Vinny's First 29g Journey

Vincenzo

Reefing newb
So I've had some money layin around in the bank lately wondering what the hell i can spend it on and I got the genius idea to do this! haha. After hours upon hours of research I've realized this isnt going to be easy on me or my wallet (which I can honestly tell you is empty now :) )!! But I have everything ordered for the tank and on the way to the house. I'm really excited to see what the finished product will be and I'll put up pics for every step of the process!
 
No matter how much you spend there is always something else that you could buy. Do a lot of research FIRST and ask the forum lots of questions, that way you get the right piece of equipment instead of having to upgrade later. That will save you some money. Many have purchased one light system or skimmer only to find it doesn't meet our needs. Then we buy another because we didn't buy the one we should have in the first place! Also ebay and craig's list can be your friend. Good luck.
 
I did take the advice from Biff and buy a Metal Hallide lighting fixture which is gonna be here soon so that is something i did right so far... haha. And I have a HOB filter, the Aquaclear 70 Power filter that i bought for the time being because I always saw good reviews from that. I eventually want to try and do a DIY fuge though. :) I got the Koralia 750 powerhead for the aquarium as well. I hope those are some good choices. Ordered my rock and sand today from Marco Rocks. Haven't gotten a heater yet but ill be getting one soon!!
 
Dont waste your money on that Aquaclear.Get a good HOB skimmer instead.
Go ahead and pick up at least one more of those Koralias too.
In a reef tank,plenty of rock,plenty of flow and a good skimmer are the keys to a smooth running system.
 
Yeah i was thinking that I should do that after looking around the forum, but by then it was too late already ordered it :frustrat: Haha. I'll just return it the day that it arrives and have them send me back a HOB protein skimmer! :D
 
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good luck, and welcome to the hobby. i'm just starting off too and the hobby keeps you on your toes. my main advice is resist impulse buying! almost all my equipment i bought i've found for cheaper some else after a little more shopping. also, do research on everything before you buy. all equipment are not created equal. this goes for fish as well.

either way, this hobby is challenging yet rewarding so far for me.
 
Welcome to the hobby, and im glad that we get to see another tank build! Yote is right about the aquaclear filter, but i would keep it if you dont have a fug running and stick some live rock, rubble and macro algae in there in order to have some natural filtration along with a place for pods to grow!

Aftershock is right, dont do impulse buys. This includes fish as they can crash your system if you put too many in at once, although, im probably the worst for this! my tank is 4 months old and I have everything I can get my hands on hehe. Often putting 3 fish at a time, then more the next week hehe. Whoops. Ive been lucky so far though and very watchful.

Thats the other thing, make sure you have a full set of testing kits for:
nitrates
Nitrites
Ammonia
PH
Phosphates

other useful ones
Calcium
Alkalinity
Magnesium

the other thing you can do is start planning what fish and corals you want in your tank, because with that size, you have to pick fish that fit, will be good to look after in that tank (food wise, eg. mandarins need lots of live food) and whether or not they will fight. Ask here, all bets are someone has been through what your asking and we always want to help :D

Best of luck with this :D and welcome to the empty wallets club.
 
Okay yeah thats what my first thought was to make it kinda like a makeshift fuge until i learned to make a legit one. But would the protein skimmer and having live rock in the tank be a better way to go?? And i've already started planning my next two paychecks spendings! haha.
 
Most people have a protein skimmer, live rock and a refugium. It doesn't have to be either/or. Out of all of those, live rock and the protein skimmer are a must, and the fuge is more optional.
 
Yeah i was thinking that I should do that after looking around the forum, but by then it was too late already ordered it :frustrat: Haha. I'll just return it the day that it arrives and have them send me back a HOB protein skimmer! :D

Hold that thought!

El Fab's Simple Guide to Pico Tanks - Nano-Reef.com Forums

The aquaclear is good for something after all. :mrgreen:

haha just realized I shouldn't have posted that before reading the 2nd page of this thread.. well at least you get more details on making it happen. But yea, get a skimmer as well if you can.
 
Yeah that looks pretty legit... I might keep it and do that. Still debating. Because I want to make my own fuge which will cost less than that filter i think. Just trying to be as economical as possible... haha.
 
So yesterday I got my rocks and sand in the mail... never been so excited to see a bag full of sand or a box full of rocks n muh life! xD haha. My light should be here today, and the rest of the stuff tomorrow! But on the 14th im going to Colorado on VACA for almost a week, then I can get started on making my beautiful fish tank officially!
 
I bet you never thought that you'd get excited one a box of sand rock did you? :D
And just think,Your JUST NOW gettin a SMALL taste of it.
 
I know i never imagined that could happen lol. i also never thought i would want to come home from vacation before it started... :D
 
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