Starting to build a reef tank. I have no idea what I'm doing.

[BrettE]

I had issues the first few times close out completely and re login. Gonna have to stay in touch when you start grabbing corals I got a hammer frag with your name on it let me know and hope everything works out!!!!! If you ever need anything gimme a shout.

That sounds awesome--thanks!

Now I have to go read what a hammer is . Ok I have a vague idea of what they look like, but that's it.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

That sounds awesome--thanks!

Now I have to go read what a hammer is . Ok I have a vague idea of what they look like, but that's it.

Here are a couple its an lps coral skeleton with nice fleshy top lol. I would cut you a frag of the bright green.... lol

 

[BrettE]

Here are a couple its an lps coral skeleton with nice fleshy top lol. I would cut you a frag of the bright green.... lol

That looks really great--thanks!

 

[SPR1968]

Welcome to Reef2Reef Brett

 

[FMF0331]

WELCOME TO R2R

 

[jsker]

 

[blaxsun]

 

[CoralB]

Welcome !!!

 

[Sean Clark]

Welcome to the party.

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R Brett. Waterbox are great tanks.

 

[BetterJake]

Welcome!

 

[LPS Bum]

Welcome Brett. I am a Red Sea Lover. My LFS recommended so when I got back into the hobby last May I got a XL525 and a 350. Now I have a XXL750, 3XL900 and a S1000.

I absolutely love them. I question wether some people don’t get them truly leveled, or if their floor settles afterwards.

You have definitely come to the right place. Great people and great knowledge and advise. Definitely should plan the third light as generally a 2’ spread between the lights centers.

Most important thing that I hear over and over again and believe myself is patience is the #1 thing in reefing. Take your time, nothing happens fast.

The XXL750 is possibly perfect for your spot, 160 gallon display I think 200-210 total volume.

Having just put together the cabinet for a 625 G2 XXL, I can't imagine putting together 3 of those things. Good on you.

Love the Reefers. They really are great systems.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Welcome to R2R

 

[Adolfo]

 

[Fishy888]

Hello and welcome to R2R! Here you’ll find that people are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. I hope you start a build thread. We’d love to see your build as it progresses.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

Having just put together the cabinet for a 625 G2 XXL, I can't imagine putting together 3 of those things. Good on you.

Love the Reefers. They really are great systems.

Actually 5. I always level the stand empty, verify and change after the tank is set on, and one final time with a little water in it.

Thankfully my big ones are in the basement on engineered flooring on concrete so settling isn’t a problem.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hi all,

My name is Brett, and I live in Colorado just outside Denver. I had a FO salt water tank back about 25 years ago, and I've always wanted a reef tank. Now seems like a fine time to start, however I have practically no idea what I'm doing.

We have an alcove in our dining/living room area that is about 6' 4" wide and 1' deep. I was thinking something like a 150 gal 60” x 24“ x 24” tank might fit nicely in there, with about 8" on the left and right sides. Much wider than 24”, and it’ll stick out too far into a walkway.

My LFS had a bunch of stuff on sale 15% off for Black Friday, so I picked up some lights (2x Radeon XR15 Blue G6), a skimmer, a return pump (S2), a couple power heads (MP40), and brackets for the lights. I figured I could return them if they turned out to be a bad choice, but I think they're probably ok to start with (I think I'll need another XR15 as tank gets stocked with corals). I also grabbed and RODI from BRS while they were on sale for Black Friday.

I need to figure out which aquarium to get. Red Sea makes me nervous with all the leaking tanks I've seen. I know: they sell a ton of tanks, so of course they'll have a few failures, but I'd just be more comfortable with something else. My LFS also carries Planet, which seems maybe ok. I've thought about Reef Savvy, but man that's a lot of money for a tank.

I’m not sure what kind of overflow I want. On the one hand, an external one would be cool, since it takes up less tank space, but I don’t have a ton of room, so I don’t want to have to bring the tank about another 4” or whatever. I’d like to have a little room between the tank and the wall to clean from time to time and such.

I think I want an Aluminum extrusion stand. I really like how you can cover it with panels, and also take them all off. I also like how they're not wood. However, I imagine that I'd end up putting marine grade baltic birch ply wood (or similar) on the top anyway, so maybe it's not worth it, and I should just get a wood stand. I don't know. Now that I’m typing this out, I’m not sure that Aluminum frame really gives me that much more, so maybe I should just get the stand from the tank manufacturer, get the full warranty, yada yada yada.

I’ve been trying to read some books (I’m about 1/3 of the way through the Reef Aquarium Vol 3), watch a variety of YouTube channels, and read some thing on the forums. It’s interesting to see all the different approaches that people can take and still be successful. Makes me realize that there are lots of ways to approach to problems you encounter in this hobby.

Wish me luck!

Brett

Hi Brett and Welcome! Glad you joined.

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID). It's never too early and you'll enjoy capturing even your above thoughts for in the future. You could just copy above over to Forum > Member Aquariums to get started (but entirely up to you)

This might help you find people local to you near Denver:

Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Hello, and welcome to the channel.

 

[Shaqs_Jumper]

Hi all,

My name is Brett, and I live in Colorado just outside Denver. I had a FO salt water tank back about 25 years ago, and I've always wanted a reef tank. Now seems like a fine time to start, however I have practically no idea what I'm doing.

We have an alcove in our dining/living room area that is about 6' 4" wide and 1' deep. I was thinking something like a 150 gal 60” x 24“ x 24” tank might fit nicely in there, with about 8" on the left and right sides. Much wider than 24”, and it’ll stick out too far into a walkway.

My LFS had a bunch of stuff on sale 15% off for Black Friday, so I picked up some lights (2x Radeon XR15 Blue G6), a skimmer, a return pump (S2), a couple power heads (MP40), and brackets for the lights. I figured I could return them if they turned out to be a bad choice, but I think they're probably ok to start with (I think I'll need another XR15 as tank gets stocked with corals). I also grabbed and RODI from BRS while they were on sale for Black Friday.

I need to figure out which aquarium to get. Red Sea makes me nervous with all the leaking tanks I've seen. I know: they sell a ton of tanks, so of course they'll have a few failures, but I'd just be more comfortable with something else. My LFS also carries Planet, which seems maybe ok. I've thought about Reef Savvy, but man that's a lot of money for a tank.

I’m not sure what kind of overflow I want. On the one hand, an external one would be cool, since it takes up less tank space, but I don’t have a ton of room, so I don’t want to have to bring the tank about another 4” or whatever. I’d like to have a little room between the tank and the wall to clean from time to time and such.

I think I want an Aluminum extrusion stand. I really like how you can cover it with panels, and also take them all off. I also like how they're not wood. However, I imagine that I'd end up putting marine grade baltic birch ply wood (or similar) on the top anyway, so maybe it's not worth it, and I should just get a wood stand. I don't know. Now that I’m typing this out, I’m not sure that Aluminum frame really gives me that much more, so maybe I should just get the stand from the tank manufacturer, get the full warranty, yada yada yada.

I’ve been trying to read some books (I’m about 1/3 of the way through the Reef Aquarium Vol 3), watch a variety of YouTube channels, and read some thing on the forums. It’s interesting to see all the different approaches that people can take and still be successful. Makes me realize that there are lots of ways to approach to problems you encounter in this hobby.

Wish me luck!

Brett

Welcome, I have had a few people that i know have seal leaks on their red sea tanks, so i decided on a waterbox, probably one of the easier setups ive ever done my reccomendation would be a waterbox

 

[vetteguy53081]