Tips for new ''underaged'' reefer?

[Ocellaris PDX]

Hello NR! I'm a teen who's looking to take the dive into sw fishkeeping after a little while of dreaming and lurking these forums.

 

A little background. I've been in the FW side of the hobby for 5 years. I've had some nanos, some larger tanks, and I've some breeding (plecos, platys, and krib cichlids). I had to give up all but the 29g due to some time issues and starting private school instead of homeschooling. Now I'm finding I have some extra time on my hands and would like to start a new tank up - I've always wanted a saltwater.

 

I'm planning on doing a 13-20g tank with a pair of ocellaris clowns. I'd like to get coral eventually.

 

What I was wondering is, what tips/warnings do you have for a beginner who also happens to be under 18?

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hello, welcome to NR! 

 

Do you have a specific setup in mind? The key to succeeding in this hobby is doing a lot of reading and researching beforehand. If you have any questions, ask away. There are a lot of experienced forum members in here that would help. 

[Ocellaris PDX]

1 minute ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Hello, welcome to NR! 

 

Do you have a specific setup in mind? The key to succeeding in this hobby is doing a lot of reading and researching beforehand. If you have any questions, ask away. There are a lot of experienced forum members in here that would help. 

Yeah, sorry! I accidentally posted the thread before I was done, haha. Its editted now. 😅

[HookedOnAquariums]

Another underage reefer here. My tip is don't be dumb, none of this would it work if i did... If people say it probably wouldn't work, it wont. And water changes. Ive got no corals in my system but the walls are cleaner. my clown swims around more, and everything just looks better when i do a water change. If something isnt doing well? do a water change. If you got algae? do a water change. simple fix especially for us small reefers.

 

If you feel comfortable answering How old are you? im 15 and the budget is tight even now. 

[Ocellaris PDX]

1 minute ago, HookedOnAquariums said:

Another underage reefer here. My tip is don't be dumb, none of this would it work if i did... If people say it probably wouldn't work, it wont. And water changes. Ive got no corals in my system but the walls are cleaner. my clown swims around more, and everything just looks better when i do a water change. If something isnt doing well? do a water change. If you got algae? do a water change. simple fix especially for us small reefers.

 

If you feel comfortable answering How old are you? im 15 and the budget is tight even now. 

I do weekly 20% water changes / water testing on my 29g freshwater tank, and I've got the routine down tight. 😉

 

I hope I don't do stupid stuff, which is exactly the reason I'm here. As a fellow teen, I'm sure you understand how sometimes you'd like to think you know better. BUT NOPE.

 

I'm 15 too, but I work so I'm not very tight on money. No car to pay for yet. 😉

[HookedOnAquariums]

3 minutes ago, Ocellaris PDX said:

I do weekly 20% water changes / water testing on my 29g freshwater tank, and I've got the routine down tight. 😉

 

I hope I don't do stupid stuff, which is exactly the reason I'm here. As a fellow teen, I'm sure you understand how sometimes you'd like to think you know better. BUT NOPE.

 

I'm 15 too, but I work so I'm not very tight on money. No car to pay for yet. 😉

Ah here nobody will hire you till your 16 so i just gotta mow laws, babysit, and sell "flipped" tank equipment on CL. And yeah i get the knowing better thing. But as it happens I started this whole fishtank thing because i bet my dad i could do it better. And guess who has 2 fw tanks, a saltwater, and is breeding angelfish now and guess who quit the hobby. My number one recommendation is any time you would play video games, watch tv, or do something completely useless research fishtank stuff or observe your tank instead.

There is a pretty big learning curve from switching from fresh to salt. Cant wait to see your tank tho!

[Muraki]

If funding is limited along with access to fresh saltwater, and dosing elements. I would suggest a softie/Macro tank. Low maintenance with many options. Macro algae uptakes nutrients which reduce Nitrates. Softies don't require nearly as much lighting (For the most part). LPS and SPS require stability in Calcium, Alkalinity, and magnesium, which can either be done by dosing or thru water changes which ups the maintenance and costs. Browse the forums, there are many with Softie / Macro systems that look great. Only require good husbandry in the tank itself. 

 

If funding isn't tight. Get a quality light, and keep up with the water changes. As the tanks needs grow, you can always update the system and move to dosing or automated dosing when water changes are not enough to keep Ca, KH, and Mg stable. Take a look thru the aquarium journals. Many good ideas, and others trying new things. Some amazing vase reefs are good examples of what water changes alone can do for a tank. 

 

If you want to get an Anemone for your clowns, wait 6-12 months before doing so. Increases your success on keeping your first one alive. They do best in mature stable systems. 

+1 to the vote for a 20 gallon

 

Depends on the maintenance you want to keep up with. I'm a lazy reefer. So I like low maintenance systems. 😊

[specore]

15 minutes ago, HookedOnAquariums said:

Another underage reefer here. My tip is don't be dumb, none of this would it work if i did... If people say it probably wouldn't work, it wont. And water changes. Ive got no corals in my system but the walls are cleaner. my clown swims around more, and everything just looks better when i do a water change. If something isnt doing well? do a water change. If you got algae? do a water change. simple fix especially for us small reefers.

 

If you feel comfortable answering How old are you? im 15 and the budget is tight even now. 

Wise beyond your years 🙂

 

 

[Ocellaris PDX]

5 minutes ago, Muraki said:

If funding is limited along with access to fresh saltwater, and dosing elements. I would suggest a softie/Macro tank. Low maintenance with many options. Macro algae uptakes nutrients which reduce Nitrates. Softies don't require nearly as much lighting (For the most part). LPS and SPS require stability in Calcium, Alkalinity, and magnesium, which can either be done by dosing or thru water changes which ups the maintenance and costs. Browse the forums, there are many with Softie / Macro systems that look great. Only require good husbandry in the tank itself. 

 

If funding isn't tight. Get a quality light, and keep up with the water changes. As the tanks needs grow, you can always update the system and move to dosing or automated dosing when water changes are not enough to keep Ca, KH, and Mg stable. Take a look thru the aquarium journals. Many good ideas, and others trying new things. Some amazing vase reefs are good examples of what water changes alone can do for a tank. 

 

If you want to get an Anemone for your clowns, wait 6-12 months before doing so. Increases your success on keeping your first one alive. They do best in mature stable systems. 

+1 to the vote for a 20 gallon

 

Depends on the maintenance you want to keep up with. I'm a lazy reefer. So I like low maintenance systems. 😊

Thanks! What a wealth of info. Especially the warning about anemones.

 

Do you have any suggestions for tanks no larger then 24g? Any suggestions for lights?

[HookedOnAquariums]

1 minute ago, Ocellaris PDX said:

Thanks! What a wealth of info. Especially the warning about anemones.

 

Do you have any suggestions for tanks no larger then 24g? Any suggestions for lights?

Nuvo 20, there is a sale going on right now for them.

Also for lights the Ocean Revive Arctic t247, Best blackbox imo, Two channel programable and only 190 dollars for a light that can comfortably cover a 24 by 24 area is a steal imo. These lights are pretty big in aquaculture because how cheap it is to get them and they work well. If you had an unlimited budget 24 inch aqualife t5 hybrid with a radion XR 30 gen 4 pro is the best light you can get. 

[Ocellaris PDX]

10 minutes ago, HookedOnAquariums said:

Ah here nobody will hire you till your 16 so i just gotta mow laws, babysit, and sell "flipped" tank equipment on CL. And yeah i get the knowing better thing. But as it happens I started this whole fishtank thing because i bet my dad i could do it better. And guess who has 2 fw tanks, a saltwater, and is breeding angelfish now and guess who quit the hobby. My number one recommendation is any time you would play video games, watch tv, or do something completely useless research fishtank stuff or observe your tank instead.

There is a pretty big learning curve from switching from fresh to salt. Cant wait to see your tank tho!

Thanks for the tips man. One of the reasons I really wanna get another tank is because I spend my free-time primarily on pets, especially the fish. I get very bored very quickly with TV/games and books. Generally I either do research or just watch and photograph my fish. I've sold a few drawings of my tank in the past. Animals are my ''emotional currency'', you could say. I really miss my old nanos and breeding operations.

[HookedOnAquariums]

Just now, Ocellaris PDX said:

Thanks for the tips man. One of the reasons I really wanna get another tank is because I spend my free-time primarily on pets, especially the fish. I get very bored very quickly with TV/games and books. Generally I either do research or just watch and photograph my fish. I've sold a few drawings of my tank in the past. Animals are my ''emotional currency'', you could say. I really miss my old nanos and breeding operations.

Just get a 20 tall and i could send you one of my extra breeding pairs for cheap, they are ravaging my 55.

[Muraki]

Just now, Ocellaris PDX said:

Thanks! What a wealth of info. Especially the warning about anemones.

 

Do you have any suggestions for tanks no larger then 24g? Any suggestions for lights?

In my opinion. Lighting is one of the larger costs of starting  new system up. Really depends on what you are going for. You have any idea what kind of corals you want? 

 

Most brand name LED lighting is excellent, even the blackbox setups will work. There are also LED and T5 hybrids. Comes down to style, preference, and cost. I personally run a Nanobox, but that is because I like to support local businesses and Dave's customer servers is top notch from my experience.  Take a look at the equipment for sale section and see what is available. Usually everyone on this forum buys and sells quality equipment. 

 

As for a tank. What shape do you want? Long? Cube? Tall? Short?

All in one setup (AIO)?

Drilled and Sumped setup?

Neither? Relies 100% on biological filtration. 

 

 

[chipz]

My advice as a former underaged reefer is to have an exit strategy. In a few years you will be leaving home, so figure out what you will do with the tank(s). I lucked out and managed to get my parents hooked on the hobby. 10+ years later and they still have 5 of the 7 tanks that I was running in highschool.

[Ocellaris PDX]

2 minutes ago, Muraki said:

In my opinion. Lighting is one of the larger costs of starting  new system up. Really depends on what you are going for. You have any idea what kind of corals you want? 

 

Most brand name LED lighting is excellent, even the blackbox setups will work. There are also LED and T5 hybrids. Comes down to style, preference, and cost. I personally run a Nanobox, but that is because I like to support local businesses and Dave's customer servers is top notch from my experience.  Take a look at the equipment for sale section and see what is available. Usually everyone on this forum buys and sells quality equipment. 

 

As for a tank. What shape do you want? Long? Cube? Tall? Short?

All in one setup (AIO)?

Drilled and Sumped setup?

Neither? Relies 100% on biological filtration. 

 

 

I'm thinking I want zoas and xenias. I'd like to get an anemone someday too, not necessarily for the clowns as much as for me. 😂 I love anemones.

-Cube

-I'd like an AIO

-No sump, most likely.

I am tempted to buy a tank during these black friday sales and put it into storage until I'm ready, so I want to rush, but at the same time I don't want to make a bad decision because I rushed. Would buying a tank now be a terrible idea? Its probably a terrible idea. I should wait for Christmas sales. 🤐

7 minutes ago, HookedOnAquariums said:

Just get a 20 tall and i could send you one of my extra breeding pairs for cheap, they are ravaging my 55.

Ha, I wish. Not quite ready for a tank just yet. I'm probably going to set it up over spring or summer break next year. Thanks for offering though. 😉

[HookedOnAquariums]

15 minutes ago, Ocellaris PDX said:

Ha, I wish. Not quite ready for a tank just yet. I'm probably going to set it up over spring or summer break next year. Thanks for offering though. 😉

What if i told you one of them was a pearlscale and the other is a carrier of the pearlscale gene?

Just kidding that ones mine extra one is a silver + gold 

Personally i would do the black friday sales. Most equipment and tanks would work very well in the long run but it all pans out to personal preference. Make a rock for the xenias so they dont choke out any other corals and get some high end zoas i can trade with you lol

[Muraki]

Not exactly "Cube" as I can't think of a cube that is AIO. But Innovated marine has a 20, 25, and 40 gallon AIO, Don't think I have seen anyone regret their purchase. They appear to already be on sale (Tank only). May be a few in the hardware classified for sale as well. 

 

If you plan to stick with Zoas, Xenia, and other soft corals. Your future Anenome will require the most light. If you have the money, I suggest that is where you should spend it, The light and the tank. Because my guess is you will move to lps and some sps down the road. If you want to postpone and get a "Good" temporary light. A quality Par30 or par38 with a goose neck will be plenty. I have 3 coral compulsion Par30's for my sump and love 'em, 3 year warranty thru CC. 

 

Note with Xenia, they spread like wildfire. I have to take a toothbrush to live rock all the time to remove unwanted polyps. 

[Ocellaris PDX]

2 minutes ago, Muraki said:

Not exactly "Cube" as I can't think of a cube that is AIO. But Innovated marine has a 20, 25, and 40 gallon AIO, Don't think I have seen anyone regret their purchase. They appear to already be on sale (Tank only). May be a few in the hardware classified for sale as well. 

 

If you plan to stick with Zoas, Xenia, and other soft corals. Your future Anenome will require the most light. If you have the money, I suggest that is where you should spend it, The light and the tank. Because my guess is you will move to lps and some sps down the road. If you want to postpone and get a "Good" temporary light. A quality Par30 or par38 with a goose neck will be plenty. I have 3 coral compulsion Par30's for my sump and love 'em, 3 year warranty thru CC. 

 

Note with Xenia, they spread like wildfire. I have to take a toothbrush to live rock all the time to remove unwanted polyps. 

Agh, you guys have got me. I've been looking at that Nuvo Fusion 20. I think that is what I'll go for. I really want to buy it on sale... I've got to run it past my father first. I'm not sure he'll let me but we'll see.

 

Hmm, scraping polyps sounds like a pain. Any recommendations that could replace the xenia? Good for smaller tanks and beginners?

13 minutes ago, HookedOnAquariums said:

What if i told you one of them was a pearlscale and the other is a carrier of the pearlscale gene?

Just kidding that ones mine extra one is a silver + gold 

Personally i would do the black friday sales. Most equipment and tanks would work very well in the long run but it all pans out to personal preference. Make a rock for the xenias so they dont choke out any other corals and get some high end zoas i can trade with you lol

LOL! Actually though, trading sounds fun. If this is a thing, count me in!

[Muraki]

Depends on the Xenia. Waving hand Xenia doesn't spread like the blue long polyp xenia. Never had to scrub my waving hand xenia off anything. Clowns love it too.

[HookedOnAquariums]

1 minute ago, Ocellaris PDX said:

Agh, you guys have got me. I've been looking at that Nuvo Fusion 20. I think that is what I'll go for. I really want to buy it on sale... I've got to run it past my father first. I'm not sure he'll let me but we'll see.

 

Hmm, scraping polyps sounds like a pain. Any recommendations that could replace the xenia? Good for smaller tanks and beginners?

LOL! Actually though, trading sounds fun. If this is a thing, count me in!

Beginners can do anything with enough research but Some nice HARDY corals would be Micromusas, Most mushrooms, And if you really want to get crazy montiporas and seriataporas. Trading is a big part of this hobby! Its like putting your corals in a vault. If there is a tank crash you have the ability to get them back again

[Joevember]

Hey dude, I'm turning 18 in a week, so technically I'm in a similar situation.

I'd say buy as much as you can locally, it saves a ton in the long run. You can get really nice equipment for over 50% off, I think I spent around $500 for my radion xr15, RMS, mp10, and nuvo 20. The only things I buy for the tank new is filtration equipment. You can also get livestock for cheap locally as well.

 

Also, people sell their running setups they want gone insanely low most of the time. Plus the tank is already up and running when you get it.

 

And lastly, if you're not keeping sps, maintaining element levels isn't that important (IME). When I had my 65g up, I only dosed twice a week and never bothered to test. I also just dumped in whatever I thought was good enough (go ahead, crucify me NR). And, strangely enough, everything was fine, was even able to keep a clam alive. So don't put too much effort into chasing numbers.

 

GL

[Nano sapiens]

Good that you are ask questions before jumping right in 👍

 

1.  If you are set on two Clownfish, I would suggest a 20g or larger if you are planning to have it set up for a few years.  You can house a young pair of clowns in a 10g or 12g, but they will outgrow the tank in a few short years.  I had two Ocellaris in a 12g for ~ 2 - 1/2 years, but when the female was nearing 4" and finding it hard to avoid coral branches in the tank it was clear that it was time to move the pair on to larger accommodations.

 

2.  You can pick up some good quality used equipment and lighting these days (maybe wait for someone who is exiting the nano reef hobby).  LEDs last a long time, typically many, many years IF the fixture they are in is properly designed, so you want to look for a well known and respected brand.

 

3.  A nano tank can be as complex or as simple as you like as long as you provide correct/stable temperature, adequate flow and proper lighting for the organisms that you would like to keep.  Regular water changes, good husbandry and patience will take you a long way towards success.

 

4.  Take a look at the Nano-reef TOTM (Tank of the Month) aquaria to get an idea of what is possible and how the systems are run as well as the Reef Aquarium Articles (both links below):

 

https://www.nano-reef.com/featured/

 

https://www.nano-reef.com/articles/

 

In this hobby opinions abound as there is no one single 'right way' to run a reef tank and no two reef aquariums are exactly the same.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

[Frag Factory]

Welcome to the forum dude!

 

I started my first marine tank aged 14 (now 28), I had a 8 year break in the middle somewhere but I'm back. It's a great hobby to get into!

 

If you want my advise:

1. Read a lot, you can never know too much and you can learn something from everyone.
2. Plan your system well, seek advice on your plan. This goes for livestock, equipment, setting up... Plan everything, get some second opinions and stick to the plan.
3. Get good quality live rock, this will be the base of your system and the extra critters is very interesting when you're starting out.
4. Keep it simple, avoid all the fancy gadgets/controllers. The beauty of nano tanks is while a $300 sexy protein skimmer would make your water better, it wouldn't make it as good as a 30% water change and that $300 gets you a lot of salt and a lot of RO water.
5. If you can't afford the latest and greatest lighting, a pair of clowns + inverts like shrimp, crabs. snails etc make a fantastic display. You can upgrade your light later when you're ready for coral.
6. I tend to find things run better the more I keep my hand out of the tank.
7. Don't get caught up in the latest crazes. The hobby has a pretty good understanding of what works by now, don't feel like you need to change path because a few threads on a forum popped up to tell you about the latest things Germans are doing.
8. Consider tank bred when available. Fish will only know aquarium life which means they will eat foods you can provide and corals/inverts will be used to artificial lighting already.
9. Use RO water only, and get a $5 TDS pen to make sure your source of RO water is good. I can't tell you how annoying it was previously to be chasing algae issues for months, then finding out my old LFS was giving me crap RO water. Even if you get your own RO unit you need to know when to change filters.
10. Make friends with your LFS, you never know when you will need them and in the future when you're settled in you could be paying for your tank by selling them frags.

Other than that have fun, it's why we do it. The move from freshwater to marine is steep, but not that steep. You will be fine.

[jesseatam]

I started my reef around mid junior year of high school, now I'm a college freshman and also have a freshwater planted tank in my dorm. If you plan on keeping your setup running for the long term keep it as simple and possible with minimal equipment this way if you have to be away for an extended period of time for some reason or college in the future it'll be easier for parents to keep up with and understand. I'm running my 30 gallon at home just off biological filtration and macro algae. I have an aquaclear 70 running but at this point its just for water movement.  For lighting I'm running a current orbit fixture, it does what its need to do, has good coverage, is controllable, and is reasonably cost effective. It's easy to get caught up with crazy equipment but over time I've found myself  going towards a more natural method with minimal equipment and no chemical filtration. If you plant on mostly softies with some LPS that's what I would recommend based off of my own personal experience. Also, at some point your tank will look ugly and you will have some sort of disaster, whether it's an equipment failure or disease outbreak. Don't let these things beat you down and instead use them as learning experiences, keeping a reef has a learning curve and the only way to become better is time and making mistakes. I'm finding myself going through a learning curve right now trying this planted set up in my dorm, its so much easier to tell if a coral is unhappy vs a plant 😅. A lot of the methodology and philosophies between freshwater and saltwater seem to be different I've noticed as well but that's a different conversation. Finally, save yourself the heartbreak and QT if you can, you'll be far better off in the long run.

 

Always remember, good things happen slowly in this hobby but bad things happen quickly. I wish you the best of luck.

 

edit: also don't know how "developed" you are physically but that could be something to keep in mind too when it comes to handling water changes. Before I started working out lifting 3 gallons up to my shoulders and trying to carefully pour it in wasn't the easiest thing and it still isn't either, but I don't know what kind of system you have for yourself so this could be a moot point.

[Lauraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

One major piece of advice I have is watch the entire bulk reef supply 52 weeks of reefing series on youtube.