MM Reef

[ScottyB]

I love that project man. You really put a lot of dedication and hard work into it... speaks volumes for what kind of person you are =D

haha, i'm a lazy bastard. i don't know what you're talking about

i do love it though. i've blown so much money and time, but it's just like cars for me

[ScottyB]

been a while since i updated, figured some people might be entertained by the ongoing saga and/or bored at work.

a few months back i saw a tank with the rockwork arranged where the whole back of the tank looked like a rock wall/cliff and decided that's what i wanted. i tried the arrangement for a while but it failed pretty bad.

* the weird thing about reefs is that they require huge amounts of water movement. the rockwork in my tank was too congested and created stagnant spots. next thing i knew, another algae outbreak! it was feeding on the waste that had settled in these spots instead of flowing to the filtration tank. *

so i tore it down and figured i need to downsize anyway. alot of my rock would make great peices of a larger formation but look lousy alone. so i put up a FS/FT add on a local board and within minutes found a guy close by that would trade some corals for my rock. best trade ever! i'll put up some pics later.

so, as it stands my tank is mostly bare except for a bunch of small coral and a new percula clownfish (the "nemo" kind). i'm going to hit up the local fish store on saturday and find a couple really awesome, small rock peices that compliment the tank instead of making it look like a rock pile in a water box.

i have also been battling bad water chemistry. i've always been lazy about it and never bothered to put money into test kits -- it's always been "well the stuff is alive, i'd rather spend money on more _____" well i found out my calcium levels are marginal and my pH is verging on deadly low. i feel like such a tard, i should know better. it's like boosting your engine and not buying a wideband, then asking why you melted your plugs.

because of my low pH, the aragonite (calcium rich mineral sand) sand was literally "melting" as the water is more acidic, and as it melts it reacts with the carbonate in the water and begins clumping into chunks. that is bad, bad, bad. when that happens, oxygen doesn't dissipate through the sand....which in turn kills off the bacteria in it that consumes waste, and in turn when the bacteria dies it releases hydrogen peroxide and nukes the whole tank! so kids, even if you hate chemistry like me, don't forget to check your water. almost killed my whole tank.

ah....if only i knew then what i know now. i could have started a tank nowadays for a quarter of what i have in it now, with better results. such is life.

[HAULN-SS]

I need to post some pics of my stuff up. I most have tetras, but I'm thinking about introducing a beta. I'm surprised you have so much water problems - but i havent fooled with saltwater much. I dont even have to clean my tank, the water stays crystal clear, and i NEVER get buildup on the wallks or anything else. I just add the proper chemicals whenever i have to add water to it, but that's pretty cheap, and seems to work..nothing dies, and it stays clean.

[BLINGMW]

it's like boosting your engine and not buying a wideband, then asking why you melted your plugs.

:lol: Thanks for putting it into terms we might understand

[ScottyB]

I'm surprised you have so much water problems - but i havent fooled with saltwater much.

i'm having problems because i neglected the tank. it's 100% my oversight -- i was focused on other stuff. i'm in the process of fixing it though, should be back to normal in a few days.

saltwater maintainance is actually very easy for small tanks. the only thing i ever do is top off evaporated water, feed the fish and change 10% water every 2 weeks. the hard part is educating yourself how a saltwater system works and making sure you have the right equipment and livestock. nowadays you can do that cheaply and easily though with so much info out there on the net.

how about another car analogy:

saltwater tanks are to freshwater tanks what forced induction is to naturally aspirated. N/A is simple and effective but FI has that extra kick -- at the cost of more complexity. both are equally capable of running well with proper maintainance, but the FI will make a bigger boom if you screw it up 8)

[CaptainHenreh]

Scotty, what would you say would be the minimum starter budget for a saltwater tank with maybe one or two fishes?

[ScottyB]

Scotty, what would you say would be the minimum starter budget for a saltwater tank with maybe one or two fishes?

minimum...if you craigslisted and fire saled most of your equipment you could be ready to rock, minus livestock for about 250 bucks depending on the size of the tank and how patient you are to wait for deals. livestock will run another 50 at least, depending on how much rock you want and if you can find anyone just looking to get rid of fish or coral.

for instance, if i were to build a similar setup to mine from scratch:

- 10 gallon tank (practically free from craigslist)
- tank stand (optional, maybe 40 bucks on craigslist)
- 80W power compact flourescent fixture, reman'd (80 bucks and dropping)
- hang-on-back filter (free or cheap from a pet store, 20 bucks max)
- salt (30 bucks new)
- powerhead (10 bucks used)
- sand (can find for real cheap if people have excess, new for 20 bucks)
- 10 gallons distilled water (10 bucks)
- various powerstrips/timers (20 bucks max)
- test kit for nitrate/pH/alkilinity/calcium (25 bucks, depending on if you buy a kit or individually)
- food (2 bucks?)
- chemical additions such as calcium/bicarbonate buffer/trace elements (20 bucks, depends on what you need, where you buy, how much quantity)
- salinity meter/thermometer (almost free used or 10 bucks new)

OR

find someone selling their entire setup. this happens all the time. you can find someone selling a 30 gallon setup for under 300 bucks sometimes, especially if they need to move to a home where they can't keep it and are desperate to unload.

once established, my only consistent expenses are salt every 6-7 months and about 5 gallons of distilled water every 2 weeks (i mix my own salt). i also dose for calcium, strontium, bicarb and iodine every week in very tiny quantities. if you do your homework you can keep a tank at a very low cost. many people will tell you that you have to buy lots of fancy equipment blah blah blah....its just not true. i kept 2 fish in a 10 gallon tank all through college and drove them 2 hours to roanoke and back 4 times a year, with budget equipment, and they did fine. and man, was i ignorant about the hobby at that point.....and it still worked

[ScottyB]

some random pics of the new stuff. my camera sucks, doesn't capture the true vibrancy of the colors... an SLR can do amazing things for tank pictures.

the new guy, very tiny -- maybe an inch. but eats like a pig


some new small zoanthids under actinic lighting


here are some more zoanthids. they are basically small, colonial anemones. very hardy and come in hundreds of varieties.

these are the new ones

this is a type of soft coral that resembles an anemone, called a mushroom


this is pretty cool. under actinic lighting (meant to resemble the wavelength of light in water about 20-30 ft. deep) most corals will phosfloresce (sp?). zoanthids are no exception.


the mushroom floresces like a deep red, the camera won't pick it up though.


well that's it for now. if you guys have any questions hit me up.[/img]

[mrbaggio]

I am FINALLY (after 3.5 years) getting around to setting up my 55 gal tank. I am going to put Africans in it. Is your tank still up? How's it running?

I am still in the process of gathering parts. The next purchase is a hood and light. I am looking to get the Nova Extreme dual bulb light. It can make cichlids look like saltwater fish (at least close ).

Right now I have heaters, gravel, and a filter running.

I will post some pics when I get it set up.

[DavidL]

Looks pretty good!! I was into the saltwater thing for a while in HS-- had to shut things down in the move to JMU. In my prime had a 20 long with two 70 watt 14k halides and 20 sump. So many coral pieces-- zoas, ricordea, acans, and a couple croceas... oh makes me almost want to start again. Huge $$ drainer though.

[ScottyB]

back from the dead! i have alot of updating to do, the tank has changed a fair amount and some corals have come and gone.

I am FINALLY (after 3.5 years) getting around to setting up my 55 gal tank. I am going to put Africans in it. Is your tank still up? How's it running?

I am still in the process of gathering parts. The next purchase is a hood and light. I am looking to get the Nova Extreme dual bulb light. It can make cichlids look like saltwater fish (at least close ).

Right now I have heaters, gravel, and a filter running.

I will post some pics when I get it set up.

tank is doing good. so far i've never run into any plumbing issues (overflowing, electrical shorts, etc) however i did have a scare when our power went out in january and our house got down to 60 degrees. i was sure my tank would freeze out the animals.

gathering parts is the most fun :lol: don't forget craigslist! lots of people part out their tanks when they are forced to move. that's how i got half my stuff.

i love Cichlids, they are awesome with how the school and they seem to be really "chill" fish. definitely post some pics.

Looks pretty good!! I was into the saltwater thing for a while in HS-- had to shut things down in the move to JMU. In my prime had a 20 long with two 70 watt 14k halides and 20 sump. So many coral pieces-- zoas, ricordea, acans, and a couple croceas... oh makes me almost want to start again. Huge $$ drainer though.

JMU is when i started! probably not the best time though, ha. taking a 10 gallon tank home in my car every vacation wasn't the best for my fish, i think.

you had my dream tank .....i love long, low tanks and halides are a pipe dream for me (i'm using power compacts, 80w). i have been on the prowl for a ricordia or two but i can't justify paying $30 for one....come on, group buy...

i would say i've put 800 into my current tank so far, not counting water changing every 2 weeks. if i tallied up what i've spent from the start and all the stupid crap i bought not knowing any better....yikes, i don't want to do that

[ScottyB]

update for anyone who cares:

the tank as it sits now:


an interesting view of some of the corals (front to back...kenya tree, green paly, red mushroom, purple/green zoanthid):


the red mushrooms have really taken off as well as the zoanthids (background of second pic). i have also recently got hold of some green star polyp that looks awesome but is in the back for flow right now. the two fish i had before got infected with something from a pet store and died however the new fish is totally awesome and has been 100% since i got him -- orchid dottyback...great fish, full of character, probably the first one i've ever gotten that is curious rather than scared of people. his buddy is a coral banded shrimp. i've had a couple coral banded's and they are by far my favorite animal of that kind.

i have a small algae problem as i had a bit of overfeeding (neighbors fed fish while we were away) but otherwise it's all doing probably the best it ever has.

[WRXtranceformed]

Awesome Scott!! I miss my fish tank back in VA Dunno if I can safely transport the fish to NC and keep them alive..

[Sijray21]

that tank looks good! i've always been interested in your tanks, i like how you progress with them! Saltwater ftw.

[ScottyB]

thanks guys....

Dunno if I can safely transport the fish to NC and keep them alive..

you definitely can. catch/bag your fish, and keep them in a cooler to keep them cool or warm depending on the weather. trust me, if i can move my whole saltwater deal from VA to GA in july without losing any animals you could do the same. they will be stressed but its no different than when they were shipped to the store you bought them from :wink:

[mrbaggio]

My tank is up and running. Anyone have a good place to host pics?

[ViPER1313]

imageshack.us

[Maengelito]

i prefer flickr.com myself

[CaptainHenreh]

Rex likes photobucket.

[mrbaggio]

Here are a few shots of my cichlid tank. I have four fish in there right now. More to come later. I will likely add more rocks and some sort of solid color background.