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

[Pucci37]

Hi guys
I'm very new to this hobby. I've always loved my marine fish for as long as I can remember, though have never owned a marine tank, only freshwater.

I came home from holidays and was greeted by a 75gallon salt water tank from my hubby.

Just wanted to see if my cycles are going ok.
I have added a heap of live rock and sand and have let nature take its course.
I had really high ammonia levels and now 3 weeks on they are now 0. However my nitrite has spiked up to 5 (purple colour) and nitrates are about 89 - 160 (red). Is this normal?

Just after any info as its all strange to me as it is my first tank.

No live stock atm other than the live rock, brittle stars and the other creatures that have hitched a ride ie. Worms/slugs that were on the rock that haven't died as of yet.

Any info would be awesome.

Cheers

[alliebarber]

Hello, all! My name is Allie. My boyfriend and I started our first tank about five months ago. It was 55 gallon and we've already added a 180 to our home (we knew a guy that had to get rid of his and we couldn't pass up the deal). We have learned a lot and dedicated an enormous amount of time to our new hobby, but there is always more to know! Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

My main question right now is about our sump. We built a 4 compartment sump out of a 55 gallon tank. The first compartment is just for incoming water, the second has filter floss in it, the third contains the protein skimmer, and the fourth is for the return pump (1050 gph). The problem we are experiencing is that the return pump is moving faster than the water can get through the sump. I know 1050 gph is a pretty normal return pump for 180 gallon tank and i don't want to suppress the pump and burn out the motor. What is the best course of action to make the sump flow better?

[bangaicardinal]

First of all I just wanted to thank this community for all of the information that exists on the forum. I just got into reef keeping 5 months ago and this forum has been a wealth of knowledge for my every question or concern!, I set up my first tank about 5 months ago, a 14g biocube. I just purchased a drilled 110g with all of the accessories (skimmer, led / t5 / hid digital ballast, U/V sterilizer, 60g sump / refugium, live rock / sand).

Anyways, I've set up the live rock and sand (the guy I bought it off had it sitting in buckets in his basement so it is essentially dead rock and sand now). Before I add my water and salt I wanted to see if anyone has done the "3d background" with the pond foam and resin. Before I set up this tank I don't want to have any regrets I want it to be perfect

Here is a pic of how I have my LR arranged in my main display
I don't know exactly how many pounds I have, from the pictures do you think I should add more? Any advice would be appreciated as this is my first big tank set up.

[MarcNem]

Hi All,

I consider myself new to the hobby because the 1st time around (15 years ago), I now realize that I had no idea what I was doing. I had a 90 gallon live rock and all tang tank that was an emotional roller coaster ride. The tank looked amazing sometimes, then took a wicked algae bloom. This time, after much research, I have learned the error of my ways. I am taking my time, planning properly, and doing the necessary research to make this an enjoyable experience.

I am looking forward to adding a nano reef to my man cave/dart frog room.

I have read many threads before joining and I look forward to being part of the community,

Marc Knox

PS - I now realize that I am keeping water, and that the animals are just a nice by product.

[aaron86]

Hello everyone

[Antradous]

Hello. I am a new member in your forum. I live in Guangzhou, China. I am new in the hobby and just started with a 10 gallon Nano reef aquarium. Please if I want to add photos to my thread how could I upload them???
Thank you..

[niladride]

Hi everyone, I am Niladri from Kolkata, India. I have been keeping fresh water fishes for last 5 years. After viewing some awesome saltwater tanks of my friends, I wish to build a saltwater tank for myself and my family as well as all of my beloved ones. Hope to receive all the help from the experts here.

Regards,

Niladri.

[Martock]

new to the online fish world old news to my tanks(except while feeding) 325 shark tank 110 mixed reef 24gal angler tank(dirty but he loves it) and 24 nano reef

[Dustyfog]

Hi Folks
just joined RC and very pleased I did. Been keeping and breeding tropical's for the past 20 years but always dreamed of starting a reef tank, but working a way from home alot of the time a reef tank was put on hold. Now that I have retired I'm gonna live my dream ..I hope I have a 60 gallon planted tropical tank at the moment which I was hoping to turn into a reef tank but swmbo (she who must be obeyed ) has decided that its her tank although its me who has to do all the maintenance and look after the community of fish we have in there. Ok I have a 28 gallon 36"x 12"x 15" and I also have a 20 gallon sump which I used with my larger tank when I was breeding Cichlids. I only want a simple reef and a a couple of small fish. Would you guys go with a hang on the back filter or use the sump.
Regards
Dusty

[aaron1129]

Hello all,

My name is Aaron R.

I have always had some sort of aquarium. I had african cichlids when I was younger and many different tropical tanks as a little kid. In high school I began a reef tank with help of the RC community. I set up a 120 gallon reef tank with a huge rubbermaid tub for a sump, I had a large euro reef skimmer and metal halide lights, I payed for everything working at a local pet store, and i learned a lot working with the tanks at the store everyday. I always did a lot of reading on the forums here, this was roughly 10 years ago. When I set the tank up it had mostly zoas, and LPS, and an awesome bali slimer that was pretty large, grown from a little frag. I moved out and my mom took over the tank, she bought a pulsating xenia and within 6 months the tank looked like a xenia farm. I was a little heart-broken, but I was away at college so I couldn't be too mad at her. That being said she did a lot of research and learned about reef keeping, and she began to get the tank back in balance with other softies, she began growing kenya trees and mushrooms, and the tank ended up looking really nice.

Sad to say, but my parents are moving out of there home soon so they had to break down the tank. We had a pair of clowns in the tank since day one how had been spawning in the xenia for over 8 years! Just so happened I recently purchased my first home, and seeing that they took down the reef tank I think it is time for me to set up a new reef.

I am taking my time and I am going to DIY as much as I can. I just finished a building a stand Thank you RocketEngineer. I have decided to go with a deep blue 80 gallon rimless, and kessil a360w.

My next diy project is the sump.

I live in Mt. Pleasant, SC.

thanks for reading.

[abIngenui]

Hello,

So one of my first memories as a kid was my dad's saltwater tank. Fish only, but I distinctly remember a firefish goby from when I was 3. From then on out, my dad always had some sort of marine tank, coupled with multiple freshwater tanks. We've bred freshwater angel fish, and had a well established marine tank all throughout my schooling years at home. In middleschool, I had a 46 gallon african cichlid tank that was my pride and joy. I am now a recent college graduate and will be going off to graduate school somewhere. My old cichlid tank is now housing two giant plecos, who refuse to die, even though they are 13 years old. The rest of the fish succumbed to old age, acts of stupid, or ****-poor luck.

My dad's tank has gone through many waxing and wanings, and is a shadow of its former self, largely due to my dad ageing and going through depression. I am planning on setting up my own reef tank once I settle in to graduate school and am currently trying to get my dad's tank in stable condition before I go off; his clowns recently died and I am planning on getting him two more and an anemone - he truly does love them and was heart broken when they died.

I am a member of Dendroboard, and have the terrestrial version of a reef tank; three happy auratus dart frogs in a well 'scaped viv. I am looking forward to becoming a reefer; I just have to negotiate tank size with the wife

I look forward to asking stupid questions!

[mayli]

HELLO
brand new at reefing and it's been nothing but hell so far! I run the aquatics department of a pet store and am very experienced with freshwater fish. I wanted to better help my customers- and I learn best through experience. So I set up this small (29g) salt tank and have been...learning. Lots of mistakes.

[gotkuuipo]

New to RC - have tried to stay away from massive blog-o-sphere, but it's time!

250g FOWLR: two yellow bellied tangs (7"+), orange shoulder (7"), Emperor Angel (4-5"), Desjardins Sailfin (5-6"), engineer goby (12-14"+ .. he's always in his caves to get good measurement), Maroon clown (4"+), Melanarus wrasse (3"), foxface (5"). DCT15k pump. (1) RW15 & (1) RW20. Bubble Magus Nac9 skimmer -- just about to upgrade to BK 200 double cone.

Nuvo Micro 30: mixed reef with increasing SPS population. RadionXR30 Gen2 Pro. 2xMP10QD. Tunze 9004 skimmr. TLF 150 reactor with ROWAPhos. Running 75% RC with 25% Salinity -- was debating switching, but coral seem to love the mix.

Cadlight 50: currently a chalice-only tank with a few SPS testers. 6x ATI fixture (debating supplementing with either an AI26HD or Reefbrite XHO strip). 2xMP10es -- debating swapping one for a MP40es. Cadlight150 skimmer.

Nuvo Fusion 20: clown and nem tank. Old Kessil 350w from Nuvo - nems love it. Tunze 9002. Custom Jester6 rock work.

Nuvo Fusion 40: incoming SPS-only build with a custom Jester6 SPS tonga tree. Updates to come.

[30Nano]

Hello everyone! My reefs been up and running for about a year now, and I have mainly LPS And Softies... No SPS. I woke up this morning and all the Rock on my left side of the tank crashed down LUCKLY no coral was on that side of the tank, I'm kind of glad it crashed down because I never really liked the aquascape... Anybody have some examples, tip/ tricks to make super enjoyable? FYI I like aquascapes that have over hangs, caves... Basically the super cool looking ones

[Johnh1223]

Hi all, i am new from the bay area, california

[Bajra]

Hi This is Bajra , You guys can call me Baj. I am new to hobby. i am thinking of keeping reef mix environment. my target is getting 30 -40 gal rectangular Glass tank with all in sump environment . please waiting for the good and perfect advise will be great help.

[Bajra]

Originally Posted by Bajra

Hi This is Bajra , You guys can call me Baj. I am new to hobby. i am thinking of keeping reef mix environment. my target is getting 30 -40 gal rectangular Glass tank with all in sump environment . please waiting for the good and perfect advise will be great help.

[rkrimple]

What's up RC,
I am looking to take the dive and transition into the marine fish keeping hobby. I am a newbie looking for advice and guidance as I move forward into this new and rewarding hobby. RC has been a great resource as I've been researching and collecting info on what setup is right for me. Let me say it's addicting.

I've been keeping Cichlids for the past few years in a basic 46 gal bowfront set up, nothing fancy. So I have some fish keeping experience in that regard and know what it takes from a freshwater standpoint.

[htsteve]

Hello all,

My name is Steve and we are planning a reef aquarium. This forum has already been quite valuable in the wealth of information. Learning quite a bit.

We are planning a 160g aquarium (60w 24d 26h).

I have some questions, so I will be heading to those areas. First up is lighting.


I'm in Warren, MI.

[CharlieShark]

Hi, I’m Charlie from North East Ohio. I had a 70 gallon fish only tank 20 years ago. I finally decided to jump back into the hobby and was hoping to set up a 90 gallon reef tank, but was blown away by the rough estimate from the salt water store, ($4,000). The LED lights alone were $1,300 for two XR30 3G Radion lights! After picking myself off the floor I decided on a smaller 60 gallon square rimless tank which would only need one XR15 Radion LED light. (This size tank fits better in my room anyway.)
Here’s my fish wish list;
2 Firefish,
1 Orchid Dottyback,
2 or 3 Banggai Cardinalfish,
2 Ocellaris Clownfish,
1 Coral Beauty or 1 Flame Angelfish,
Maybe 1 Tang,
Maybe 1 Flame Hawkfish.
I have dozens of questions, but I’ll start with just a couple for now.

1. What are your thoughts on running a rimless tank without a lid? There’s a low tech lid available, but it looks awkward to use, and it might fall in easily.
2. The 60 gallon is 2’ x 2’ x 2’. Will the XR15 Radion LED provide enough lighting for soft corals? The XR30 is $250 more. Are there other less expensive lights that will provide equivalent lighting?
3. My LFS says the Eshops Protein skimmer’s five year warranty is void if I buy it on line. Do they really offer a 5 year warranty, and is that something I should be concerned about?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Craig 63]

Hi all. Fairly new to here but been reeling about 10 years, currently have approx 700 litre mixed reef (about 180 US gallons) not sure what category this fits in but from what I have seen today probably the Nano section ����. I currently have a 40 X 30 X 24 LX W X H. Running a deltec skimmer 8 X 54watt ATI dimmable, 6000 litre RTN pump UV unit and 2 Jebao RW 8s. Having fair success with SPS LPS. https://www.flickr.com/gp/129707530@N08/6c1tKB

[Maryland Guppy]

Good Afternoon:

New here at RC. No SW since 1985. Presently have 7 FW planted tanks.
My reason for joining is extreme interest in LED lighting.
Reef light requirements are quite different than a planted tank.
Wanting to build/design some multi-driver boards with PWM dimming.

[jay0790]

So,

I wouldn't say that I am new to the hobby as I have been keeping fresh and saltwater aquariums for 10+ years now, but I can say that I am getting back into hobby after taking of a little over 1 year. I had been starting to consider getting back into Aquarium Life when one of my neighbors offered me a free 50 gallon setup I pulled the plug and jumped back in.

System is rather basic and in need of upgrades such as new lighting and a new enclosure to cover the steel stand. The first upgrade I purchased was the Fluvial FX6 canister filter, and I know all of the arguments for and against canisters but I wanted to give it a try.

Looking forward to getting to know everybody, and picking everyones brains as I plan my future tank.

[Njvish]

Whats up everyone! New to the hobby, just about to start a 90 gallon corner. My brother got his 55 up and running last fall and I decided that I couldn't just sit at his house all day and watch his fish.

[jj reef]

Hello. My name is Josh. I am completely new to the reef hobby and have not started up my tank yet. I have been keeping fish for well over 12 yrs now and currently have the following : 75 g African cichlid tank. A 65 g koi tank. A 40g Flowerhorn tank. A 40 gallon Discus tank. 30 g African Cichlid tank. 10 gallon african clawed frog. A Bearded Dragon, a Dorkie (dachshund /yorkie ), 4 kids, and of course a very very understanding wife.
I have always wanted to do a saltwater tank particularly a reef. About aweek ago the wife and i were sitting in the "fish room" and she commented how i really need a tank in the 4th corner. I was very limited in what space i had there and essentially the only tank that would fit is the Marineland 47g column tank.....20x18x30high.

So i made my first mistake (before she changed her mind) and ran out and got it the next day. I love it and it fits perfectly but it is a non drilled tall tank and from what i have been reading may be an issue. I really want to do this the right way......where do i begin.....how do you filter good info or advice from the bad? Live rock vs non? Live sand vs not? Lighting. .....FILTER???????

My goal is as follows some coral, anemones, pipe fish, goby, maybe a star.........

Sorry for the lengthy intro but im very excited.

PS looking to buy spectrapure rodi unit. Any thoughts?