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

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by kimLinds

Hello my name is Kim and I'm a new and excited member of this site!

I have some experience with fish only salt tanks, and jumping aboard the reef train now !!

ALL tips and tricks are welcomed!! Please feel free to send me a message with your advice!

I'd love to see your set ups!

My new-to-come tank is a 47 gallon and I'd love to hear ideas on how to set it up!

Thanks for having me!

To Reef Central

a good place to start in with waterkeepers thread as a sticky along with this thread

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by mgiatrakos

Hello everyone. My name is Mike. I was first introduced to the hobby 4 years ago with my 55gal freshwater tank. I have been wanting to get into saltwater and reefs for awhile. I took the plunge and ordered the 12G Nano Cube on Dr Foster and Smith last night. This site is amazing. I look forward to mastering saltwater with the help of reading your forums and posting too. Any info or tips anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.Also, I live in Staten Island, New York and if anyone can suggest a real LFS other than these crappy petlands they have in this area I would appreciate that too. Best Reguards

Mike

To Reef Central

be sure to check out the nano cube forum

[reefgeek07]

hahah no planted tanks in my house just a decent looking red dragon flowerhorn hybrid lol. I have a 20 gallon sw nano and im looking into going bigger. So Im here lurking instead of lurking around in the very small general salt sub fourm on mfk .

[lynn27]

Hello,

I'm new here and to this hobby. I acquired a 3-year old established 24-gallon aquapod tank from someone 2 months ago.

When i first got the tank, it has 5 fishes (clowns and damsels), a few small mushrooms, >200 ppm nitrate, 7.4 ph. Since then, i've added a protein skimmer, numerous water changes, an anemone, a kenya tree, mangrove seedlings and automatic feeder. Thankfully, my nitrate is now down to 20ppm.

I'm loving this hobby more and more as i learn.

[r_jay]

I have been lurking for the past 6 weeks on the RC (awesome forum BTW) and decided to introduce myself.

Did freshwater for many years when I was a teen, but when I got married the tanks went to a Garage Sale. 4 years later I got the ok to restart my hobby, only I decided I was ready for the challenge of SW. The "boss" gave me a budget and a corner in the house so I found a 6mo old established Biocube 29. Only been 4 weeks so far, I look forward to the years to come enjoying the hobby and hopefully going over 100G... in time. "Patience is a virtue", and "money doesn't grow on trees" I tell myself as I think about upgrades, mods, and stocking. Can’t justify the uber expensive LED upgrade from NANOCUSTOMS…yet, but “oh so shiny.”

Currently have: 30lbs LR, Zoa frag, Mushroom frag, yellow polyps, feather duster, Turbo Snail, Hermit Crabs (unknown #), Maroon Clown, dragon goby, lawnmower blenny most came from original owner.

I spend hours just staring, doing tests, etc. I love it! Keep up the great work RC! I will continue to lurk in the Biocube Forum, and the acronym sticky I am still reading the "Reefkeeping 101" wow, great job!

I would post a pic, but it's so bare, it's embarrassing...

[Rotknee]

Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot

I'll be moving to SoCal shortly. can't wait.

Welcome to SoCal! It is my understanding that SoCal is the place to be with respect to this hobby. I have some downtime today and will be going to two distributors to check out tanks and livestock. There are almost too many places to choose from.

Is there a "preferred or trusted vendor list" here? I saw a particular type of tank I like and would appreciate feedback from experienced users here on the brand but I can't share he name here as it comes up with all asterisks. Here is a vid of the tank and stand. Again, I like both but...input from someone with experience would help to solidify my interest.

I saw your tank stand build log...impressive...very impressive! If I had your skills the world we be a different place!

[Still Wet]

My name is Carl and i am an addict. oh wait wrong club...LOL Anyways i am new sort of i signed up last april but never came back. now i am here and not going anywhere. I have a 90gal and a 75gal both reef ready and both mixed reef. been doing it for about two years now and still love it. Love it so much that I have a 150gal tank waiting to go up in place of the 75.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by lynn27

Hello,

I'm new here and to this hobby. I acquired a 3-year old established 24-gallon aquapod tank from someone 2 months ago.

When i first got the tank, it has 5 fishes (clowns and damsels), a few small mushrooms, >200 ppm nitrate, 7.4 ph. Since then, i've added a protein skimmer, numerous water changes, an anemone, a kenya tree, mangrove seedlings and automatic feeder. Thankfully, my nitrate is now down to 20ppm.

I'm loving this hobby more and more as i learn.

To Reef Central
looks like a nice set up good to hear that the nitrates are down to a reasonable level.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by r_jay

I have been lurking for the past 6 weeks on the RC (awesome forum BTW) and decided to introduce myself.

Did freshwater for many years when I was a teen, but when I got married the tanks went to a Garage Sale. 4 years later I got the ok to restart my hobby, only I decided I was ready for the challenge of SW. The "boss" gave me a budget and a corner in the house so I found a 6mo old established Biocube 29. Only been 4 weeks so far, I look forward to the years to come enjoying the hobby and hopefully going over 100G... in time. "Patience is a virtue", and "money doesn't grow on trees" I tell myself as I think about upgrades, mods, and stocking. Can’t justify the uber expensive LED upgrade from NANOCUSTOMS…yet, but “oh so shiny.”

Currently have: 30lbs LR, Zoa frag, Mushroom frag, yellow polyps, feather duster, Turbo Snail, Hermit Crabs (unknown #), Maroon Clown, dragon goby, lawnmower blenny most came from original owner.

I spend hours just staring, doing tests, etc. I love it! Keep up the great work RC! I will continue to lurk in the Biocube Forum, and the acronym sticky I am still reading the "Reefkeeping 101" wow, great job!

I would post a pic, but it's so bare, it's embarrassing...

To Reef Central
I have read a few threads on DIY LED lights which seem to be the better alternative however I don't know what (if any) the savings are for doing it yourself.

you'll definitely get a lot from WaterKeepers compiled info for newbees.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by Rotknee

Welcome to SoCal! It is my understanding that SoCal is the place to be with respect to this hobby. I have some downtime today and will be going to two distributors to check out tanks and livestock. There are almost too many places to choose from.

Is there a "preferred or trusted vendor list" here? I saw a particular type of tank I like and would appreciate feedback from experienced users here on the brand but I can't share he name here as it comes up with all asterisks. Here is a vid of the tank and stand. Again, I like both but...input from someone with experience would help to solidify my interest.

I saw your tank stand build log...impressive...very impressive! If I had your skills the world we be a different place!

Thanks for the compliment. I don't know of a particular place you can go to get info on specific equipment but, there has been many threads on just about every piece of equipment you can think of, just do a search but keep in mind that they are only opinions so take it for what it's worth.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by Still Wet

My name is Carl and i am an addict. oh wait wrong club...LOL Anyways i am new sort of i signed up last april but never came back. now i am here and not going anywhere. I have a 90gal and a 75gal both reef ready and both mixed reef. been doing it for about two years now and still love it. Love it so much that I have a 150gal tank waiting to go up in place of the 75.

To Reef Central
You move quickly, from a 75 to a 150, at this rate I'll check on you in a year from now and you'll be upgrading to a 1000 gallon tank.your addiction is strong Keep up the good work.

[Gremlin8624]

Hello everyone, I am just purchased my first aquarium ever over the summer and jumped right into saltwater... my first attempt failed miserably, i have a few ideas why, i purchased it from my father-in-law who had it running with a few small fish, no live rock, no special lighting, a penguin 350 filter heater and not much circulation, when i visited the local fish store they told me that live rock was the first thing that i needed, so being a newby i went to the other fish store down the road who sells live rock for about half the price and began building my supply. my tank is a 46 gallon bow front, and i had purchased about 40 lbs of live rock for it, and then began buying fish, it had a few damsels and a pj cardinal, i bought a yellow tang, purple psuedo, tried a green mandarin, but it died (as i have come to learn, they are extremely hard to feed), 2 emerald crabs and about 10 snails, all seemed to be going good, i then decided to upgrade my lighting and went on craigslist and found a decent priced coralife HM light with the blue actinics and moonlights, my algae increased but i didnt think too much about it... so then i went out and picked up a flame angel, and then a scooter blenny so all seemed well for the past month that i had been running my tank. and then i went camping for a week and asked a friend to look after my fish...when i came back my MH lights had been left off for the whole week and i assume that they had been keeping my water warm because when i got back the temp was about 60-65, i adjusted my heater and began using my MH's again, but the temp then spiked to about 80, so i turned my heater down and just left my MH's on and the temp went back to about 72-74, then my father inlaw asked to house about 6 of his fish (4 clowns and few damsels) in my tank while he repaired his 20 gallon tank, so i agreed, but in the week that followed my fish all began to get ick, i went to the local pet shop and purchased some chemical (forget what it is now but i still have it but it was the kind that safe for invertabretes) it didnt work, i checked my levels and the nitrate was really high (around 80+) i then purchased a chemical that reduces the nitrates and was able to get it down to about 20, but still my fish began to die as well as my father-in-law's clowns, the only ones that survived were the scooter blenny, 2 damsels and one emerald crab, soon after i got a really bad hair algae infestation. I was told by my father-in-law's fish buddy that the only way to get rid of it was to boil my live rock (i was hesitant but did it anyways) the hair algae was gone, i moved the survivors of my tank to my father-in-law's 20 gallon tank and left my live rock (if it is still live, i dont know) in buckets with my heater and pump and changed the water once a week untill the ammonia and nitrate levels went down, i then decided to re-set my tank up and try again, i added my live rock back in the tank, filled it up and let it filter for about 2 months, all seems well, i purchased 16lbs of live sand, (actually its a bunch of tiny shells and sand, i dont know exactly what it is considered, i've heard the term crushed coral but dont know) and two fish, a dogfaced puffer and a fuzzy dwarf lion, the dogface has been doing good for the past week, he eats alot and swims around alot and appears to be happy, the lion does the opposite, he hangs out on the rocks and doesnt eat much, i am considering purchasing a fluval 305 filter this weekend. so if you have followed everything so far i greatly appreciate it, i have a few questions though...

is my live rock still live after being boiled?
if not, will the live sand that i purchased rejuvinate it?

my nitrate levels are pretty high again, (around 80 ppm) and its got me worried, any suggestions?

do you think a fluval 305 will be a sufficient filtration system or should i look to investing in a sump?

i need a protien skimmer, if i get the fluval 305 it will have to be a hang on the back, any suggestions of good hang on protien skimmers...

Just any advice on how to prevent my previous misadventure from reoccuring would be helpfull...

Thank you all and hopefully i will oneday be able to come on here and help others...

[Sisterlimonpot]

Gremlin8624,

To Reef Central
Sounds like you have had a run of bad luck, and been given some bad advice,
As for your boiled rock after you did that all the beneficial bacteria died off and needed to be re-colonized (and yes the live sand would re-seed, give it a good 6-8 weeks to get back to being "Live" again.

As far as your nitrates it sounds like you are feeding way too much, (which promoted your hair algae outbreak). Try practicing better husbandry (which I will provide you with a link at the end)

With your fish choice you are going a fish only with live rock (fowlr) route and nitrates of 80ppm aren't too high, but ideally you want to keep them down to 0-20ppm.

As far as the sump and protien skimmer... I would definitely suggest adding those (if you have the room) the skimmer will help with keeping your nitrates from sky rocketing because it will remove organics before they get a chance to become nitrates. So definitely get yourself a sump and a skimmer.

And as promised I highly suggest you read through all of this you will learn so much that you can start giving your father-in-law and the LFS advice.
Good Luck
Jimmy

[uclamatthew]

I just bought a used 125 gal setup and am getting into saltwater for the first time (had freshwater years ago). I've been lurking for a few months reading as much as I can about everything and anything. After some work on the tank stand I'm hoping to have it up and running in the next couple of weeks. Anticipating spending a lot of time on the forums.

[r_jay]

Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot

Gremlin8624,

To Reef Central

And as promised I highly suggest you read through all of this you will learn so much that you can start giving your father-in-law and the LFS advice.
Good Luck
Jimmy

lol, it's true I have been reading the reefkeepers guide 101 along with many (understatement) posts on RC and already I have surpassed the knowledge of the LFS guy... hmm, not so amazing but still, it feels good when the customers at a LFS stop listening to the LFS guy and pays attention to you, all the more reason to keep learning!

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by uclamatthew

I just bought a used 125 gal setup and am getting into saltwater for the first time (had freshwater years ago). I've been lurking for a few months reading as much as I can about everything and anything. After some work on the tank stand I'm hoping to have it up and running in the next couple of weeks. Anticipating spending a lot of time on the forums.

To Reef Central
don't forget to take a bunch of pictures.....and let us see your progress,

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by r_jay

lol, it's true I have been reading the reefkeepers guide 101 along with many (understatement) posts on RC and already I have surpassed the knowledge of the LFS guy... hmm, not so amazing but still, it feels good when the customers at a LFS stop listening to the LFS guy and pays attention to you, all the more reason to keep learning!

[staynice]

wussup RC! I just picked up my 135gal reef tank w/ stand and canopy. I am very new to the saltwater game. I've been into freshwater for awhile, now its time to step it up. I have been blessed with the reef setup for FREE!(thanx eric!) I'm gonna take my time setting this up because of so much info to take in. I will definitely be asking for advise and opinions, so please be patient for my newbie questions. I will hope to post my progress as i go along. Need to get a new camera though. Cheers!

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by staynice

wussup RC! I just picked up my 135gal reef tank w/ stand and canopy. I am very new to the saltwater game. I've been into freshwater for awhile, now its time to step it up. I have been blessed with the reef setup for FREE!(thanx eric!) I'm gonna take my time setting this up because of so much info to take in. I will definitely be asking for advise and opinions, so please be patient for my newbie questions. I will hope to post my progress as i go along. Need to get a new camera though. Cheers!

To Reef Central
Sounds like a great freebee. I need friends like Eric Most of us that live in the New To The Hobby forum love the newbee questions and no matter how many times the questions get asked we still answer them the best way we can. So bring em on.
and Good luck with your new adventure.

[Mad_Reefer]

I'm new to RC (a few weeks ago) and just saw this sticky. I setup my first reef tank just over two years ago. I've had roughly a half a dozen different tanks in the last two years and I made two cross state moves in that time with the tanks. My local clubs have helped me learn a lot and I'm not sure how I missed RC all this time. It's great to see so many reefers with so much knowledge. I have only a 180 gallon at the moment because my wife limited me to one tank in the apartment.

[jwalkermn]

Hi - I am brand new to salt water. I have some experience in tropicals, I have a small apartment and stay all week there, coming home on weekends, so I have lots of time to devote to something detailed like aquariums. I decided to try out tropicals again, so I put in ad on a local radio station. I got a response from a person, who had a saltwater tank to sell, I figured that I would convert it to a tropical tank. I found out, close to the end of the sale that fish & live rock came with it. I decided to make the attempt to keep the fish and so... here I am to gain some knowledge and maybe keep a healthy tank. Besides, it looks like a great place to make friendships and learn something new.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by Mad_Reefer

I'm new to RC (a few weeks ago) and just saw this sticky. I setup my first reef tank just over two years ago. I've had roughly a half a dozen different tanks in the last two years and I made two cross state moves in that time with the tanks. My local clubs have helped me learn a lot and I'm not sure how I missed RC all this time. It's great to see so many reefers with so much knowledge. I have only a 180 gallon at the moment because my wife limited me to one tank in the apartment.

To Reef Central
180 is nothing to be ashamed of, IMO that is about the right size. I am about to do my first cross country move with my tank and it's going to be an interesting journey.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by jwalkermn

Hi - I am brand new to salt water. I have some experience in tropicals, I have a small apartment and stay all week there, coming home on weekends, so I have lots of time to devote to something detailed like aquariums. I decided to try out tropicals again, so I put in ad on a local radio station. I got a response from a person, who had a saltwater tank to sell, I figured that I would convert it to a tropical tank. I found out, close to the end of the sale that fish & live rock came with it. I decided to make the attempt to keep the fish and so... here I am to gain some knowledge and maybe keep a healthy tank. Besides, it looks like a great place to make friendships and learn something new.

To Reef Central
Sounds like a wise choice glad to have you here and look forward to seeing some pictures of your tank.

[jsharp1]

Hi my name is Jennifer. I joined in Dec and have already posted a few things on here, but thouught I should come and introduce myself I currently have a 65 gallon, PC lights 2x96w. Seems like I need to upgrade my filtering system already though, lol. I run a canister filter at the moment, but will be soon switching over to a sump/refugium after reading some of the threads here, it seems like the ideal setup for most. Already driving my hubby crazy with all of my "new ideas", lol. Anyways, just wanted to say that I think this is a great site! I'm new to reef keeping and there are alot of very interesting and very informative threads goin on here. I've learned alot in just a short couple of months.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by jsharp1

Hi my name is Jennifer. I joined in Dec and have already posted a few things on here, but thouught I should come and introduce myself I currently have a 65 gallon, PC lights 2x96w. Seems like I need to upgrade my filtering system already though, lol. I run a canister filter at the moment, but will be soon switching over to a sump/refugium after reading some of the threads here, it seems like the ideal setup for most. Already driving my hubby crazy with all of my "new ideas", lol. Anyways, just wanted to say that I think this is a great site! I'm new to reef keeping and there are alot of very interesting and very informative threads goin on here. I've learned alot in just a short couple of months.

How about a belated
To Reef Central
Wise choice about going with a sump/fuge. You definitely won't regret it.