What was your first saltwater setup like and do you still have any livestock from it? Ours was a 29-gallon tank. We had a single T5 light, crushed coral substrate, and definitely not the greatest HOB filter in the world. The only thing we ever had in it was some live rock and 2 Green Chromises. I don't have a picture of our original, but here's a picture of the biocube we have currently, which is our second setup.
Your First Saltwater Setup
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Crabs McJones
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My Tank Thread
Oh boy, my first setup was a 40 breeder with a hang on back overflow, and an aqueon proflex 1 sump. Still have a 40 breeder but this one is drilled with a trigger sump. Dont have any of the fish from that setup anymore. Had a little issue with a parasite.
Instigate
Valuable Member
Currently about a year into my first fish tank of any kind. Now I have 3 tanks going, the 135G DT, 10g coral and invert QT, and a 10g I'm using to house the baby Banggai fry I'm raising up. I've also got a 10g I'm using to house a culture of blackworms.
I paid $300 for a used 135(with stand), bio ball filter, return pump, skimmer and a 4 bulb 4' T5. I removed the balls and added a couple baffles to use it like a sump with fuge section and bought a couple Jebao pp-8's and an RODI system. I've been very pleased with the outcome! I've also added a BRS media reactor that I use for carbon.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-first-fish-tank.317153/page-9#post-4898467
6' 135 Gallon Mixed Reef
What I've got:
Tail Spot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura)
Banggi Cardinal - Male (Pterapogon kauderni)
Banggi Cardinal - Female (Pterapogon kauderni)
Saphire Damsel (Chrysiptera springeri)
Copperband Butterfly (Chelmon rostratus)
Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)
2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
2 Emerald Crab (Mithraculus sculptus)
10 Trochus Snail (Trochus sp.)
10 Nassarius Snail (Nassarius distortus)
10 Cerith Snail (Cerithium sp.)
4 Conch (Strombus sp.)
What I want next:
4-5 Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) or possibly Evansi, Bartlett's, or Ignitus.
Royal Gramma Basslet (Gramma loreto)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus)
Scribbled Rabbitfish (Siganus doliatus) or Foxface Lo (Siganus vulpinus)
Maybe:
3 Azure Damsel (Chrysiptera hemicyanea)
Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) or Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax)
Pair of Two Spot Goby (Signigobius biocellatus)
Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
Pair Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
3-5 Blue/Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)
Yellow Eye Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) or Two Spot Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus binotatus) or Orange Stripe Bristletooth Tang or Squaretail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus truncatus)
I paid $300 for a used 135(with stand), bio ball filter, return pump, skimmer and a 4 bulb 4' T5. I removed the balls and added a couple baffles to use it like a sump with fuge section and bought a couple Jebao pp-8's and an RODI system. I've been very pleased with the outcome! I've also added a BRS media reactor that I use for carbon.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-first-fish-tank.317153/page-9#post-4898467
6' 135 Gallon Mixed Reef
What I've got:
Tail Spot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura)
Banggi Cardinal - Male (Pterapogon kauderni)
Banggi Cardinal - Female (Pterapogon kauderni)
Saphire Damsel (Chrysiptera springeri)
Copperband Butterfly (Chelmon rostratus)
Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)
2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
2 Emerald Crab (Mithraculus sculptus)
10 Trochus Snail (Trochus sp.)
10 Nassarius Snail (Nassarius distortus)
10 Cerith Snail (Cerithium sp.)
4 Conch (Strombus sp.)
What I want next:
4-5 Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) or possibly Evansi, Bartlett's, or Ignitus.
Royal Gramma Basslet (Gramma loreto)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus)
Scribbled Rabbitfish (Siganus doliatus) or Foxface Lo (Siganus vulpinus)
Maybe:
3 Azure Damsel (Chrysiptera hemicyanea)
Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) or Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax)
Pair of Two Spot Goby (Signigobius biocellatus)
Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
Pair Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
3-5 Blue/Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)
Yellow Eye Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) or Two Spot Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus binotatus) or Orange Stripe Bristletooth Tang or Squaretail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus truncatus)
fish farmer
2500 Club Member
My first saltwater setup was a 20 gallon high...in the early 1980's. UG filter, perfecto light hood, aquaclear HOB filter. All I have left from that system is a conch shell and a piece of rock I picked up in the Bahamas from that time.
Hulley
Active Member
55 gallon with HOB filter, no skimmer just live rock and a cheesy T5 light. FOWLR and it was great, rarely ever did a WC, didn't really know I had too (20 years ago!) Probably kept it up for a year or so.
Dennis McGrath
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My first saltwater tank was back in 2004. It was 75 gallons, had tangs a bunch of feather dusters, xenia, and a horseshoe crab. Gave the tank to my stepdaughter in 2005 whe we moved, and one of the tangs finally died 2 years ago.
TangingOut
Active Member
110 that I bought as an established fowlr with the intention of slowly converting into a mixed reef. Did lots of learning and upgrading in that tank. Really grateful for the experience, especially with forums like this to help along the way. I have a couple corals and 1 fish from that system.
