Thinking about starting back up
 

Hi All, it's been about 4 years since I shutdown my tank and have been kicking around the idea of starting back up. I have not stayed in the reefer loop, although I have popped in here now and again to check out photos. A start up likely would not happen until later this year, into 2022 simply because we are in the process of building a new house, currently purging and packing etc.

with that said, its a great time to plan, brainstorm and decide if I (we) really really want to go through this again, add another hobby, drain the bank account lol. My last tank was a 180 gl, I am definitely not going as big, I really enjoyed my 55 even though it was an odd shape tank to work with, it was an easy size to manage and everything absolutely flourished.
So, what's new in equipment, tanks, technology etc? do's, don'ts etc.?

Cheers

Tank wise u are right there with concept to build what ever u can dream

It would be nice to see you back in the game you had a nice tank.

If your wondering at tank size I'd recommend 80-100 gallons as it would be big enough for most mid sized fish and you can stock it fairly well and size envy would be less of an issue.

Equipment for the most part has gotten cheaper and there is still a huge demand on used equipment as well.

LEDs are the new lighting options to go with although the LED/T5 hybrids are popular as well. Downside is its still expensive as hell to buy.

There is a wider range of skimmers available now and can be quite cheap to buy quality skimmers.

There are several controllers on the market with Apex Wireless now the sought after controller system you can now pick up used wired Apex systems for around the $3 to $400 range on average.

Biggest change you will see is in livestock pricing most have gone up by 50% and others have tripled in price for both inverts and fish with Tank Raised being more expensive than wild caught now.

As to Corals its buyer beware lots of private sellers will charge you an arm and a leg even for common coral and often one or two heads on a tiny plug. Your best bet is store bought or from trusted private sellers as even though coral has gone up in pricing you can still get nice coral at decent rates.

Canada Corals and Bayside corals seem to be the big coral sellers now.

Hope to see you back in the game again.

Great insight, thank you! I’m thinking a 75 gl tank would be a great size. My 55 did great the led/ t5 set up so would likely go the same route. I know I still have some equipment, will have to check it out. I had an Apex but didn’t really use it the way it was meant to be used. Crazy on pricing tho, COVID related or just the market? I will start watching for equipment and checking things out. Would be nice to get back in to it, I do miss it!

COVID has definitely played a big part in livestock/coral pricing but other factors are limited availability, new laws concerning harvesting and shipping, bans and limits in country of origin just to name but a few.

Building a new house is a great time to plan a new tank! I might be a bit nutty but I actually daydream about how fun it would be to build from scratch, like having a fish room etc. Do all the right things after learning from past mistakes.
The downside is there is definitely a livestock shortage/price hike right now due to Covid, although things might be getting back on track by the time you’re ready to stock again.

It would be much easier this time round for sure. We would have a basement tank, layout works great for it, less risk of water damage...been there done that. No risk of tank going through floor.....just saying lol. A concern is posts we are seeing about water in the community, so we need to consider this. Good thing I know how long tank set ups can take. :biggrin:

Can't wait to see you back! Been a long time.

When in doubt just go for it! Welcome almost back =)

Do it! Do it!

Welcome back!

If you are building your house, theres no question that you need to set one up. Its the absolute perfect opportunity to set one up and make it a natural part of the room.

If your set on 48"... hands down a 75 is the perfect medium/large sized tank! The dimensions are awesome!

Look forward to seeing this materialize!

Glad to see you still here! It has been a long time, been tossing this around for a while, life seems to have settled after a crazy few years! If we do this it’s a complete start up, I sold pretty much everything.

So awesome to see you here as well! The good thing is we take possession in the fall, so not much we will have to do right away outside, good time to get one going.

Definitely agree. We have water roughed in for a wet bar, would be a perfect set up. I found the 180 to be too much, the 55 too small. A 75ish would be perfect. I’d get shot for buying anything now as we are purging and throwing stuff into storage, but hubby is on board.

Where is everyone getting tanks from these days? My 180 came out of Edmonton, the sump came from a store for the life of me I can’t remember the name of, but it cracked anyway.

If you have your heart set on a 4' tank, instead of just a 75g ...
Consider maybe 100g or so.
If I had the space, I would have preferred something more 4x2 or 4x2.5 and still no taller than the 21" of my 75

My last 4 have all been concept aquariums. They do just about anything and have all been quality builds.

Definitely no bigger than 4’x2’. I like the 21” height, easier to get into. We probably won’t decide until we can actually get into the house during the build.

Are you getting out or just a break?

Glad they are still around, will have to stop in and have a chat.

For now I'm out but still entertaining myself on forums
Looking to get back into some previously neglected hobbies and maybe some travelling

Totally understandable. Glad you’re still here tho! Still have your car? Travel would be an issue if we start up again, kids have grown, so tank sitters could be challenging, but there’s always a way.

Try being single and finding a reliable tank sitter😂

Meh, even if you had a partner, they would be off adventuring with you! :lol: Automation is the way to go! My 180 did really well, just needed to feed the fish.

Hi Coralgurl! Nice to see you back on Canreef. Cheers!

Definitely been a while! :biggrin:

Stopped by Concept on my way home, were closed even tho website said they were open. We really can’t plan out a tank until we can get into the basement and plan it out. We had originally talked about a fireplace on the mechanical room wall, but now thinking it would be the best spot for the tank, run plumbing through the wall and have sump behind the wall. Hubby seems to have different ideas. We may end up with too much time to think about this ugh.

Well you guys tried your best right? He'll land on his feet again I'm sure...

Maybe:biggrin:

Popping in again, we are still at least a month away before we can get into the house. Foundation is poured, but waiting on backfill and framing, then wait for basement pour. Then we can start thinking about the tank set up. I have purposely stayed away from fish stores for now, ideally would like to start a build over the winter months.

:pop2:

Welcome back and congrats on the house and up coming tank build, can't wait to see what you do.

:lol:

Thank you! House is taking forever it seems.....

Well, we have finally moved into our new home and slowly getting settled in. I'm still tossing around the idea of a small tank, I stopped by Concepts some time ago, but they were closed, not sure what their hours are as they were posted as open when I did head over. I had thought a tank in the basement would be a great idea, but it is smaller than what our last basement was and hubs wants to set up a bar/gaming area. Main floor is not really an option - I know me and water lol. Are there any other tank builders in Calgary or Edmonton you all would recommend? Anyone here got anything under 100 gl looking to sell? My 180 build had pretty much all brand new equipment on it and boy did I take a hit when I sold, so not sure that's the route I want to go. I have a fish fund but definitely want to be a bit smarter this time round if I do start back up. I do still have some equipment we found when moving, but I got rid of all the good stuff lol.

The basement is a great place for a tank. Ours is in our TV room and we spend most evenings down there so the tank gets a lot of attention. The best thing is how stable the temperature is - not too hot in the summer so no chiller needed.
So exciting to start from scratch!

Concept is open. Dave is restocking the store front these days and building tanks as usual. You might be waiting a while if you want something nice built but I think it's worth it. Welcome back and Merry Christmas.

PM sent