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.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

DT?

Display Tank (DT).

 

[Spartan037]

Display Tank (DT).

Thanks forgot that it can also be called that normally I remember it as Main tank.

 

[Uncle99]

QT
Keep it simple.
Just the absolutes, tank,saltwater,flow,heat,desk lamp, ATO
$125

If you have no rock (which may be discarded at end) use daily 10% Water change to control ammonia.

Anything that gets you zero TDS is fine, I use the Aquatic Life to produce 40g per week used in my 250g.

If your going forward, I would start your bio filter (your rocks) right away, in a brute garbage can, heat, some flow, a bottle of bacteria, let them “mature” up till your system is ready for water, this way, you’ll lessen the ugly stage.

 

[Spartan037]

QT
Keep it simple.
Just the absolutes, tank,saltwater,flow,heat,desk lamp, ATO
$125

If you have no rock (which may be discarded at end) use daily 10% Water change to control ammonia.

Anything that gets you zero TDS is fine, I use the Aquatic Life to produce 40g per week used in my 250g.

If your going forward, I would start your bio filter (your rocks) right away, in a brute garbage can, heat, some flow, a bottle of bacteria, let them “mature” up till your system is ready for water, this way, you’ll lessen the ugly stage.

Ya looks like I went a little overboard. I decided to drop the 7.5gallon, 3 gallon, & the weird biospheres. I do plan to keep the 1 gallon kit. It has light, flow, & heater that I can attach to a cheap 10 gallon at petco. The remain tank I am going to repurpose for coral dipping.

Have you ever used ZeroWater? It gives 0 TDS I wonder if I can use that as a substitute. The downside is the filter is only rated for 40 gallons.

I am still not sure if I should use UV steralizer on the QT tank?

 

[Uncle99]

Ya looks like I went a little overboard. I decided to drop the 7.5gallon, 3 gallon, & the weird biospheres. I do plan to keep the 1 gallon kit. It has light, flow, & heater that I can attach to a cheap 10 gallon at petco. The remain tank I am going to repurpose for coral dipping.

Have you ever used ZeroWater? It gives 0 TDS I wonder if I can use that as a substitute. The downside is the filter is only rated for 40 gallons.

I am still not sure if I should use UV steralizer on the QT tank?

I have not used zero water.
0 TDS is 0 TDS, that works fine.

I rarely use UV unless I am targeting something specific like Dino’s, otherwise I don’t use as it sterilizes both good and bad algae. Stable chemistry favours the good, which overtime, totally outcompetes the bad and keeps rocks clean, sand white.

 

[Spartan037]

I have not used zero water.
0 TDS is 0 TDS, that works fine.

I rarely use UV unless I am targeting something specific like Dino’s, otherwise I don’t use as it sterilizes both good and bad algae. Stable chemistry favours the good, which overtime, totally outcompetes the bad and keeps rocks clean, sand white.

OK cool. I will probably drop the UV for now. And maybe hold off on the RODI. I can get them a little down the line.

I have updated my list of things to get. It has gotten bigger but I removed the weird bio balls and found a cheaper python package on Amazon. Ill probably drop the light for something I find a LFS.

Here are the things I found on BRS:

25W Eheim JAGER Aquarium Heater
15 Nuvo Fusion SafeScreen Mesh Screen Lid
Maxi-Jet Powerhead 400 - Marineland
100 mL Cupramine - Copper Parasite Treatment
White Soft Silicone Tubing 1/2" ID
High Precision Hydrometer
Nano-Tech Bio-Spheres (1kg/2.2lbs) Qty 2
4” x 8” BRS Mesh Media Bag with Draw String Qty 3
BRS Custom 5 gallon Bucket
32 Ounces Citric Acid
Algae Destroyer Tools - 3 Piece Cleaning Set
12 Hole Coral Frag Traveler with Plug Locking System
1 Gallon Nano Cube Rimless Aquarium Kit

And here are the items on Amazon:

Valentine's Day Carnival xianshi Reliable High‑Brightness
Innovative Marine Accudrip Acclimator
Blue Ocean Corals Coral Rx Dip Aquarium Treatment, 8-Ounce
MLEJU DIY Fish Tank Lid Aquarium Cover with Fresh Air Netting
5 Gallon Plastic Hedpack with cap
OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Plastic Mixing Bowl,White/Black Qty 2
AREPK Aquarium Siphon Vacuum Cleaner Kit with Dual Vacuum Tubes for Various Tank Sizes and One Fish Net, Aquarium Gravel Vacuum Cleaner
Seachem Reef Dip 500ml
PakCan Premium Coral Fragging Kit - Complete Coral Propagation and Fragging Set
3 Pieces Extra Long Tweezers for Aquarium, Coral Feeder Long Syringe, Fish Feeding Tongs Tweezers
Aquarium 15-40 GPH Compact Air Pump Quiet Oxygen

I think that covers all the other supplies and tools I'll need to care for the fish and coral if they are sick but it should help with maintaining the tank as well.