Reef4home
New Member
Greetings to All: I'm so grateful that this forum exists! I'm just getting started and quickly decided that I'll do best by taking it slowly and doing it right. I figure it's better to spend more now to avoid trouble than risk costly and upsetting failures down the road, only to spend more then. Still, it's daunting. I haven't even bought my rocks for my aquascape, put in my sand (I've decided to go with sand rather than bare bottom), and poured in my RO water, and yet I've spent a fortune. There's just so much to learn, and many ways to set up a tank that fail to anticipate even the near future, let alone the long term. So, I'm reading lots and watching lots of videos. At this point, here's what I've bought:
1. Red Sea Reefer XL 300
2. 2 XR15 lights
3. 1 Sicce Syncra 4.0
4. 1 Vortech MP40
5. 1 Pentair Smart UV Sterilizer 12-65W 227VAC
6. 1 Apex System with flow monitor, etc.
7. 1 Trident & DOS system
8. 1 Echotech Battery Backup
9. 1 Inverter for System Battery Backup
Once I have everything hooked up and working, I plan to buy Caribsea Liferock and work on my aquascape. Then I'll place it in the tank, pour my sand, fill it up with RO, and learn how to cycle the tank. Then I'll start in on a hardy pair of fish: thinking about a pair of Royal Gramma Basslets to start, maybe a hermit crab, and an LPS or two once my Apex and Trident tell me the water is stabilized and ready. Spending my time now looking at aquascapes for the 300, but I'm really not sure what I'll end up stocking the tank with, so it's difficult to know exactly what shapes and constructions to shoot for. I'm thinking a few SPS up high (so I can have faster flow for them without a sand problem) and LPS down lower. I also want spaces for fish to hide and maneuver around, but not quite sure how best to achieve this mix in a rock construction for my mixed tank. Hoping to end up with a mix of LPS, SPS, a dozen or so fish and assorted sand dwellers. Any and all advice, reactions, comments welcome! Many thanks.
1. Red Sea Reefer XL 300
2. 2 XR15 lights
3. 1 Sicce Syncra 4.0
4. 1 Vortech MP40
5. 1 Pentair Smart UV Sterilizer 12-65W 227VAC
6. 1 Apex System with flow monitor, etc.
7. 1 Trident & DOS system
8. 1 Echotech Battery Backup
9. 1 Inverter for System Battery Backup
Once I have everything hooked up and working, I plan to buy Caribsea Liferock and work on my aquascape. Then I'll place it in the tank, pour my sand, fill it up with RO, and learn how to cycle the tank. Then I'll start in on a hardy pair of fish: thinking about a pair of Royal Gramma Basslets to start, maybe a hermit crab, and an LPS or two once my Apex and Trident tell me the water is stabilized and ready. Spending my time now looking at aquascapes for the 300, but I'm really not sure what I'll end up stocking the tank with, so it's difficult to know exactly what shapes and constructions to shoot for. I'm thinking a few SPS up high (so I can have faster flow for them without a sand problem) and LPS down lower. I also want spaces for fish to hide and maneuver around, but not quite sure how best to achieve this mix in a rock construction for my mixed tank. Hoping to end up with a mix of LPS, SPS, a dozen or so fish and assorted sand dwellers. Any and all advice, reactions, comments welcome! Many thanks.
