WARNING: This is long but I'd hope it's well worth the read.
I'd like to think I am still a newbie. I started a tank build before and it didn't turn out so hot. Well in my mind anyway. It did a complete build with a non-reef tank, drilled holes, custom plumbed plumbing and brought the best equipment I could justify to my co-CEO/CFO aka my husband. I didn't think my tank cycled so I just let the tank sit and was afraid to put in fish. (Turns out it I think it did cycle, I believe I missed it. I had live sand, live rock, and used Bio-Spira.) I thought I still needed to wait the 30 days and well......
With my frustration and crazy grad school internship schedule, I gave up. And sold pretty much everything. So here we are almost 2 years later, grad school done, and my husband wants to try again. He wasn't interested before but now he's trying to be complete steam ahead. I have him watching youtube, reading forums, and he even brought a book. I explained this is a slow hobby.
I've been down this road before and I don't want to repeat my mistakes. He wanted to get a Red Sea Max E-170. He wants to start with a basic plug and play. I told him that a plug and play might be nice to start but we will eventually need to make changes. I believe the tank is a bit small, (yes folks I've been paying attention, bigger is better) and I know I will not be minimally happy without the sump. I have talked him into the Red Sea Reefer 250. If anyone has a recommendation or suggestion for a different tank we are open. I did check out the Waterbox tanks and they just seem a bit over expensive when I could just get the Red Sea.
I'm reaching out to you guys (and gals) for opinions. He's nervous about a larger tank due to weight. I told him if our floor did fine with the 75-gallon tank with water and rock than it should be fine again. But I don't want to tackle custom plumbing again. I'll crawl into a ball and cry. Well maybe I won't. I did learn a bit last time.
Is it worth it to do the Red Sea Reefer or are there other tanks we should consider? Anybody in this hobby with their spouse? Any advice out there or suggestion that I may need or that you think I need to pass on? I don't want to be so fast this time. I know I don't need the best and most expensive equipment to start a tank. I'd like this hobby to be a nice couple-bonding activity, especially since this time he can learn for himself that yes, we really do need to spend the money because we NEEED it.
I have listed out some things that I know we will need to start: The tank, live rock, live sand, return pump, wavemakers, lights, sump, protein skimmer and a heater. I still have my ro/di setup and salt from my last tank. I'm trying to remember from when I did this before was there anything else I needed to begin. Some stuff from the list I know I will NEED (tank, pump, rock, sand, sump, heater). The other stuff I know I can gradually get while doing the cycle process.
I've posted to other forums before and I feel like some have made me feel stupid and went and suggested outlandish stuff and it really made me not want to post for advice and I guess that's why I ended up just selling everything because I didn't feel I had any help. I have one cousin that has about 6-8 freshwater tanks and he was NO help when it came to saltwater.
I'd like to think I am still a newbie. I started a tank build before and it didn't turn out so hot. Well in my mind anyway. It did a complete build with a non-reef tank, drilled holes, custom plumbed plumbing and brought the best equipment I could justify to my co-CEO/CFO aka my husband. I didn't think my tank cycled so I just let the tank sit and was afraid to put in fish. (Turns out it I think it did cycle, I believe I missed it. I had live sand, live rock, and used Bio-Spira.) I thought I still needed to wait the 30 days and well......
With my frustration and crazy grad school internship schedule, I gave up. And sold pretty much everything. So here we are almost 2 years later, grad school done, and my husband wants to try again. He wasn't interested before but now he's trying to be complete steam ahead. I have him watching youtube, reading forums, and he even brought a book. I explained this is a slow hobby.
I've been down this road before and I don't want to repeat my mistakes. He wanted to get a Red Sea Max E-170. He wants to start with a basic plug and play. I told him that a plug and play might be nice to start but we will eventually need to make changes. I believe the tank is a bit small, (yes folks I've been paying attention, bigger is better) and I know I will not be minimally happy without the sump. I have talked him into the Red Sea Reefer 250. If anyone has a recommendation or suggestion for a different tank we are open. I did check out the Waterbox tanks and they just seem a bit over expensive when I could just get the Red Sea.
I'm reaching out to you guys (and gals) for opinions. He's nervous about a larger tank due to weight. I told him if our floor did fine with the 75-gallon tank with water and rock than it should be fine again. But I don't want to tackle custom plumbing again. I'll crawl into a ball and cry. Well maybe I won't. I did learn a bit last time.
Is it worth it to do the Red Sea Reefer or are there other tanks we should consider? Anybody in this hobby with their spouse? Any advice out there or suggestion that I may need or that you think I need to pass on? I don't want to be so fast this time. I know I don't need the best and most expensive equipment to start a tank. I'd like this hobby to be a nice couple-bonding activity, especially since this time he can learn for himself that yes, we really do need to spend the money because we NEEED it.
I have listed out some things that I know we will need to start: The tank, live rock, live sand, return pump, wavemakers, lights, sump, protein skimmer and a heater. I still have my ro/di setup and salt from my last tank. I'm trying to remember from when I did this before was there anything else I needed to begin. Some stuff from the list I know I will NEED (tank, pump, rock, sand, sump, heater). The other stuff I know I can gradually get while doing the cycle process.
I've posted to other forums before and I feel like some have made me feel stupid and went and suggested outlandish stuff and it really made me not want to post for advice and I guess that's why I ended up just selling everything because I didn't feel I had any help. I have one cousin that has about 6-8 freshwater tanks and he was NO help when it came to saltwater.
