Well I might as well do it too...PrevWon's new tank diary

prevwon

prevwon

Member
Since I am just starting my new tank I might as well do a diary...I will try to keep it updated daily. Advice or tips are appreciated!
I plan on doing a FOWLR setup. As soon as I get my LR I will begin my cycle. I am only 18 and still in high school, so I have limited funds...

Here is what I have so far, my 55gal tank, 40lbs of live sand, Kent salt, Marineland C-220 canister filter:

I began work on my stand today. I bought all of the wood and now it is sitting in my garage:

About to start cutting wood, my dog AJ got in the shot lol, he likes to hunt lizards haha:

Got a late start, here is what I have at the end of the day, I will continue work tomorrow!

I have an RO unit, refractometer, heater, and powerhead in the mail, should be here soon! I'll update tomorrow! Thanks for looking!
 
rebelprettyboy

rebelprettyboy

Active Member
it seems like you are off to a good start. Keep us updated. Im also a 18 yr old senior and highschool and my bank statement came in and my grand-ma seen i spent almost 1000 on fish stuff and she flipped out lol and i quickly changed my statements to online only lol
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
Originally Posted by rebelprettyboy
it seems like you are off to a good start. Keep us updated. Im also a 18 yr old senior and highschool and my bank statement came in and my grand-ma seen i spent almost 1000 on fish stuff and she flipped out lol and i quickly changed my statements to online only lol
Thanks! Haha I am ready to get out of high school, I can't wait until college. I haven't spent quite that much money yet, but it probably won't take long.
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
Well today I continued working on my stand. I didn't have much time to work on it because I had to go to work. Here is what I got done today:

I should have it close to finished tomorrow. I am planning on doing a dark Ebony stain...it should look pretty good.
Check out what I got in the mail today!:

Makes me even more excited about getting my tank set up!
Well that's it for tonight...I'll update again tomorrow!
 
azfishgal

azfishgal

Active Member
You are off to a great start!
There are many on here that are young and have fantastic tanks. It will be fun to watch yours come together. Oh, and as far as FOWLR........I seriously doubt you'll be able to stick with that. I see a reef in your future.
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
Haha yea I want a reef so bad, I just don't have the money. I begin college in the fall and I probably won't be working that much...I plan on working a lot over the summer to get some money saved up.
 
azfishgal

azfishgal

Active Member
Well, IMO the live rock is the largest expense. So you are already over half way there, right?
What's a few corals?
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
Well I don't have the right lighting, or a sump, which from my understanding is pretty expensive...
 
azfishgal

azfishgal

Active Member
There are several people on here that's built there own sump from a 10 gallon tank, and there are some people who have corals and don't have sumps at all, like those with Nano tanks. And as far as the lights, mine cost $45 each (2 double T5 lamps, 10,000K/actinic). I can't have anemones or clams, but I can do zoos and other soft corals. You don't have to be rich, just creative.
With that said though, it's good you are starting out the way you are. You can get your feet wet with saltwater and when you are comfortable with it, it won't be hard to start the reef.
 
joncat24

joncat24

Active Member
looking good so far..
as far as reef lighting for a 55 gal, you can get a decent fixture for $100 that will let you keep softies and lps...odyssea 48" power compact. Also check the classifieds for used light setups...someone is always upgrading and selling older lights.
 
walmart

walmart

Member
im 15, and have a 55 gallon tank wiht 70 lbs of LR, and all of the stuff. im about $850 in. with lights and all.
I love my 55, but i wish i would have gone wiht a 75 because there is not any room for aquascaping and corals!
 
whackamole

whackamole

Member
hey looks like we got a paintballer by the stickers on ur table. so i geuss this is expensive hobbie number two then
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
Originally Posted by costa13
looks good. Man U is ahead of Chelsea now by five points.

lol
I know....Their game last week against Bolton was a disappointment...
Thanks for the compliments, I am taking a break from working on my stand and I will have some more pics to post tonight! Check back!
 
costa13

costa13

Member
Originally Posted by PrevWon
I know....Their game last week against Bolton was a disappointment...
I watched that game and was cheering for Bolton the whole time . LOL The Man. U Chelsea game coming up is going to be a great game.
Did you watch Man U. come back against AC Milan. Rooney! Rooney!
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
Haha no I didn't see that game, but I can't stand Rooney or Ranaldo...Did you see that Man U game a few weeks ago against Portsmouth? That game was great. There is a Chelsea vs. Man U EPL game coming up soon, I can't remember the date. It was supposed to be April 15th, but it got rescheduled to sometime this month. The FA cup final is going to be awesome.
 
cyclops

cyclops

Member
Originally Posted by PrevWon
Well today I continued working on my stand. I didn't have much time to work on it because I had to go to work. Here is what I got done today:

I should have it close to finished tomorrow. I am planning on doing a dark Ebony stain...it should look pretty good.
Check out what I got in the mail today!:

Makes me even more excited about getting my tank set up!
Well that's it for tonight...I'll update again tomorrow!

Thats the same refractometer and RO system I have. I just bought a DI canester to go with it. You should go ahead and set up your RO unit now and start making water for all the changes you will be doing during the cycle
 
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