Looking to start a Hello Reef kit and trying to get an accurate idea of QTing and budgeting.

[Spartan037]

Hi sorry for the wall of text. New to reefing and trying to get an accurate idea of QTing and budgeting. Through a youtube wormhole I ended wanting to a getting a reef tank. But before I plunged in I did some research and saw how much it can cost. Youtube's algorithm also suggested a bunch of clickbait videos of reef tanks for cheap; I realized if I do enough research I could probably have a nice small tank that could be run for minimal costs and little work. Originally I was going to go with the eShoppe Florida but the Hello Reef kit offers more equipment at a better price. Combined that with the CoralVue Hydros Launch I think I have solid choice in controlling and monitoring the tank. However it is lacking in things like quarantining, dipping, and RO. I was wondering if below is the correct amount of equipment I need for my quarantine system & making RODI water?

QT & Dipping:
In my research everyone recommended a Quarantine tank, but what always confused me was do fish & coral get quarantined separately and do they need a bath (bathing as I understand it is keeping the fish in a tank for a couple of hour in a water with higher concentration of treatment solution before returning to the Qt unlike dipping which is a few minutes)? I know I need a qt setup in case any fish get sick but since this is my first tank can I get the QT setup for all other fish & coral or should I have a QT setup and ready for when the first fish & coral arrive. I have compiled a list of things I think I need to setup a QT system to keep coral & fish separated when quarantining, plus dipping/bathing. Is there anything else I need to setup the QT system? my reasoning is underneath the list.

7.5 Gallon Cube Tank - Standard Glass $84.99 Qty 1
3 Gallon Nano Cube Rimless Aquarium Kit $94.99 Qty 1
25W Eheim JAGER Aquarium Heater $25.99 Qty 1
1 Gallon Nano Cube Rimless Aquarium Kit $79.99 Qty 1
15 Nuvo Fusion SafeScreen Mesh Screen Lid $29.99 Qty 1
100 mL Reef Dip 100 mL Reef Dip $6.08 Qty 1
Nano-Tech Bio-Spheres (1kg/2.2lbs) $11.99 Qty 1
Far Infrared Bio-Spheres 1kg $11.99 Qty 1
Negative Ion Bio-Spheres 1kg $15.99 Qty 1
Chitin infused Bio-Spheres 1kg $15.99 Qty1
12 Hole Coral Frag Traveler with Plug Locking System $20.69 Qty 1
AccuDrip Acclimator - One Pack - Auqa Gadget $9.99 Qty 1
Pro-Clean Squeeze Large $29.99 Qty 1
Replacement Switch 13C $10.99 Qty 1
Replacement Female Connector 06F $7.99 Qty 1
Replacement Male Connector 07F $7.99 Qty 1
Maxi-Jet Powerhead 400 - Marineland $22.99 Qty 2
100 mL Cupramine - Copper Parasite Treatment $9.56 Qty 1
8 Watt Advantage 2000 UV Sterilizer with Hanger Spout $197.05 Qty 1
White Soft Silicone Tubing 1/2" ID $4.99 Qty 1
High Precision Hydrometer $36.65 Qty 1

Some of the items are for the tank or RODI system or water change. The 3 Cube tanks are meant for the QT system. The 7.5g is for the fish with 25W heater. The 1 gallon kit's light, & HOB are rated for a much larger tank so I was going to use that for the 7.5 for the 4 - 6 weeks the fish will be quarantined. The 3 gallon kit will serve as the QT for the coral. The Frag traveler is meant to server as frag stand for the frags in quarantine. I can use it later when I get more frags at shows to transport home. The 1 gallon tank & heater that remains will serve for the bath & dipping tank. Depending which is in use (7.5g / 1g) I can move the HOB & light between the two. The heaters I will keep with the respective tanks cause they could be overkill/ too weak.

What is the best way to clean the 1g to prevent dangerous chemicals / pests from either the previous dip or bath to harm the next residents of the cube? Is it just to always use citrus acid? Or would a thorough rinse in the sink or RODI water be enough? Same with the rest of the equipment? Can I use dish soap?

The extra Bio-Spheres are intended to help culture extra bacteria for all the QTs (I will add them to the HOB filters). Are various Far Infrared, Negative, & Chitin Bio Spheres any use in QTing and helping managing the chemical in the QT or can I remove that from my list and just get more plain Bio Spheres? Is it possible to reuse the Bio Spheres by cleaning with citrus acid?

Can I juggle my HOB UV Sterilizer between all 3 tanks & the main tank? I understand that I should clean it before using on the main tank. But I don't need to get a separate one for the main tank? I intend while the fish & coral are in QT to use the UV on their QT tanks. Do I need to clean it after it is done in one but before it goes in another or can it swap a couple of times before needing to be cleaned?

Should I also buy a kit to make lids for the quarantine tanks? The high precision hydrometer is a backup incase I mess up the salinity. I also will try to stop by a hardware store to large PVC fitting to act as hiding places for the fish. Should I add one or two PVC fitting for the bath tank? Should I get a fragging kit or just bone cutter to remove the plugs?

RODI & water changes during QT:

When the tank first starts cycling I know I will be doing a few water changes (WC) and after QTing is done I should only need to do a 5 gallon weekly WC. But when it is time to start the fish QTing should my approach be draw water from main tank fill the QT and then replace the main tank with fresh made saltwater? Should I have an extra 5 gallons of sea water ready for WCs with the QTs where I still draw main tank water into QT and replenish the main with this new water? With the amount of WC I will be making will the 1 gallon bag of salt be enough for 2 months or should I get a new box around the time I order/ purchase the fish/ coral?

Regarding RODI, for what I am doing right now do I need a RODI system larger that 50 gph? I live an area that recommends to save water but some of the cheaper system don't seem to have the double membrane that I am looking for. An example is Aquatic Life they have both 50 & 100. But the difference is $100. I do have need for for RODI water in general at home but only use about 2 to 4 gallons a week depending on the season. Which would you recommend I pick for my needs? I don't mind future proofing but I don't plan on going larger than 40 gallons anytime soon.

Is the attached image a correct design of the sump area of the Hello Reef tank? There is a lot of area that I can store my extra Bio Spheres.

This is looking to be about $2000 including the tank kit & controller but before taxes & shipping. Have I gone overboard on the equipment? Or is this the correct approach? Are these QTs scalable up for tangs or larger fish if I decide to upgrade to a 100+ gallon tank? Did I select the right medication for the fish & coral? Outside of salt & food I think I have covered most of my bases but is there anything else I missed? And now I should only have to worry about restocking besides salt & food?

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

 

[Solo McReefer]

Was my plan as well. But I don't intend to upgrade until for at least a decade (I hope) but I would like to still have some fish and coral to look at. I am also trying to be prepared incase something happens I can have a set of backups so I don't lose the animals.

If you get serious enough to last a decade

That little tank is not going be enough to satisfy you, I don't think

If I'm wrong, come PM me in 2034 and tell me "I told you so"

 

[Solo McReefer]

Hence the Quarantine setup.

You need to learn how to dip corals for that

But even that isn't going to be enough, I don't think

I recommend buying from reputable vendors, vendors known for no cooties

And even dip those, and scalpel those, and toothbrush those

 

[Spartan037]

You need to learn how to dip corals for that

That is why I put the 1 gal aquarium kit on there it is small enough for a dip, isolation, or even treatment. The 7.5 is for the fish & the 3 is for the coral.

And even dip those, and scalpel those, and toothbrush those

Noted.

 

[Solo McReefer]

I dip in the bottom of a cut off salt bucket, it's about 2 gallons, but I use just one. It keeps the math for the concentration of my dips easy

I recommend a white container or bowl for dipping, it helps me see any cooties I blow off, or come off

I suppose a glass or transparent container is fine, but I want the contrast

If I got a coral that needed isolation or treatment after dipping, it's going in the trash, for me

Having a 'hospital tank' is best practice, the way you're planning

 

[Solo McReefer]

Oh, it would be cool if you let us know when you get your first livestock

I would like to see it when it goes live

 

[Spartan037]

Oh, it would be cool if you let us know when you get your first livestock

I would like to see it when it goes live

sure but I need my questions answered first. I will make a build thread and try to @ you.

 

[Solo McReefer]

A lot of your questions are for a year from now

15 gallon tanks are like small little handguns

They look like they are for beginners

But they aren't really

When I started my LFS guy told me "Get the biggest tank you can afford. They are easier to maintain for a beginner"

Many will say this is not a great lesson to learn. But I haven't found any exceptions to it

I don't know what other questions I can answer

Watch the Hello Reef videos, I suppose I could recommend

You want a QT, which is better practice than I do right now. You're planning a hospital tank, that's best practice; but I don't have one

[With caveat, most of my stuff I have now is growing out and in 'quarantine' for my big tank I am building]

You're going to watch 30 hours of videos on dipping corals between now and when you get your corals. So I can't help you there

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I would like to add a couple things.
1. you can get tanks much cheaper at petco during their tank sale which is going on now I think.
2. 10g tanks are easier to do QT in. Watch the Eli from marine collectors video on the BRS channel. QT is his business and he knows what he is talking about.
3. A coral QT is going to be your most difficult, because of you are going to have to have it the most established and to do that having a larger tank is better. A 3g QT for coral is just not feasible for someone who is starting out.
4. TBH coral pests are over feared. It is a lot of click bait. Yes there are pest out there. but proper dipping will solve most of them. Plus the tank you are going to have is small enough that if you have an issue you can pull everything out of the tank and re- dip.
5. I don’t know if you have your heart set on the IM15 but the IM 25 lagoon is on sale right now and is a great tank that can last you longer and is more versatile than the 15g. I love the foot print of the IM25 lagoon, most of my tanks are based on that.

 

[Spartan037]

Watch the Hello Reef videos, I suppose I could recommend

You're going to watch 30 hours of videos on dipping corals between now and when you get your corals. So I can't help you there

already watched, along with BRS, Bulk Reef Supply (they have 2 channels), Tidal Gardens, Polo Reef, WWC, TSA and a number of other youtubers.

A lot of your questions are for a year from now

You want a QT, which is better practice than I do right now. You're planning a hospital tank, that's best practice; but I don't have one

I don't plan for the short term. Best practices reduce unexplained expenses and losses. If I am going to have a tank and care for some animals I want to give them the best utopia I can. Depriving them of near infinite space the ocean can give them (even if they are captive bred); I only hope to give them a comfortable life while I get to watch their beauty.

When I started my LFS guy told me "Get the biggest tank you can afford. They are easier to maintain for a beginner"

Don't have the space or money for it. First no space, I live in an apartment. Money. This is already at $2k without a monthly added electric bill of $20. add in food, salt, replacement filtration part. Then scale up to 75+ gal. I don't have that kind of money to throw away on a monthly basis.

 

[Spartan037]

1. you can get tanks much cheaper at petco during their tank sale which is going on now I think.

The list is more of parts list if I can substitute items for equivalents at the same price or lower I will. I will keep an eye out for pet store sales if I get them for a better price than BRS.

2. 10g tanks are easier to do QT in. Watch the Eli from marine collectors video on the BRS channel. QT is his business and he knows what he is talking about.

Is that same guy as the guest speaker in this video:
He was the reason I decided to get 3 QT tanks. In one video I cannot find it he talks about giving the fish a bath. BRS didn't have any 10gal when I made the list but I will update it so 10 is the goal.

3. A coral QT is going to be your most difficult, because of you are going to have to have it the most established and to do that having a larger tank is better. A 3g QT for coral is just not feasible for someone who is starting out.

4. TBH coral pests are over feared. It is a lot of click bait. Yes there are pest out there. but proper dipping will solve most of them. Plus the tank you are going to have is small enough that if you have an issue you can pull everything out of the tank and re- dip.

Ok I will probably consider skipping getting the 3 gal I just wanted to make sure I covered my bases.

5. I don’t know if you have your heart set on the IM15 but the IM 25 lagoon is on sale right now and is a great tank that can last you longer and is more versatile than the 15g. I love the foot print of the IM25 lagoon, most of my tanks are based on that.

Its not that I love IM15. Its just that IM15 is part of the Hello Reef Kit that comes with a lot of equipment but not enough to quarantine or dip. If you part out the part from the kit it becomes a lot more expensive than the combo Hello Reef is offering.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

The list is more of parts list if I can substitute items for equivalents at the same price or lower I will. I will keep an eye out for pet store sales if I get them for a better price than BRS.

Is that same guy as the guest speaker in this video:
He was the reason I decided to get 3 QT tanks. In one video I cannot find it he talks about giving the fish a bath. BRS didn't have any 10gal when I made the list but I will update it so 10 is the goal.


Ok I will probably consider skipping getting the 3 gal I just wanted to make sure I covered my bases.

Its not that I love IM15. Its just that IM15 is part of the Hello Reef Kit that comes with a lot of equipment but not enough to quarantine or dip. If you part out the part from the kit it becomes a lot more expensive than the combo Hello Reef is offering.

Yes that is the guy. BTW he is local to you so if you wanted to skip the whole fish QT thing and have a guaranteed fish, it may be cheaper for you to get your fish from him, overall. Also Dollar stores are your friend with dipping supplies. With QT heaters Petco has these preset ones from Aqeon that are cheap. I use them all the time for QT etc. They are pre set to 78 plug them in an go. I wouldn’t recommend them for long term but for QT they are great.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I know that, but I asked if I should get 2? $95 is the same amount as the 3 gallon aquarium kit. Plus the kits already has the equipment I need for the QT. Is there anything wrong with what I have selected?



I did include those items see the items colored orange.

3 gallons way to small for most needs. 20g long is ideal and at Minimum, 10 gal tank, even a 15g that's a little longer

 

[Solo McReefer]

Petco has the 10gallon tanks, Petsmart maybe

Someone wrote they are having their dollar a gallon sale now. Or whatever they call it these days

That's a good video, btw. That's the advanced class tho. His clients buy $2,000 fish; +

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I was hoping I could get a few Cardinal, a Wrasse, Pistol shrimp, & the fish (golbi?) pair that goes with it.

In a 15 gallon tank???

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

QT & Dipping:
In my research everyone recommended a Quarantine tank, but what always confused me was do fish & coral get quarantined separately and do they need a bath (bathing as I understand it is keeping the fish in a tank for a couple of hour in a water with higher concentration of treatment solution before returning to the Qt unlike dipping which is a few minutes)? I know I need a qt setup in case any fish get sick but since this is my first tank can I get the QT setup for all other fish & coral or should I have a QT setup and ready for when the first fish & coral arrive. I have compiled a list of things I think I need to setup a QT system to keep coral & fish separated when quarantining, plus dipping/bathing. Is there anything else I need to setup the QT system? my reasoning is underneath the list.

As mentioned QT fish and corals separately (everything but fish can be QT'd with corals, so inverts, macroalgae, live rock/sand, etc. can go in a coral QT; chances of these bringing in disease are very low, but it happens sometimes; one benefit of QT'ing these is that it gives you a chance to observe them and remove any "pests" that may come in with them) - baths are rarely needed, but pretty much any container (even a five gallon bucket) can work for them as long as it's big enough for the fish; it's the same thing for dips with corals. The difference between the bath and the dip is - as you mentioned - really just the amount of time they last for.

If you're QT'ing things, then I'd suggest going all-in and QT'ing pretty much everything (or at least the fish), but, as mentioned QT'ing corals in a tiny tank is not necessarily trivial stuff - it can be done, but pico tanks require a unique approach to care for properly; if not cared for properly, everything will die quickly. l agree that QT'ing in a 10 gallon or similar, cheap Aqueon tank is probably a good call.

You would want the QT setup for the first fish and coral - if the first fish comes in sick and you don't QT it, then all the fish after will get sick from it; so QT'ing all of them is the way to go.


With regards to the equipment, that seems like a pretty intensive list to me, but I tend to lean toward the minimalist side of things. In essence, you need:

-A cycled tank with saltwater - a lid or screen on the tank to prevent fish from jumping, snails from crawling out, etc. is a good call

-A heater (a temperature controller like an Inkbird is optional but recommended if you can afford it; some places may require a chiller, fans, or other cooling options)

-A source of flow/oxygenation (powerhead, bubble filters, airstones, etc.)

-A light (for photosynthetic critters like corals)

-Somewhere for the critters to hide/sleep (avoid calcium carbonate-based things like aragonite sand and most rocks in the hobby, as these absorb copper; stuff like PVC can be used for hides, and silica sand can be used if sand is required)

-Medications (if doing a prophylactic treatment, or if disease pops up)


With regards to the cycling/filtration - this is the hard part with small tanks and why a 10 gallon would be a better option for a fish QT; the smaller the tank, the faster ammonia builds up and the lower the amount of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize (so the slower ammonia breaks down). Adding all of those biospheres you mentioned would provide more space for the bacteria, but they also take up water volume, which may be more valuable for diluting the ammonia in a smaller tank.

I don't know about those various types of biospheres, though, as most people seem to either just use the regular ones, or - more commonly - just use something like sponge filter media. Personally, I'd do the sponge filter media, but that's just me.

Larger fish need large QT's - given that you're planning a 40 gallon at the largest currently, you shouldn't need more than a 20 gallon at the maximum for a QT; 10 gallons should cover pretty much all of your needs.


With the medications, I'd suggest a chelated copper medication like Coppersafe or Copper Power, as they're less harsh on the fish. I'd also suggest some Prazipro, and following Jay Hemdal's QT protocols:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

For the water change, I'd probably just use new saltwater (not from the DT) for the water changes, but both should work unless something is seriously wrong with the DT water.

If your maximum tank size is 40 gallons and you only need 2-4 gallons otherwise, then a 50 GPD RO/DI system should be more than enough to meet your needs (you could do like 120% water changes daily, which would be extreme overkill).

 

[Spartan037]

Yes that is the guy. BTW he is local to you so if you wanted to skip the whole fish QT thing and have a guaranteed fish, it may be cheaper for you to get your fish from him, overall. Also Dollar stores are your friend with dipping supplies. With QT heaters Petco has these preset ones from Aqeon that are cheap. I use them all the time for QT etc. They are pre set to 78 plug them in an go. I wouldn’t recommend them for long term but for QT they are great.

Thanks I will look into them and compare the costs. Thanks for the alternatives to what I selected. The reason I selected them was cause the had 4 basic parts I needed (tank, heater, light, & filter). But I will check out the alternatives at Petco.

3 gallons way to small for most needs. 20g long is ideal and at Minimum, 10 gal tank, even a 15g that's a little longer

The 3 gallon was only intended to quarantine the coral, invertebrates, & CUC. Since the corals don't move and the invertebrates & CUC are slow moving I though 3 gallons was enough for them.

Petco has the 10gallon tanks, Petsmart maybe

Someone wrote they are having their dollar a gallon sale now. Or whatever they call it these days

That's a good video, btw. That's the advanced class tho. His clients buy $2,000 fish; +

I will check it out. Ya I thought it was extremely high level for me and I was hoping to make something simple for me at home.

In a 15 gallon tank???

I could be wrong but I was told that up to 5 small fish can be held in 15 gallons. I got my fish ideas from this video: . Cardinal fish I heard are small that school of 5 could be counted as 2. Is that still to many. I plan to do a weekly water change of 33% which should handle the larger amounts of waste.

 

[Solo McReefer]

.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I could be wrong but I was told that up to 5 small fish can be held in 15 gallons. I got my fish ideas from this video: . Cardinal fish I heard are small that school of 5 could be counted as 2. Is that still to many. I plan to do a weekly water change of 33% which should handle the larger amounts of waste.

There are a few species where this is true, but the fish you're thinking will not work. 2-3 of the "small" fish you're thinking about can go into your 15g. Lots of videos and threads on the internet of what you can put in a 15g. I suggest watching/reading those.

 

[Spartan037]

As mentioned QT fish and corals separately (everything but fish can be QT'd with corals, so inverts, macroalgae, live rock/sand, etc. can go in a coral QT; chances of these bringing in disease are very low, but it happens sometimes; one benefit of QT'ing these is that it gives you a chance to observe them and remove any "pests" that may come in with them) - baths are rarely needed, but pretty much any container (even a five gallon bucket) can work for them as long as it's big enough for the fish; it's the same thing for dips with corals. The difference between the bath and the dip is - as you mentioned - really just the amount of time they last for.

Good to know I can use the same container to QT everything but the fish. That is where the 3gallon comes in. So many I can just dip the corals in the 1 gal and keep them in the 3 for observation and then move them over after a couple of days.

If you're QT'ing things, then I'd suggest going all-in and QT'ing pretty much everything (or at least the fish), but, as mentioned QT'ing corals in a tiny tank is not necessarily trivial stuff - it can be done, but pico tanks require a unique approach to care for properly; if not cared for properly, everything will die quickly. l agree that QT'ing in a 10 gallon or similar, cheap Aqueon tank is probably a good call.

That is idea. Ok I will change the 7.5gallon to a 10gallon for the fish. I am not trying to setup pico tanks. I just think they make good QT tanks. I will look up Aqueon and compare prices.

With regards to the equipment, that seems like a pretty intensive list to me, but I tend to lean toward the minimalist side of things. In essence, you need:

With the medications, I'd suggest a chelated copper medication like Coppersafe or Copper Power, as they're less harsh on the fish. I'd also suggest some Prazipro, and following Jay Hemdal's QT protocols:

I got those parts for each tank with the idea the 7.5 & 1 could share equipment. The medications I selected were just placeholders. I need to do another serious dive in to medication and treatment for QTing.

With regards to the cycling/filtration - this is the hard part with small tanks and why a 10 gallon would be a better option for a fish QT; the smaller the tank, the faster ammonia builds up and the lower the amount of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize (so the slower ammonia breaks down). Adding all of those biospheres you mentioned would provide more space for the bacteria, but they also take up water volume, which may be more valuable for diluting the ammonia in a smaller tank.

I don't know about those various types of biospheres, though, as most people seem to either just use the regular ones, or - more commonly - just use something like sponge filter media. Personally, I'd do the sponge filter media, but that's just me.

As I said I will upgrade to the 10 gallons. The idea is the extra biospheres would live in the main tank until the cycle is complete then split them between the 2 QTs and then after quarantine sterilize them for reuse in the future. The extra biospheres is more for the bacteria in the QT. Those tanks have a HOB filter with filter floss. I was hoping the spheres would help with removing the ammonia. I will remove those other spheres.

For the water change, I'd probably just use new saltwater (not from the DT) for the water changes, but both should work unless something is seriously wrong with the DT water.

If your maximum tank size is 40 gallons and you only need 2-4 gallons otherwise, then a 50 GPD RO/DI system should be more than enough to meet your needs (you could do like 120% water changes daily, which would be extreme overkill).

DT? Great thanks clarifying my RODI question.

And Thank you Very much for taking the time to respond to my post.

 

[Spartan037]

There are a few species where this is true, but the fish you're thinking will not work. 2-3 of the "small" fish you're thinking about can go into your 15g. Lots of videos and threads on the internet of what you can put in a 15g. I suggest watching/reading those.

I did. And many videos said only 5 is the maximum. Well I am glad I asked. Looks like I have a lot more research to do.