Inevitably getting back in to the hobby

[jesserettele]

Thanks to my brother-in-law and being a recoverd addict of one year about 2 years ago myself, I want back in. So....what would you guys/gals do if you were starting from scratch (ie; tank size, light, filtration)? I know that there are endless directions but I liked to watch my LPS eat after hand feeding them everynight. I never got a chance to grow SPS though but I hear that they are just as fun.

[tony]

welcome to maast!

one mans trash is another mans treasure when it comes to setups. some like large, i like the smaller oddball setups like cubes and breeders and such between 30-50 gallons or so. i also believe they are more of a challenge

[Mr Cob]

Welcome back.

Correction:

LPS: are fun
SPS: are addicting

Like Tony, I'm big into oddball setups....as you can see in my sig, but I really like shallow cubes too. I'm also a big fan of deep and depth.

[jesserettele]

That makes sense, all about the PPM right? I checked your gallery but couldn't find any pics of your setups. I had a 125 that I get for free and then ended up dumping about $3,000.00 into it within a year. THEN ICE STORM IN SPRING BRANCH AND NO POWER FOR THREE DAYS!!

[Mr Cob]

Thanks for the tip...LOL! I didn't even know we had member galleries! I have just kept track of my tanks through threads. You can click my sig to view the 144 or view my blogs to see my other tanks.

Anyways, thanks and welcome to MAAST.

[Third Coast Tropical]

Jesse Rettele of SV?.....

[Europhyllia]

LPS: are fun
SPS: are addicting


Hardly. SPS just sit there and look pretty and then all of a sudden their population just self-destructs. Clearly SPS are addicting to masochists only.

LPS and non photosynthetics= much more fun! They eat, they respond, they grow, they thrive, they have beautiful colors. What's not to love about LPS and non-photos?

You can always squeeze in a couple of nice tolerant SPS just to say you do have some (I have some montipora that I like)

I like the tank I have 6ft long 125g). If I did it over I'd get the huge fuge right from the start rather than having to add it later.

[rockmp]

Its an addiction....but a fun one! Welcome back! I knew it would not take long for you to be back.....

[allan]

Yeah, if I had it over again, I'd get a two hundred gallon fuge for a one hundred gallon display... well that ratio anyway. :)

Three days no power and freezing temps??? Shoot, I would have to hug my setup to warm it up... maybe put one of my kids into the display and the other into the fuge to keep the water temp up.

I like LPS myself although I've a fair number of SPS that I'm waiting to watch grow... or eat... or move... or something...

[Mr Cob]

Hardly. SPS just sit there and look pretty and then all of a sudden their population just self-destructs. Clearly SPS are addicting to masochists only.

LPS and non photosynthetics= much more fun! They eat, they respond, they grow, they thrive, they have beautiful colors. What's not to love about LPS and non-photos?



I'm not a masochist. I just enjoy a challenge. I would argue that... anyone in the SW hobby enjoys a challenge or they would not be in this hobby. Obviously some enjoy different levels of challenges.

Take the plunge on SPS Karin and I bet you'll get addicted too. Take the time and energy in caring for a nice SPS specimen and you'll quickly get what the hype is all about on SPS. Unfortunately, it can be just as devastating though.... hence the "challenge". It's also very rewarding when you are successful at caring for them. Ask any SPS owner past or present.

On the same note, I love my LPS just as much...this is the exact reason I have a mixed reef. I love ALL corals! I even have an el-cheapo island with the hardiest of corals... GSP, Xenia and Mushrooms!

[jesserettele]

Jesse Rettele of SV?.....
That's me, who's this?

[Europhyllia]

Take the plunge on SPS Karin and I bet you'll get addicted too.

Actually I have some SPS! My blue polyps are still blue, my green polyps are still green, the pink are still pink. I did kill a green confusa I think but 3 out of 4 SPS are still alive and growing.

Like Allan though I am still waiting for them to do something exciting (other than keep the color they're supposed to be) :thumbs_up:

Mixed reef is definitely the way to go for me :)

[jesserettele]

Yeah, if I had it over again, I'd get a two hundred gallon fuge for a one hundred gallon display... well that ratio anyway. :)

Three days no power and freezing temps??? Shoot, I would have to hug my setup to warm it up... maybe put one of my kids into the display and the other into the fuge to keep the water temp up.

I like LPS myself although I've a fair number of SPS that I'm waiting to watch grow... or eat... or move... or something...

would you fuge, and skim only and that is enough?

[jesserettele]

Its an addiction....but a fun one! Welcome back! I knew it would not take long for you to be back.....

Yeah you were no help either! Setting up a new tank, showing me pictures of your custom sump, etc....

[Mr Cob]

would you fuge, and skim only and that is enough?

That's me too. I don't dose anything either. Who knows as my colonies grow out. So far i have managed to keep things stable with frequent water changes, 2 refugiums and skimming. (RO/DI water)

[Big_Pun]

i run a pretty simple setup and have good growth with my sps, i run a 65g, 29g sump with a fuge barebottom( thinking about adding sand to fuge) just have cheato in my fuge, run a 250w de halide, runs for about 10-12 hours a day, but i have no actnic supplement, just started dosing b-ionic which has helped alot, your more than welcome to come by and see my setup and talk reef. heres a link to my build http://maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=53874

[allan]

would you fuge, and skim only and that is enough?

Like Rob I only use the fuge and skim. When I first started I had no idea what people were talking about with the calc reactors and Ozone, phosban reactors, dosing strot and Iodide, reverse cycle, two part something........ all I wanted to know was "when do I add salt to the water".

Now I have a fuge that incorporates a bare bottom macro, a semi deep sand bed (with more macro), and a cryptic fuge (not a hundred percent dark but never gets any light). I use a skimmer, a small one that was modified.

Now a year later I've started toying around with phosban reactors and have even built my own skimmer (not very effective but it worked) and plan on building a top off water supply with a Kalkwasser chamber. I understand the ozone and even when they start talking about alkalanity and ph levels.

don't get me wrong, I'm still scratching my head when the guys really get into the details.

Oh yeah, your question. I would start where you are comfortable, and don't worry about dosing until it either becomes a problem or you want to go in another direction that you feel is the right direction. If you keep up with the water changes you should have the majority of what you need as far as minerals to negate any supplementation.

Of course this is only my own newby opinion and others are welcome to point out the weak points of my approach.

[Europhyllia]

I do weekly water changes of about 10% and my alk and calcium still seem to go down faster than I can replenish with water changes so I am dosing kalk and sometimes a salifert alk/calcium supplement.
I also just got a media reactor because I like to feed things. :)

[jesserettele]

i run a pretty simple setup and have good growth with my sps, i run a 65g, 29g sump with a fuge barebottom( thinking about adding sand to fuge) just have cheato in my fuge, run a 250w de halide, runs for about 10-12 hours a day, but i have no actnic supplement, just started dosing b-ionic which has helped alot, your more than welcome to come by and see my setup and talk reef. heres a link to my build http://maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=53874

Man, thanks for sharing the link. You have a nice setup and have taken some incredible photographs. Thanks for the offer of reef talk, I may take you up on the offer once things slow down around my house.

[jesserettele]

Thanks for the tip...LOL! I didn't even know we had member galleries! I have just kept track of my tanks through threads. You can click my sig to view the 144 or view my blogs to see my other tanks.

Anyways, thanks and welcome to MAAST.

Your pics are great. I love your rock work and MAN those are some hand picked pieces!

[jesserettele]

Like Rob I only use the fuge and skim. When I first started I had no idea what people were talking about with the calc reactors and Ozone, phosban reactors, dosing strot and Iodide, reverse cycle, two part something........ all I wanted to know was "when do I add salt to the water".

Now I have a fuge that incorporates a bare bottom macro, a semi deep sand bed (with more macro), and a cryptic fuge (not a hundred percent dark but never gets any light). I use a skimmer, a small one that was modified.

Now a year later I've started toying around with phosban reactors and have even built my own skimmer (not very effective but it worked) and plan on building a top off water supply with a Kalkwasser chamber. I understand the ozone and even when they start talking about alkalanity and ph levels.

don't get me wrong, I'm still scratching my head when the guys really get into the details.

Oh yeah, your question. I would start where you are comfortable, and don't worry about dosing until it either becomes a problem or you want to go in another direction that you feel is the right direction. If you keep up with the water changes you should have the majority of what you need as far as minerals to negate any supplementation.

Of course this is only my own newby opinion and others are welcome to point out the weak points of my approach.

I used the HIATT HDL anerobic filtration system before with success but think I will take a more traditional route this time. Thanks for the input and experiences. I think I will run a fug and skim. I still have three huge custom made reactors with all the media in them that I will have to bring myself to parting out though. :at_wits_end:

[jesserettele]

Actually I have some SPS! My blue polyps are still blue, my green polyps are still green, the pink are still pink. I did kill a green confusa I think but 3 out of 4 SPS are still alive and growing.

Like Allan though I am still waiting for them to do something exciting (other than keep the color they're supposed to be) :thumbs_up:

Mixed reef is definitely the way to go for me :)

My favorite that I had was my bubble that was a pig. I would blend up a delicious frozen concoction and use a turkey baster to watch him eat.

[Bill S]

This is EXACTLY what you need to get back into the hobby:

http://www.maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=56269

[jesserettele]

This is EXACTLY what you need to get back into the hobby:

http://www.maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=56269

NICE, $1200 for all including sump? You don't have to answer, I am not financially ready, not to mention authorization from the boss lady, besides I don't have a place to take advantage of the double sided view aquarium. But you are right the way your tank is set up makes me chomp at the bit to get back in.

[jesserettele]

so I am getting a free light hood, stand, sump, pumps, skimmer, and plumbing from ctcoral, now I just need a 75 gallon reef ready starphire rimless.

[Double-O-Zilch]

Glad to see you getting back into it Jesse, between you and Ben I should be able to learn a few things.We're going fish store wondering if you can get out later today, you know you want to go!:wink_smile:

[jesserettele]

here are the pics of the used 75 gallon drilled tank I picked up for $100. it is a little rough but I am thinking about trying to fix it up. I would like to remove the plastic brim that is cracked and unsightly. People say DON'T DO IT! I would like to add a top cap out of acrylic to brace it up a bit but just don't know what chips and unpolished edges are under that nasty black trim.

It looks like I will also have to drill a couple more holes in the back because of the pump that I want to run (pan world 200ps). :thumbs_up:(thanks corruption for the help with sizing my overflow drain)

[Mr Cob]

Man, great job getting everything together. I love watching tanks come together from the ground up, especially like this.

Once you get all your parts together I would start a new thread.

Also, thanks for the comments on my tank. :)

[corruption]

Heya Jesse! Glad to help! With the position that the holes are currently in -- you should be able to simply plumb them up for returns... I was picturing them much closer to the center of that back pane... Just build the Calfo where the 1" bulkheads are outside of the overflow, and drill for your needed drainage within the area between those two existing holes.. :)

-Justin

[jesserettele]

Yes I really like your rock work Rob and would like to do the foam and rock aquascaping to add some character like you did.

Thanks corruption that is a good idea, do you think I should drill two 2 1/2" holes or bigger to handle a pump rated at 1750 gph.

I will start a new thread once I really start going and hopefully I can make progress to show results.

[corruption]

Here's the article I mentioned to you in PM, Jesse... I was incorrect, it wasn't by Stephen Pro, it was by Scott Vallembois (the guy who runs glass-holes.com, and another WetWeb crew member), but lists a great deal of useful information when it comes to plumbing, and understanding limitations of plumbed configurations:

http://wetwebmedia.com/BulkheadFloRateArt.htm

Based off his numbers, 2-3 2" bulkheads should be just about right, if you're deadset on using the PanWorld pump as your return... Have you considered plumbing a closed loop exclusively for the PanWorld? You could still get the benefits of the extra flow, but not lose the reaction time within your sump (which is where your most beneficial filtration occurs)... Just something to consider! :)

-Justin

[Mr Cob]

Yes I really like your rock work Rob and would like to do the foam and rock aquascaping to add some character like you did.


Cool, we'll talk this weekend and I'll explain how I did everything and share with you what I would have done differently. This is, I think my 6th tank utilizing foam and in my opinion each tank keeps getting better, so I only hope that yours will be better. I was originally inspired by Texreefer about 3 years ago by his use of foam on one of his tanks that also got tank of the year here on MAAST.

I tried searching for his TOY but could not find it. Anyways...we'll talk.