DOTW ~where do U start on a reef~

[mojoreef]

Ok another discussion for all this week. The question . "Where do u start on a reef" Now lets assume we have done a bunch of research, for as we all know that is a must when jumping into the reefing hobby.

So what comes next? What are the things you have to do to get from zero to at least a cycled tank. What should you look for while this is happening. What are some of the things we can expected to happen in this period..


Have fun folks..and hey remember to vote and/or send me a suggestion for another topic


Mike

[Doug1]

OK the research is a given
Before buying or setting up the tank try to figure out what you want to be able to keep, then plan the tank systems around that, picking the right components the first time

[uurt]

Does this take into account that you have already co-opted the space/room that is going to be your reef (and received permission from your spouse/other/mom?)????
What size and budget definetly need to be addressed in the final determination.

[Doug1]

Excellent points, realistic evaluation of the budget to start and maintain a reef tank is a must, its expensive, no getting around that. And where to put it is another imprtant factor. Large tanks take up a lot of room, esp if you factor in all the auxillary equipment, at some point building into a wall and a dedicated reef room becomes a viable, tho expensive option, but in the long run I think it makes keeping a larger tank a lot easier

[Kinesthesia]

Personally, once I had acquired a glass box, I'd circulate the water, put as much sand and uncured live rock as I could afford and continue to research and debate inhabitants, etc. I think those things are common among almost all reefs, would save some money and get things started.

[Alice]

In a perfect world, one where every hobbyist has done their research and not started out with a tank from *etco or somewhere else that handed them a tank and a bucket of salt mix and said "go for it!" (so they are then stuck with a tank full of water, sand, rock etc and then have to work backwards) I too, think you have to start with inhabitants first.

Fish Only, Softies or Lagoonal and SPS all can start out with the basics of water, sand and rock but if you think you may want SPS down the road, I'd have the tank drilled accordingly to accomodate higher flow rates. I'd also have the canopy made to accomodate MH lighting; enough room and heighth along with fans.

Alice

[ShirleyM]

This might sound trivial,

but if you plan on ever getting new carpet...do it before you set the tank/s up! Or, don't plan on moving and leaving a large rectangular piece of old unmatched carpet behind.


Shirley OH, and after you get started in the reef hobby, you'll never be able to afford new carpet anyway. So the odd rectangular mismatched piece is a moot point.

[Doug1]

Lighting, circulation and skimming seem to be the biggies involved in setup and or upgrading. When making choices I think it is a good idea to consider the adaptability of what you get if you upgrade later on. ie a better skimmer that will work on a larger tank, or choosing VHO ballast that can accomodate longer bulbs vs buying more PC, etc

[ctel]

ok, im in the process of going reef. heres whats happening so far, 125g tank is getting drilled right now (if they dont brake it) 175# lr curing in basement. have 2 400w 6500k mh 4 standard bulbs witch i plan to switch to actinic, berlin skimmer and mag 12. Heres the plan 125g drains though the floor, splits into 2 55g (refrium) and then those drain into a 30g with skimmer and return. Now when i get my tank back can i put in my dsb (4")and live rock and finish curing there or should i wait? do i have two much refrium and should i go dsb there too? would a 400 watt 20k be better then 4 40 watt or will i survive for now. Thats just about enuf for now, but i should add i would like to some day have clams and the sort

[Doug1]

WELCOME Ctel sounds like you have a nice start. With 2 6500K 4 NO actinics may not alter the color as much as you like leaving it kinda yellow looking, but that a personal choice, the bulbs are OK
See Mikes web page he runs the 20K Radiums on his, they are nice.
2 55g refugiums, Kewl, what are you planning on putting in them? If you plan SPS corals personally I would slow the flow thru fuge and sump and set up a nice closed loop on the display tank to get the water velocity ,FWIW

[ctel]

Thanks for the help, i kind of thought it would end up yellow. but anyway you asked were my tanks will be, well i drilled two holes in the floor and my tanks will be in the bassment, i accually have hve 4 55g laying around and 2 30g (lfs moved bought all he had) slow the flow sounds good but what do me closed loop? I im working on a 8 port wave maker using a gear driven motor and a huge block of acrlic (3*4*24) and like a mag 5 or 7

[ctel]

sorry went to fast, what not were. well besides water thats a good **** question, i was hoping i could get help there I'm kind at a loss there so far, what do you have in yours.

[MikeS]

Someone already mentioned it, but I think space and location are critical. I know I way underestimated the space I would need. You tend to think in terms of the size of the tank and stand and not understand that the stand will not hold everything you're eventully going to want. You also need to think about electricity, can I get enough to this location? Also lights. I started out with a compact but moved to MH. Whole different challenge in terms of what am I going to hange this on and do I have enough electricity. As we know the location is a long term decision. While you can move your tank, it's seldem worth it.

[MyReef]

I agree so far with most everything...go figure. :P

Anyway, space and location are key. No matter what size tank you have, there is never enough space for "everything". Unless you have a dedicated sump/equipment room. After you have the space issue resolved, then I would look at what type of animals or habitat you want to keep. Then and only then can you understand where you need to start. For example, you might keep all LPS in a lagoonal type setting and have minimal LR and a DSB and have the corals directly on the sand....or a forereef and have...etc, etc, etc. The possibilities are endless, but if you don't start at the right spot, then the end result will be hard to achieve. Try to have as much as possible planned out and do not skimp on equipment. If it takes you a few months longer to get it how you want, because you saved for a specific lighting system or skimmer or whatever, you will be glad you did.

Doug mentioned circulation. I think this is the one item we don't think about enough. We also don't take into consideration what effect the LR will have on the water movement. Just because you have a powerful pump, doesn't mean anything if it is plumbed incorrectly....or the outlet is blasting the back of your rock work!

I had my 400 gallon tank for months before it had water in it, because I wanted to make sure I had everything just how I wanted it. Too many times, I see people set up systems and they get the tank and everything in one day and expect miracles over night.....we all know what usually happens.

[Mrs Smith]

Start reading... Read the books. Read the archives. Live the reef. Be the reef. Then, you can keep the reef.

That's ideal. Does this ever work? No. You all would laugh your tails off if you looked at us when Andy went out and won (yes, won) our first big tank (a 90) *filled to the brim with LR* at a LFS-going-out-of-business auction! Um, yeah. That was not the best way to go about it. How the heck were we going to get it home?!? Anyway, we did, but I wouldn't recommend starting this way... Unless the tank was a STEAL (it was), and the LR was primo Vanisi (um, no), and you thought to buy the MH/canopy that went with the tank for $45 (DOH!) Oh yeah, and you'd done this before. (if you count a 29 with 2 percs...)

Ideally:

Rip up the carpet and just lay tile. (If this is a BIG tank, it may well be worth it.) While the grout is sealing, get the tank drilled and design your layout. (Telling your wife that the hall coat closet will be the sump room works better if you have a good reason for it to be there.) If necessary, figure out how you're going to brace the floor and do it beforehand. Locate Southdown and haul it home. Start accumulating equipment, buy a top-notch skimmer right off the bat, and start with VHOs. That way, you have a good actinic system for when you decide to move up to halides, unless you're one of those rare people who already know and just go with MH.

Buy stock in Home Depot. Visit all the local LFSs and figure out which ones care and which ones don't, which means: meet the local reefers. Oh, and find a great board like this to run questions by.

Marital counseling may be of some help. So might a trip to the Keys.

Planning is key. Unfortunately, it never works that way for me, and we didn't do most of those things. (Except the tile).

Oh, and scoot the tank more than the minimum distance away from the wall - enough that you can easily get a hand/arm back there.

That's all I can think of...

Danielle