New to Reef Central

New2salt000 · 04/10/2018, 08:21 AM

Whats up Reef Central!!! The names Ken and ive been keeping fish pretty much my entire life off and on. Currently running over 400 gallons of fresh water large aggressive fish. Everything from arrowanna to silver dollars, oscars to wolf fish, Datnoides to puffers and everything in between. I figured it was time to get into saltwater and started doing some homework. Lots and lots of reading and watching vids on youtube. I had a 45 gallon saltwater tank many many years ago. The time when power heads ontop of an undergravel filter, with some crushed puka shells for substrate was the thing lol, man have times changed. Gotta say its a little over whelming with equiptment, lighting and controllers. Sps, lps softies fish....it goes on and on. So havent truely decided which direction im going, just that i need to have a saltwater tank. I figured if i cant learn from the community here, i cant learn anywhere. So as i dive into the hobby both feet first, i very much look.forward to getting to know yall over here, and try to make this as painless.as possible.

Ken
New2Salt000

mcgyvr · 04/10/2018, 08:24 AM

Welcome..

My best suggestions are....Do your homework and ensure you understand the reasons for peoples recommendations and realize that there are quite a few who don't know what they are talking about..
There is very little you need to have a successful tank..
One can have a successful tank with the following
1-tank
2-saltwater
3-rock (surface area for bacteria)
4-heater
5-powerhead
6-lights

Things like skimmers, reactors, fuge, sumps, fancy controllers,etc.. are all optional..

The bacteria is your biggest friend in a tank.. It does most of the work..

Uncle99 · 04/10/2018, 09:35 AM

Welcome!
Understand your inhabitants, be able to consistently produce and maintain perfect RODI water with a TDS less than 5, on point to NSW, have great light, heat and most of all have fun!

Str8linespeed · 04/10/2018, 11:12 AM

Welcome!

There are a lot of great folks on here and a wealth of knowledge. Myself I have none,

The advice I'll pass on.... Have Patience, Its the most important part in the SW hobby.

Best part have fun and enjoy!

Uncle99 · 04/10/2018, 11:41 AM

Above, that's is in fact great advice!

Member No. 1 · 04/10/2018, 12:51 PM

Rule No. 1 - NOTHING happens fast in this hobbie... except trouble, disappointment, and heartbreak.

To Reef Central

Valentini89 · 04/10/2018, 07:19 PM

Welcome to reef central! I am not one of those with a vast knowledge of reefkeeping, but what I do know i'll gladly pass on! :-)

New2salt000 · 04/14/2018, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Welcome..

My best suggestions are....Do your homework and ensure you understand the reasons for peoples recommendations and realize that there are quite a few who don't know what they are talking about..
There is very little you need to have a successful tank..
One can have a successful tank with the following
1-tank
2-saltwater
3-rock (surface area for bacteria)
4-heater
5-powerhead
6-lights

Things like skimmers, reactors, fuge, sumps, fancy controllers,etc.. are all optional..

The bacteria is your biggest friend in a tank.. It does most of the work..

Thanks for the welcome and the advice. For now gonna try and keep things as simple as possible, lots of biomedia, sump, and protien slimmer

New2salt000 · 04/14/2018, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Member No. 1

Rule No. 1 - NOTHING happens fast in this hobbie... except trouble, disappointment, and heartbreak.

To Reef Central

Slow and steady wins the race, not in a rush for sure. Still have a ton to learn and fogure out before water goes in a tank. Thanks for the welcome

New2salt000 · 04/14/2018, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Str8linespeed

Welcome!

There are a lot of great folks on here and a wealth of knowledge. Myself I have none,

The advice I'll pass on.... Have Patience, Its the most important part in the SW hobby.

Best part have fun and enjoy!

If i can gain a little more im the patience dept it should be fine. The community here is huge so hopefully i cam to the right place to learn

homer1475 · 04/14/2018, 12:19 PM

Montgomery NY... Thats downstate?

If you scroll down the page to the reef club forums, look up upstate reef society.

hkgar · 04/14/2018, 02:56 PM

There are two rules to reefing
#1. Take things slow.
#2. gol even slower than you thought rule 1 meant.

Dont dive into the deep end. Get a feel for the pool in the shallow end. Get the biggest tank you think you will ever want. You are almost certainly want to upgrade from whatever you get. I went from 40 to 90 and now 180. MY walls aren't long enough to support anything longer and I have check to see if I could squeeze in a 8' tank.

You might want to consider an AquaClear 70 HOB filter. Doesn't really do much for filtering but you can run carbon in it and it helps with gas exchange and will take out some detritus.

New2salt000 · 04/18/2018, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homer1475

Montgomery NY... Thats downstate?

If you scroll down the page to the reef club forums, look up upstate reef society.

Yeah im downstate, about an hour or so south of albany. Been wondering if there was any groups or clubs within a reasonable distanve from me. For me.its much easier to learn from people as oppossed to just reading something.

New2salt000 · 04/18/2018, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkgar

There are two rules to reefing
#1. Take things slow.
#2. gol even slower than you thought rule 1 meant.

Dont dive into the deep end. Get a feel for the pool in the shallow end. Get the biggest tank you think you will ever want. You are almost certainly want to upgrade from whatever you get. I went from 40 to 90 and now 180. MY walls aren't long enough to support anything longer and I have check to see if I could squeeze in a 8' tank.
Thanks gary, time is what i have lots of, its gonna take time.to get the equipment im gonna need for this switch over.

You might want to consider an AquaClear 70 HOB filter. Doesn't really do much for filtering but you can run carbon in it and it helps with gas exchange and will take out some detritus.

04/10/2018, 12:51 PM	#6
Member No. 1 Ver. 2.1 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rehoboth, MA Posts: 1,803	Rule No. 1 - NOTHING happens fast in this hobbie... except trouble, disappointment, and heartbreak. *To Reef Central* __________________ Pete "I never make mistakes... I thought I did once, but I was wrong" Current Tank Info: In the process - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661614

04/10/2018, 07:19 PM	#7
Valentini89 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Bay county, Fl Posts: 624	Welcome to reef central! I am not one of those with a vast knowledge of reefkeeping, but what I do know i'll gladly pass on! :-) __________________ I have 1 1/2 years experience in this hobby. Take my advice with that in mind. Current Tank Info: 26g bowfront QT tank, -- 150g tall = http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2671045

04/14/2018, 12:19 PM	#11
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	Montgomery NY... Thats downstate? If you scroll down the page to the reef club forums, look up upstate reef society. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

04/14/2018, 02:56 PM	#12
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	There are two rules to reefing #1. Take things slow. #2. gol even slower than you thought rule 1 meant. Dont dive into the deep end. Get a feel for the pool in the shallow end. Get the biggest tank you think you will ever want. You are almost certainly want to upgrade from whatever you get. I went from 40 to 90 and now 180. MY walls aren't long enough to support anything longer and I have check to see if I could squeeze in a 8' tank. You might want to consider an AquaClear 70 HOB filter. Doesn't really do much for filtering but you can run carbon in it and it helps with gas exchange and will take out some detritus. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

04/10/2018, 08:21 AM	#1
New2salt000 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Montgomery ny Posts: 6	New to Reef Central Whats up Reef Central!!! The names Ken and ive been keeping fish pretty much my entire life off and on. Currently running over 400 gallons of fresh water large aggressive fish. Everything from arrowanna to silver dollars, oscars to wolf fish, Datnoides to puffers and everything in between. I figured it was time to get into saltwater and started doing some homework. Lots and lots of reading and watching vids on youtube. I had a 45 gallon saltwater tank many many years ago. The time when power heads ontop of an undergravel filter, with some crushed puka shells for substrate was the thing lol, man have times changed. Gotta say its a little over whelming with equiptment, lighting and controllers. Sps, lps softies fish....it goes on and on. So havent truely decided which direction im going, just that i need to have a saltwater tank. I figured if i cant learn from the community here, i cant learn anywhere. So as i dive into the hobby both feet first, i very much look.forward to getting to know yall over here, and try to make this as painless.as possible. Ken New2Salt000

04/10/2018, 08:24 AM	#2
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Welcome.. My best suggestions are....Do your homework and ensure you understand the reasons for peoples recommendations and realize that there are quite a few who don't know what they are talking about.. There is very little you need to have a successful tank.. One can have a successful tank with the following 1-tank 2-saltwater 3-rock (surface area for bacteria) 4-heater 5-powerhead 6-lights Things like skimmers, reactors, fuge, sumps, fancy controllers,etc.. are all optional.. The bacteria is your biggest friend in a tank.. It does most of the work.. __________________ Who me?

04/10/2018, 09:35 AM	#3
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Welcome! Understand your inhabitants, be able to consistently produce and maintain perfect RODI water with a TDS less than 5, on point to NSW, have great light, heat and most of all have fun!

04/10/2018, 11:12 AM	#4
Str8linespeed Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Oakdale, MN Posts: 461	Welcome! There are a lot of great folks on here and a wealth of knowledge. Myself I have none, The advice I'll pass on.... Have Patience, Its the most important part in the SW hobby. Best part have fun and enjoy!

04/10/2018, 11:41 AM	#5
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Above, that's is in fact great advice!