Island Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Greetings. I wanted to start off by saying that I am a complete noob to the Reef/saltwater tank world. I had a fw Cichlid tank 10 years ago, but that was pretty much it. About a month ago, I saw a friend's reef tank...and you know the rest! For the last month, I have been scouring forums and watching hundreds of You Tube videos, just trying to soak up as much Knowledge and info as I can. I have to say that this is a wonderful forum community and it has provided me with lots of useful tips/info....Not to mention all the badass pics of members tanks! So, I decided to start a thread to chronologize my journey. I hope to some day display a tank as awesome as the ones I have viewed on this forum! Wish me luck fellas!!! Island Link to comment
Island Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Well, I made the first leap today, and got my feet wet so to speak! Here's the first dent this hobby has put into the old wallet! What do you guys think so far? Link to comment
Angel<3Nanos Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 That's a awesome (expensive) list you got there lol You're off to a good high end start! Only advice I could give you is to memorize "how to cycle your tank". Imo is it the most crucial thing about saltwater. From then on it gets better. After that memorize what nutrients and parameters are. Looking forward to this build! Following Link to comment
Sully375 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Nice, so what are you going to do for lighting? Link to comment
Island Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hey and thanks for the replies fellas! Yes, I will heed the advice. I have been going over the cycling over and over and trying to memorize all the parameters. Damn, I feel like back in high school studying flash cards for the next days test As far as the lighting....don't get me started...I think that's the one piece of equipment that I have been OCD'ing on like a big dog!! My wife keeps walking by my office saying "Jesus, your still looking at fish tanks...it's been like 12 hours!!" I want to make this a really nice tank, so I am willing to splurge...but after looking at all the lights that are available, I decided to go with the Current USA orbit-36"-48". There are so many great reviews on it, and the light emitted looks really nice. Also, the light comes with an LCD display and remote, so that's also a major plus! It's not too expensive, but I really like the small footprint, as I think large equipment kind of impedes on the beauty of the tank. I could splurge and go with some Radions, but don't really want to hang anything from the ceiling with cables. So there you go. take care fellas! Link to comment
Egginis Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Welcome to nano reef and to this terrific and expensive hobby Great choice on the Fusion 30 as it's got a great footprint and beautiful aesthetics. Patience is key in this hobby and doing lots of research and asking questions will assist in creating a splendid and healthy aquarium. Looking forward to your build and I will certainly be following along. Good luck! Link to comment
Island Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Welcome to nano reef and to this terrific and expensive hobby Great choice on the Fusion 30 as it's got a great footprint and beautiful aesthetics. Patience is key in this hobby and doing lots of research and asking questions will assist in creating a splendid and healthy aquarium. Looking forward to your build and I will certainly be following along. Good luck! Thanks a lot Egg!! Man, looking at your tank ...WOW! Some day, I hope to get mine looking like that...Awesome aqua-scaping and placement...Any words of advice or aquatic wisdom? Link to comment
Kirk_M Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I used that light on a 5 gallon fluval spec. For a shallow tank, it is really nice. Link to comment
Egginis Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Thanks a lot Egg!! Man, looking at your tank ...WOW! Some day, I hope to get mine looking like that...Awesome aqua-scaping and placement...Any words of advice or aquatic wisdom? Have patience and research every step of the way. Enjoy the process and watch your system grow into a beautiful reef. Avoid the temptation to overstock with fish as this can lead to issues down the road. Maintain your aquarium with frequent water changes, cleaning filters and pumps, and changing out old and expired media. Water testing will also aid in detecting issues and keeping track of the health of your system. Keeping a log with your water parameters and observations until your system matures is a good idea at the start. Above all, have fun and ask questions when needed. Will be following along and good luck! Link to comment
TeamIM24 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Do you have a RO/DI set up? Highly recommend that for your setup. Link to comment
Sully375 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Do you have a RO/DI set up? Highly recommend that for your setup. +1 Link to comment
Island Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Greetings fellas...Thanks for all the advice. I really contemplated about getting a Ro/DI setup. But the "WAF" is not very good, as when I told her that I wanted to set it up in the laundry room...she was all ok with that, until I told her that I might have to keep some water cans for storage...she was like...meh... Just get your water from Walmart or the LFS..... I think it will be a pain to fill the tank initially as I will need the most water at the start...but after that I will just head to Walmart and buy some gallon RO/Distilled water or get some water cans from my LFS and keep a supply that way.... Well, made another purchase and dent in my wallet....Got my light, heater and the new highly praised chemi blue....Later fellas! Link to comment
lilmatty5dimes Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 This is off to a great build following along. Link to comment
Island Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Greetings again fellow reefers..... I Just wanted to update my thread. I made another purchase today. Not as big as the first, but I got some items at awesome prices. I am pretty thrifty, and will scour online for the best deals I can find. That being said, if any of you need to purchase some gear like mine, I have not found any place else with the prices I just paid! Check the site out, because it saved me more then a few bucks. I left my grand total visible so you could see what I ended up paying. Have a good day fellas! Island Link to comment
Island Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 What's up fellas....Well, I think I may have completely lost my mind and gone over the deep end. I am either completely insane or this hobby turns people into Bi-polar addicts...because for the last few days I have been in full "MANIC MODE!! I just cannot stop clicking the "Buy" button....I need an intervention I think I made my final purchase.....for now anyway Damn...if I knew Saltwater/Reef tanks were as bad as crack....I would have never agreed in going to see my friend's reef tank....Seriously though, I am very happy and excited! My tank and previous purchases should be here by Monday... I think I'm getting my Current Marine LED Light delivered today, so that's cool. Today though, was the second biggest purchase I made for my setup. I hope it will be my last purchase, at least until I am ready to add my cleaners after my cycle. I really hope I end up enjoying this hobby for a long time to come, and don't get to bored, or frustrated too early on....Anyways,I hope you gents all have a good weekend! Later fellas. Island Link to comment
Egginis Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 What's up fellas....Well, I think I may have completely lost my mind and gone over the deep end. I am either completely insane or this hobby turns people into Bi-polar addicts...because for the last few days I have been in full "MANIC MODE!! I just cannot stop clicking the "Buy" button....I need an intervention I think I made my final purchase.....for now anyway Damn...if I knew Saltwater/Reef tanks were as bad as crack....I would have never agreed in going to see my friend's reef tank....Seriously though, I am very happy and excited! My tank and previous purchases should be here by Monday... I think I'm getting my Current Marine LED Light delivered today, so that's cool. Today though, was the second biggest purchase I made for my setup. I hope it will be my last purchase, at least until I am ready to add my cleaners after my cycle. I really hope I end up enjoying this hobby for a long time to come, and don't get to bored, or frustrated too early on....Anyways,I hope you gents all have a good weekend! Later fellas. Island This is only the beginning. Soon it will be an upgrade, then a newer skimmer, then better lights, a refugium, and on and on and. It keeps going and going like the energizer bunny. But it's so much fun Link to comment
Island Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Need some assistance fellas....I need a water container/jug to use with my Tunze ato when I set everything up. I would like to purchase something prior to getting the tank/stand. Could one of you guys with the 30L/Stand do me a favor and take the inside dimensions of the stand for me please? I called IM earlier and spoke with one of the techs Paul. He told me over the phone that he thinks the measurements were 12" front to back and 15" wide to the center support. I would like to have these numbers verified and also the height from the stand's base to the top shelf as Paul did not provide me that value. He just stated that the shelves were removable. These measurments would be appreciated along with any water container/jugs that you guys recommend/have. Thanks in advance! island Link to comment
Island Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 What's up fellas? Well, I got every thing I ordered in the last few days. I built the stand and am finishing the 24 hour leak test. The boxes were destroyed by UPS, but surprisingly, other then minor dings to the wood, there wasn't any damage. I am very anal/OCD, so I had to fix the dings in the wood and it came out looking good. You guys that own IM brand...Are you guys happy with the build quality? I was thinking that buying something made in the USA would be made with the highest quality. Seems like all the parts/screws for the stand had "Made in China" stamped on the packaging. Also, the rubber mat they provide, they now affix to the bottom of the tank for you. That would be fine, if the mat didn't look like it was cut with kindergarten plastic scissors. I mean the cuts are so crooked that it makes the tank not flush with the stand top. I called IM and some kid assures me that that is fine and it will flatten out...Whatever...You think for the money we pay for these aquariums, they could actually spend the time to do things right...Other then that, everything looks great I will be installing my GFI outlet and RODI unit in my laundry room today. Hopefully, I'll be cycling my tank in the next few days. I'll post pics also...Later fellas! Link to comment
Island Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Sup fellas-Well leak test passed with no issues. I tried to do some aquascaping this morning. I initially thought BRS sent me some crappy dry live Fiji rock as I ordered 25 pounds and when I got the rock, they all looked so small. Now that I have them in the tank, it actually is too much, and I have like 5-6 pieces left that I might leave out as what I have in the tank now seems more then enough. Any ideas or recommendations fellas? These 30 L tanks are long but not very wide or deep, so rock placement is limited. I should have the cycle rolling by Tuesday. Later guys! Link to comment
Island Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Seeing other tanks on this forum, I see more aquascaping with separate "Islands" if you will, rather then one continuous "rock wall" like what I tried. What do you guys think? I would assume the individual formations would make it easier to add corals, and make the fish have easier swimming lanes? Link to comment
TeamIM24 Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 We have islands in our 24 but you can go either way. Link to comment
Island Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Greetings fellas... Well, it's been about 3 weeks since I started this thread about my journey into the reef tank world. I am happy to say that I finally got the tank all set up and I am about 4 days into its cycle. There have been a few bumps in the road, but I guess with this hobby, that is to be expected. It took me a few days just to get the aquascaping the way I wanted it. I kept changing the rocks around to the point that I was about ready to smash the tank with one of them out of frustration. I have to come to the realization that there is nothing perfect in this world...Speaking of that, I also noticed after the tank was filled and aquascaped that I have 2 "Pinhead-sized" chips in the front of my tank. It also seems that the guys from Innovative Marine tried to fix them, because there is a little haze/cloudiness around the chips as if they tried and failed at buffing them out. The chips are so tiny and are pretty much only noticeable when the LED lights are on max brightness, but of course to me, the chips are the size of the Grand Canyon and my eyes are drawn to them like a "Moth to the flame." Anyways, I am very happy with this new hobby though. I can't wait to get through the tank cycle so I can at least buy a Clean up crew! Can't wait to see a shrimp and some snails in the tank. I am going to take my time though. I am going to put in my RODI in the laundry room today, so that should be the last big project for now. I took some quick pics with my iPhone. I was going to use a better camera but I wanted to take some pics now, so I could show you guys the progress I've made. Alright fellas-Later! Link to comment
Island Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 Hey all...Tank still cycling....Really slow...I am adding a few food pellets everyday...I know I could just plunk a dead shrimp or some other food but I figure this will be a little "cleaner" Ammonia is coming up slowly but I am a little over a week in the cycle. Anyway, the only issue is that my Tunze 9001 is giving me headaches with micro bubbles.... I tried to reorient the instakes but no matter what, I still get micro bubbles. I hope the old "It just needs breaking in" adage is correct. Don't really see how breaking in a pump and plastic parts will help defeat micro bubbles but I will keep my fingers crossed. Other then that, the reef tank hobby continues....Later Link to comment
ReviloM Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Go to ace hardware and get the pure ammonia they have. Add 10 drops and it will help. I'll add a pic here when I get home. Link to comment
Cameron6796 Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Love these tanks the whole fusion series is really quite nice their newest 20 is my favourite though Link to comment
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