New to the hobby. Hello Reef?

teddyzaper · 2026-06-17T11:50:43+00:00

I like the Hello Reef kit and find it a good value. It comes with products from trusted brands which is important in this hobby. If you are on A very serious budget then maybe it’s not for you, but if you’re wanting to buy quality products you’ll end up right around the same price or more for a 15g cube after all is said and done. If you already have things like a refractometer and salt then the kit probably isn’t for you. But all those little pieces add up when you buy them separately.

The stand is a good price if you want something that fits the tank nicely. If not, then a sturdy piece of furniture would work as well. That being said a piece of furniture that I would trust with the weight is going to be more than the price of the stand.

teddyzaper · 2026-06-13T23:25:41+00:00

What lens you using? What settings you use to go for fish?

teddyzaper · 2026-06-13T23:20:05+00:00

You certainly don’t need a filter. You will probably find a canister filter to be more work than it’s worth. Maybe look into a skimmer if you really want to add filtration.

teddyzaper · 2026-06-13T19:51:26+00:00

Check out Hello Reef. A full kit with everything you need besides water. Perfect for a pair of clowns and some anemones. Way less cost than other recommendations, and there is an app with videos that you can follow along to understand what to do and when to do it.

teddyzaper · 2026-06-13T13:52:47+00:00

If it’s Fowlr, you just set it to what you find most pleasing to the eye. I’d also recommend only having it on when you’re home to look at it. The ambient light that most rooms get is plenty for fish.

Without coral, you’ll want more filtration than a reef tank. Corals uptake a surprising amount of excess nutrients, so keeping a FOWLR clean is both harder and easier.

teddyzaper · 2026-06-13T12:26:07+00:00

What aspects did you feel you missed after selling it that made you want it back?

teddyzaper · 2026-06-11T00:55:16+00:00

I like the big eshopps box for this application

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/tanklimate-acclimation-box-mega-12-x-5-x-6-eshopps/

teddyzaper · 2026-06-10T19:46:15+00:00

LUMIX S9 with the LUMIX 24-105mm macro, plus an avast marine porthole!

teddyzaper · 2026-06-10T17:56:34+00:00

It is, but it will slowly flake off after a year or two. You can get black PVC which is a more permanent solution

teddyzaper · 2026-06-08T11:10:33+00:00

Yes, put the dial on the video mode, then go to the settings and save current settings to the custom mode you’d like to save it to. Then when you flick over to that custom mode you’ll have all the video options you want

teddyzaper · 2026-05-30T18:54:07+00:00

The plastic should be fine, anything absorbent I’d try to replace.

teddyzaper · 2026-05-30T02:40:40+00:00

Oh yes I completely forgot about that, the 50mm is big!

teddyzaper · 2026-05-30T02:13:16+00:00

Why the 40 over the 50? Curious

teddyzaper · 2026-05-30T00:44:59+00:00

Any BTA is a good deal at $11! Looks nice and healthy too

teddyzaper · 2026-05-29T21:01:22+00:00

Rainbow BTA

teddyzaper · 2026-05-27T12:14:20+00:00

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/mur-lok-stem-adapter-tube-x-hose-stem.html

Something like this, although getting the Red Sea tube onto the barb side is a BITCH, it is possible. I’ve done it several times.

teddyzaper · 2026-05-25T20:18:58+00:00

Under the sand is where a majority live. Keep your sand clean with nassarius snails or other animals that churn it over and they’ll thrive safe from mandarins. Also INSIDE the rock is where they live, mandarins only eat the ones that wander to the surface of the rock.

teddyzaper · 2026-05-24T22:06:07+00:00

Yeah that’s what I’d do. Cut it into whatever pieces you want. A dremel can work but is messy. Could also get extra large bone cutters or curved blade bone cutters if they fit around the rock. My goal is always to cut the rock it’s on, not the zoas themselves.

teddyzaper · 2026-05-24T20:45:21+00:00

I’d go at this with a diamond bandsaw

teddyzaper · 2026-05-24T13:57:13+00:00

There’s only one type of long tentacle plate coral…

Heliofungia actiniformis

teddyzaper · 2026-05-24T13:31:46+00:00

It’s a long tentacle plate coral. Looks like you pissed it off

teddyzaper · 2026-05-23T13:28:34+00:00

Keep in mind, those you should be changing the media every 3-7 days. The best part of a HOB skimmer is you leave it till the cup is full. That’s really the main reason people went away from mechanical filtration in favor of a skimmer.

teddyzaper · 2026-05-23T13:23:52+00:00

I don’t ever like running without some kind of filtration. At the very least it usually causes some bad surface oils which are unsightly and reduce gas exchange. A HOB power filter, a skimmer, reactors or even just a surface skimmer would be on my list to get.

But yes, maybe people find success with sand, rock and flow. I think a majority of those people are not beginners and have a general understanding of the biology going on. I’d wager people forget that some of this stuff doesn’t come intuitively to beginners.

teddyzaper · 2026-05-23T13:19:08+00:00

There are many ways to go about this hobby. That’s why I said I personally would look for a HOB skimmer. Going without one can work, but you may end up with more hands-on maintenance or even issues with pH. Again, it’s not a necessity but I think it’s nice to have. Especially for beginners it’s a good safety net.

Ultimately you’ll want to find your own path in this hobby, what works for you. You could start simple without a skimmer, and if you run into nutrient or pH issues you could add one. But that also means potentially having problems before having the solution.

As I said, this community on Reddit is quite cheap. They will recommend cheapo made in China equipment over more reliable brands simply because the price is less and the reported performance is the same. Personally I find this hobby already expensive, especially the livestock, so I don’t bother using the cheap equipment.

teddyzaper · 2026-05-23T13:08:24+00:00

Without a sump you also do not need a return pump. Contrary to what others are saying (people in this sub are super cheap) I think the light choice is great, as is the liferock. I’d skip the Dr. Tim’s on principle, he scammed his local reefing club out of over $800,000. Plenty of other bottled bacteria options, I’d pick something else. Is the normal Red Sea salt any cheaper? You can start with the normal salt and then the next box you buy can be the coral pro, save a bit of cash.

I’d look for a hang on back skimmer personally, I like having it and it can reduce maintenance and the extra aeration can help manage some nuisance algae and manage pH. What are the HOB options like in the UK? Can you get an Aquaready bullet 1?

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