Should I start a reef?

[CU_Reefer]

I have always loved aquariums, especially reef aquariums. I would love to start one up but I am currently living in a dorm room with limited space. When I found this sight I thought a micro reef would be perfect. I currently live about 4 hours from home making transportation a problem. I would need to transport my reef back and forth approximately once or twice a semester. I might be able to cut this down to only Christmas break and summer break if I could talk my local fish store to take care of it for my shorter breaks. Is there any advice anyone could give me on moving the tank or should wait to start one when I can have a more permanent place to keep it?

 

CU_Reefer

[tinyreef]

bump

 

imo it's always best if you don't have to move a system but there are many people here that are dorm students. they can probably give you better insight to issues and tricks of the trade specifically oriented for dorms.

 

i would suggest an acrylic tank (only for your specific situation, normally i prefer glass) for the occasional bumps from drunk-ass friends. they also usually come with fitted tops (you can do without the beer dosings X) ). and acrylic holds temp better than glass when you do have to move it (strength is another plus here). they're also lighter for the inevitable move. and the acrylic turnkeys are good as a startup (FO or FOWLR).

 

otoh, acrylic scratches easily, very easily. the setup usually is not conducive for upgrading later on. the setups are also usually inadequate for coral reef settings (light, flow, filtration, etc.). hth

[birdman204]

10 Gallons of top off, and light timers.... who needs to transport it?

 

Just a thought.

[seabass]

There are plenty of college peeps here that have reefs. I agree with Tiny; if the tank is going to be moved, an acrylic tank might be more suitable than glass.

 

However, as Birdman suggests, you might be able to come up with a setup that can be left alone for a couple of weeks. You should consider an auto top off system, auto feeder, very low bio-load, low calcium consumption (you might also dose calcium via top off water or maybe put some small pieces HBH Balance Blocks in the feeder to supplement calcium), timer for lights, and hardy corals.

 

A large mushroom that dies can be enough to crash a small tank if you are not around to take care of it. However, a reef with some nice zoos, a couple of snails, and a hermit or two might be doable.