kobustabus February 20, 2012 Share February 20, 2012 Hey there! New to WAMAS and first would like to say thanks for all of the great information to help me prepare my first reef aquarium set up. I currently have a 24-gallon Cardiff all-in-one (comes with a protein skimmer, ATO, and filtration built into the back... got the aquarium and stand brand new for an amazing price). Because of the deal on the setup, I spent a little more for a Vortech mp10wES and AI Sol blue. Over the past month, I have been reading up from the forum and numerous books to learn the in's and out's. I think I am to the point of starting it up. I am tracking a few concerns: 1.) Buying good cultured live rock so I don't have too many unwanted hitchhikers. Because the tank is smaller, I am willing to pay a bit more to not have that worry. Or is it even necessary? Unique pieces... perhaps thinking the new style of ceramic (http://cerameco.com/) 2.) Aquascpaing - of all things, right? haha. But we have all seen those set ups where it just looks off. I am hoping to get a natural feel that will impress myself and others (of course). 3.) Age old debate on reef salt mix - I have read so much and it sounds like Reef Crystals, Red Sea, Coralife, or Seachem are all good... and knowing myself, I will over think this for quite some time... thinking of parameters in NoVA and reading message board after message board to see what others have found. 4.) How with the Vortech respond to the unique shape of the tank (more of a half cylinder)? Because the front is curved... could make for some interesting water flow perhaps. Other than that, I think it will be an exciting time and am looking forward to the challenge and commitment. I am sure you will begin seeing more of me on the boards... perhaps looking to see if anyone has a cup of sand to help me seed or rubble rock to sit in the filter. If you do have any advice, suggestions, or words of wisdom, I am definitely listening. I want to do this right. Thanks again for the great content. I hope to see you at the next quarterly meeting (which I plan on attending for sure). Have a great week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf February 20, 2012 Share February 20, 2012 Welcome aboard. Several of the vendors have excellent Liverock, but you always take the chance of unwanted hitch hikers. You can always go with dry rock and not have to worry. Aquascaping can be a PIA till you get that perfect Jedi stack achieved. When first setting the system up plain ole Instant Ocean works just as well as any, and you can go up from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidm February 20, 2012 Share February 20, 2012 welcome to WAMAS. You might want to consider seeing other folk's tanks - most everyone would have an opinion about what they would, or wouldn't do, again when setting up a tank. where are you located? and again...Welcome! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 20, 2012 Share February 20, 2012 Welcome to the club. I'm sure you'll enjoy it here. Where about are you located? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobustabus February 20, 2012 Author Share February 20, 2012 Oops. Location would be helpful info. I live out in Falls Church, VA. A friend gave me a list of LFS that he thought have good live rock (Aquarium One, Roozens, or Blue Ribbon Koi). He is the one who pointed me to WAMAS... definitely a good move. But now you have me researching base rock and the options to run with. Looks like I have things to google tonight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubberFrog February 21, 2012 Share February 21, 2012 The list of options, upgrades, and unthought of ideas are endless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger February 21, 2012 Share February 21, 2012 WELCOME TO THE CLUB! I sent ya a PM last night with some info, you're gonna love that bullnose tank! I do, everything I put in there the round face has a magnifying effect so you can see with amazing detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 21, 2012 Share February 21, 2012 Hi, welcome! Glad to see you are doing research and learning! Here is my take on your questions. As you will find out, if you haven't already, there are a lot of ways to do things correctly in this hobby... it really depends on what your own goals are. I am tracking a few concerns: 1.) Buying good cultured live rock so I don't have too many unwanted hitchhikers. Because the tank is smaller, I am willing to pay a bit more to not have that worry. Or is it even necessary? Unique pieces... perhaps thinking the new style of ceramic (http://cerameco.com/) IMO, you will deal with an unwanted pest at some point. Learning the best method to deal with these things is part of the hobby, and to me the benefits of getting good LR with a lot of biodiversity is worth the risk of unwanted pests. 2.) Aquascpaing - of all things, right? haha. But we have all seen those set ups where it just looks off. I am hoping to get a natural feel that will impress myself and others (of course). Lots and lots of options here. Take a look through RyanS's build thread, he linked to a whole bunch of other threads that have great aquascaping ideas. This can be as simple or complex as you like. http://www.wamas.org/forums/topic/47011-ryans-150g-marineland-deep-dimension/page__st__100 3.) Age old debate on reef salt mix - I have read so much and it sounds like Reef Crystals, Red Sea, Coralife, or Seachem are all good... and knowing myself, I will over think this for quite some time... thinking of parameters in NoVA and reading message board after message board to see what others have found. Two ways to do it: Buy an inexpensive, good salt (like instant ocean) and add chemicals as necessary to bring the parameters (magnesium, calcium, and alkalinity) up to what you need them to be - this is my preferred method when the demands of the tank for these chemicals exceeds those in the makeup water. Second, buy a high parameter salt and do very frequent water changes to keep chemicals high (this is my current method, I use H2Ocean salt and run a continuous water changer that totals to about 10% a week), it keeps my levels solidly within range (I will be the first to say, though, this is not a method for everyone). 4.) How with the Vortech respond to the unique shape of the tank (more of a half cylinder)? Because the front is curved... could make for some interesting water flow perhaps. I think it will be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 21, 2012 Share February 21, 2012 Welcome to WAMAS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobustabus February 22, 2012 Author Share February 22, 2012 Thanks for all of your help. This has been great! The amount of knowledge on the forums amazes me and I appreciate the inputs you have provided to help me out. I am sure to bug the group more in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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