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!