Reef nutrition

Hello all! I'm as noob as noob gets :)

So my first exposure to reefing was 15 years ago when my sister got into the hobby. Of course I was more of a spectator and never had to put my hand in the tank not once lol. But i remember being fascinated by her salt water tank and everything that was in it. Unfortunately the hobby got a bit too expensive for my sister and she broke down the tank a year later. :(

Fast forward 15 years to present time, I accidentally stumbled upon a youtube video about a reef tank. One video turns to two, then another one, then another.. before I know it, I'm watching youtube videos about DIY sumps! :eek: This was when I knew I just found my newest hobby lol. The very next day I drove to my sister's house, asked if she still had her tank, and after a little digging thru her garage found the tank, stand, and some of the other equipment just wating for me! :)

So since then, I've spent the last few weeks scouring craigslist and amazon slowly building my first tank. I'm hoping to finally start my cycle this weekend and am actually looking to purchase my live rocks online (actually i just saw a posting about some lovely live rocks for sale here, but apparently I'm too much of a new noob to get into the buy and sell section :().

I'm so excited, but I knew that despite having watched a hundred youtube videos on reefing, nothing compares to actual human interaction when starting such a complicated hobby like reefing. And thanks to google I am now here! :)
 
Welcome! I think you can't get into the buy/sell/trade section until you are a club member ($30).

One tip I have is that when it comes to reefing, you shouldn't trust anyone to protect your investment besides yourself, particularly when it comes to pests. There are different philosophies on this, but when you purchase live rock online you could be bringing pests into your system. If you bring dry rock in, and let it become live rock, then there are no pests but the ones that you add (intentionally or inadvertently).

Yes it will take longer to cycle, but patience is another one of those keys to reefing.

Also what you read online about the amount of "live rock" needed to provide bacterial filtration for X amount of gallons is antiquated . These days there are so many products to increase surface area in your sump (i.e. Marine Pure, siporax, etc) that you could can do whatever you want in terms of aquascaping.

I've got probably 30 lbs of "real reef rock" that I just removed from my tank that is drying out. You're welcome to have it if you want to come by. In return, consider becoming a member and support the club :).

I'm in Palo Alto.


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You can always pm the seller about their stuff. Good luck and don't give up!!

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Thanks! Although telling me to "not give up" before i've even started is a little concerning.. lol.. but i totally get what you mean.. i think i'm in this for the long haul.
 
Thanks Gablami! This is why I like forums.. all the genuinely nice people that you meet! I am officially a supporting member and I will take you up on your live rock offer :) I was going to sign up as a member anyway because I can really use all the resources this forum has to offer, but thanks for the rocks just the same! :)
 
Thanks Gablami! This is why I like forums.. all the genuinely nice people that you meet! I am officially a supporting member and I will take you up on your live rock offer :) I was going to sign up as a member anyway because I can really use all the resources this forum has to offer, but thanks for the rocks just the same! :)
 
Well i pulled it out over the weekend and it is drying, so I don't think it's live any more. My point is, I wouldn't use anyone else's live rock, personally. If you want to save some money (and this Real Reef rock costs 5-7 bucks per pound, new and dry), get it used to dry it out, make sure everything is dead (some use muriatic acid), then cure and cycle.

But you're welcome to my rock, which will be dry or nearly dry by the time you get it.

If you want it still live, @Ibn is selling his.

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Well i pulled it out over the weekend and it is drying, so I don't think it's live any more. My point is, I wouldn't use anyone else's live rock, personally. If you want to save some money (and this Real Reef rock costs 5-7 bucks per pound, new and dry), get it used to dry it out, make sure everything is dead (some use muriatic acid), then cure and cycle.

But you're welcome to my rock, which will be dry or nearly dry by the time you get it.

If you want it still live, @Ibn is selling his.

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I'll take it. :) Sent you a private message.
 
If you need other equipment I may be able to help, but just left on vacation. I'll be back in two weeks. Go ahead and PM me with what you might need and I'll let you know if I have it available. Cheers!


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If you need other equipment I may be able to help, but just left on vacation. I'll be back in two weeks. Go ahead and PM me with what you might need and I'll let you know if I have it available. Cheers!


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Wow, is everyone this awesome in this forum? I'll send you a pm coral4me
 
I can see how that can happen, so much cool stuff for reefing out on the market. You should see my amazon wish list lol


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First
Welcome to our place in space and thank you for becoming a $upporting member. It shows your commitment and this ain't a cheap hobby. We are well worth your investment.

If you have not done so already, buy a brand new aquarium that comes with a full warranty.
I've seen what can happen; both over time an in an instant.
I hope you never need it but should the situation arise...
 
Wow, is everyone this awesome in this forum? I'll send you a pm coral4me

We are noobs ourselves, and I can 100% tell you YES everyone in the club is this awesome. They have been patiently guiding us for 3 years, dropping. H to help us fix stuff on occasion and just generally being thoughtful.


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First
Welcome to our place in space and thank you for becoming a $upporting member. It shows your commitment and this ain't a cheap hobby. We are well worth your investment.

If you have not done so already, buy a brand new aquarium that comes with a full warranty.
I've seen what can happen; both over time an in an instant.
I hope you never need it but should the situation arise...

I'm recycling an acrylic tank from my sister. It's in pretty good shape except for a few scratches (which is my project for this weekend.. polishing). From watching a bunch of YouTube videos and researching online I've pretty much figured out that this is an expensive hobby. So for my beginner tank I'm going to take it slow, not splurge on the high end equipment *yet*, learn as much as I can, then when I become an expert reefer like y'all.. that's when I blow my savings on 200 gallon tank lol


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