who had a successful reef tank first go round?

[john.m.cole3]

If you were like me, my first tank is what I considered my "learning tank". Not to say that I'm not still learning the intricacies of this amazing hobby, but some people have a knack for reefing. I want to know whose first tank grew coral, looked nice, and didn't have any major problems.

Pics if possible!

 

[Griff]

Depends how you measure success. I kept an IM Nuvo 30L for 3 years. I had very little growth but everything looked healthy. I lost very few corals and a couple fish over that 3 years. I consider this a success.

On my new tank success will be measured by growth. The focus of setting up the new tank caused me to have issues with the Nuvo 30L and I developed a GHA issue. The new tank has been running a few months now. So far very little growth but the tank is still very young.

Here is a shot of each

 

[themcnertney]

My 55 was set up before I upgraded it to my current 220. First go around on a reef tank. I'd call it a success I think.

 

[stevo01]

If you were like me, my first tank is what I considered my "learning tank". Not to say that I'm not still learning the intricacies of this amazing hobby, but some people have a knack for reefing. I want to know whose first tank grew coral, looked nice, and didn't have any major problems.

Pics if possible!

So far my only problem is some Bryopsis in my 20 gallon. This is my first reef tank. Out of over 40 species of coral I recently lost my first coral. Green Goni. Was growing, got unhealthy and couldn't save it. I believe it was temps. They don't like it as warm as most corals. Just found this out. Maybe that was it maybe not. Other than that I lost a large snail. I consider my 20g otherwise successful for being under a year old. It won't be making a full year tho. In the next couple months transitioning to 65g set up this 20g is going to become a QT tank.

Can't wait to hear others on their first reef tank too!

 

[DracoKat]

I've mad TONS of mistakes on my first tank. but I'd say it's a success because every living creature I put in there survived. had some soft corals that grew, my clowns and damsel lived for 4 years before I rehomed them when I moved.

Like most, I am sure, first tanks are learning tanks.

 

[chodyb]

I would consider my first tank a success I never had any lost of fish or coral. I actually just upgraded a few months back to a jbj45 and haven't noticed as much growth as in my 14 biocube.

 

[john.m.cole3]

My first tank was definitely a learning experience, but I would not call it a success. I lost every coral I put in there eventually. I did not QT my fish, but I didn't get any sick fish. 1 clownfish jumped and my bicolor dottyback and royal gramma died within 3 days of purchase. I figured out why my corals were dying. I bought a refractometer 10 months into and realized my salinity was 1.020. Even though I followed directions to mix 2.5 cups of salt per 5 gallons of water, it wasn't enough. So now I pretty much do opposite of what I did in my first tank, lol. The good people here at R2R are the ones who educated me and I am very thankful for that!

 

[mcarroll]

I still have my original 38 gallon.

Never crashed, or really had a problem. One reason was that I did way more than the average amount of research before I got into it. Plus, everything was manual for the first few years....I did add an ATO after about a year, but I only added an automatic doser in the last year or so.

While I was doing my research for a saltwater tank, I had an entire freshwater "career" that ranged from the first 10 gallon tank to raising an Oscar to old age to keeping a DIY/Lo-tech planted tank . I had the aquariums and protein skimmer for about 8 years before I first set them up.

The only major change was several years ago when a buddy gave me a classic 50 Breeder (3/8" glass, no-brace; heavy), I added that onto the system and moved most of my big colonies there for an excellent grow-out.

The only major fiascos were one foul up on my part during dosing than caused a white-out (documented in another thread) and later on the mandatory switch to LED's (due to a drastic budget shift (that has yet to shift back)).

The white-out was a royal pain to clean up – it took months for things to even out, and I had a steady drain on Ca and alkalinity after that for another year...but didn't seem to do anything to the corals.

The switch to LED's was a disaster....toasted about 80% of my corals...thankfully only one or two "en total" (green and purple monti), the rest had frags survive....harvested about 15 gallons of bleached skeletons after it was said and done.

A lux meter would have made all the difference, but I hadn't figured all that out yet. :mad:

(All that said, the whole system has been on the back burner for about 4 years (time flies)...I added that doser I mentioned to cope with the lack of time. It's been doing OK all things considered. I'm hoping the time factor for me is about to change.)

 

[Christopher B Keyes]

The first was fish only... Got me interested in the marine aquariums. I did the research and kept it simple. 75 gal was the next step. I had plenty of water flow and lighting but never bothered with the intricacies of automating anything. I tested parameters for a few months and even gave that up. Followed Garfs bulletproof reef system and the tank absolutely exploded! The best tank I have had ever.. As a beginner, I would continue to recommend bigger is better!

 

[Bob Escher]

Went from a 37 gal fresh water which I had for several years to a JBJ45 with a add on sump. Been doing ok until this weekend where we lost four fish no one seems to know why though but other than that partially successful

 

[Brew12]

I'm still on my first tank and haven't lost a single fish or coral yet. Of course, it's so new that I haven't added a fish yet and the 3 coral frags that are in the tank are only 5 days old

 

[CastAway]

I'm on my first. Definitely a learning tank. Understand now why I'll need a second one day.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

Started with a 6 cube, grew out of it quick, I mean so quick I didn't even let the cycle finish because I knew it wouldn't be enough. So I got a 29 cube for about 2-3months. Then a buddy hooked me up with a 90 standard. Very few problems but pretty successful I'd say. Everything not only looks healthy but is thriving and growing. Few casualties along the way due to some lack of knowledge and experience, but nothing I haven't received help from here or been able to research from the great team at R2R. Main issue I'm having now is can't seem to get out the ULNS funk. (Not really a problem, but would like to keep the nutrients a little higher than undetectable all the time). All in all, I'd say pretty successful.

 

[4FordFamily]

My first tanks were quite successful, I bought three in a 1 year time (12 years ago) - a 75 reef, 90 fowlr, and a 125 fowlr.

That said, my reef tank was full of only the easiest coral that required zero talent whatsoever and the fish I kept were beginners fish. I had little issue until I started dabbling in more difficult coral and tangs. The only coral I could grow marginally were simple leathers, star polyps, and mushrooms. I didn't really try much else.

To this day I keep very basic and easy coral as its not really my skill set. I can't even keep montipora caps. Our water here is hard as a rock even with RODI and brand new filters it's over 100 tds on most units, and honestly I don't test or dose squat other than nitrates. I've kept bubble coral (well established from another reefer), torch, hammer, frogspawn, candy cane, some zoa intermittently, (although either I have something that eats them or a parasite that kills them I suspect), lots of RBTA, etc. I've bought bubble coral since and they don't last a month.

Anyway, depending on how adventurous you get you can be successful on your first go around. I jumped in with three because I had taken over the fish room at an LFS abruptly and had no idea what I was doing so I jumped in and read a LOT. Sink or swim. Predator, fowlr mixed, and reef. Nice mix.

These days with velvet rampant I can't imagine noobies having it so easy...

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

6galln on bar:

29cube:

90 standard: (same corals in 90, minus the anthelia banished to fuge)

 

[stevo01]

6galln on bar:

29cube:

90 standard: (same corals in 90, minus the anthelia banished to fuge)

Very nice!

 

[Coastie Reefer]

My first tank was 40 breeder and I managed to keep and grow softie, lps, and even a few sps. I learned a lot, and made mistakes along the way, but I definitely consider it a success. Miss this tank like crazy. 40 breeders are amazing tanks!

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

Thank you! It's a labor of love. I don't automate anything aside from the lights at this point. Will be a year old in a few weeks. Not really a labor, more of an addiction. If I don't touch my tank I get itchy. lol.

 

[salttanklife]

I don't know at what age of a tank is really a success but my first was a biocube 14, but I only had it a year before upgrading to a 90 gallon bowfront. I had great success during that year with the bc14, but I had nothing but failures with the 90 gallon. I bought it used off Craigslist and it was a mature beautiful tank when I purchased it. It was running for a few years but didn't have any coral due to the guy moving everything to his 120. He did give me some birdsnest, Monti cap, and a few other pieces ( all died shortly after the move). I didn't know any better and reused the old sand. I thought it was better to have the mature sand from the tank. Now I really believe that reusing that sand destroyed any chance I ever had at getting that tank to survive. It keep red slime and nothing I could do would fix it. 3 day lights out, Chemiclean, spending hours removing what I could, and 50% water changes weekly never even touched it. I thought with my first success of the biocube that I knew it all and realized quickly that I didn't. I finally lost my battle with that tank and just gave up. I said I'll never do another saltwater tank in my life.

Well I couldn't stay away and now my 3rd tank is a jbj30 and so far I have great success. It's only been up since February, but I haven't lost anything but a Grinch Montipora ( my fault by blasting to soon with leds) and 1 clown that I have no idea where it went (I think he jumped and the kitten got him, dang rimless tanks). Everything else is perfect, all my corals are growing nicely(sps, lps, maximum clam, and zoas), I'm starting to finally get corraline , and the only algae I get is on the glass about every 3 days. I don't even get any green hair algae in my current setup. I starting to forget what algae even looks like anymore. I contribute my success of this current tank to all the research I learned from not putting a bat through the 90 gallon

 

[Fin]

Not my first saltwater tank, but my first reef. My older tanks were fish only - without live rock (coral skeleton). This tank was a 75 and was set up in 2000. Lasted 5 years, until Huricane Rita.