I remember watching brs studying to start my first tank came across your videos now I have had my tank for almost three years added a second tank now I’m on the verge of taking them down and getting a bigger tank thank you for all the beginner knowledge you truly made it super simple to understand and easy!
It important to understand the importance of medicated quarantine. I use copper power at 2.5 and make sure the fish eat before they bag them. I use seachem focus with general cure and expel P . I freeze the mixture and feed Twice a day for 2 weeks minimum. I use the Hanna checker to ramp up the copper power and keep my level at 2.5
Yes, I think quarantine is one of the most important things. While I absolutely love our HelloReef kit, one frustration I've had is there was no place for quarantine. I mean, how do you tell a beginner to set up a tank, and then set up a second tank to qt fish. It's just so complicated. But you just gave me an idea... Our goal with this kit was to take a total beginner to proficient in 6 weeks. But, a lot of them are going to move on to something else, maybe a bigger tank. I think what our program needs is a video near the end of the course all about the importance of quarantine, and an explanation as to why we didn't tell them to do it when setting up their tank. Thanks for this great reminder @notso987! -matthew
MATTHEW!!!!! My First Fish Tank got me into the hobby! I’ve missed your videos so much, and am so happy to have found you here at Hello Reef. Your reefing videos are hands down the best!
that is so kind of you! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such a nice comment, and I'm super glad to hear my videos were helpful! -Matthew
Woah, is this an entrepreneurial venture? Love it! Great looking marine tank kit and video design. I’m 7 months into my first ever aquarium, a 40gal cube mixed reef tank. Your beginner guides with other entities was my bible to resolve lots of mistakes I was making. Subscribing and reviewing all of Hello Reef :)
Thanks for finding us! You probably found me back in the day on my personal RUclips about, My First Fish Tank. I've been working for a company called Aperture for the last few years. They are a parent company that owns several brands such as Bulk Reef Supply, Ecotech, and Neptune. This is our new venture as a company, and I'm lucky enough to make the videos for it! -Matthew
As a woman, currently cycling her first reef tank, after half a century of keeping and breeding freshwater fish, I’m learning so much. And hearing about others mistakes, and things they wish they knew is a great way to avoid making the same ones. Now I get to make my own mistakes!
Yes! So glad you are taking the plunge into this hobby! It's awesome and super addictive! And you are right about the mistakes. We can definitely avoid mistakes, but we'll always end up making some of our own anyway! I hope your saltwater experience is going well so far! -Matthew
Great questions. A couple answers. First check out a blog I wrote (not affiliated with HelloReef) myfirstfishtank.com/the-beginner-guide-to-clean-up-crews/. It will go into great detail. but to quickly answer your question, for a cuc, snails, hermit crabs, conchs, urchins, and cleaner shrimp are all great. There are a lot of good fish, so check out this blog as well. myfirstfishtank.com/the-beginner-guide-to-saltwater-fish/. Thanks for watching and happy reefing! -Matthew
@Matthew…I’ve been watching your videos on both BRSTV and now here as I just returned to the hobby after almost 20 years and feel like a beginner as it has changed so much. I have started back in the hobby with just a little 13.5 Evo, but planning my next tank as a themed setup rather than a mixed tank of one of these and one of those. I want to make a habitat that is catered one type of coral. I was thinking an Euphyllia keeping just frogspawns and hammers. With all this being said, you set up an Euphyllia themed tank two year ago and I would like to see how that tank has turned out if you still have it running and get any advice you may have?
I think your idea of catering to a specific type of coral is fantastic. I did set up a euphyllia tank a while back, but I don't have it set up anymore. Had to break it down to make way for other things. The main pieces of advice I can give are plan out the scape. Keep it low down in the tank since the long polyps will extent to feel the empty space. Create a scape that will disappear over time with the growth of the corals. Also leave plenty of space between coral. Sometimes euphyllia and fimbriophyllia can fall victim to the dreaded brown jelly. And it's a good idea to give them enough space so if this happens, you can pull out the affected coral without it spreading to other corals. Then just think about your flow so everything is happy. I'd recommend some sort of coral aminos whether that's from Brightwell or Red Sea, and I'm a huge fan of Benepets for coral food. Be sure not to strip all nitrates and phosphates out of the water, and keep up with weekly small water changes. Hope that helps! -Matthew
Thank you…I wouldn’t mind your input on my potential build if you have the time. Display I think I decided on is a 40 breeder that I’ll drill myself to in stall overflow and returns. (I was leaning on the 60 cube with all the following except switching sump to 20 gallon tall and using a single A360XE over dual 160’s) Filter I’m a fan of mud filters or what they are called today…refugiums. My plan I think is to run a refugium with protein skimmer (Maxspect Jump SL200) that will run on and off over all the time. Dual return pumps (Sicce Syncra Silent 1.5 Pump) in a 29 long that I’ll get a baffle kit to make my chambers custom. No filter socks or roller mat, I’ll use media cups and put filter floss in them as needed. Lighting I’m thinking a pair of Kessil A160WE. I want that metal halide shimmer. Flow will be a pair of gyres. I have one Jump 2k now and would get a second to antisync them. Duel jagger heaters on an Inkbird controller that I actually just ordered to use on my EVO. I think that’s will be the build…sand and rock I have not decided yet. Rock I will buy ahead of time to make aquascape and cycle head of time with some rock already cycled. Keeping the build somewhat old school with not a lot of new app stuff. Set it a forget mind set of 20 years ago…
Hey Taylor, shoot me an email at matthew.zahler@apetlife.com and I'll send you a voice memo back... That way I can be more detailed! This build is going to be amazing by the way!
Yes, absolutely! The whole reason behind this kit was to allow complete beginners to get into Saw aquariums. There are fifty step by step videos included with the kit! So if you are interested, jump on in!
My spouse passed 11/2/24. I set up a 55 gallon reef tank after his crashed. He did not teach me everything. Im trying. Kenya tree, polyps, clown, lawnmower blinny, two damals,10 crab, 5 snails. Did water change, polyps struggling. I need help.
As a freshwater aquarist with multiple tanks, you helped me dip my toes into the saltwater hobby. I'm currently saving for the hello reef tank kit and doing lots of research before the day I finally decide when to get it. Thanks a lot for introducing me to the exited world of saltwater through these videos. This video was very helpful.
That is great to hear! I really appreciate the kind words and taking the time to watch and leave this comment! I'm super excited for you to take your first saltwater step! It'll be a wild ride, but I'm guessing amazing!
my advice. get the equipment used/ preowned and start there. find a good group of reefers who respect your questions and can guide you who have been in the reef hobby for many years, preferably reefers who live in your area. join a local reef club
@@HelloReef I had a question about substrate. could you slope your sand upwards in a slope like you could do in fresh water or do you have to keep it even for the clean up crew.
That is a great question and I don't think I have one specifically. The basics are this. Place all inverts into a separate tank for a minimum of 21 days. During that time don't introduce anything new into the QT, or the 3 week clock will restart. Visually inspect all inverts, and remove any visible pests. The 21-28 days isn't a guarantee, but will likely reduce the likelihood of your inverts carrying ich into the tank.
Goldfish can live for decades or even over a century if kept properly... you probably meant to compare clownfish to bettas or another shorter lived fish.
I have been feeding a variety of foods, and i give fish a healthy gut, live foods, clam, shrimp, oysters, worms, etc. I have never had ice by not quarantining. They can fight off diseases with healthy gut bacteria already in then. Now some people disagree. That's fine. But I'm 5 years in and never had an issue. To each his own.
I broke them all down! I had seven at one point, and on top of making saltwater content full time, I had to hire somebody to help me take care of them. It just became too much and stopped being enjoyable. So now I have two tanks, and that is the perfect amount for me! Thanks for noticing!
sorry teach. some good advice, but i have qt’d fish and still got a couple of fish sick from ich. it just comes down to the fish’s environment. if the tang has a bully waiting in the tank, stress comes around and its health just gets compromised. just like we do.
Things I wish I knew beforehand: 1. You will get algae, its inevitable your tank will look ugly from time to time. 2. You have to feed some corals just like you do fish. 3. Support your local LFS, they want you to be successful and are a wealth of information when something unexpected happens.
Yes to all three! Especially the last one... We need local fish stores in this hobby. They are not only a wealth of knowledge, but are what we need for all for all of our livestock, special orders, new tanks, etc. Thanks for mentioning that for sure!
Agreed on dollars.. i expected maybe 500 aus for a nano, turns out, even after building my own tank im at at least 2500 🤦 now its too late to turn back 😂 its a god damn cult is what it is 😂😂
I’m sure you’ve heard this already but the goldfish might not be the best fish to compare their lifespan to, considering, goldfish can live decades too, if properly cared for. Most people shove them in bowls that are too small and forget to feed them and neglect them which turns a 50+year lifespan into a 6 month lifespan but don’t let goldfish fool you. Koi can live just as long too. Maybe do some research before you post a video… Just to make sure you’re 100% accurate and you can back up what you’re saying.
Haha, I guess it depends on your tastes. My favorite tank ever was filled with inexpensive macro-algae and sponges from Seahorse Savvy, and everything was so inexpensive and the algae grew fast!
I remember watching brs studying to start my first tank came across your videos now I have had my tank for almost three years added a second tank now I’m on the verge of taking them down and getting a bigger tank thank you for all the beginner knowledge you truly made it super simple to understand and easy!
Well that is super awesome and super kind of you to say! Cheers to your success! Happy Reefing! -Matthew
Definitely my favorite reef tank personality! I've learned so much from Matt.
It important to understand the importance of medicated quarantine. I use copper power at 2.5 and make sure the fish eat before they bag them. I use seachem focus with general cure and expel P . I freeze the mixture and feed Twice a day for 2 weeks minimum. I use the Hanna checker to ramp up the copper power and keep my level at 2.5
Yes, I think quarantine is one of the most important things. While I absolutely love our HelloReef kit, one frustration I've had is there was no place for quarantine. I mean, how do you tell a beginner to set up a tank, and then set up a second tank to qt fish. It's just so complicated. But you just gave me an idea... Our goal with this kit was to take a total beginner to proficient in 6 weeks. But, a lot of them are going to move on to something else, maybe a bigger tank. I think what our program needs is a video near the end of the course all about the importance of quarantine, and an explanation as to why we didn't tell them to do it when setting up their tank. Thanks for this great reminder @notso987! -matthew
MATTHEW!!!!! My First Fish Tank got me into the hobby! I’ve missed your videos so much, and am so happy to have found you here at Hello Reef. Your reefing videos are hands down the best!
that is so kind of you! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such a nice comment, and I'm super glad to hear my videos were helpful! -Matthew
I’ve been in the hobby for nearly 8 years & i absolutely agree with this whole list bravo.
:-)
Woah, is this an entrepreneurial venture? Love it! Great looking marine tank kit and video design. I’m 7 months into my first ever aquarium, a 40gal cube mixed reef tank. Your beginner guides with other entities was my bible to resolve lots of mistakes I was making. Subscribing and reviewing all of Hello Reef :)
Thanks for finding us! You probably found me back in the day on my personal RUclips about, My First Fish Tank. I've been working for a company called Aperture for the last few years. They are a parent company that owns several brands such as Bulk Reef Supply, Ecotech, and Neptune. This is our new venture as a company, and I'm lucky enough to make the videos for it! -Matthew
As a woman, currently cycling her first reef tank, after half a century of keeping and breeding freshwater fish, I’m learning so much. And hearing about others mistakes, and things they wish they knew is a great way to avoid making the same ones. Now I get to make my own mistakes!
Yes! So glad you are taking the plunge into this hobby! It's awesome and super addictive! And you are right about the mistakes. We can definitely avoid mistakes, but we'll always end up making some of our own anyway! I hope your saltwater experience is going well so far! -Matthew
This was a cool watch. Really wish I could do macro algae with corals but every kind of algae I put in my tank gets obliterated.
Great advice . Love that you went back to how you used to make videos . Keep up the good info
Thanks! :-)
What kind of fish and invertebrates are best to put with clownfish, and can you put prawns in with clownfish if so what kind
Great questions. A couple answers. First check out a blog I wrote (not affiliated with HelloReef) myfirstfishtank.com/the-beginner-guide-to-clean-up-crews/. It will go into great detail. but to quickly answer your question, for a cuc, snails, hermit crabs, conchs, urchins, and cleaner shrimp are all great. There are a lot of good fish, so check out this blog as well. myfirstfishtank.com/the-beginner-guide-to-saltwater-fish/. Thanks for watching and happy reefing! -Matthew
@Matthew…I’ve been watching your videos on both BRSTV and now here as I just returned to the hobby after almost 20 years and feel like a beginner as it has changed so much.
I have started back in the hobby with just a little 13.5 Evo, but planning my next tank as a themed setup rather than a mixed tank of one of these and one of those. I want to make a habitat
that is catered one type of coral. I was thinking an Euphyllia keeping just frogspawns and hammers.
With all this being said, you set up an Euphyllia themed tank two year ago and I would like to see how that tank has turned out if you still have it running and get any advice you may have?
I think your idea of catering to a specific type of coral is fantastic. I did set up a euphyllia tank a while back, but I don't have it set up anymore. Had to break it down to make way for other things. The main pieces of advice I can give are plan out the scape. Keep it low down in the tank since the long polyps will extent to feel the empty space. Create a scape that will disappear over time with the growth of the corals. Also leave plenty of space between coral. Sometimes euphyllia and fimbriophyllia can fall victim to the dreaded brown jelly. And it's a good idea to give them enough space so if this happens, you can pull out the affected coral without it spreading to other corals.
Then just think about your flow so everything is happy. I'd recommend some sort of coral aminos whether that's from Brightwell or Red Sea, and I'm a huge fan of Benepets for coral food. Be sure not to strip all nitrates and phosphates out of the water, and keep up with weekly small water changes.
Hope that helps!
-Matthew
Thank you…I wouldn’t mind your input on my potential build if you have the time.
Display I think I decided on is a 40 breeder that I’ll drill myself to in stall overflow and returns. (I was leaning on the 60 cube with all the following except switching sump to 20 gallon tall and using a single A360XE over dual 160’s)
Filter
I’m a fan of mud filters or what they are called today…refugiums. My plan I think is to run a refugium with protein skimmer (Maxspect Jump SL200) that will run on and off over all the time. Dual return pumps (Sicce Syncra Silent 1.5 Pump) in a 29 long that I’ll get a baffle kit to make my chambers custom. No filter socks or roller mat, I’ll use media cups and put filter floss in them as needed.
Lighting I’m thinking a pair of Kessil A160WE. I want that metal halide shimmer.
Flow will be a pair of gyres. I have one Jump 2k now and would get a second to antisync them.
Duel jagger heaters on an Inkbird controller that I actually just ordered to use on my EVO.
I think that’s will be the build…sand and rock I have not decided yet. Rock I will buy ahead of time to make aquascape and cycle head of time with some rock already cycled.
Keeping the build somewhat old school with not a lot of new app stuff. Set it a forget mind set of 20 years ago…
To correct myself…I’ll be creating a Fimbriaphyllia (Frogspawn & Hammer corals) garden and not an Euphyllia (Torch coral) garden.
Hey Taylor, shoot me an email at matthew.zahler@apetlife.com and I'll send you a voice memo back... That way I can be more detailed! This build is going to be amazing by the way!
I have learned from your videos. You are awesome
Thanks, I'm glad to hear this! :-)
i have no aquariums but some vivariums, can i go straight into saltwater with your hello reef tank?
Yes, absolutely! The whole reason behind this kit was to allow complete beginners to get into Saw aquariums. There are fifty step by step videos included with the kit! So if you are interested, jump on in!
My spouse passed 11/2/24. I set up a 55 gallon reef tank after his crashed. He did not teach me everything. Im trying. Kenya tree, polyps, clown, lawnmower blinny, two damals,10 crab, 5 snails. Did water change, polyps struggling. I need help.
Great video. What’s that the auto feeder is sitting on? Been looking for something discrete to keep my flakes out of the overflow.
Ah yes, it's the eheim feeding station. It's awesome. www.bulkreefsupply.com/eheim-feeding-station.html?queryID=4e436d16311080630328d45d70f073b8&objectID=12803&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products
As a freshwater aquarist with multiple tanks, you helped me dip my toes into the saltwater hobby. I'm currently saving for the hello reef tank kit and doing lots of research before the day I finally decide when to get it. Thanks a lot for introducing me to the exited world of saltwater through these videos. This video was very helpful.
That is great to hear! I really appreciate the kind words and taking the time to watch and leave this comment! I'm super excited for you to take your first saltwater step! It'll be a wild ride, but I'm guessing amazing!
my advice. get the equipment used/ preowned and start there. find a good group of reefers who respect your questions and can guide you who have been in the reef hobby for many years, preferably reefers who live in your area. join a local reef club
Great advice!
@@HelloReef I had a question about substrate. could you slope your sand upwards in a slope like you could do in fresh water or do you have to keep it even for the clean up crew.
You can absolutely slope the sand!
I agree with everything he said. Good Vid!!
Thanks! :-) -Matthew
Do you have a video on quarantine snails,shrimp,crabs,urchins?
That is a great question and I don't think I have one specifically. The basics are this. Place all inverts into a separate tank for a minimum of 21 days. During that time don't introduce anything new into the QT, or the 3 week clock will restart. Visually inspect all inverts, and remove any visible pests. The 21-28 days isn't a guarantee, but will likely reduce the likelihood of your inverts carrying ich into the tank.
Goldfish can live for decades or even over a century if kept properly... you probably meant to compare clownfish to bettas or another shorter lived fish.
Ah yes... I didn't actually realize that! Thanks for the comment to clarify my mistake! :-)
My mom, believe it or not owns goldfish older than I am… I’m 28 😂
That is insane... and amazing!
@@joshweaver4729Oldest koi fish ever was dated to be over 200 yrs old, hanako
I have been feeding a variety of foods, and i give fish a healthy gut, live foods, clam, shrimp, oysters, worms, etc. I have never had ice by not quarantining. They can fight off diseases with healthy gut bacteria already in then. Now some people disagree. That's fine. But I'm 5 years in and never had an issue. To each his own.
I'm glad to hear that things have gone well for you. Where do you buy your fish from? Do they happen to quarantine?
06 🤣😂🤑 So, so very accurate!
!!!! :-)
Won't your CUC and some fish eat the macroalgae?
Great video!!!
It depends. I never found my cuc to eat macroalgae, and if they did, the algae grew so fast I never noticed! :-)
I wish I had known how addicting the hobby can be.
Oh yeah, that’s a good one!
Female reefer here !! 😊
Yay!
👍
Female reefer checking in! We are here, but often stay quiet due to mansplaining ;)
Understood!
Me too..except I'm not quiet, lol😉
What happened to all your other tanks ?
I broke them all down! I had seven at one point, and on top of making saltwater content full time, I had to hire somebody to help me take care of them. It just became too much and stopped being enjoyable. So now I have two tanks, and that is the perfect amount for me! Thanks for noticing!
👏👏👏👏👏
😀
sorry teach. some good advice, but i have qt’d fish and still got a couple of fish sick from ich. it just comes down to the fish’s environment. if the tang has a bully waiting in the tank, stress comes around and its health just gets compromised. just like we do.
Understood, it's impossible to remove all chances of ich... But you can certainly improve your chances with proper quarantine right?
Ladies! Use this comment to make some new friends in the hobby 🐠
:-)
Love this! I am in the process of cycling my Hello Reef tank!
My first saltwater tank 😊
Girl power 🌸
@@viriacosta6321 nice!! You’re gonna have so much fun with it
Yeeeeeeeesssssss!!! :-)
👧
Things I wish I knew beforehand: 1. You will get algae, its inevitable your tank will look ugly from time to time. 2. You have to feed some corals just like you do fish. 3. Support your local LFS, they want you to be successful and are a wealth of information when something unexpected happens.
Yes to all three! Especially the last one... We need local fish stores in this hobby. They are not only a wealth of knowledge, but are what we need for all for all of our livestock, special orders, new tanks, etc. Thanks for mentioning that for sure!
Agreed on dollars.. i expected maybe 500 aus for a nano, turns out, even after building my own tank im at at least 2500 🤦 now its too late to turn back 😂 its a god damn cult is what it is 😂😂
I know... maybe I should have said to quadruple your money! :-)
I’m sure you’ve heard this already but the goldfish might not be the best fish to compare their lifespan to, considering, goldfish can live decades too, if properly cared for. Most people shove them in bowls that are too small and forget to feed them and neglect them which turns a 50+year lifespan into a 6 month lifespan but don’t let goldfish fool you. Koi can live just as long too. Maybe do some research before you post a video… Just to make sure you’re 100% accurate and you can back up what you’re saying.
Of course, good point indeed! I didn't even think to think that goldfish could live that long! Crazy!
Last one is a hell of a stretch. 200 bucks of macro isn’t going to look anywhere near as nice as 10k in coral. Come on.
Haha, I guess it depends on your tastes. My favorite tank ever was filled with inexpensive macro-algae and sponges from Seahorse Savvy, and everything was so inexpensive and the algae grew fast!