# Pop my saltwater cherry



## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

So.... similar to a curious high school girl reading on some reef forums like they're Cosmo magazines, I'm ready to pop my saltwater cherry. Pls be slow and gentle as it is my first time (setting up a nano reef), and I understand that it's gonna hurt (my wallet) in the beginning. I have an Aquaeon 15 gallon column tank, ready to be drilled from behind... its still dry, but with your help it'll be as wet as the ocean.

I don't intend to keep a lot of swimmers; maybe some shrimp, hermit crabs, a couple of clown fish, and some easy beginner corals. I wanna make my first time an easy and pleasurable experience. I know that there's no such thing as a cheap reef setup, but I want to make the build economical. I have a lot of questions about the necessities of certain equipments, like "do I need a controller?" or "sump vs aquaclear 110 mod?" or best bang for the buck lighting, live or dry rock, etc. Also, if you have some equipment that you wanna sell that you think would be appropriate to this build, let me know and I'll do my research.

I've kept multiple freshwater aquariums for 6 years, and started a planted tank a year ago with some success. Any help from you guys will be greatly appreciated!!!


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

I had a good chuckle......yes, this is gonna be an adventure. FYI, I kept a 5 gallon nano tank with nothing but a filter pad and weekly 75% water changes. I had zoas, an elegance, snails, sexy shrimp and two clown fish.
Eventually the elegance got too big for the tank so moved it and the clowns to the big tank and kept pulsing Xenia with little tiny nano fish for about a year.
The one splurge was a good light.
Beyond that, the tank was pretty easy to keep.
Go slow, be patient.
Ask lots of questions.
There are lots of options, ways to spend money (or not) and decisions.


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## PCUSER (Jun 1, 2017)

Man, that's hot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*Cherry*

Well welcome to the dark side.... hang on...as Cheryl said 
GO ..... SLOW.....
If dig was still around he's tell u to go big or go home 
.ask tonnes of questions . Do your research .. have a idea of your plan ....ask for advice and go with your gut...
Small tank u have to be prepared for for any swings in the tank ... that's the prob with a small tank when things go wrong they go wrong fast...and you have to be prepared to act quickly.....
Cheers and good luck 
Tom


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

tom g said:


> Well welcome to the dark side.... hang on...as Cheryl said
> GO ..... SLOW.....
> If dig was still around he's tell u to go big or go home
> .ask tonnes of questions . Do your research .. have a idea of your plan ....ask for advice and go with your gut...
> ...


Thanks, Tom. I totally agree with you with the 'go big' route, but unfortunately due to space (and wife) constraints, this is the compromise that I have to deal with. Im gonna use a sump with an aquaticlife 115 internal skimmer, but will it work well on my planned set up? HOB refugium mod? Im hoping to at least add some water volume by using a sump. As for bulkhead size, would 1" be too big? PVC or flexible hose? Any tips on lighting with beginner corals? Once I figure out the external parts, then I'll dive in with the internal needs...

Ross


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## Sea MunnKey (Oct 2, 2014)

As Cheryl (Crayon) has commented ... a good light fixture, RO/DI unit, weekly water changes (fairly easy for a 15 gallon system) is all it takes to get yourself going on the right path.

Go slow & DO NOT RUSH acquiring livestocks and yes ... it can get very overwhelming most times! Try getting frags from local reefers to begin with ... Good luck and have Fun!


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## poy (Jan 14, 2015)

I've used this Aqueon column as a nano reef with a MarsAqua 165w and CPR bakpak2. Take your time, my advise is to invest in a ATO - auto top off and RODI water system.

Hopefully this helps


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## Abner (Apr 7, 2009)

Congrats on taking the plunge man. Guarantee you not gonna be satisfied with a nano very soon. The good thing is after the wife gets used to having that tank she won't know how to live without it and will constantly ask if you can put something in there. Work her well and you will be able to get something bigger sooner. I'll be watching this thread closely to see what you do with it. Been about 3 years since I shut down my tanks but recently picked up a 60 gallon cube. Working on getting a sump and a good light. Soon as I do my thread will be started. Slow and steady is the best way. good luck


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

A big thanks to everyone in here who shared their thoughts and tank pics and equipment. I can def. say that it's making things easier for me on deciding which equipment to obtain and the options that I have. I think I like the CPR bakpak 2 (thanks, Poy). That would prolly cut my cost vs drilling he tank, buying a sump, pump, and skimmer. That being said, its still up in the air...

As for the lighting, I'm looking for something that would allow me to keep the lid. I can remove the stock light and fixture, cut the plastic diffuser (frosted) that covers the housing of the fixture, and silicone a clear piece of glass. That shouldn't inhibit the efficacy of light penetration, no? The glass cover would be about 1"-1 1/2" inch above the water surface....


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

Abner said:


> Congrats on taking the plunge man. Guarantee you not gonna be satisfied with a nano very soon. The good thing is after the wife gets used to having that tank she won't know how to live without it and will constantly ask if you can put something in there. Work her well and you will be able to get something bigger sooner. I'll be watching this thread closely to see what you do with it. Been about 3 years since I shut down my tanks but recently picked up a 60 gallon cube. Working on getting a sump and a good light. Soon as I do my thread will be started. Slow and steady is the best way. good luck


Good, coz I wouldn't mind running another tank!


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

Go as big as you can go with water volume and invest in a good light to start. As Cheryl and Tom said ... go slow and ask a lot of questions.

When I first started I went big (160+) and built my own acrylic tank. Some folks thought I was crazy for doing that... being a noob salty. People are great here.

Without the folks like Tom, Cheryl and others my journey would have been much more expensive and challenging. You will want a bigger tank at some point so plan accordingly and buy quality equipment. Save up if you have to to avoid the upgrade itis .

Let me know when your tank is ready and I will happily donate some frags to help kick start your journey.


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

Mikeylikes said:


> Go as big as you can go with water volume and invest in a good light to start. As Cheryl and Tom said ... go slow and ask a lot of questions.
> 
> When I first started I went big (160+) and built my own acrylic tank. Some folks thought I was crazy for doing that... being a noob salty. People are great here.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the offer! I'll keep that in mind once the tank is up and running...

As per tank size, the 15 gal column tank is pretty much set in stone.

Now, RO/DI: I have an unused coralife pure-flo 2 canister system rated 50gpd. DO I REALLY NEED A DEIONIZER? Im just planning on keeping soft corals, a couple of clowns, and a cleanup crew...


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## giermoivi (Feb 15, 2016)

DI brings tds from like 4 -> 0

ro membrane does most of the work.

So when the tap water is over 100TDS, i think 4 at the end is not to bad.

Unless you want to spend more money, i have dual DI canisters on my setup lol.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*Ohh ya*

Remember most important ....
The rule of FURY.....
EVERYTHING IS 2O.00 EVERYTHING


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## twobytwo (Oct 25, 2014)

I would recommend Deionization - it's really the only way you'll get to 0TDS. You can get a canister cheaply to add after the RO and just buy some bulk resin to fill it.


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

twobytwo said:


> I would recommend Deionization - it's really the only way you'll get to 0TDS. You can get a canister cheaply to add after the RO and just buy some bulk resin to fill it.


I got the Coralife RO unit for $150+HST. Should I return it and buy a 4 stage, or is it cheaper to buy an add-on deionizing canister?


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

tom g said:


> Remember most important ....
> The rule of FURY.....
> EVERYTHING IS 2O.00 EVERYTHING


What Tom means is regardless of what you paid, all you ever admit to is 20.00

I got a 20.00 fish yesterday and even managed to acclimate it and get it into the tank without John seeing it. Nbd. I showed him this morning.
He still thinks it was 20.00


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

Crayon said:


> tom g said:
> 
> 
> > Remember most important ....
> ...


That's hilarious!!!! I used to tell my friends that one of my greatest fears is that one day I suddenly die and my wife sells my guitars for the price that she thinks I got them for...


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

Crayon said:


> What Tom means is regardless of what you paid, all you ever admit to is 20.00
> 
> I got a 20.00 fish yesterday and even managed to acclimate it and get it into the tank without John seeing it. Nbd. I showed him this morning.
> He still thinks it was 20.00


John must be the "wife" in this relationship ... lol


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

So..... I returned the Coralife RO and bought the Aquatic life twist in RO/DI. I bought some aragonite sand (partially open, 75% full for $10). I also ended up buying a 8.8 gallon cube set, some tropica plant substrate, an Eheim surface skimmer, and a sponge filter for my qt. Everything is hidden in the basement for now and will magically reappear fully set up, in due time...


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Mikeylikes said:


> John must be the "wife" in this relationship ... lol


Hardly, but I know what you mean. He's as bad as I am for spending money on the tanks. The Pax Bellum was his idea. I just like the livestock.


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

*UPDATE*

So.... after months of soul searching and figuring things out, I finally have water and live rock in the aquarium last night! I ended up buying a 20 gallon long and there's about 30-40lbs of LR (too much?) and about an inch sand bed. The rocks have been sitting in my basement for about a month with a powerhead and heater. Had some corals on them but I don't see them anymore (dead), I wonder if it would have some ill effects while cycling. 

Temp is around 80. I'm currently running a one directional 800gph pump (chinese pump from Amazon for about $25?!?!) which I will eventually replace with a Jebao SW wavemaker or an MP-10. My next purchase would be an ATO, and I'm leaning on Tunze 3152, its on sale for $129 at reefsupplies.ca. No light or skimmer yet, I'm planning on getting the NS 80 skimmer and Current Marine Orbit 24-36 inch light. I'm trying to keep a balance between cost and quality. 

Tell me guys what you think!


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## littletnklvr (Nov 1, 2010)

iRonBalls said:


> *UPDATE*
> 
> So.... after months of soul searching and figuring things out, I finally have water and live rock in the aquarium last night! I ended up buying a 20 gallon long and there's about 30-40lbs of LR (too much?) and about an inch sand bed. The rocks have been sitting in my basement for about a month with a powerhead and heater. Had some corals on them but I don't see them anymore (dead), I wonder if it would have some ill effects while cycling.
> 
> ...


One of the things I learned the hard way is setting up a reef tank when you don't have all the things you really need from day one! I have the Current Marine Orbit 24-36 inch light and like it very much good for softies and lps, you don't need a skimmer on a tank this small( I have a 20 gal long) as long as you do weekly water changes, the money you save you can use for something else, I would upgrade the light, I'm actually on my way to get another led full spectrum light to add in addition to the other one because I added some sps. You will love having an ATO. All the best to you, cheers Michael.


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## iRonBalls (Sep 18, 2016)

Right now I have a Tunze ATO, Jebao SW4 and a QQ1 skimmer. Salinity is 1.022 (added more salt) temp 80f, ammonia is 0, nitrite 0, nitrate is between 0-5ppm. Phosphate is 0.25ppm prolly coz i dumped some fish food to help with cycle. Is there something off with my cycle? I was expecting to see ammonia and nitrites but none detected...


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