Hello everyone, new to 3reef.com

Hi all, I come from upstate NY, and I bring with me about 23 years of Fresh water fish-keeping experience. To this point, my interest has been in cichlid species originating from Lake Tanganyika in Africa. I currently have 7 tanks, My prize tank being my 55 gallon Tanganyikan Cichlid Tank which houses 13 different species/variants endemic the lake.

This past summer, My wife and I decided that we would plan on converting one of our 55 gallon tanks into a marine reef. This would not only be our first attempt at a reef tank, but our first venture into saltwater fish-keeping. The plan has allowed for 9 months to prepare ourselves. It has now been 6-7 months since the decision was made, most of which has been spent researching, planning, more researching, replanning, etc. We are now about a month away from beginning to make our equipment purchases (lighting, refugium, skimmer, etc) So I am super excited. Wish us luck, and I look forward to learning a great deal from your community here.

So, now a little more about me before i go. I currently work as a Police/Fire/EMS Dispatcher and have spent 11 years in Security Management as both a manager and an instructor. In my spare time, I can usually be found at my computer, sitting on my porch with my Jackson (guitar), or watching a movie.

 

Welcome to 3reef SKAustin

Nice tag btw Take pride in what you do, for it is a reflection of who you are.

 

Welcome to 3reef!!!
You made a good decision in starting up a saltwater tank!!

 

Welcome to 3Reef!

 

Welcome to 3reef!

 

welcome to 3reef

 

Best of luck as you venture into the realm of saltwater! It is an addiction...disease, if you will!!!! We are all affected by the sickness as you will find out! You won't be able to control yourself as their are so many vibrant colored corals, fish and inverts to choose from.
Your smart in that you are planning ahead of time as well as researching the hobby to better your chances of long term success!

 

WELCOME! You will love this forum including all the helpful and friendly members. Don't be afraid to ask anything, we are all here to help one another...that's sounds so cheasy doesn't it. I started out with cichlids but nothing compares to the enjoyment you will get out of the reef.

 

Welcome to 3reef! Love the avatar.

9 months of planning first? WOW! 8)

That is impressive.
8)

 

Wow. Thanks everyone, for the super-warm welcome. Ive been out reading up on alot of the threads here, trying desperatly to find answers to a few remaining questions I have, and trying to ensure that my choices thus far are going to be the right ones. I expect to run my plans by everyone before I go making any purchases, so I look forward to a lot of great advice. This forum has been so helpful that I feel a bit obligated to return the favor, so I've taken a bit of my spare time and added a nice comprehensive instruction manual to the DIY section on constructing a nice Tank Stand.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/diy-55-gallon-tank-stand-step-step-photos-39012.html

Thanks again everyone.
S.K.