Diving back after 7yrs - New to WAMAS

[afrostyreefer]

Hello all.

 

I've been contemplating another go at reefing, six weeks of diving back into forums and Youtube videos, I have pulled the trigger on an Evo 13.5.  My first tank was a 27g cube that I kept relatively well for about 1 1/2 years, of course I did the obvious noob things that we are not supposed to do.  With that said, I do still consider myself a beginner with lots of internet knowledge, so, I have a 50/50 shot!!!  I actually have a plan this time, instead of walking through Petco and saying, "I think I'll start a salt water aquarium today" as I did last time around.

 

My plan for this tank will be softies and a few LPS, two Black Ice (maybe one Black Ice and one Frostbite) and possibly a Randell's Goby/Red Banded Pistol pair, but not sure if that will be too much for this tank.  Am wanting to keep the tank stock(for at least a year) and limit the amount of media unless it is needed. 

 

Other than the tank, I ordered a 20lb box of Caribsea Shapes-Liferock(only use about 10-12lbs), 10lb bag of Arag-Alive Fiji Pink, Fritz RPM salt, 2 RFG's, refractometer, API Master test kit, Salifert PO4 test kit, and some Dr. Tims One and Only.  Should have the rock by Wed (start the scape), the tank by Friday.  Hopefully I'll be able to get the tank wet next weekend.  

 

Looking forward to jumping back in.

 

Happy Reefing!

[ReefdUp]

Welcome back to the hobby and welcome to WAMAS! Outside of all this COVID mess, we bring in great speakers to our meetings, which would really help you stay up on the latest info. 

 

I didn't see mention of a light? Does the EVO come with a good stock one? If you haven't selected a light yet, many of us find the AI Prime HD (or the new 16HD version) are a great light for nano tanks.

 

Welcome again, and if you need anything, I'm sure you'll find that this is a great group of folks!

[afrostyreefer]

Thank you.

 

It does come with a decent 14,000k light that will support softies and LPS.  When I do upgrade I think the AI Prime will be the one to go with.  I'm trying to do a budget build and hopefully the upgrade bug will stay away for a while.  

[DFR]

Welcome to the group.  You’ll find a number of really knowledgeable and helpful individuals here, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

[Orion]

Welcome back.. I just got my feet wet again myself getting back into the hobby after being out for 5 years. The Bulkreefsupply videos are probably the most informative that I have found. Good luck!

[afrostyreefer]

Thank you DFR and Orion.  

 

I received my rock last night and am very impressed with the shapes life rock.  Two arches, a donut and a helmet.  20lbs is too much for the nano and I may need to break some of it up. I know that I'll have another tank so, it will not go to waste.

[Steve G]

Welcome back to the hobby! I took a similar break between my last tank and my current one I'm building now. Here is what I have observed to be the main fads and trends that changed over that time:

- Metal halide lighting was common. LEDs were new, expensive, and limited in availability. Now the balanced has shifted toward nearly all LED or LED/T5 combos

- Bare bottoms are more popular now especially for SPS tanks, while deep sand beds in the display tank are out of favor. I'm still old school about this, preferring DSB

- Aquascaping used to be about stacking rock, now "negative space aquascaping" is all the rage. I'm not convinced, except for small tanks. Also, dry sterile rock instead of live to start out, so you avoid pests. Not for me. I've been curing 200 lbs of rock that I got out of a WAMAS member's tank 9 months ago.

- Sumps have evolved a lot in the last 7 years. In my day we bought a glass tank and put in some baffles. Now it's all acrylic with filter sock holders

- Roller mats are being used by some for mechanical filtration. In my day we never did any mechanical filtration. Too much maintenance. These roller mats look like toilet paper dispensers to me. even in the sump I hate the look. And who wants to clean out filter socks every few days. Yuck. Cleaning the skimmer cup is bad enough.

- Additives continue to explode in variety. 

- Expensive grow lights on refugiums. Back in the day we got a light from home depot for $20. Now people are putting Kessils on their fuges with bright pink/magenta glow that will drive you crazy. I caved and bought a used one myself. We'll see how amazing it is.

- Fishless cycling with bottled bacteria seems to be the trend. Old days you found a cheap hardy fish and threw it in there as an ammonia source, doing water changes to keep it alive, or maybe just dumped flakes in every day. And you got some live rock and sand from another reefer to seed the system.

 

Good luck with your new tank!