Starting my first reef tank

[CassieCamille]

Hi, I’m starting my very first reef tank, I have 7 freshwater tanks, but this is my first saltwater. It’s a 55 gallon 48”X13”X21” and I’m wanting it to be a mix of LPS, SPS, and Softies. (I’m just learning terminology, so sorry if that’s not right). I’ve been trying to narrow down lighting and what would be best, I’ve thought about doing the Fluval Marine 3.0, as all my other tanks have Fluval Aquaskys and it would be convenient to have them all in the same app and to have a familiar brand. Does anybody here know what I would need for a mixed reef tank? I’ve been talking to a friend who has a nano reef tank and she thinks it might not be enough lighting for LPS and SPS corals.

 

[PeterC99]

Welcome to R2R!

Use R2R and read up on the different lights reefers use. Many lights and opinions out there.

 

[Schraufabagel]

 

[Fred2482]

Welcome! I would agree with your friend. Especially SPS.

 

[CassieCamille]

Welcome to R2R!

Thanks! I’m really excited to start this project, the lighting has been a bit daunting, as I’m new to some of the terminology

 

[NeedAReef]

sps can be real tough on beginners because they need great water quality. might want to stick with some of the easier ones until you get the hang of it also so you do not get down by failures. many o fthe softies (leathers, mushrooms, ricordias) (think fleshy bodies) can tolerte "dirtier" tanks (not as perfect water conditions) and they generally prefer lower light "brightness" so you can usually see some initial success with those and gain confidence. Patience is your friend here.

 

[CassieCamille]

Welcome! I would agree with your friend. Especially SPS.

I figured she was right, she gave me some suggestions for brands like Kessil and Radion, but those were so expensive I held on to my Fluval hopes

 

[CassieCamille]

sps can be real tough on beginners because they need great water quality. might want to stick with some of the easier ones until you get the hang of it also so you do not get down by failures.

She mentioned they were harder and my research has said the same, I figured I would start with the soft corals and LPS and move on to include SPS when the tank was more established, but I wanted to go ahead and have lighting that would support it when it was added

 

[NeedAReef]

She mentioned they were harder and my research has said the same, I figured I would start with the soft corals and LPS and move on to include SPS when the tank was more established, but I wanted to go ahead and have lighting that would support it when it was added

depending where you live, if there is a market for used gear you can often trade up as time goes on. Less important to get lighting now for stuff you will put in the tank 2 years from now. Tech changes all the time. LEDs can make a huge difference now, programmable etc way better than a few years ago.

 

[CrimsonTide]

I figured she was right, she gave me some suggestions for brands like Kessil and Radion, but those were so expensive I held on to my Fluval hopes

If you like apps AI(Aqua Illumination) is a good option. You might need 2 AI primes 16HDs bc they have a 24" spread but that would cover you 48" tank but there's other options for a 4ft tank. I like AI. Kessils you have to buy a controller to go with them.

You can use a different light for lps and softies when you start and once your tank matures enough for sps change to a new light. Your tank will need to mature probably atleast 9months to a year before it will be stable enough for sps. Some ppl get lucky and less time but in general it will be awhile. But if you want lights for sps in the beginning so you're not spending money on top of money I would go with better than the fluval 3.0.

Welcome to the hobby start easy with softies and easy LPS and just move up from there.

BRStv on YouTube does a lot of light reviews you may find one you like there from their reviews.

Also you can find lights cheaper on this forum for sale from people upgrading or tearing down tanks. Ive done that and saved 100's of dollars.

 

[CassieCamille]

depending where you live, if there is a market for used gear you can often trade up as time goes on. Less important to get lighting now for stuff you will put in the tank 2 years from now. Tech changes all the time. LEDs can make a huge difference now, programmable etc way better than a few years ago.

That’s really good advise, thanks! I’m trying to learn as I go, I’ve been doing freshwater so long it can be hard to switch the mindset from what works on all my other tanks.

 

[TnFishwater98]

Hi, I’m starting my very first reef tank, I have 7 freshwater tanks, but this is my first saltwater. It’s a 55 gallon 48”X13”X21” and I’m wanting it to be a mix of LPS, SPS, and Softies. (I’m just learning terminology, so sorry if that’s not right). I’ve been trying to narrow down lighting and what would be best, I’ve thought about doing the Fluval Marine 3.0, as all my other tanks have Fluval Aquaskys and it would be convenient to have them all in the same app and to have a familiar brand. Does anybody here know what I would need for a mixed reef tank? I’ve been talking to a friend who has a nano reef tank and she thinks it might not be enough lighting for LPS and SPS corals.

Welcome to Da Reef!

Plenty of Reefers on R2R can help you with a mixed Reef!

 

[Sean Clark]

Hi, I’m starting my very first reef tank, I have 7 freshwater tanks, but this is my first saltwater. It’s a 55 gallon 48”X13”X21” and I’m wanting it to be a mix of LPS, SPS, and Softies. (I’m just learning terminology, so sorry if that’s not right). I’ve been trying to narrow down lighting and what would be best, I’ve thought about doing the Fluval Marine 3.0, as all my other tanks have Fluval Aquaskys and it would be convenient to have them all in the same app and to have a familiar brand. Does anybody here know what I would need for a mixed reef tank? I’ve been talking to a friend who has a nano reef tank and she thinks it might not be enough lighting for LPS and SPS corals.

I love when someone starts to get salty. Welcome.

 

[Jeffcb]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!

 

[Jonify]

Hi, I’m starting my very first reef tank, I have 7 freshwater tanks, but this is my first saltwater. It’s a 55 gallon 48”X13”X21” and I’m wanting it to be a mix of LPS, SPS, and Softies. (I’m just learning terminology, so sorry if that’s not right). I’ve been trying to narrow down lighting and what would be best, I’ve thought about doing the Fluval Marine 3.0, as all my other tanks have Fluval Aquaskys and it would be convenient to have them all in the same app and to have a familiar brand. Does anybody here know what I would need for a mixed reef tank? I’ve been talking to a friend who has a nano reef tank and she thinks it might not be enough lighting for LPS and SPS corals.

Welcome--glad you're here! That light may support lower light LPS, but it likely will not support higher-lighting needs. For that tank size, two Radion XR15s or two AI Hydra 32s would keep all of the coral you want, including the highest light-demanding SPS. For lower light SPS, LPS, and softies, two AI Prime 16s would likely work just fine.

 

[Adolfo]

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hi, I’m starting my very first reef tank, I have 7 freshwater tanks, but this is my first saltwater. It’s a 55 gallon 48”X13”X21” and I’m wanting it to be a mix of LPS, SPS, and Softies. (I’m just learning terminology, so sorry if that’s not right). I’ve been trying to narrow down lighting and what would be best, I’ve thought about doing the Fluval Marine 3.0, as all my other tanks have Fluval Aquaskys and it would be convenient to have them all in the same app and to have a familiar brand. Does anybody here know what I would need for a mixed reef tank? I’ve been talking to a friend who has a nano reef tank and she thinks it might not be enough lighting for LPS and SPS corals.

Welcome! Glad you joined. I am going to defer to others on lighting. If you don't get answer you like there is always the Forum section for lighting which will give you a LOT of opinions because there are oodles of options

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[CassieCamille]

If you like apps AI(Aqua Illumination) is a good option. You might need 2 AI primes 16HDs bc they have a 24" spread but that would cover you 48" tank but there's other options for a 4ft tank. I like AI. Kessils you have to buy a controller to go with them.

You can use a different light for lps and softies when you start and once your tank matures enough for sps change to a new light. Your tank will need to mature probably atleast 9months to a year before it will be stable enough for sps. Some ppl get lucky and less time but in general it will be awhile. But if you want lights for sps in the beginning so you're not spending money on top of money I would go with better than the fluval 3.0.

Welcome to the hobby start easy with softies and easy LPS and just move up from there.

BRStv on YouTube does a lot of light reviews you may find one you like there from their reviews.

Also you can find lights cheaper on this forum for sale from people upgrading or tearing down tanks. Ive done that and saved 100's of dollars.

Thanks! I’ll have to check that channel and that forum thread out! I buy a lot of my freshwater equipment and tanks used so I like to check that option out whenever I can. I’m expecting to wait at least a year to add the SPS.

 

[CassieCamille]

Welcome! Glad you joined. I am going to defer to others on lighting. If you don't get answer you like there is always the Forum section for lighting which will give you a LOT of opinions because there are oodles of options

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.84/[/URLth

Thanks! I’m waiting on my stand, my dad is a welder and he is building it for me. So the tank is currently sitting in the middle of my dining room floor haha. But when I get it going I’ll be sure to check that out!

 

[CrimsonTide]

Thanks! I’ll have to check that channel and that forum thread out! I buy a lot of my freshwater equipment and tanks used so I like to check that option out whenever I can. I’m expecting to wait at least a year to add the SPS.

Check Facebook groups for your areas then the classifieds and selling threads here. Also look on here for a group local to your area. You may want to also make sure you have a good bit of rock or make your aquascape tall so you can put sps up higher in your tank.