firstworldpotato
New Member
Hello all, first post (outside of the introduction post) here. I'm in the early stages of planning my first reef tank. I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos and I was, admittedly, a little intimidated at the start. However, I've level-set a few general goals based on some advice from a few of the YouTube video series and can say I'm now confident enough to move forward. Instead of expecting perfection for my first tank, I want to maximize the chances of success for a healthy ecosystem and experience and learn from the inevitable mistakes that I'll make.
I'm a patient guy and don't want to rush anything. I don't plan on introducing any fish until the initial tank cycle has been completed for a couple of weeks and coral for until at least 4 to 6 weeks after that. I'd like to get all of the water parameters established and have flourishing beneficial bacteria colonies before adding anything else.
The lag time is also intended to space out purchasing equipment so I don't break the bank all up front. I realize that this can be an expensive hobby (I've had my share of them over the years). My first purchases will be the tank and the materials needed for a DIY stand (built a DIY stand for my 29g freshwater tank and was surprised how easy and solid it turned out). For the equipment, here are my thoughts:
Tank - I'm 99% settled on a 60g breeder. Knowing myself and having gone through the same thing with a few freshwater aquariums, it's likely this will be a 2-3 year tank that will eventually get replaced by something larger. My first tank is going to be something I can use as a sump when I get the itch to go bigger.
Lights - I haven't really settled on anything specific here, but I mention them to ask when the right time to actually buy lights would be. One of the YouTube videos said that you don't have to worry about lighting while your tank is cycling. So I'm not expecting to actually need lights until I add fish......or even coral? Let me know if that thinking is wrong.
Rock - Here I could use some advice as well between dry rock and live rock. Again, I'm patient and don't mind getting dry rock conditioned and established, even if it pushes back the timeline to add fish/coral. However, I've heard dry rock is harder to find these days than live rock?
Filter - I've really considered putting a DIY sump together, but I am currently settled on a HOB option. I just want something that will do the job and don't want to overwhelm myself with stuff like drilling a tank or plumbing a sump. I do like the idea of a sump, but that is going to be something to grow into.
Protein Skimmer - I forget the name of it, but I saw a hang on rim protein skimmer that seems like it will be a good option based on the same reasoning as the filter based on having a place for it to live and being simple but effective. Again, it sounds like I won't need to worry about a protein skimmer until closer to when I'm ready to add coral?
Substrate - I've seen some debate on sand vs bare-bottom. It sounds like the sand option is going require more maintenance to keep clean, but will give me a better chance at over-all success.
Outside of some decision points on the above items, the rest seems pretty straight forward to me. Test kits, heater, power heads, an RO/DI filtration system, and bacteria starters seem like some pretty basic necessities. Let me know if I've missed anything major, have some misconceptions in my thought process, or have some suggestions for my first setup (whether absolutely essential or something optional but strongly suggested). Thanks in advance!
I'm a patient guy and don't want to rush anything. I don't plan on introducing any fish until the initial tank cycle has been completed for a couple of weeks and coral for until at least 4 to 6 weeks after that. I'd like to get all of the water parameters established and have flourishing beneficial bacteria colonies before adding anything else.
The lag time is also intended to space out purchasing equipment so I don't break the bank all up front. I realize that this can be an expensive hobby (I've had my share of them over the years). My first purchases will be the tank and the materials needed for a DIY stand (built a DIY stand for my 29g freshwater tank and was surprised how easy and solid it turned out). For the equipment, here are my thoughts:
Tank - I'm 99% settled on a 60g breeder. Knowing myself and having gone through the same thing with a few freshwater aquariums, it's likely this will be a 2-3 year tank that will eventually get replaced by something larger. My first tank is going to be something I can use as a sump when I get the itch to go bigger.
Lights - I haven't really settled on anything specific here, but I mention them to ask when the right time to actually buy lights would be. One of the YouTube videos said that you don't have to worry about lighting while your tank is cycling. So I'm not expecting to actually need lights until I add fish......or even coral? Let me know if that thinking is wrong.
Rock - Here I could use some advice as well between dry rock and live rock. Again, I'm patient and don't mind getting dry rock conditioned and established, even if it pushes back the timeline to add fish/coral. However, I've heard dry rock is harder to find these days than live rock?
Filter - I've really considered putting a DIY sump together, but I am currently settled on a HOB option. I just want something that will do the job and don't want to overwhelm myself with stuff like drilling a tank or plumbing a sump. I do like the idea of a sump, but that is going to be something to grow into.
Protein Skimmer - I forget the name of it, but I saw a hang on rim protein skimmer that seems like it will be a good option based on the same reasoning as the filter based on having a place for it to live and being simple but effective. Again, it sounds like I won't need to worry about a protein skimmer until closer to when I'm ready to add coral?
Substrate - I've seen some debate on sand vs bare-bottom. It sounds like the sand option is going require more maintenance to keep clean, but will give me a better chance at over-all success.
Outside of some decision points on the above items, the rest seems pretty straight forward to me. Test kits, heater, power heads, an RO/DI filtration system, and bacteria starters seem like some pretty basic necessities. Let me know if I've missed anything major, have some misconceptions in my thought process, or have some suggestions for my first setup (whether absolutely essential or something optional but strongly suggested). Thanks in advance!
