justreefinit
New Member
Hey,
I'm brand new to reefing. My buddy got me hooked and I recently started a reef tank. I'm a medical student so I love learning new topics and I've enjoyed all of the chemistry I've learned so far. This hobby can be super overwhelming as I can see. There are so many factors in play and there are millions of ways to approach the same problem. I was just looking for some resources I can turn to so I can learn more about every aspect of the trade. If you could recommend some books or video series I would deeply appreciate that.
If any veterans have any wise words of wisdom I'd love to hear your insight.
So I'm balling on a budget (student loans are rough) and won't be able to afford the ultimate reef tank of my dreams for another 5ish years, but I started regardless. I have a 20 gallon tank. I bought 15 lbs of live rock from a LFS and began my cycle last week. I'm stoked because the cycle is already underway (ammonia 1ppm, nitrites 5ppm, and nitrates 10ppm). I can't wait for my levels to drop so I can move forward with introducing fish and coral.
I do have some questions that would help me with the initial phase of my tank:
-When I go forward with adding corals should I buy a colony or buy a frag and grow them?
-I'm planning on starting simple so I can learn the skills of maintaining a reef tank while not harming the corals I have. With that I plan on having mushrooms, zoa, and softies (I'm slightly confused with the nomenclature so this may be redundant). Do I have to be monitoring Calcium, Phosphate, and pH heavily for these corals?
-I live in an apartment and I currently have limited space for my tank. I don't have space for a sump so I'm considering a refugium. Can I set this up post cycle or does it need to be put in place prior to the cycle?
Okay that was a lot. In all I'm stoked to start my reefing journey and I appreciate all of your help. If there are any reefers in the Staten Island/Brooklyn area hit me up.
I'm brand new to reefing. My buddy got me hooked and I recently started a reef tank. I'm a medical student so I love learning new topics and I've enjoyed all of the chemistry I've learned so far. This hobby can be super overwhelming as I can see. There are so many factors in play and there are millions of ways to approach the same problem. I was just looking for some resources I can turn to so I can learn more about every aspect of the trade. If you could recommend some books or video series I would deeply appreciate that.
If any veterans have any wise words of wisdom I'd love to hear your insight.
So I'm balling on a budget (student loans are rough) and won't be able to afford the ultimate reef tank of my dreams for another 5ish years, but I started regardless. I have a 20 gallon tank. I bought 15 lbs of live rock from a LFS and began my cycle last week. I'm stoked because the cycle is already underway (ammonia 1ppm, nitrites 5ppm, and nitrates 10ppm). I can't wait for my levels to drop so I can move forward with introducing fish and coral.
I do have some questions that would help me with the initial phase of my tank:
-When I go forward with adding corals should I buy a colony or buy a frag and grow them?
-I'm planning on starting simple so I can learn the skills of maintaining a reef tank while not harming the corals I have. With that I plan on having mushrooms, zoa, and softies (I'm slightly confused with the nomenclature so this may be redundant). Do I have to be monitoring Calcium, Phosphate, and pH heavily for these corals?
-I live in an apartment and I currently have limited space for my tank. I don't have space for a sump so I'm considering a refugium. Can I set this up post cycle or does it need to be put in place prior to the cycle?
Okay that was a lot. In all I'm stoked to start my reefing journey and I appreciate all of your help. If there are any reefers in the Staten Island/Brooklyn area hit me up.
What you want to take into account with a colony is how large it is, how fast it grows and how much space it will take up right away. Getting something too large might restrict you down the road as it grows larger and takes up more space. Research each coral to know where it should be placed especially when it comes to flow, lighting and each coral's neighbour. Some corals are very aggressive and will wipe out competing corals beside them.
