And so it begins…
It’s time to begin my journey in to the wonderful world of reefing. I’ve been wanting to get into the salt water world for many years but haven’t had the itch or the ability to get it done. Now that we own a home and the major remolding and construction are done with, (it was a foreclosure so we basically had to redo the entire house) the availability for a tank is there. I’ve always been a sucker for aquariums, and have been to a majority of the country’s top rated ones, Baltimore being my favorite. I just need to get the wife on board so I could get my own piece at home. This permission came after a cruise we took with my wife’s family over the holidays. We went to the Bahamas, Jamaica, The Grand Caymans, and Cozumel, with snorkeling stops at all of them. That vacations came after we spent our honeymoon this past May in Fiji and Northern Australia. We spent a lot of time in the ocean and she really enjoyed seeing all of the fish. So on our drive home from the cruise ship she gave in, and I’m on the beginning down this road.
The second reason for wanting to start this fish tank now, is that we are expecting our first child in July and want to get the tank set up and running before the baby gets here. I like the idea of having the tank near the babies pay area in the basement, which is where we spend the most of our time in the house. I think the baby will love taking its naps next to the tank and love the idea of as it grows up it will be able to enjoy the tank with me.
So I began my journey with a 46 gallon bow front that was given to me by a cousin. He had at one point many years ago a reef tank set up, but has since abandoned the hobby. I knew I would not want this to be my final display tank as its very old and have may scratches and center brace and trims is cracking. So I decided to set it up on my basement floor temporarily until I could set up my system. I wanted to get a head start on cycling and curing the dry rock I had gotten, about 30 lbs. The rock has been cycling for about 2 weeks or so, and I haven’t checked any water parameters yet, accept for the salinity of the water. I’ve just been ghost feeding every other day and I’ve added Dr. Tim’s Aquatics Eco-Balance Multi-Strained Probiotic Bacteria for Reef Aquariums. I figure once the final tank is set up and transfer the rock over ill start the cycling process over again like it was brand new. I was just looking to get a jump start on the cycling process when I got to it.
I have now acquired a 65 gallon tank with the dimensions of 36x18x24. I am currently in the process of expanding and finishing a stand that was meant for a 55 gallon tank. I’m also working on a custom sump and above tank refugium, which should all be finished by the end of the month. I don’t plan on having any fish, even if the tank is cycled, until we get back from San Diego in the first week of April.
So this is the Tale of my Tank, I am very open to any suggestions, help, and advice I can get, and thank you for taking the time to read my story.
It’s time to begin my journey in to the wonderful world of reefing. I’ve been wanting to get into the salt water world for many years but haven’t had the itch or the ability to get it done. Now that we own a home and the major remolding and construction are done with, (it was a foreclosure so we basically had to redo the entire house) the availability for a tank is there. I’ve always been a sucker for aquariums, and have been to a majority of the country’s top rated ones, Baltimore being my favorite. I just need to get the wife on board so I could get my own piece at home. This permission came after a cruise we took with my wife’s family over the holidays. We went to the Bahamas, Jamaica, The Grand Caymans, and Cozumel, with snorkeling stops at all of them. That vacations came after we spent our honeymoon this past May in Fiji and Northern Australia. We spent a lot of time in the ocean and she really enjoyed seeing all of the fish. So on our drive home from the cruise ship she gave in, and I’m on the beginning down this road.
The second reason for wanting to start this fish tank now, is that we are expecting our first child in July and want to get the tank set up and running before the baby gets here. I like the idea of having the tank near the babies pay area in the basement, which is where we spend the most of our time in the house. I think the baby will love taking its naps next to the tank and love the idea of as it grows up it will be able to enjoy the tank with me.
So I began my journey with a 46 gallon bow front that was given to me by a cousin. He had at one point many years ago a reef tank set up, but has since abandoned the hobby. I knew I would not want this to be my final display tank as its very old and have may scratches and center brace and trims is cracking. So I decided to set it up on my basement floor temporarily until I could set up my system. I wanted to get a head start on cycling and curing the dry rock I had gotten, about 30 lbs. The rock has been cycling for about 2 weeks or so, and I haven’t checked any water parameters yet, accept for the salinity of the water. I’ve just been ghost feeding every other day and I’ve added Dr. Tim’s Aquatics Eco-Balance Multi-Strained Probiotic Bacteria for Reef Aquariums. I figure once the final tank is set up and transfer the rock over ill start the cycling process over again like it was brand new. I was just looking to get a jump start on the cycling process when I got to it.
I have now acquired a 65 gallon tank with the dimensions of 36x18x24. I am currently in the process of expanding and finishing a stand that was meant for a 55 gallon tank. I’m also working on a custom sump and above tank refugium, which should all be finished by the end of the month. I don’t plan on having any fish, even if the tank is cycled, until we get back from San Diego in the first week of April.
So this is the Tale of my Tank, I am very open to any suggestions, help, and advice I can get, and thank you for taking the time to read my story.
