Reef in DC

MariahP · Dec 27, 2022

Rmckoy said:
Serpents are cool , I have 3 of them
I’ve always hated urchins for their bulldozing behaviour , and hermits are just a holes .

I had a bunch of hermits in the last tank I had and honestly they seemed like more trouble than they were worth. I was always paranoid about having bigger shells so they wouldn’t murder my snails.

MariahP · Dec 27, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:

Thank you! Also love the screen name. I’ve always wanted a corvette.

Rmckoy · Dec 27, 2022

MariahP said:
I had a bunch of hermits in the last tank I had and honestly they seemed like more trouble than they were worth. I was always paranoid about having bigger shells so they wouldn’t murder my snails.

No matter what they will murder the snail sitting right beside the empty shell of similar size

I’ve always read hermits we’re not native to living within reefs
But we keep them as scavengers and part of our cuc
My current tank is the first I’ve kept snails , hermits or urchins .
up until this build I have always ended up with a urchin in my sump after catching it bulldozing across my frag racks .

jsker · Dec 27, 2022

tharbin · Dec 27, 2022

Welcome to R2R!

CoralB · Dec 27, 2022

Welcome !!!

AFHokie · Dec 27, 2022

MariahP said:
Thank you!! Any suggestions on good LFS?

Within a distance you would probably want to drive not really. The LFS I use most is NOVA Tropicals in Woodbridge but it's only 15 minutes away for me. Up closer to you I've shopped at Supreme Reefs many times. Have gotten quite a few frags from them. Nearly always have a great selection and very reasonable prices.

Fish Think Pink · Dec 27, 2022

MariahP said:
Hi all! New to the forum officially, but a long time lurker. I’m from Michigan but currently live in DC.
I joined the hobby many years ago when I lived in Florida and had a 55 gallon reef tank. I was a grad student (in marine biology) and had very little money so I scraped by with some of the cheapest gear I could find. Sold that tank when I moved to DC about six years ago and now my gf has gifted me a 32 gallon bio cube. I’m SO excited to get back into the hobby - and now I have real adult funds so it’s a little less stressful and I have more options.
I’m looking forward to being part of this forum and learning from you all!!

p.s. if a moderator reads this - DC isn’t an option for a state when you register to join.

Welcome and welcome back to the hobby! I'm Lisa. Glad you joined. Last year I was back East, took my mom over the Bay Bridge to see Dr Mac's Pacific East Aquaculture - WOW - made this video for my local TX club while I was there - wouldn't say it is local to you... but way more local to you than me (TX these days) and I'd love to go back in person:

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you:

Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

WAMAS Homepage

wamas.org

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

WAMAS donates $20,000 to the Living Coral Biobank Project | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Washington DC Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS) has donated $20,000 USD to the Great Barrier Reef Legacy Living Coral Biobank Project. Based in Port Douglas, Australia, the aim of the project…

reefbuilders.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

MariahP · Dec 27, 2022

Fish Think Pink said:
Welcome and welcome back to the hobby! I'm Lisa. Glad you joined. Last year I was back East, took my mom over the Bay Bridge to see Dr Mac's Pacific East Aquaculture - WOW - made this video for my local TX club while I was there - wouldn't say it is local to you... but way more local to you than me (TX these days) and I'd love to go back in person:

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you:

Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

WAMAS Homepage

wamas.org

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

WAMAS donates $20,000 to the Living Coral Biobank Project | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Washington DC Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS) has donated $20,000 USD to the Great Barrier Reef Legacy Living Coral Biobank Project. Based in Port Douglas, Australia, the aim of the project…

reefbuilders.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

Thank you so much! These are all really great tips. Definitely going to start a build thread but I’ve got some gear to collect before I get there. Otherwise the thread would be pretttty boring for a while. Excuse me while I spend the next hour of my life on the east pacific aquaculture website…

Jimbhoy13 · Dec 27, 2022

Welcome to R2R and back to the salty world Mariah. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

kevgib67 · Dec 27, 2022

Welcome Mariah, glad you are here! Fellow Biocube 32 here. I’ve grown softies, LPS and easy sps with stock lights. Sps are birdsnest ( grows almost to fast, constantly fragging) and a monti cap. My tuxedo urchin is my workhorse of the cuc. Best of luck.

MariahP · Dec 27, 2022

kevgib67 said:
Welcome Mariah, glad you are here! Fellow Biocube 32 here. I’ve grown softies, LPS and easy sps with stock lights. Sps are birdsnest ( grows almost to fast, constantly fragging) and a monti cap. My tuxedo urchin is my workhorse of the cuc. Best of luck.

This is SO helpful - thank you so much! Did you have to put your rock fairly close to the surface to make everything happy?