ReeferHolland
Active Member
Hi reefers! I finally pulled the trigger and start this hobby after dreaming about it for over 10 years.
So now I'm doing a ton of research about it before going to build up my first tank.
There are quite some things I run into and I just can't figure it out myself. Hopefully one of you more experienced reefers can help me out with it.
My first tank will be a Red Sea Reefer 200L G2 system (cubic shape display tank) with sump and a ReefLED 90 + Reefer Skimmer 300 + reefwave 25 wavemaker + Jecod/Jebao MDC-3500 Pump. The LFS adviced me to buy a Deltec Skimmer 400 in stead of the Reefer Skimmer 300. But I ordered the Reefer skimmer 300 because of the discount on redseafish.com when I order it together with the tank. Any thoughts on this?
I will start with just the standard filter socks as mechanical filtration and maybe upgrade in the future to a Reefmat system.
Any comments, feedback, tips, tricks, (just anything you can come up with, or advice to add/remove) about my planned tank is very welcome
I didn't buy it yet but placed the order at the LFS so I can still make any changes if neccessary. I plan to pay for it and pick it up in 5 days from now and start building.
To start off with the rocks, Live rock vs. dry rock?
I know that I really enjoy building an aquascape and take all the time I need for that task to make it beautiful and functional as well. This can only be done with dry rock
However, I also really like to explore the benefits of the live rock bacterial culture but I'm worried about the possible issues that comes with it. So this is a dilemma for me. And ofcourse taking too much time for aquascaping live rock doesn't seem like a good idea.
So then I found out about DNA tested live reef rubble from aquabiomics and my plan was to build an aquascape out of dry rock and then include some live reef rubble in the refugium/sump for those beneficial bacterias during the cycle. Would this be a good idea? Or is this impossible because dry rock and live rock need a different approach to cycling the tank? And if possible, which approach should be used for cycling the tank? I assume it's the approach for live rock then.
Anyways, because I live in the Netherlands, its probably impossible to get good live rock and receive it in good condition. Is that correct?
I don't trust the live rock from the LFS. I dont know exactly why but all the information I gathered just gives me some stressed feeling about buying regular live rock from the LFS. Is this a justified thought or am I being paranoid because of all the disaster stories I read on forums and see on YT? I also feel like the LFS employees just tell me what they think I like to hear instead of the truth about many things. Because most of what they tell me is in conflict with what I read on forums and see on BRStv and other recommended youtube channels.
Furthermore, some questions about quarantaining fish. Is it a must? Because it doesn't bother me to QT them I guess. I just want to know and do what's right. But what if I start setting up my tank right now, start cycling the rocks and after 1-2 weeks I would buy my first fish to put in quarantine for 3-4 weeks so I can instantly add it when my tank is cycled for 5-6 weeks?
I'm new to this hobby so will not be very patient with adding the first fish and turning on the lights. But I'm also a perfectionist so this will probably beat my impatience up to 6 weeks. Any inbetween fix for this would be awesome. What I mean by this is: For a beginner reefer to start as quick as possible with adding fish and other livestock, but also cycling the tank in the best way possible before doing this.
Then the last question for today is about the water; I live in an appartment so I have to walk upstairs before reaching my livingroom where the tank is. Do I have to lift 200+ liters of water upstairs to fill the tank? Would it be smart or too complicated to buy a device for making my own water from the very first day?
Also feel free to add any topics to this thread, the more info and thoughts, the better
Can't wait to start this hobby this week!
I'm looking forward to any comments, thanks in advance!
So now I'm doing a ton of research about it before going to build up my first tank.
There are quite some things I run into and I just can't figure it out myself. Hopefully one of you more experienced reefers can help me out with it.
My first tank will be a Red Sea Reefer 200L G2 system (cubic shape display tank) with sump and a ReefLED 90 + Reefer Skimmer 300 + reefwave 25 wavemaker + Jecod/Jebao MDC-3500 Pump. The LFS adviced me to buy a Deltec Skimmer 400 in stead of the Reefer Skimmer 300. But I ordered the Reefer skimmer 300 because of the discount on redseafish.com when I order it together with the tank. Any thoughts on this?
I will start with just the standard filter socks as mechanical filtration and maybe upgrade in the future to a Reefmat system.
Any comments, feedback, tips, tricks, (just anything you can come up with, or advice to add/remove) about my planned tank is very welcome
I didn't buy it yet but placed the order at the LFS so I can still make any changes if neccessary. I plan to pay for it and pick it up in 5 days from now and start building. To start off with the rocks, Live rock vs. dry rock?
I know that I really enjoy building an aquascape and take all the time I need for that task to make it beautiful and functional as well. This can only be done with dry rock
However, I also really like to explore the benefits of the live rock bacterial culture but I'm worried about the possible issues that comes with it. So this is a dilemma for me. And ofcourse taking too much time for aquascaping live rock doesn't seem like a good idea.
So then I found out about DNA tested live reef rubble from aquabiomics and my plan was to build an aquascape out of dry rock and then include some live reef rubble in the refugium/sump for those beneficial bacterias during the cycle. Would this be a good idea? Or is this impossible because dry rock and live rock need a different approach to cycling the tank? And if possible, which approach should be used for cycling the tank? I assume it's the approach for live rock then.
Anyways, because I live in the Netherlands, its probably impossible to get good live rock and receive it in good condition. Is that correct?
I don't trust the live rock from the LFS. I dont know exactly why but all the information I gathered just gives me some stressed feeling about buying regular live rock from the LFS. Is this a justified thought or am I being paranoid because of all the disaster stories I read on forums and see on YT? I also feel like the LFS employees just tell me what they think I like to hear instead of the truth about many things. Because most of what they tell me is in conflict with what I read on forums and see on BRStv and other recommended youtube channels.
Furthermore, some questions about quarantaining fish. Is it a must? Because it doesn't bother me to QT them I guess. I just want to know and do what's right. But what if I start setting up my tank right now, start cycling the rocks and after 1-2 weeks I would buy my first fish to put in quarantine for 3-4 weeks so I can instantly add it when my tank is cycled for 5-6 weeks?
I'm new to this hobby so will not be very patient with adding the first fish and turning on the lights. But I'm also a perfectionist so this will probably beat my impatience up to 6 weeks. Any inbetween fix for this would be awesome. What I mean by this is: For a beginner reefer to start as quick as possible with adding fish and other livestock, but also cycling the tank in the best way possible before doing this.
Then the last question for today is about the water; I live in an appartment so I have to walk upstairs before reaching my livingroom where the tank is. Do I have to lift 200+ liters of water upstairs to fill the tank? Would it be smart or too complicated to buy a device for making my own water from the very first day?
Also feel free to add any topics to this thread, the more info and thoughts, the better
Can't wait to start this hobby this week!
I'm looking forward to any comments, thanks in advance!
