hitch hikers that come on real live rock or just on coral frags can be managed or eradicated with the correct approach ,granted so.e easier than others but still......

 

[ninjamyst]

- Doing too much
- Buying too much stuff

Classic newcomer behaviors. I know people say research research research but I also see people blindly following advice out there that they don't need to.

Why do you need 4 heaters? Why do you need UV? Why buy pods?

Your tank isn't big. You are following advices of people with 200g - 300g tanks that are pouring money into quarantine, redundancy, etc. All those things are great if you have the time and can afford it and don't want to risk $10k worth of livestock. But there are alternatives.

Take it slow and enjoy the show. You don't need the best equipment out there. Get used or avoid the name brands. Buy corals from locals. Avoid the big box stores that sells frags for $50-$100 when locals are selling them for $15-$20.

 

[Ricox]

You probably don't need a UV sterilizer. Just buy equipment when you need it so you don't end up spending too much. Also Welcome to Reef2Reef! It looks like you have a good start!

 

[SaltyMermaid86]

I’m only back into the hobby five months. I purchased a used, stocked tank with a GHA problem. It’s been so much more research and work than when I first started. The internet wasn’t really much of a thing, and in some ways ignorance was bliss. With so much knowledge at my fingertips, I feel an immense amount of pressure at times to make sure I research the right way to do things. Even after doing all of that, s$&t has still gone wrong. For the first time, this past weekend I told my husband, I was thinking about giving up. Just when I think I’ve got a handle on one thing, something out of left field happens and I am back to trying to figure out what is going on. It’s a lot and throw being a mom on top of it and it can feel like maybe it’s just not worth it. I think something @Sean Clark said is so true. We not only need to be patient with our tanks but also with ourselves. Go at your own pace and it’s ok to have moments to feel like giving up. Nothing in this life worth doing, is easy. Maybe see if you can connect with one or small group of people and let them be your “go to mentor(s)”. I think with so much information and opinions at our fingertips, it’s a lot easier to get overwhelmed. At least it is for me. I hope any of this resononates with you and provides some comfort that someone can relate. You got this! Welcome!

Yes!!! There was so much information out there when I was researching for those years that I gave up and decided that it would be too much for me at that time. So now that I finally took the plunge and all of the things I already knew, and things that I'm still figuring out has me second guessing my decision. That maybe this wasnt the right time either especially with inflation. Wondering if I made the right choice and how its impacting my family now. That being said I dont start things and not finish them so I will keep going but knowing that there are things that I thought I needed that I actually dont makes me feel a little less stressed about it. Thank you so much for your encouragement and I am sending lots of good vibes your way for your own journey.