damonholly Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Hello - My husband, Damon and I (Holly) just registered today to join PNWMAS and wanted to introduce ourselves. We live in Salem and are Duck fans (sorry to those Cougs, Huskies and Beavs out there) as I went to U of O (been quite awhile!). We enjoy working in our yard/gardens and remodeling and doing projects around our house. Damon enjoys golfing and I love to cook. Our most recent remodel included a reef aquarium setup and we are really excited about having this and a new hobby. The wonderful creatures that make their home in this tank will join 3 cats, and 2 very large dogs none of which think the tank is interesting at all. Obviously we are very new to the hobby. Our tank has been running now for just over two months and is 280 gallons. We didn't jump in lightly but the more we have learned the more we realize how much we don't know, the mistakes we have already made, and often find ourselves wondering what to do. There is so much information about so many topics it really can be overwhelming. Often you find conflicting information and it is hard to know what to do. We hope to meet many of you either online or in person to get your pearls of wisdom and help with many of the problems we are already encountering. What a beautiful thing all of the creatures that inhabit a reef tank are. Makes you appreciate just how complex and wonderful the ocean is. Holly & Damon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Welcome to the forum! There is a steep learning curve and yes you will get conflicting information because there is not a lot of scientific research that has been done. A recent guest speaker did a talk just about all the misinformation out there. I learned a lot from this forum in talking to members and seeing their tanks as well as fish stores. Garrett at the premium aquarium is in your area and a great source of information. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesmiles902 Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Any pictures? The larger the better, but I have heard of someone who is new getting a 280. I think it is definitely manageable, but the learning curve would be steep. If you have any questions, there are some knowledgeable people around that probably could help. Hope to see you at a meeting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Welcome to the group! I'm also from the Salem area! Garrett and The Premium Aquarium crew are full of great info and have helped me countless times. I'm in his store quite a bit so if you hear the name Cody or Paratore that's me and you should introduce yourself I look forward to meeting you guys! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joestotz Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Welcome! I am new to the group as well but have been in the hobby a long time. There is a lot of bad info out there for sure! What works for some might not work for others as well. Check out bulk reef supply they have some really good how to videos and I think you'll find them very helpful. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g2theram Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Wow 280 gallons!!! That one way to dive head first into a new addition, I mean hobby. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerk1985 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Welcome to the forum holly! I knew you would find your way on here eventually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwenReefin Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Starting with a 280 is definitely not a mistake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquanius Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Welcome! And here I thought starting with a 120 might be a mistake 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yourmedic Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Welcome to the group and the great hobby!! 280 gallons, I see you started small... That sounds like an amazing tank that will only get better with each passing day!! Excited to see some pictures!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonholly Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 Thank you for all of the welcomes! Our tank is built into a wall so we get to view it from both sides. Some of you may have seen our post regarding running into Marine Velvet already which has wiped out our fish except for one which I'm trying to get out of the tank now so we can let it run fallow for 8 weeks or so (huge huge bummer). We will be running a QT for all fish from now on. I have attached a couple of pics of our fishless tank! Its been running for a little over 2 months now. The acrylic tank is 6' wide 30" deep and 30" high. The dimensions were dictated a bit by the remodel we did in the room it is in. We have an Ecotech vectra pump, 2 Ecotech vortech powerheads, 3 Ecotech radion lighting, a Simplicity 800 skimmer, and will be adding an Aqua 57w UV . We also have our RO hooked up now so we don't need any buckets and our top off tank lasts about a week. A calcium reactor will get added at some point this year. We would like to give a special thanks to Garrett, Chris, and the rest of the guys at Premium Aquarium for all of their help setting us up, answering our questions, and providing all of the lovely animals you see. I look forward to meeting all of you! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Nice start! The guys at TPA are always fun to talk to! Sorry to hear about the marine velvet. I went through that many years ago. It's very hard to lose so many fish at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboys Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Hey, welcome to our wonderful place. So We didn't jump in lightly but the more we have learned the more we realize how much we don't know, the mistakes we have already made. . This is along the lines of something I started realizing once I understood I don't know everything. What say often is, the more I learn the stupider I become. I think most of you will understand this statement. On to the important stuff. I know some of these other people know a few things about reefs and such. But you don't need them. I am really the only resource you'll ever need so don't bother listening to them and there advice. Any problem you ever have just either post up here or pm me or call me even a text would work. Ok then what you need to do is listen very carefully to each and every thing I have to say about the issue. Next thing you need to do is exactly the opposite of any advice I give you. Your tank should then be in very good shape. I sure hope you enjoy this forum, it has do much to offer, I have had people to my house in a half hour for emergency help. I have recieved free equipment and free corals, I have given free corals and equipment here. It's really a great place to learn and meet like minded people who will generally give you the shirt off there back. Oh I must mention that the monthly gatherings are a wonderful place to meet some some of these awesome people's. Take care and once again, welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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