DOTW ~where do U start on a reef~ - Page 2

Alice · 12-17-2002, 11:42 AM

Don't put your tank in front of the thermostat for your home's heating system. It doesn't work out very well.

Gopher · 12-17-2002, 11:59 AM

*De-lurks from the murky depths*

Hello.

I've read the books
I've co-opted the space
I read the books until I actually recognized most of the words.
DW and I are re-decorating the room before the new tank gets set up.
I've read magazines and books until I see the word 'Refugiums' instead of 'Refrigerators' at Home Depot®.
The LFS owner AND his wife know me by sight.
I went ahead and BOUGHT the books.
I found a very nice, friendly group of people who don't seem to mind endless newbie questions (That would be ya'll)

The house was built with a dedicated circuit breaker just for the tank.
I've made plans for the cabinets,tried to get the largest tank that will fit in the alotted space (still got questions on that) , looked at lighting options, filter options,skimmer options, current movement options, additive options, stock options, water options and decided what kind of corals and what fish will "work" with those options and even how the live rock will probably be arranged. I'm almost as confused NOW as when I started. I'm just confused with a larger, more esoteric vocabulary.

I can see where planning,research and reading is important, REAL important, and for a lot of the reasons mentioned. Speaking as a guy who hasn't yet crossed that bridge of actually OWNING a reef tank, its almost impossible to plan how you want things to be set up when you don't know yet what does/does not work for you. At some point you just gotta quit watching from the fence and get ON that horse to learn how to ride it.

Just my .02, FWIW, Your mileage may Vary.

Mrs Smith · 12-17-2002, 01:39 PM

Welcome Gopher!

So just when will the miraculous event take place? I think it's awesome that you've actually done what we all preach (as so few are able to actually do it!)

Sounds like you're ready to ride that tank, er, horse!

Yay!
Danielle

Gopher · 12-17-2002, 05:56 PM

::sigh::
Still planning. I'm waiting on a price quote for the custom sized tank, which was held up because I couldn't decide how I was going to plumb the thing,which in turn is holding up the creation of the stand becuse the tank dimensions hadn't been finalized becuse I don't know the final tank size because I don't have a price quote yet to allow me to determine if I can afford the custom size one.

See? Even something as simple as tank and stand gets confusing.

But the overflow arrangement, filter method, water flow, DSB/Plenum thoughts and protein skimmer options were all directly influenced by the posters on this board. Thank You. To that end, I would say that finding others who are involved in the hobby is as important as any equipment or book research.

Minnreefer · 12-17-2002, 06:10 PM

Welcome Gopher

Approxmently what size tank are you thinking about?

I would recomend making the stand fairly tall like 30 or so inches, and please ask questions

Welcome again

Jon

tdwyatt · 12-17-2002, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gopher
::sigh::
Still planning...

Hey Gopher,

Welcome to TRT!

There are a good number of folks in the area near you who can help get you started, not only there in Charlotte, but in the surrounding areas and in upstate SC. Let us know when you get closer to finalizing your plans. Good shop to visit in Pineville, Tommy at High Tide will be an invaluable and impartial source of info and critters. He props a good bit of stuff, and supports the NC Frag Group.

If you need help, post here, there is a good resource group for you here.

Hope this helps,

Doug1 · 12-17-2002, 09:05 PM

WELCOME Hey Gopher, welcome to The Reef Tank. If at all possible before starting out, try to actually look at as many reef tank setups as you can, seeing them in person will take some of the mystery out of the process. If you can find a local reef group its a great source of info, most reefers are more than willing to share not only what works but what they would do different after the fact

tdwyatt · 12-17-2002, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mojoreef
Re: DOTW ~where do U start on a reef~

OK, I'll be the one...

What the heck is "dotw"???

Doug1 · 12-17-2002, 09:46 PM

Discussion Of The Week , gee I cant believe I used post 8200 for this

tdwyatt · 12-17-2002, 10:16 PM

(think Homer Simpson)

DOTW!!!!!!

cath · 12-18-2002, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Doug1
Discussion Of The Week , gee I cant believe I used post 8200 for this

Awesome, Dude!! you used your post # 8200 for such an auspicious moment
(whatever that means).

Does that mean you win the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate award?

Mushroom Boy · 12-20-2002, 02:18 PM

Starting and planning a reef is one of the funnest parts of the whole process IMO. I like making drawings (by hand or Visio) of the future system, including all of the plumbing, valves, equipment and what not. I try to do it to scale so that I can have a reasonable idea of what the system will look like by the time it's ready to have water added. HTH

Hommeworks · 12-20-2002, 04:41 PM

I'd say stringing dedicated GPI breakers. I'm glad I did this. There would have been too much load on the existing wall sockets!

Spanky · 12-22-2002, 08:41 PM

Quote:

"Where do u start on a reef"

I've been thinking about this all week.

In all honesty, I start by figuring out what I want to keep or recreate in that box. Whether it's for a particular animal or trying to recreate a certain environment. I will design the box around that.

Jerel