It begins...

[squibege]

Figured I would start this in the Tank Journal section so I can look back and see the progress from the very beginning. First a bit about me…

I have a LOT of interest but pretty much zero experience with anything aquarium related. Hubby sent me to Petsmart for cat food and I came back with a Betta three years ago With him and some goldfish I got for my fourth birthday… you now know my total experience with fish! So setting up a reef tank will be a quantum leap for me to say the least. That being said, I am a detail oriented Lab Tech with a love for biology and chemistry, plus a girl who loves pretty colourful things; so Im sure I can learn my way through this Hubby and I are people who like to do things right the first time- if it means lots of research and waiting for the $$ to get the proper set up going so be it. I want my tank to be a happy and healthy ecosystem that we can see flourish and enjoy for years to come!

The current household debate is whether we wait until we move to a new place to set up a tank, or to set up a tank in this house, knowing we will be moving it in two(ish) years. Since we are starting as complete newbies I would like to set up a (relatively) small tank so if we accidently do something stupid and nuke our tank, at least it’s a minimal investment down the drain. Then in the new house set up a big tank and go all out with the dream tank basically built and plumbed in from scratch. “Old” tank would then be used as a QT tank/ frag tank/ whatever we can upcycle it to. Hubby doesn’t think he will get much enjoyment out of a smaller tank since it can’t hold “real sized” fish (like tangs, not just clownfish) especially since corals aren’t really his thing. It would be too much of a pain to move, and why put $$ into something that isn’t final. I think I’m right but some justification from strangers on the internet would be great lol.


My ideal plan is to start to gather equipment from kijiji, Black Friday, Boxing Day sales… and then get the tank starting to cycle by mid-February when winter is reaaaaaly starting to suck. Then slowly add in livestock as finances+ bioload allow. The locations I have in mind can have a tank that’s max 3ft long. Eventually I would like to stock: CUC, pom-pom crab, Zoas, mushrooms, toadstool, torch/ hammer coral, pair of Ocellaris Clownfish, and maybe another few fish depending on the size of the tank.


Specific questions:
First tank= fear of failure= not wanting to waste a bunch of $$. Buy equipment new? Or be choosy about second hand stuff?

Keeping with the 3ft length, how many gallons should I aim for? I like the idea of a ‘nano’ tank around 30g… is that too small for a newbie to try for?

Thinking of running this quite simple- Could I be totally fine with just a HOB skimmer, heater, and a powerhead? Or is it going to be much easier in the long run with a sump setup? There is so much conflicting info I’ve been reading about what a tank “needs” [insert OCD breakdown here] Algae scrubbers, canister filters, carbon is great, carbon is bad, skimmers aren’t necessary, get a skimmer rated for twice your tank size! WTF internet? I know it depends on personal preference and your setup, but I’m starting from ground zero here so any advice on equipment/ filtration is welcome!

Reef-ready system or piece together my own?


^^All my research is making me second guess everything. I’ll stop rambling now and just see what comments come in. TIA!!