First Reef Tank, Any Tips?

[graucow]

Hello, I am currently starting my first reef tank and am looking for any general advice all the experienced reefers out there might have.

My tank is a 30 gallon column (18x18x30in). I still need to purchase a light, a sump, skimmer, pumps, etc.

I have been looking at getting an icecap 15 sump as it will fit my stand very nicely. I was going to couple that with a HOB overflow box as the tank is not drilled. I am still very up in the air about what lights and skimmer to purchase and have had trouble finding out what the best brands are. I would prefer to use leds but am open to many options.

If you have any advice for someone new to the reefing hobby, send it my way.

 

[Sniperhank]

I am personally a fan of doing everything as cheap as possible in this hobby. It can be expensive.
Personally, in my previous reef setup I ran a CPR overflow. I like those overflows due to having a nipple on the top of them to prevent siphon loss. Just hooking an aqualifter pump onto the nipple and you won't ever get air in there.
There are many quality skimmers on the market, but you are on the edge of tank size to where you can easily get away without one due to being able to do larger water changes to assist with any problems in the tank. As long as you keep up with 10% water changes weekly there won't be issues if you decide to go without one.
With that said, I'm a fan of reef octopus skimmers myself. I have also run Eshopps on my smaller reef with nice results.
The whole key to this hobby is going very very slow and researching everything. This saves time, frustration, and cash. Just relax and enjoy it, even the structure of doing weekly water changes. Be patient during the difficult pieces of the hobby will make sure you can do the same with being able to sit back and watch what goes on in the system you are trying to replicate.

 

[graucow]

I am personally a fan of doing everything as cheap as possible in this hobby. It can be expensive.
Personally, in my previous reef setup I ran a CPR overflow. I like those overflows due to having a nipple on the top of them to prevent siphon loss. Just hooking an aqualifter pump onto the nipple and you won't ever get air in there.
There are many quality skimmers on the market, but you are on the edge of tank size to where you can easily get away without one due to being able to do larger water changes to assist with any problems in the tank. As long as you keep up with 10% water changes weekly there won't be issues if you decide to go without one.
With that said, I'm a fan of reef octopus skimmers myself. I have also run Eshopps on my smaller reef with nice results.
The whole key to this hobby is going very very slow and researching everything. This saves time, frustration, and cash. Just relax and enjoy it, even the structure of doing weekly water changes. Be patient during the difficult pieces of the hobby will make sure you can do the same with being able to sit back and watch what goes on in the system you are trying to replicate.

Thank you for the advice! I have been quickly learning that research is very important in the reef hobby. I must ask what exactly an aqualifter pump is, is it just a normal air pump?

 

[Sniperhank]

It’s a 15 dollar pump. Easy to replace. They are toms aqualifters. I would replace them every year on good habit.

 

[graucow]

It’s a 15 dollar pump. Easy to replace. They are toms aqualifters. I would replace them every year on good habit.

Great sounds good thank you for the advice. I've been reading that overflow boxes can be loud, have you found any way to stop this. Sorry for all the questions but you're the first person to give me some good advice.

 

[Sniperhank]

The noise can be fixed by fixing the amount of air is in the plumbing. Cpr overflows come with an adjustable straw for them. Never had any long term issues I wasn’t able to correct.

 

[hackteck]

yes as everyone else has said if your gonna get a hob overflow getting an aqua lifter pump is a must in my eyes

 

[Fishkid16]

Just know that being in this hobby is pretty hard so your first tank won't always be perfect in fact it could go horribly wrong but it's really a fun hobby .GOOD Luck