Hey reefers

[ebbandflow]

Hey everyone.

I'm new to the hobby and new to the forum so I just thought I'd drop a line and say hi. I live in northern westchester and I just got a 33 gallon long tank. I've been in the freshwater hobby for about a year now and I think I want to set up my new tank as a saltwater reef. The hobby is expensive so I'm in the process of finding out as much info as I can before jumping in. I'll take suggestions on good information websites and also any good stores around in westchester or the surrounding areas.

Thanks.

 

[bad coffee]

Welcome to MR. Look around here, you'll find lots of good info. Other sites are www.reefs.org www.wetwebmedia.com or www.reefcentral.com

All three sites have their good and bad points.

B

 

[deelucky]

welcome to MR

 

[aaron23]

You've come to the right place to start. Welcome aboard to MR.

 

[crox99]

Welcome to MR. We have a lot of vendors here that can help you with your setup.

 

[digitalreefer]

I have a 33 long as well. It's a great reef tank, but I would strongly recommend getting it drilled and adding a sump to it. The large surface area of the tank causes a good amount of evaporation and makes it difficult to maintain unless you have an auto top off. Adding the sump will give you a bit more water volume and make it easier to maintain.

 

[noodleman]

welcome :party:

 

[Henrye]

Welcome to MR. I started out in FW, still keep a 30L going. SW is challenging and beautiful to watch develop. The sites B posted are all great resources. I would still get one to two books for reference as well. Delbeek & Sprungs' The Reef Aquarium vol. III is excellent (as are v. I & II). I had a pretty strong learning curve to pass through (still am), but other than death by mechanical failure, I haven't assassinated anything yet.

Reading, lurking, and questioning are really important. Patience is key. Read threads before buying any new equipment. It is an expensive hobby, even more so when you spend twice to upgrade each part when you feel you should have known better. Bite the bullet, spend once, and keep. Cut costs, and everything doubles in price. Check out the For Sale/Trade forum here. There are some really good bargains, both in equipment and livestock.

You found a really great community here. Good luck.

Henry

 

[m'akoyPINOY]

Welcome To Mr!

 

[masterswimmer]

Welcome ebbandflow. Great to hear that you are reading and researching before jumping into saltwater reefing head first. There is a lot to learn and the techniques and methods still change from time to time.

We have a lot of experienced hobbyists here who like to share their knowledge and will help any way they can.

I'm in Orange County, not too far from you (near Woodbury Commons). Any time you need help, just shout.


Russ

 

[ebbandflow]

Wow. Thank you for all the warm welcomes and advice. I always research things (sometimes to an obsessive degree) before getting into them so I will follow everyones advice and start doing a lot of reading.

I did have a question Russ, and anyone else who might live in the westchester and surrounding areas. Even though I may not buy from them because they are more expensive then buying stuff online and used things from here, I wanted to know of any places around here that sold reef equipment and also maybe had nice reef setups so I can start getting ideas of what I want to set up and how.

Thanks.