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

[fd2013]

Hi, my name Frank and have been doing this for one month. I was given a 29 bio cube a couple weeks before christmas. I put in live sand and rock to get started then. The tank has cycled earlier in the week. I plan on doing both reef and fish with a basic idea of how it should look. Next week I will add a couple of clownfish to start. Look forward to learning what I can from this forum.

[shellynjason]

Hi All - I am from Middle Tennessee!

I have been keeping six tanks for over a year now, five freshwater and one saltwater with 2 tiny chromis,snails,hermits and live rock. I am ready to make the leap over to reef keeping and after ending up at this forum every time I google searched a question I figured I better join *smile*.

First of all - dang this site is slow! We just go fiber-internet and this site is still slow. yikes need more web servers guys or cluster more databases *wink wink*.

I am quickly realizing that the saltwater setup I currently have is very inadaquate for coral keeping so looks like I need to spend a bunch more $$$ to get my dream mixed reef tank.

Anyway I have tons and tons of questions and have been spending over 5 hours a day on this site trying to research everything, which only then leds to more questions - LOL. What I really need is a few good mentors.

I am working with a 120 60-x18-x26 : no sump (need one but need to build a better stand first), and I need better lighting (still debating between T5 or LED), and more water flow (have two koralia 1400gh but read I need more - tunze?).

I am wondering if I could just start with some easy mushroom,ect softies while collecting all the hardware I need - then someday go to sps and have the soft coral in the refugium for nitrate control. So off to the rest of the fourm to find 'answers' to all my curiousities .

[craigg15]

Hi All. New to RC and my name is Craig. Looking to set up a 90g FOWLR over the next few weeks. Thoughts on adding a few soft corals? Do I need to adjust the usual set up outside of different lighting?

Appreciate any thoughts

[rbento]

Greetings RC, My official name is Richard.

Coming back to aquariums after 35 years of raising wives and kids. Currently i have a 55 gal reef that i bought about a month ago. The whole setup had been up and running for about a year before i got it. It came with quite a few things i do know know the names of. There are corals both soft and hard, I added a few fish for color and spend most of my time causing what they called at the LFS "the moron" stage. A lot has changed since i was a younger man. But i am having fun!

This is a great forum....Thanks
BTW we did not have internet 35 years ago either

[overexposed]

Hello reefers! I recently started dating a girl who maintains aquariums for a living and became enamored with the look of some of her marine tanks. I had never seen a saltwater aquarium before starting to date her, and when I saw that first tank... a seed was planted; my curiousity piqued! I've always loved the ocean and was a big fisherman in my younger years. I would love to have a slice of the ocean in my home! Since seeing that first tank I have been watching her closely and asking countless questions, and am now starting to plan my own tank!

Having almost zero aquarium knowledge going into this, I must say I'm having a blast learning about everything! I discovered this forum last week while scouring the Internet and decided to join after finding some fantastic information.

My name is Phil, I'm 28, and I've decided that after I buy my first home (within the next year) I am going to start building a reef tank.

So far I am thinking:
-4 foot wide tank, 75g or 90g, corner overflow
--Filled with live rock/corals/a handful of small fish... really want a couple of clown
--Maybe a 'big' critter like a sea cucumber or harlequin mantis or anemone
-DIY hardwood stand/hood
-DIY sump out of the spare tanks GF has laying around
-DIY LED lighting system
-Filtration system of live rock, protein skimmer, wet/dry filter. Girlfriend also suggested a refugium.

I'm big into DIY in case you can't tell!! The last hobby I dove into was vintage stereos and DIY electronics, so I'm looking forward to re-using some of the knowledge I gained there and do some fancy controller work with my tank. I plan to go very, very slowly. Look forward to a very full build thread!


Finally, a picture of my favourite tank and the look I will be aiming for:

[Chopstickpsycho]

Hello,

Im Chop. I live in SW Nebraska, recently moved here from the KC area. Ive been into Reeftanks for the last 20 years. Im a retired banker but I currently endulge myself in my hobby by contributing to our regional forums at Salt-City.org. Some of our members there have posted some interesting articles on reverse macro photography and such, and recently one of your moderators introduced himself over there. So, here I am...hoping to expand my inner circle of reef addicts and coral junkies!

I have a 120 RR
120w leds and 2-250w MH, 1 36w Blue LED Strip
150lb Live rock
4-5" sandbed
Yellow Tang
Sailfin Tang
Firefin Goby
Randalls Goby
Bar Goby
Blue Rabbit (hes a perfect resident before you comment)
2 Onyx Oscellaris
2 ORA Eyespot Bicinctus
4 Pajama Cardinals
Reef Lobster
Tropical Pistol Shrimp
3 Bicolor Cleaner Shrimp
And more coral and CUC than I can name.

I also have 2 29 biocubes, an 80 and a 5.3 nano.

[Negrala]

hii i have some time at this forum reading and reading, i started with fresh water tanks now i have a saltwater tank with some corals and fishes ill extend about it in my own post Good night

[ThreeMoneyJ]

Hello everyone. My name is John and I have been lurking on this site for quite a long time now before I finally joined.

I currently have a 100 gal mixed reef and a 16 gal nano reef. I always had freshwater tanks when I was younger, but was out of the hobby for a very long time. I bought a house a few years ago and had an empty corner in a room. Hey a fish tank would work great there!

I started with a 29 gallon freshwater with a few African Cichlids. That quickly became a 40 gallon, which then soon became a 90 gallon! I got the hang of it back pretty quickly and was soon breeding Cichlids faster than I could get rid of them

I always admired the reef DT at my LFS. They then had a RSM 250 for a good price so I decided to give a reef tank a shot! That went well for about 1.5 yrs until I decided I wanted a larger tank (again!) which led to my current 100 gal.

I'm slowly purchasing all of the gear to upgrade the 100 to something 180+.... Geez it never ends!

[dcfluegel]

Howdy! My name is David - my wife Abby and I are from east Tennessee and are just getting started after having been bitten by the reef bug last year. We have a 75g tank that we are planning to do mixed reef with. Currently working on getting all of the pieces in place and getting system stable. On the upside, Abby is a lab tech and definitely understands wet chemistry and water testing. Looking forward to the adventure and learning from this community. Thanks!

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[rrent]

Greetings all, been lurking/reading on this and other forums in preparation of setting up a Biocube 29...

[Birddogm33]

Hi all, after being out of the hobby for 20 years decided to get back into it. I have a 120 gal. acrylic. Want to do a reef/fish. Cannot believe the advances since last tank set-up. I have been enjoying the forums for a couple weeks now. Jay

[awais98]

Hi everyone, Im Awais from St Louis.

I used to have a fresh water setup until a year ago, then I moved to my new house and got bitten by this saltwater now!
Ive been reading a lot in here. Its completely different from fresh water.

My ultimate plan is to get most of it automated.
Plan to keep LPS/maybe some SPS/Fishes for sure.

Ive been doing a lot of plumbing.
So far Ive got a 120g DT drilled 3 bulkheads for failsafe overflow.
Made holes on my new hardwood floor
Basement 75g tank turned into a sump
Main water supply RO/DI. Skimmer,
Dedicated drainage pipes
Overflow failsafe drainage from sump...
Panworld 200 external magnetic pump
Sand/live sand/ dry rocks
Calcium chloride, mag chloride, mag sulfate and sodium bicarbonate bulk DIY supplies.

Ive taken a lot of pictures which I will post here or at another DIY thread

Still have some small issues to be solved:
Pump is not self priming and it is above sump.... thinking about a simple flap valve at the distal inlet
mainwater supply small issue with spigot angle.

[HippyPride]

Just wanted to say a quick Hello to everyone!

Started my first Reef tank roughly 6 - 12 months ago. Fairly new to it all. I have found myself continually visiting this forum for help and knowledge throughout that time, so thought i should become a member and learn everything about this amazing hobby.

Currently i have a 3ft "Beginners" Reef tank. Still finding the ropes i would say.

I thank everyone in advance for their help (even if it wasn't directly) and continuing help.
I found this forum one of the most interesting and helpful out here on the web.

Cheers,

Ryan

[greenlime100]

Hi everyone,
I'm form Trinidad been a diver for about 5 years, found a love reefs and marine life and decided to start a saltwater aquarium.
My tank is 100Gal had it FOWLR until a month ago when I added my first corals for Christmas. Plan to have it as a mixed reef with bright vibrant colors and an assortment of both soft and hard corals
Enjoy learning about the various aspects of owning and maintaining a reef aquarium, aslo very great full for this forum which allows advice and help for this addicting hobby.

[AppleCurrent]

Hello,
I always have trouble with usernames... anyway I keep a few different mantis shrimps, and one nano sized tank for the rest of my family to look at, since they don't like my precious mantis's.

[m9dale06]

Hi im new on the salt water hobby. starting 60g the dimention is 40x18x24 is undrilled, thinking using a xp3 canister and cpr hob protien skimmer. What Media shoud i used on the xp3/

[Hawg Pharm]

Howdy. I'm Kevin from North Central Arkansas. I've been lurking for some time and learning a tremendous amount. Nothing like figuring what works (or doesn't work) from folks who have tried pretty much everything and are not afraid to share their stories. On top of that, I've enjoyed the wonderful visual elements here as well. Seeing the various types of wildlife has only strengthened my resolve to get back to having an aquarium. Well, that and a renovation coming up which will allow me the opportunity. The wife has finally come to the realization that I fully intend to go through with this and that it wasn't just some pipe dream.

For about twenty years I dabbled with various freshwater species. That ended about five years ago when I started a new business venture, in the process giving away the 55 gallon setup that had graced my den for the better part of two decades. Now, I'm going to get ambitious. The plan is to confiscate my wife's exercise room joining the den (with massive concessions concerning future remodeling plans) to house a 240 gallon acrylic tank and then to have the front framed out in the den wall. This will give me about 150 sq ft of utility space (plus the attached full bath) for all of the equipment. I just purchased a used 110 gallon glass tank and will convert it into a sump/fuge. With all that extra space, I'm very tempted to add even more volume to the setup, but find the plumbing a daunting endeavor at best. Get ready. I'll be asking lots of questions. At least I have six months or so to plan accordingly.

Anyway, I look forward to learning as much as I can before I embark on this journey. Thanks in advance to all of those experienced folks who take the time to help us new guys along.

[guyderam]

Holla. Im ram from malaysia.. Ive been doin freshwater aquascaping for 3yrs now and finally decided to give reef tank a try.

Ive just set up a nano reef tank. About 10L. Its cycling now.
So far things are going well..
Will be posting pictures later..

[Jone]

Hello, Jone from Pennylvania, just joined the forum...Been lurking for a while..I am a newbie that is just starting to get involved in the great saltwater world of corals/inverts...I have been involved in the freshwater aquarium hobby for 14 years plus and as of lately going to make the transition over to saltwater...I have always wanted to get involved with the saltwater world of corals/frags..As of now I am planning on setting up a medium sized rimless coral tank..There so much info on this site and hope see everyone many more times on the forum...

[greene.phillip]

Hello, my name is Phillip. I am new to saltwater and am working on getting a 90 gal setup. I purchased a used nearly complete setup that I hope to be setting up over the next few weeks. Already found lots of useful info here. Thanks to those folks

[Quaday]

Hey everyone, my name is Nico. Have kept aquariums (almost all freshwater) since I was 10 (so going on 12-13 years). My last, and only, saltwater aquarium was a 75 gallon reef that I was forced to shut down when I went off to college.
Just started grad school this past fall and now that I am out of the dorms I am getting back into the saltwater hobby.
Starting up a 29 gallon reef with a 10 gallon sump (hopefully..lol). Going to try to control myself and do this slow and steady so that I do things right the first time. Cant afford to make many mistakes so will be looking for a lot of help from this forum along the way.

[chelseabrook]

Hi,
Im Chelsea. Been doing freshwater my whole life since i was little . Always wanted to try saltwater but always been scared off by people saying its a pain in the butt and too hard and from all the horror stories of all their expensive fish dying and stuff.
Finally deciding to try it out small scale and see how it goes. Trying not to spend a fortune in case it doesnt work out.
Starting with a 36 gallon bowfront. We have live sand , rock in there now and just filled it up last weekend with water. Enjoying looking at all the life that is just in the sand! When do we add fish and /or corals? and when will i know if we get an algae bloom or not? its been a week water is crystal clear. T5 lights should be coming here soon in the mail. And will be getting a skimmer soon as well. I have a hang on back filter and two powerheads the water seems to be moving around well everywhere , hopefully not too much. We will be adding coral frags or fish probably one at a time as they are expensive but excited to slowly grow our tank. We can take all the help we can get!

[NeilFox]

Hello I'm Neil

I'm not really new to the hobbybut it's been twenty years since I owned a reef. I actually had good success back in the day but things have changed alot. No more ordering from chemical supply houses, alot of amazing advances in marine chemistry! The lighting is even better. It was mostly trial and error.

At any rate, I am in the process of setting up a 500l (120 gal) reef tank. I am now permanently residing in Vietnam so alot of thinks are fairly inexpensive regarding fish and corals. I was going to get started a couple of years ago here but other commitments prevented me. I am happy to say that in just a couple years here in Vietnam the fish shops have taken a much more sustainable approach. One shop had baby sea turtles for sale! We bought them up and set them free. I found a couple nice places that are propagating some really nice specimens.

I plan on setting up a mixed reef but I wan't to use only local species found in the South China Sea. That will be easy around here. Just for personal reasons.

The current settup I have is as follows:
Lighting- 2 x 250w Ushio Bulbs I think. A guy made up the canopy for me. Also 4 x T5 actinic lamps and 6 led moon lamps. It's a little blue for my liking, I will experiment but I'll leave it alone for now.

Skimmer- Something called a Bubble-Magus Curve-7. It's a Chinese made thing but the guy at the shop seems to be having really good luck with it.

Chiller- It's pretty hot here year round so it seems as though a chiller is a good investment. I have a 1/2 hp unit, locally made. About $80.00 us.

I have a large sump that I plan on using as a fuge. There are quit a few macro algea that I have seen at the beach so I may try something with that. The same for the sand bed. I do a little bit of snorkling so the boy and I may have some fun and collect our own.

At the moment I just set the tank up yesterday so I have 60kg local cured live rock and natural seawater off the reef. I intend to do a complete water change in a weeks time. I purchased a bottle of something called Hyper Bacto, I never used anything like it before but it is supposed to cycle the tank almost imediatly? Has anyone tried this?

I plan on introducing some hardier thing first and see how it goes keeping a log. I is going to be hard to stop my wife from wanting to move quickly though. I also think a Ca reactor is in the future. In the past i found it difficult to keep calcium levels up using the old Kalkwater dosing.

I'm glad I found this forum. I anyone has any input on where I may be going wrong or what i might be missing out. Please let me know.

Regards

Neil

[ppark]

Hi I've been on RC for years but never introduced myself. I don't post much and mostly read as everyone usually has good questions and answers. I have a 24g nano cube that's been running for about 3.5 years with mostly Los and a couple true percs. hope to to upgrade soon.

[cy93]

Hello RC! Just like ppark mentioned above; I too have never really had to post, cuz all the questions I had were already answered previously when I searched the forum. I recently upgraded my tank to 240 gallons and hope to learn more and do my part for this hobby.

Regards,

Cy