New Northshore Newbies!

[sfb911]

Hello BRS folks!

First off, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself (Steve). My wife Melissa and I are Northshore folks, (Wakefield to be exact) and a few weeks back we decided that we wanted to try our hand at reef keeping as a hobby.

Since then, we've been doing as much research as we could and trying to learn before we jumped into anything. It has absolutely been a learning experience and we've only just begun.

Right now, we've settled on either a 36G or 46G bow front tank and we've started to put together a bit of a wish list for what we're planning on purchasing. To date, we have not bought anything because as I said we're still trying to make sure we're planning for the correct things.

I was hoping to get some feedback on our preliminary equipment list from the group and see if anyone had any recommendations or feedback.

In addition to this, a good portion of our research has led us to the conclusion that we should probably look at a sump/refugium. I must admit, I'm quite intimidated by this prospect, because from a technical point of view, setting up a proper sump, seems overwhelming. Along those lines, I would love to contact a local resource who would be willing to walk me through this or perhaps help with the setup (more than willing to pay for some assistance if necessary).

Below is our current ideas as far as equipment and initial sand/rock. I'd love to hear your feedback on the setups and any pros/cons of going 36G vs 46G, either would fit nicely in the location where we plan to put the system.

36 Gallon Bow Front Setup
1 x Tank
1 x Stand
1 x 30 Inch 4x24 Watt AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture W/ 2 Lunar LEDs
1 x AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer with Maxi-Jet 1200 Pump
2 x Hydor Koralia Evolution Power Heads 1050gph
1 x Aquarium Pharmaceuticals RENA SmartHeater 200W
20lbs Live Sand (I am open to suggestion on an appropriate brand or type)
30lbs Marco Dry Fiji Rock (https://www.marcorocks.com)
6lbs Fiji Rock as "seeder' rock
Instant Ocean Sea Salt

46 Gallon Bow Front Setup

1 x Tank
1 x Stand
1 x 36 Inch 4x39 Watt AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture w/ 4 Lunar LEDs
1 x AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer with Maxi-Jet 1200 Pump
2 x Hydor Koralia Evolution Power Heads1050gph
1 x Aquarium Pharmaceuticals RENA SmartHeater 200W
30lbs Live Sand (I am open to suggestion on an appropriate brand or type)
40lbs Marco Dry Fiji Rock (https://www.marcorocks.com)
6lbs Fiji Rock as "seeder' rock
Instant Ocean Sea Salt

Thanks again for having such a great resource for those of us who are new to the hobby (or lifestyle as the case may be!)

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Cherokee_Dude]

Welcome aboard! and Kudos for taking the time to learn before jumping in... You'll save money and potentially the lives of many a coral with proper planning

Althoug I'm not a fan of Bowfronts, since it makes taking pictures a nightmare... I'd say, go with the larger of the two. Trust me, you'll wind up there in a short while anyhow

If you're going to purchase new lighting, I'd seriously consider a DIY LED or even purchase one of the bridgelux units that are now out. Saves energy, money, and you can 'Alter' the PAR intensity depending on your current coral inventory.

If you're going with a sump, ditch the AquaC remora hang on and get a cone. The noise will drive you crazy unneccessarily and you'd have to modify {Mod} it to get it quiet and producing decently.

SWC make an incredible cone skimmer for short money.

When it comes to salt, everyone has a preference... For me and if you can swing the few extra bucks. Go with Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. The Tropic Marin stuff is REALLY NICE, but expensive and IMO not worth the extra dough since the RC will keep things alive and thriving, which is the goal right

The rock is really a preference thing, go with what looks most pleasing to you. Marco has some nice stuff and you can even send him a note with the kind of pieces you are looking for. A few vendors on here stock his stuff also.

Besides, for more filtration, you can fill your sump with rubble and keep a cleaner look in your display.

Above all, HAVE FUN! and Happy reefing


Oh, don't forget to sign up for a membership for all the added benefits and such!

 

[Turbosnail]

Welcome to the BRS!There are a lot of experienced members here so ask a lot of questions you will get the answers you need.If I'm not mistaken there are alot of members up your way so ask for help when you need it most members are happy to help.
And like Cherokee Dude said become a paid member its worth the $20 bucks a year.

 

[yukyuklee]

welcome to BRS!! yes yes... patients is everything!

 

[isakshu]

I'll echo the above - welcome to BRS!!!

You are on the right path with the planning and discussion around your potential tank. There are enough of us here who have made mistakes in our set-ups that can certainly help out with some advice. Not to mention, there are a bunch of us on the North Shore that will be more than willing to help with whatever question/assist you might need. I'm in Melrose and spend plenty of time in Wakefield (love Bellinos) so am definitely in the area.

As for your current set-up, the first thing you need to decide is what you are going to keep. This will influence the amount of required filtration and equipment you'll need. From the equipment you listed - I'm not a huge bowfront fan, but to each their own. You are spot on in thinking you need the sump/refugium set-up - and for simplicity sake, you should try to find a tank that is pre-drilled with an internal overflow. You could go with a hang-on back overflow, but there are some potential issues that can come up with this that make it not as pleasant of a thought. And trust me, once you see how simple it is to plumb something like this, you won't be overwhelmed. I used to feel the same way until I jumped in feet first with a sump and then replaced it with a refugium on my old 125g. It's really not a challenge once you get comfortable with the overall process.

As for the other starting equipment, koralias are great and I would follow Cherokee's advice on the skimmer. I would also listen to him on the salt as well. I've heard AquaticLife produces a nice fixture, although it sounds like the stock bulbs aren't up to snuff (suppose that's true for most fixtures though).

My big piece of advice would be to save money when possible by purchasing some used equipment from other reefers here. I.e. the sump - it's glass or acryllic and virtually impossible to ruin with age. You can likely save 50-75% by looking in the used equipment section. You can also get lucky with the lighting, pumps and skimmers - it can be tough though not knowing how old they are, number of hours used or how they were maintained. Hard part on any of this is finding exactly what you are looking for. At the end of the day, this is an expensive hobby and if you can save a few bucks here and there it might help you afford your first purchase of fish/corals.

Again - welcome to the club - it is an extremely enjoyable hobby and this is a great group of people to be involved with. Any questions, feel free to PM me. Good luck -

 

[afboundguy]

Welcome to the insanity that is saltwater tanks I'm in Ipswich so I'm pretty close by if ever needed...

Although I'm not a fan of Bowfronts, since it makes taking pictures a nightmare... I'd say, go with the larger of the two. Trust me, you'll wind up there in a short while anyhow

+1 on bigger... Bigger is better especially with beginners. Larger tank equals larger volume of water which equals better stability. I would even say look at a 72 bowfront. Much easier to fit a sump under and more volume...

If you're going with a sump, ditch the AquaC remora hang on and get a cone. The noise will drive you crazy unneccessarily and you'd have to modify {Mod} it to get it quiet and producing decently.

+1... Remora's are pretty good if you don't have a sump but having a sump expands what you can do with a tank a lot, the main thing is having much better skimmers than a HOB (hang on back) skimmer.

Good luck and again don't hesitate to ask questions...

 

[sfb911]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and comments. I'm absorbing it all and will likely have some additional questions very soon