howaboutme February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Hello all! I am very new to the marine aquarium world and knew that joining this club would be extremely beneficial in many ways. I am glad I found it and to be here. I live in Centreville w/ my wife, daughter and cat Oreo. I look forward to interacting with you all. I thought I'd share what I'm about to get into with you all as an introduction. I am just starting to set up my "starter" tank. I'm only devoting a small area of the house to begin with so it'll be a 29G. I wanted to keep this on a tight budget but it doesn't look like it'll work out that way...I bought a used stand and tank from craigslist, both in good condition. While cleaning the tank w/ a razor, I accidentally striped some of the silicone at the corner. After a long discussion w/ myself and my wife I decided to not cut corners and buy a new one. I've been picking up things here and there and am probably a good 3 weeks away from starting my cycle. I plan to start out w/ a FOWLR and eventually get into corals. I have decided to buy things as I need such as good lights for example. I plan to do a SSB for aesthetic reasons and have picked up aragonite substrate and a couple of power heads. I just bought a RO/DI from Pure H20 and am waiting on that. My current research involves a skimmer. I don't have a sump so I'll either need an in-tank or a HOB. I'd rather not give up tank room but I am not sure about a HOB as well. Kind of stuck on this research between a Reef Octopus BH100 or a Tunze 9002. The problem w/ the Tunze is that it won't fit within my tank hood and light (which is the cheap one's that come w/ a standard 29). Any suggestions? Once the RODI is installed, skimmer is bought, then it's rock time. I can't wait for this to take shape but know that patience is important in this hobby. It's extremely addicting (as I sit here and type on Valentine's Day). Another thing I've been doing is visiting all (or almost all) of the LFS in my area. Luckily, there's a good number. I'm going to try BRK this weekend. I hear good things about them from this forum so I am looking forward to checking them out and to talking to them. I am doing this so I know which one's I can go to for whatever I need. I think I can type forever so I will leave it at that and will try to keep everyone up to date. Thanks to everyone in advance for any help that may be forthcoming. Jack (howaboutme) PS. I am also on TFT under the same name. They've been extremely helpful. I do, however, read any forum that comes up on Google.....thankfully we have the internet or I'd be spending way to much in unneeded equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBVette February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 welcome. 29 is a good size to start with. have you consider drilling the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 actually, i take it back. not recommended to drill a 29. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 welcome, you will learn a lot here with this group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Also if you are not in a hurry wait till Petco has a $1 per gallon sale and you can get a new 29 gallon for $29. Pretty sweet deal I have a CPR Bak-Pak 2 Protein Skimmer that I only used for like 2 months I will sell you for $75 if it helps you out. Its rated up to 55 gallons so should make light work of a 29 As for Local fish stores BRK seems to be really great but also think about Quantum Reefs. They are in Annandale now but moving to Springfield before too much longer. Vince and Steve are incredible and very fair on pricing and go out of their way to help. Oh and welcome! Today its a 29 gallon and soon you will be looking for a bigger one lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcreefer February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome, welcome, welcome! Wamas is a great club, I am sure you will find the people are always willing to offer advice and help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome, and this is a great place to be! I don't know if you need to get another tank, you might just need to seal up the sides a bit (or bottom, depending on how you cut....) Better safe than sorry though, if you're not comfortable, grab another tank! I've only been here for a quarter of a year, and I have learned SO much, best $20 you'll ever spend, mark my words! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddR February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme February 15, 2013 Author Share February 15, 2013 Thanks for all of the love everyone! Sorry if I didn't make it clear but I did get a new tank so I'm all set. I will either sell the old one as a reptile or just make sure the buyer is aware of the silicone issue. Alternatively, I can use it as a HT, which is probably what I will be doing. Also if you are not in a hurry wait till Petco has a $1 per gallon sale and you can get a new 29 gallon for $29. Pretty sweet deal I have a CPR Bak-Pak 2 Protein Skimmer that I only used for like 2 months I will sell you for $75 if it helps you out. Its rated up to 55 gallons so should make light work of a 29 As for Local fish stores BRK seems to be really great but also think about Quantum Reefs. They are in Annandale now but moving to Springfield before too much longer. Vince and Steve are incredible and very fair on pricing and go out of their way to help. Oh and welcome! Today its a 29 gallon and soon you will be looking for a bigger one lol. Thanks for the offer. Is this the newer version w/ the Accela pump? May I ask why you're not using it anymore? (It's okay to say you got something better. There is always something better.) Thank you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 If you're gonna go through the expense of getting an ro/di and a skimmer, why wouldn't you just buy a reef ready drilled tank? It's way easier to go this route than to try to get a HOB skimmer that usually doesn't work very well- and doesn't look good hanging off the back of the tank. FWIW, you can drill any size tank as long as the glass isn't tempered. Make sure to buy your fish from places that Quarantine all of their fish before they sell them. There are many places that do not QT in the greater metro area. No sense in buying that prized fish onlt to have it die a few days later of some random disease. Oh, and Welcome to WAMAS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome to WAMAS and all good advice above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme February 15, 2013 Author Share February 15, 2013 If you're gonna go through the expense of getting an ro/di and a skimmer, why wouldn't you just buy a reef ready drilled tank? It's way easier to go this route than to try to get a HOB skimmer that usually doesn't work very well- and doesn't look good hanging off the back of the tank. FWIW, you can drill any size tank as long as the glass isn't tempered. Make sure to buy your fish from places that Quarantine all of their fish before they sell them. There are many places that do not QT in the greater metro area. No sense in buying that prized fish onlt to have it die a few days later of some random disease. Oh, and Welcome to WAMAS. Thanks for the advice. I do get what you're saying and I understand why. I've read a lot the past few months including posts by future doc on TFT. He basically says the same thing. For me, it opens up a can of worms when going down the path of having a sump. First, I don't have much room. Besides that, I feel this is an more reasonable path for a first timer. With my planned set up, I can learn slowly about the biology of a marine system, understand how to take of it and develop a nice routine, amongst other things. As another member has said, the 29 will turn into something bigger and that's the goal down the road. I understand that a HOB skimmer is not as efficient as an in-sump one but having one is better than not. And this is not to exchange good husbandry either. Once I have this set up running, I will have time to research and design a bigger system, this time w/ a sump. But that's years down the line. So keep it simple is my motto at this time. By the way, if you know who doesn't QT, please PM me so I can be aware of it and make my own judgment. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Even if the vendor says they QT I would still recommend that you setup your own QT. It doesn't take much effort and you can use a simple rubbermaid tub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Welcome!!!! If you think you are addicted now just you wait....LOL I remember clearly sitting in front of the tank for hours when I was merely cycling the tank and I started seeing the birth of all sorts of things as the live sand and live rock began to crawl with copods and all sorts of crazy stuff!!! My husband thought I was insane staring at an empty tank....once it got full with corals and fish it pretty much replaced the TV for me...I can get lost for hours just watching a tank...silly as it sounds. Instead of selling the silicone damaged tank, why not strip it down and re-silicone it and use it for a sump or a QT tank? There are tons of directions on how to do this all over the net. If you have a stand you can just put it under and would have a place for a good skimmer... Before you know it you will be scouring the ads for a 180 gallon tank...its THAT addicting....lol.... You have definitely come to the right place...the people here are incredibly knowledgeable helpful, caring and fun and I learn an amazing amount every single day reading their posts...even after doing this for over 7 years now I learn something new from all of them daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Thanks for all of the love everyone! Sorry if I didn't make it clear but I did get a new tank so I'm all set. I will either sell the old one as a reptile or just make sure the buyer is aware of the silicone issue. Alternatively, I can use it as a HT, which is probably what I will be doing. Thanks for the offer. Is this the newer version w/ the Accela pump? May I ask why you're not using it anymore? (It's okay to say you got something better. There is always something better.) Thank you all! yes it has the Accela SP1-1000 pump. The reason I did not use it was I started off with a 55 gallon tank that was not Reef Ready and realized how terrible that tank is for a reef. After changing tank sizes twice I now use a sump and all of my filtration happens their so I did not need a HOB anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 15, 2013 Share February 15, 2013 Besides that, I feel this is an more reasonable path for a first timer. ... I felt the same when I entered the hobby with a 90. That's a bit larger than you're starting with, but I felt that the larger volume of water would translate to more stability - something that's very important for most corals. I thought it would be simpler to just stay in one tank and use HOB equipment so I basically ignored the little bit of (pre-WAMAS) advice I was receiving from my LFS. Within 3 months, though, I had a sump (using a HOB overflow). The HOB skimmer (a CPR) just wasn't doing the job, and the sump allowed for me to hide equipment out of sight (I hated having the heaters in the open, and all of the stuff hanging off the back.). A sump gave me more water volume and greater flexibility with equipment choices. It also allowed me to add macroalgae to keep the water cleaner. Still, I always worried about the HOB overflow failing so, within eighteen months, I upgraded to a 180 with built in overflows and a fish-room behind it. Finally, with the new home, I drilled a larger tank, installing two overflows. The lesson I learned was that it didn't take long for me to realize the benefit of a sump, and the compromises that you make when you try to put one on as an add-on after setting up your tank. In your case, it's just a 29 that you're starting out with, which should make it easier to empty and restart than, say, a 90. But still, it's something that you may want to seriously think over again, or at least understand what your upgrade path might look like so that you preserve an easy migration to that option if you find the HOB approach too constraining. Anyways, welcome to WAMAS, Jack. We're glad to have you here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme February 15, 2013 Author Share February 15, 2013 Anyways, welcome to WAMAS, Jack. We're glad to have you here. Wow, 90 is 3 x's the size of my starter. Thankfully in this day and age of the internet, even a newbie like me would know that if I went 90, it's either a sump or nothing. Luckily, my tank is small enough that a lot would say would not even require a skimmer. A consistent water change routine, a couple of good powerheads and a good amount of live rock would work. I fully believe that too. However, a skimmer does help. But yes, I do understand going into this the pros and cons, which is why I am here talking to you folks. Thanks for the warm welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme February 17, 2013 Author Share February 17, 2013 Just want to give a quick thanks to fellow member Tracy G for hooking this newbie member up with a nice skimmer today! I am one step closer to cycling! Membership has already paid dividends. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 17, 2013 Share February 17, 2013 Just want to give a quick thanks to fellow member Tracy G for hooking this newbie member up with a nice skimmer today! I am one step closer to cycling! Membership has already paid dividends. Thanks! happened in my first week, and continues to do so. Welcome again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G February 17, 2013 Share February 17, 2013 Just want to give a quick thanks to fellow member Tracy G for hooking this newbie member up with a nice skimmer today! I am one step closer to cycling! Membership has already paid dividends. Thanks!your very welcome! Let me know of you need anything and get some pictures up when you get it goong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme February 18, 2013 Author Share February 18, 2013 Just thought I'd share this photo I took last weekend. I had just finished spray painting the back that blue color. I think it turned out pretty well, though it took a lot of coats. Also, orderd 30 lbs of rock from reefcleaners....looking forward to aquascaping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf February 18, 2013 Share February 18, 2013 Looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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