I'd like to introduce myself

[Melissa]

Hi, everyone. My name is Melissa and I'm new to the hobby. Several years ago I had a 20 or 30 gallon fish only tank for a very short period of time. I had to break it down because of a move. Ever since then I have wanted to set up another and get into the hobby, learn more about reef keeping, etc.

I've been lurking here for a while and doing a lot of reading. I'll have to say, I'm still confused about quite a bit, especially on the equipment side. When everyone posts equipment for sale, I'm not always sure what it is and the function.

I'm also still trying to decide what I need to gather together to begin. I'd like to eventually have a system that is self-maintained with regular water changes. My size goal is between 75 and 140 gallon and I'm looking for a tall cabinet so I don't have to bend over to look at it all the time. (I'm 6' tall!)

I plan to join the club so I can meet some of you at the functions and perhaps see some of your reefs and fish. I plan to take my time and have fun with this. Well, nice to "meet" you all!

Oh, and great forum by the way. What an amazing source of information!

Melissa

[wildemon]

Welcome to the ARC and please come to any meetings and especially to Sanjay this coming Saturday. His topic: Lighting, is an important item to understand. The growth of your corals depends upon water quality which is easier to maintain in a larger container. My suggestion is to use a refugium / sump in the circulation path. This will allow devices such as temperature heaters or chillers, protein skimmers, calcium additives, evaporation water make-up, and all manner of pipes and valves to hide below the tank. It may take 4 to 6 weeks for the water to stabilize where it will support the smaller crustaceans and snails and the rock encrusting pink-purple coralline algae. Corals themselves grow best upon the corralline algae. I also suggest Calfo's book "Invertebrates" which has the best explanation of setup options in it's first 100 pages.


The used for sale items in our area can be a bargain if you can wait for just what you need and understand what goes where without the retail dealer's support. Most of us are opinionated and love to talk. Feel free to ask anyone for advice.

[AquaticCo]

Welcome to our forum, you will find a lot of helpfull people here.

And it just happens that I have a complete 70-Gallon tank I'm about to break down for a larger 150 tank. It has every bell and whistle you can imagine. Controllers, Chillers, HQI lights, Overflows, Protein Skimmers ... The only thing I do to it is add water and food for the corals and fish.

If interested let me know.

Doug

[Melissa]

Doug, I sent you a PM.

Thanks for the heads up!

Melissa

[kellymm]

welcome to arc mellissa i also have have a tank for sale its a 65 gallon reef ready all glass aquarium with a custom stand the tank dimensions are 36"Lx18"Wx24"d the stand was built for me by a local cabinet shop it has a cherry finish and a matching hood the stand is 4ft tall so the top of the tank is about 6ft tall imo its the perfect viewing height it has a deep cherry finish with raised panel doors same as some high end kitchen cabinets it also has brass hardware the hood can accept flourescent - metal halides or both i was trying to sell it with all the bells and whistles as a package but i guess im going to part it out no reasonable offer refused

[dustin]

Hello Melissa,
I can say first off that your on the right track by researching long before you begin putting together your tank. I dont know if your in a house with no current plans on moving, or somewhere you could move from in a year or two. Id base the size of tank you choose greatly on this factor. I had a 29 gallon until I got into a house and knew I wasnt leaving for a good while before going bigger. Anyways, good luck to you and never not ask something because you think its too easy or silly a question. I found the advice and shared exp Ive received here to be invaluable to my efforts in reefkeeping.

Dustin

[Melissa]

Hi, Kelly!
Thank you for the offer. I do like the tall cabinet, for sure. I saw one at The Fish Store that I can stand up and view without bending over. It is a sight to see. I believe theirs is about the same height as yours. I do think I will have to pass though, as I want to start a little larger. Right now, I'm leaning towards 100gal to 140. I guess I have grand hopes that I'll be able to (one day) have more fish this way. It does sound very nice, though. Good luck with the sale. You should post it on ebay for sure!

Dustin,
Thanks for the advice. I need all the words of wisdom I can get! Right now I'm in my own house and while I do plan to move, it won't be for quite a while. Gotta pay that mortgage down some first. My plans for moving include Costa Rica for retirement but that's a little ways away.

I can't believe all the interesting info I've already read about here on the forum. There sure are some seriously beautiful photos as well. I've always been interested in photography so hopefully that will be something I can add down the road once I have my own critters to model for me.

William,
I have found Calfo's book that you recommend and will probably go ahead and purchase that. Thanks a ton! If there are any others that you all find really useful for study and reference, please do let me know.

Thanks for the welcome, everyone. I should have started looking at this stuff long ago. I guess I just didn't realize what I was missing!

Melissa