If You Are New to Reef Central, Introduce Yourself Here!

[johnike]

Originally Posted by dukduk

Totally missed this thread but I posted in the lounge.

Hope we didn't scare you off, the Lounge is kinda scary to newcomers sometimes.

And to the rest of you new folks, welcome and enjoy your stay here and in this great hobby.




And read the Buying/Selling here rules before asking, OK?

[johnike]

Oh, and page claims are only valid in the Lounge.

[bdacamel]

New to reef central.. saying hi.. looking forward to sharing knowledge and hopefully some drags one day. :-)

[Jandawil]

New to this forum. My son has a 60 gallon aquarium he's getting and we want to do salt water. Specifically a FOWLR setup. That seems to be the most recommended setup for beginners in salt tanks. Look forward to picking your collective brains.

[Travish881]

Hello all going to pick up my first tank tomorrow. The Aqueon 36g bowfront. Been reading this forum for the past few weeks now and can't wait to pick everyone's brains

[Kiwigirl]

New to reef central.....haven't quite worked out how to post a new thread from scratch as yet. Been in the hobby for about 10 years. Brought the first tank for my hubby but it is myself that is still addicted. Have a 180g saltwater reef and a 24g seahorse tank....my oldest horse being almost 9 years.

[67Malibu]

New to reef Central, Decided to try a 28g Nano Cube, Love the new tank, I had a 90g before, but had to sell when we sold our house, Just dont have a great spot for a larger tank, Just starting out and trying to remember what I used to know about this hobby, I'm sure I will have Questions, Questions, Oh and More Questions..

[genge24]

Hi Reef Central! I have begun the process of setting up a reef tank. I have had FOWLR tanks in the past, but first time jumping into the reefing scene. It's been fun setting up so far, but sometimes I ask myself... "Is all this time and money (lots and lots of money) worth it? Then I look at the amazing tanks on the forum and quickly shake my head vertically with a smile and say, "Oh ya baby! Bring it on!"

So far I have set up the following:
-74 gallon RR Deep Blue Tower Tank w/ corner overflow (durso standpipe).
-Deep Blue Series IV Aquarium Stand.
-Elite Aquatics custom made cube sump with refugium
-Bubble Magus Curve 5 Protien Skimmer.
-Eheim Compact 3000 Return Pump.
-Eheim Jäger 150w Heater.
-Hydor Koralia Evolution 750-850g Powerhead.
-Marineland 11" LED light for the refugium.
-BRS 5 Stage Chloramine RO/DI unit.

Still looking to buy:
-Maxspect Razor 120w 16k LED light
-Live Rock
-Live Sand
-ATO system

The plumbing is ready to go as well. I will be making my first batch of water this weekend. I am still doing my research on calcium reactors. Are they necessary, or should I just look into kalkwasser? Also, does anyone have any comments or suggestions about the equipment I have so far? Thanks! I look forward to getting my hands wet soon!

[baconfingers]

Hi RC,

I'm entirely new to "the hobby(TM)" and have been researching for the past 3 months. I had done a lot of initial reading on liveaquaria and aquariumadvice, but just realized the size of this place so I'm here now too.

What kicked off the research was the introduction of a fowlr tank to the office. Someone donated it and it has been in the break/cafeteria room since. It's a focal point of a lot of conversations.

We all added some fish, and there were some problems and we've been working through to save the fish. But this has encouraged me to learn more in order to help as well. And when I put in my own tank, I hope to avoid these types of missteps.

For equipment - I've settled on a 120g AGA reef ready aquarium. I'd like to get a matching stand/canopy, and that's my current focus. I'll have a sump/skimmer/lights/fans/heater and maybe some reactors (will buy stuff as I go after this).

For filtration/stock - I'll go live rock w/ refugium in the sump and reef friendly fish and ultimately corals.

Current status: I'm researching cost effective ways to get the tank/stand I want.

[sdblanshan]

No live rock, temp too low, sg too high, ph too low, fish too big, ugly,
Slowly converting to fowlr then slowly to Caribbean lagoon biotype with reef, corals, fish, and liverock...plus invertebrates. ... Ugh, gonna cost a fin and a tail...

[MaeK]

Hi Guys! TOTALLY new to the reef thing - trying to set up an aquarium at school with a group of students from my Marine Science class. I'll document the progress hopefully, make sure things go well. We are trying to do live coral.... *crosses fingers.*
Luckily we have our teacher's support & help but she is not an expert...

[JoshuaRoyce]

Hey guys and gals, my name is Josh and I live in the wonderful state of Arizona. I'm up in the Prescott area and just started the hobby. I have had a 8 gallon in the works for about a year and my 75 gallon setup is just starting to cycle. I want to try a 2 gal pico here soon with a bare bottom and live rock... Maybe just a little Zoa garden

[Diamondflow]

Hello, my name is Ashley... I am new to Reef Central... (:

[Diamondflow]

I can not figure out where to post threads for selling items... is there one? I posted two threads in a similar category and now they are nowhere to be found...lol I am used to *********.

[SeanCB]

Hello, I am trying to get back into Saltwater after about 23 years away. Things sure are getting fancy. I have a spot I have picked out to put a tank that is about 4ft wide. Now I am trying to decide what is the best way to do this. I can't spend oodles of money at one time but I know for sure I need a tank, stand, light, skimmer and something to put in it. So should I go small (nano?) or go big? I don't want to get in over my head though. I will keep reading and see what happens.

[SeanCB]

Originally Posted by Diamondflow

I can not figure out where to post threads for selling items... is there one? I posted two threads in a similar category and now they are nowhere to be found...lol I am used to *********.

you can't sell things until you have been a member for 90 days and made 50 posts. At least that is what I have heard.

[IgnatiusRath]

Hey all, long time lurker around here. Figured I'd introduce myself since I finally made a post on here earlier. I've been keeping fish since I was a little kid. Had a 125g cichlid tank all through high school. Got into reefing in college and had a 29g softie tank for years. Moved up to a 60g reef about 9 months ago with a 15g sump. It's a mixed reef with mostly zoas, mushroom, some lps, a dendro and one or two sps for now. Lights are custom LED and t5.

I love DIY and tinkering. So I'm always trying something new. Currently building a 30g sump, turning some canister filters into reactors, and figuring out some satellite tank ideas. Thanks to all the knowledgeable people and great posters around here! Love the site and looking forward to contributing.

[baconfingers]

Originally Posted by SeanCB

Hello, I am trying to get back into Saltwater after about 23 years away. Things sure are getting fancy. I have a spot I have picked out to put a tank that is about 4ft wide. Now I am trying to decide what is the best way to do this. I can't spend oodles of money at one time but I know for sure I need a tank, stand, light, skimmer and something to put in it. So should I go small (nano?) or go big? I don't want to get in over my head though. I will keep reading and see what happens.

i think if you can afford all the items you listed up front, go as big of a tank as you can afford and still get all that stuff (+rock & sand... maybe a heater too since it's winter) to start. you can upgrade the rest later (i.e get a sump).

if budget is a concern i think you can buy dry rock which is way cheaper. you can seed it with some raw shrimp or a few pieces of live rock (less LR = more time to cycle).

and of course the cost of your fish

[ckemph]

Total newbie here!.. I decided to jump into the hobby... carefully....

So far I purchased:

-24 Gallon Nano Cube (not the newest model, but I will hopefully upgrade the lights to LED in a year or so)

-CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade 20 lb. of sand

-Tropic Marin Sea Salts Pro-Reef 32 gallons

-EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 100W

-Living Sea Hydrometer, Celsius & Fahrenheit, Small, 8 Inches

-Marineland ML90510 Maxi-Jet 600 Multi-Use Water Pump and Circulation Pump, 160/750 GPH (for water changes, etc)


I haven't received any of it yet but when I do I am planning on getting some live rock locally and putting it in the tank as well. I will wait a couple months and then start adding fish, coral and anemones! (hopefully if all goes well)


Hopefully I am on the right path here. I have been reading a lot of the forum posts and you all seem like very knowledgeable great people! I am looking forward to becoming part of the group..

[likeseriously]

Hello all.

Brand new to the reef hobby, but really excited about getting into it. I'll be kicking things off with a 112 gallon tank in our office, and plan on documenting the journey from start until... Is a tank ever actually finished?

My experience thus far are some goldfish when I was about 12, and a single Betta I picked up a month ago. I'd say I'm about ready for a reef, wouldn't you?

Rest assured, I'm doing my research and talking to some seasoned veterans before making any moves.

Looking forward to learning and sharing the experience with everyone.

[Chroma50]

Hello everyone I'm new to RC but not reef keeping. I started with a 36 bow front and have moved up to a 90 mixed reef with a 30 gal sump Radion gen 2 lights ,mp40 pumps, 1/4 hp chiller closed loop system and various other components.i am fairly new to keep SPS and look forward to advice of experienced SPS keepers.

[Tin Man]

Hi RC,

I guess I should stop lurking. I am a former FO retard, having gone without LR ... and was mildly successful. I quit 7 years ago when I killed off 3 tangs and some other fish, some I had for 6-7 years, when I introduced a French Angel from a questionable LFS, who is out of business now, without quarantining. Ouch!

Anyway, I am leaning heavily toward starting things up again with my 125 and 60+ gallon sump (one of those clarity plus systems with the sump being the stand). This time it will be live rock! I have been reading the beginner threads and am quite impressed with the level of expertise and experience here. In the past, I tended to throw money at my projects. This time I plan to constrain the costs and use time and patience to my favor. By this I mean, I am going to buy good hardware to replace what needs upgrading and resurrect the things that will work for a FOWLR setup even if it is not ideal. This means new pumps, new LED light fixture suitable for fish, but not reef, old skimmer (ETSS), toss the bio balls, new heater - heck, every thing was tired or failed when I crashed the tank. Sigh. I am also going to start a QT (I had one before, but with mixed results) which will take some more reading/thinking as there are several schools of thought here on RC. Then I will probably start the DT with dry rock and let time (and a dead shrimp) turn it into live rock.

I don't know if anyone cares or reads this, but it helps me to type my thoughts out.

[Mostlydave]

Originally Posted by SeanCB

you can't sell things until you have been a member for 90 days and made 50 posts. At least that is what I have heard.

Is this true? I've been a member for about a year and would love to be able to check out used equipment here without posting 50 pointless comments just to reach a limit. I read the forum all the time but this is my first post...

[johnike]

Yes, you need 90 days membership, and 50 meaningful posts to view the classifieds.
So get out there and ask or answer a question or two.
Welcome, and enjoy your stay.

[IanWR]

Hi all,

I've decided to join the sometimes rough and tumble conversation here at RC.

Our tank is about 3 months old now and so far it's going ok. We went with a semi-cube tank, 30"x24"x24" (LWH) with an external herbie overflow. For lighting we chose an AI Vega. Filtration is 2 4" filter socks, a bubble magus curve 7, 2 phosban 150 reactors one with GFO and one with GAC, and about 50lbs of rock.

Our livestock so far is a one spot foxface, 2 clowns, 2 bangaii cardinals, a firefish, and a yellow clown goby. We also have an assortment of snails, a couple of hermit crabs, and an emerald crab. Corals are all lps or softies, plus we have 2 rbta.

I look forward to chiming in on the spirited discussions here.

- Ian