New guy from CT

thepokerkid227 · Dec 24, 2013

Hey all! New guy here from Connecticut. After looking around on the internet for a reef community to join and word of mouth I finally decided to join R2R. Seems like theres A LOT of great knowledge on here and A LOT of people willing to help. I am new to reef tanks but not new to keep an aquarium, I always kept tropical fish and after being out of that hobby for several years I have decided to get back into aquariums but this time around give a shot at reefkeeping. I was throwing around some ideas in my head and since I have some tank options laying around only collecting dust I am either going to get a 40 gallon breeder tank going and build a 10 gallon sump or get a 75 gallon tank going and build a 29 gallon sump. Nut sure what I want to do just yet I am thinking since it's my first reef tank lean more towards the 40 gallon size plus its a wide tank which I think will really give a good appearance. I was planning on getting a good live rock stock going for now then add corals then maybe 6-10 months down the line finally start to add fish. I look forward to learning all I can off here as it seems a bit overwhelming right now.

Thanks!

mike007 · Dec 24, 2013

Welcome

Reefing Madness · Dec 25, 2013

SeahorseKeeper · Dec 25, 2013

Welcome to R2R!!

coralfish keeper · Dec 25, 2013

Welcome i use to live in milford ct hope you enjoy the group and merry xmas

Albeez · Dec 25, 2013

Go 75 with 29. Bigger the better!!

gtbarsi · Dec 25, 2013

I suggest ether do the 40B with a 20L for a sump, or the 75, with a 40B for a sump. Until you get above a 40B for a sump there is never enough sump space (IMO). Currently I am replacing a 16T sump on my 40 bow front, with 2, 20Ls one as a sump, and the other as a fuge. The increase in water volume the 2nd 20L will provide should really help out. At smaller side of reef tanks bigger is better, as water volume really plays a big role in the stability of the tank.

Once you decide on the main tank research the heck out of the rest of the equipment you are going to use. Plan it all out and check with people before spending a single dollar. Probably the best place to start after determining the DT tank, is what type of overflow you are going to use, the flow you want, and then selecting a skimmer that can process that volume very well. Once you know that you will know the minimum dimensions you need for the skimmer chamber of your sump and the running height for that chamber. Additionally you can figure out if you have the vertical room to increase the running height of that chamber and put your skimmer on a stand (for additional sump volume). This will help you validate the sump size you selected. From there you need to plan out the rest of the sump chambers.

Planning and the right purchase decisions now will really make a huge difference. My lack of experience on my first (current tank) is costing me hundreds now that I am trying to address the deficiencies identified running my tank with Live rock, Fish, and some inverts. If I had held off for what I really wanted & got some better advise than what my LFS provided I would be further along, and would definitely already have many corals in my system by now. The only place you can afford to cut corners at the moment given your plan is lighting, but be prepared to spend $400.00 (at the low end) on lighting once you are ready to start with the corals.

Culater94 · Dec 25, 2013

Welcome! I'm in Oxford, CT.

J062682l · Dec 25, 2013

Welcome I'm in Fairfield. Hit me up for a couple frags when your ready. By them ill have more then jenya tree corals

ShippD · Dec 25, 2013

Welcome to R2R

lighting · Dec 25, 2013

Welcome :clap2:

Waylanderxx · Dec 25, 2013

Welcome!

Rob&Gab · Dec 25, 2013

welcome! i live in queens. If your ever in my area LMK your welcome to stop by.!

Rob&Gab · Dec 25, 2013

i would go with the 75G to start, trust me your gonna wanna upgrade after the first 6months. 75G is a good tank to do, Also i would do the 40B as the sump. Just make sure you take it slow by adding corals, let your tank fully cycle and do it right so you dont have any bumps in the road.

thepokerkid227 · Dec 26, 2013

Thanks for the welcomes and all the help so far! Like I said this is gonna be a slow process and I'm not gonna jump into everything so fast and max out my credit cards just yet. Due to limited space decided to go with the 40 gallon breeder and I'm gonna use the 20 or 29 gallon for sump/refugium. Next step in this is to build a solid quality stand.

Zero Nitrates · Dec 26, 2013

Welcome!

bigcapct · Dec 26, 2013

Welcome!! I'm in Stamford!

gtbarsi · Dec 26, 2013

Have you decided on a skimmer yet? I would seriously start with that as your next step. Until you plan and map everything out you are likely to make decisions you may regret later. A major decision that you need to make that will impact stand design is vertical clearance for the skimmer taking in to consideration the running water level the skimmer needs and the water level you want your sump to run at. Another is making sure you do not have any bracing in the way for your overflow piping, returns, bulkheads, etc.

Seriously map out every aspect before building / buying anything. Share what you are thinking, writing it down will help you insure that that you have everything mapped out and everyone is happy to review it and share there $0.02.

revhtree · Dec 26, 2013

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