Oelyk Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 I'm a complete newbie to the hobby but I finally decided to pull the trigger and create my own reef tank! I'm not totally sure what I'm doing but I'm learning new things every day. It's just been a ton of fun talking to the LFS's and attending the event at Cuttlefish and Coral last month(I didn't win any raffles unfortunately). I decided to go with a 15 Gallon AOI by Innovative marine and hope to fill it with bright and vibrant corals someday. I'm still looking for some components(If you got a used AI Prime or similar you're willing to part with, I'm looking to buy one!) but I'm super excited to set the tank up and start learning! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
half-astronaut Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 Welcome to the hobby and the forum. There’s a lot of ups and downs in this hobby but this place (along with Reef2Reef and others)is a great resource. If you’re interested, I have some hardy beginner corals (Xenia, leather, palys, gsp) you can use to learn the ropes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oelyk Posted October 8, 2023 Author Share Posted October 8, 2023 That would be amazing, I'll be sure to contact you once my tank is coral ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerbash Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 Welcome tot he forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandVib3s Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 Welcome to the club! I started by watch brs 52 weeks of reefing and got overwhelmed with information but later it was tons of help and it's on YouTube. The ai prime would be overkill for that task in my opinion but would be great if you plan to upgrade later to something a little bigger later. Amazon.com smatfarm 95w light is great foe it's price and it's like having 2 primes side by side. It has its own internal timer and ramps so no worries of losing programs and wifi connections. Ai primes just melt lenses like crazy. Also you'll want to keep in mind with that small of a tank, you can't add much without keeping a solid balance of filtration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oelyk Posted October 8, 2023 Author Share Posted October 8, 2023 Does smatfarm have good lights? I was actually looking at the new 60W G3 that looked perfect but I couldn't find any real reviews. What kind of filtration would you recommend? the AOI comes with a sock, which I was told you can clean ever 1-2 days, but I also wasn't planning to have many fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugops Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 Heyo! This is an awesome forum! I also use the smatfarm (100watt). The shimmer is nice and I find it very easy to use like it was mentioned before. It looks like a brand name light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandVib3s Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Oelyk said: Does smatfarm have good lights? I was actually looking at the new 60W G3 that looked perfect but I couldn't find any real reviews. What kind of filtration would you recommend? the AOI comes with a sock, which I was told you can clean ever 1-2 days, but I also wasn't planning to have many fish. The lights are worth every penny they cost with the 95w. I haven't tried the others. Filtration media would depend on what you'll stock it with. Chemipure is what most pico/nano keepers use. But just focus on cycling and waterchanges afterwards. When you start stocking corals,that's when you'll need the proper lighting really. Along with flow. Stability is key with corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Welcome! I’m also in Camas so when you are ready for some easy corals, hit me up. Nice thing these days is there are so many nano based products for setting up smaller tanks. These forums are also great for second hand gear if you want to save some money too. I’d second using chemipure media, good stuff and comes in small sizes too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oelyk Posted October 31, 2023 Author Share Posted October 31, 2023 (edited) The tank cycled rather quickly using live rock/sand plus quickstart/ammonia, so I've added my first friend! I apologize for the image quality, I'lI need to research what apps to use to get better pictures. Hoping he'll help keep the bacterial filter growing as I try to find a PAR meter to rent. I ended up following the recommendations here and got the Smatfarm 95w, it's very nice! If anyone knows a good app on android for taking photos, I would love to hear about it! Edited October 31, 2023 by Oelyk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanoNerd Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 I have the smatfarm 60w on my 5g tank and I love it. It's by far the easiest light we have, of three. I have no idea the PAR until I can borrow the meter, so I may be blasting my corals or not, but hopefully I'll know soon. We have an AI Prime for a future tank but haven't even unboxed it yet. I see you already bought your light, so kind of late now. There's tons of cheap clip on lenses for your phone you can get on Amazon for ~$20. I have two macros, because I lost one and could NOT find it anywhere, so had to buy a new one. Then one day I discovered SOMEone had used it as a chip clip. 😒 Your tank is so nice and clean, mine gas become an algified mess this week, but trying not to stress. Welcome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveZ Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 @Oelyk welcome to the group and the SW WA reefer crew! I’m in west Vancouver right off 500 and I5. I still have my original IM Nuvo20 up and running 6 years now, gotta love those nano tanks. I’ve got a handful of beginner corals for zoas and bright GSP you can have. Always happy to have people over and answer any questions and talk about the hobby. Relatively recent pic of the Nuvo attached. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltfishlover Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 Welcome and just keep in this in mind. You will have ups and downs, meet jerks and kind people all along g the way. It's about enjoying the ride getting there, because it can be a long ride before you get where you want to be. Make the best of it you can, it definitely pays off in the end. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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