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Post by Randee on Apr 9, 2016 19:53:41 GMT
Hello I hope the site goes well Awesome Idea & it looks Great ! Makes me wish I kept my 200 gallon salt water reef going but who knows maybe I will start it up again some day
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Post by Randee on Apr 9, 2016 20:21:11 GMT
Actually, I have a great question for your new board. Where is the best place to start if you wanted to build a coral reef ? Just a little background on what I really mean first, I took over a giant 200 gallon coral reef that wasn't doing well ten years ago & I quickly realized that one of the biggest problems was the species that were living in the tank at the time. They just were not right to stimulate the coral( they were killing it) , some were eating it (fine if its producing enough) & others were just producing too many negative factors for me to save the coral. Mind you, this was far to big a tank for me-considering it was my First Salt water tank ever. In the end I opted to donate any coral or species I felt could be saved & focus solely on my pink grouper, I managed to take great care of him & his tank, which was decorated with dead rock. I also ended up with a zebra eal to keep him company. I don't think you need my life story here but eventually my grouper ended up sick & passed away. It was very sad for me & I sometimes wonder if it was because I didn't know what I was doing well enough. I continued with the tank for another two years or so but ended up giving up on it when my spouse & I decided to separate. So, where would be the best place to start, in your opinion, if I want to build a proper salt water habitat?
Looking forward to your answers,
Thank you,
Randee Cooper London
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Post by DrBlueThumb on Apr 9, 2016 23:32:13 GMT
The best place to start is asking a question in the beginners discussion thread. I will move it there. please bare with me because this is my first forum I have ever created and i am learning the ropes, thanks for your question.
It all depends on how much money and time you are willing to spend. I started with a cheap successful 50G, with 4 x t5 high output, a fluval 305, 2 x hang on the back filters, 3 powerheads, heater 50 lbs of rock, 2 1/2 deep sand bed. Then upgraded to a 120G after learning about caring for corals. Reason being for why I set up a 50G was for the cost purposes and the somewhat large water volume in which allows for more errors. but if you can afford a 75 or 90 that is fine too, you will just need to upsize your equipment from what I mentioned in regards to setting up a 50G. When you get into 120G and above, providing proper flow and lighting can be very expensive, but your water perimeters are more stable.
It All depends on what coral you want to add to your tank. It's good to have an end goal before setting up your tank, such as what corals do you want to keep and what fish do you plan on having and what is your budget.
Inheriting old tank can be very hard because usually your are inheriting someone else problem. I would suggest starting from scratch instead of buying a used system.
most people run protein skimmers and a refuge, which cuts back on nitrate and phosphate. But in my case I go skimmerless and refugeless which is more for a person with experience.
Staying on forums and asking questions along with setting up your tank slowly is best, because a lot of people been through a lot of trials and errors which will save you the head aches.
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