I'm a long-time freshwater planted guy that is finally making the dive into reef tanks. I've been on the fence about starting for a long time and a buddy of mine recently offered me a tank and some of his spare equipment at a great price which was the final push I needed.
I plan to use this thread to document not only my build, but my journey of learning this side of the hobby, and as a new guy I'm hoping to get lots of advice and suggestions (so please fire away!). I'm also excited to share this experience with my two daughters who are 3 and 5.
Here is what I have so far; items marked with an * are what I'm getting from my buddy, the rest I've purchased separately:
Equipment:
Tank - IM 25g Lagoon AIO*
Filtration - IM CustomCaddy* (haven't decided on media yet) and Auqu Shield UV
Pump - stock Mighty Jet* with 2x Auqa Spin Stream nozzles
Powerhead - Current USA eFlux Wave Pump (660 GPH, already owned this from a previous freshwater build)
Light - AI Prime 16HD*
Heater - Hygger titanium w/ controller*
ATO - Duetto Dual-Sensor*
Controller - Kasa Smart Plug power strip (if that counts ha)
Stand - building my own, will be a knockoff of an ADA stand out of 3/4" maple ply (Aqua Design Amano for those not familiar with freshwater aquascaping)
Aquascape:
Rock - Marco Rock (30lbs)
Sand - Caribsea Special Grade Arag-Alive (20lb)
Testing:
API Saltwater Master Kit (Ammonia, Nitrite, pH)
Salifert kH/Alk
Hanna Nitrate HR
Hanna Phosphate ULR
SunGrow Refractometer
Misc:
RO/DI - Aquatic Life 4-Stage (100 GPD)*
Salt - Instant Ocean Sea Salt
Water storage - 3 x 5g Hedpak
I already have tons of algae scrubbers, siphons, nets, buckets, etc from my freshwater tanks unless I absolutely can't mix between fresh and reef tanks.
I'm in for $876 so far including materials for stand (minus paint); not cheap but relatively speaking I think I've lucked out big time!
Beyond this I need a ton of help ha! I want to keep things simple to start and don't have any specific theme. I just want to have a healthy and (hopefully) peaceful community ecosystem.
For livestock I'm open to all suggestions, I've just listed out those that have caught my eye so far that seem like they would be mostly compatible. I know I won't be able to add them all in a 25g but would like to have as much variation as possible.
Livestock:
Pair of Percula Clowns (local breeder, these are the only non-negotiable on the list as the whole family is excited about them)
Yellow Watchman Goby/Pistol Shrimp
Tailspot Blenny
Pink Streaked Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Court Jester Goby
Yellowtail Damsel
CUC:
Cleaner Shrimp (not 100% non-negotiable but I really want one ha)
Snails (unsure of specific varieties and numbers, need advice)
Hermits (unsure of specific varieties and numbers, need advice)
I'm really excited about corals but have yet to really go down the rabbit hole yet. To start I want to stick with hardy varieties of softies and LPS.
Corals:
Zoa garden (looking at corals for the first time not knowing anything about them I was immediately drawn to the zoas)
Beyond that I have no idea, I want a variety of colors and textures. Suggestions please!
Next step: Get my stand built and in place.
I plan to use this thread to document not only my build, but my journey of learning this side of the hobby, and as a new guy I'm hoping to get lots of advice and suggestions (so please fire away!). I'm also excited to share this experience with my two daughters who are 3 and 5.
Here is what I have so far; items marked with an * are what I'm getting from my buddy, the rest I've purchased separately:
Equipment:
Tank - IM 25g Lagoon AIO*
Filtration - IM CustomCaddy* (haven't decided on media yet) and Auqu Shield UV
Pump - stock Mighty Jet* with 2x Auqa Spin Stream nozzles
Powerhead - Current USA eFlux Wave Pump (660 GPH, already owned this from a previous freshwater build)
Light - AI Prime 16HD*
Heater - Hygger titanium w/ controller*
ATO - Duetto Dual-Sensor*
Controller - Kasa Smart Plug power strip (if that counts ha)
Stand - building my own, will be a knockoff of an ADA stand out of 3/4" maple ply (Aqua Design Amano for those not familiar with freshwater aquascaping)
Aquascape:
Rock - Marco Rock (30lbs)
Sand - Caribsea Special Grade Arag-Alive (20lb)
Testing:
API Saltwater Master Kit (Ammonia, Nitrite, pH)
Salifert kH/Alk
Hanna Nitrate HR
Hanna Phosphate ULR
SunGrow Refractometer
Misc:
RO/DI - Aquatic Life 4-Stage (100 GPD)*
Salt - Instant Ocean Sea Salt
Water storage - 3 x 5g Hedpak
I already have tons of algae scrubbers, siphons, nets, buckets, etc from my freshwater tanks unless I absolutely can't mix between fresh and reef tanks.
I'm in for $876 so far including materials for stand (minus paint); not cheap but relatively speaking I think I've lucked out big time!
Beyond this I need a ton of help ha! I want to keep things simple to start and don't have any specific theme. I just want to have a healthy and (hopefully) peaceful community ecosystem.
For livestock I'm open to all suggestions, I've just listed out those that have caught my eye so far that seem like they would be mostly compatible. I know I won't be able to add them all in a 25g but would like to have as much variation as possible.
Livestock:
Pair of Percula Clowns (local breeder, these are the only non-negotiable on the list as the whole family is excited about them)
Yellow Watchman Goby/Pistol Shrimp
Tailspot Blenny
Pink Streaked Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Court Jester Goby
Yellowtail Damsel
CUC:
Cleaner Shrimp (not 100% non-negotiable but I really want one ha)
Snails (unsure of specific varieties and numbers, need advice)
Hermits (unsure of specific varieties and numbers, need advice)
I'm really excited about corals but have yet to really go down the rabbit hole yet. To start I want to stick with hardy varieties of softies and LPS.
Corals:
Zoa garden (looking at corals for the first time not knowing anything about them I was immediately drawn to the zoas)
Beyond that I have no idea, I want a variety of colors and textures. Suggestions please!
Next step: Get my stand built and in place.
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