Reef Aquariums

[iamn8]

At the time i was fascinated by pod farming...first time i even noticed i had pods i noticed the sanded writhing and thought i had a parasite infestation. Almost took the tank apart to kill them all. Luckily a friend intervened before i did that lol. turned out they're a VERY good thing and a sign of a very healthy reef.
Overtime=cash which = a good thing....right? congrats again on regaining employment!!!

 

[hawke]

Yep, I remember IVE GOT BUGS!!!!!

 

[pruss]

@Hawke
Discus are black water fish coming from the Amazon, Orinoco, Rio Negro watershed in northern South America. They share habitat with tetras, S.A. cichlids, corys, plecos, etc. Many hobbyists were schooled to believe that Discus were super water sensitive; and they do need LOTS of fresh water to grow out to achieve their maximum size and development. This is why I'm going bare bottom, and over-filtered, with the tank for the juvenile Discus. This makes cleaning the tank, and refreshing water through water changes very easy.
But the days of requiring RO and daily water changes are done for Discus if the stock is sourced correctly. There are a number of reputable breeders who are rearing Discus in North American tap water, and doing so successfully. So they are far from the super finicky breed that they were purported to be even a few years ago. If someone understands fish keeping, and is committed to regular, routine and quality husbandry practices then taking care of Discus is totally doable.
The first tank in this video is similar to how I'll start my juveniles. The second tank is closer to how the show tank will look, from an aquascape perspective, once the fish grow out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMghEBnD1ds
-- Pat

 

[iamn8]

Well... here we go!

 

[andrew]

Pruss is correct, I've been into fish for along time, and there are combinations people keep now that would of never been thought of when I was younger. People successfully keep african cichlids with south american cichlids, I've heard of people keeping discuss with african cichlids, when you're raising fish in captivity their water parameters have changed dramatically.

 

[okiescout]

Awesome, Nate. Congratulations on being able to reset up. Water is so primal to our relaxation and enjoyment.
This industry has come so far in regard to salt water tanks. These reef's are amazing.
Wow, Pruss. I remember when my boss got into them in the 80's. Big money then! Back then mortality was high so they have come far. These are incredible colors.
You guys enjoy and keep us posted.

 

[iamn8]

Desperately need for my light fixture to arrive, but otherwise the tank is officially up and running!! The fish, while not visible, are in their new tank. So relieved nothing bad happened... so far. It'll look LOTS better once lit.

 

[okiescout]

Nat, do you have plans for anemone in your setup. Sorry, maybe they are there and I just cannot see them. I have been blown away by all the animals available now. Looking good.

 

[pruss]

Nate,
How are you planning on scaping your tank? Right now that live rock looks like the antediluvian remains of Alexandria... :lol:
-- Pat

 

[iamn8]

Lol pat you're right! I just stuck the rock in to keep it "live". I'll Rockscape it after a while. Most likely I'll just go with a central mass, stack them where they fit. Maybe just against the overflow wall. Not sure. For those types of aesthetic choices I'm poor at planning. I'm more a "see where the mood takes me" kinda guy. You def seem like a planner based on your tank and drawings lol
At the moment the only tank residents are a pair of goldflake maroon clowns, a purple tang, and a flame angel. I've kept carpet anemones since I was kid. I have an H. Haddoni on hold at a local shop. Haddoni is my absolute favorite marine animal. The one that's on hold is a fluorescent green, but I'll likely add a blue or purple down the line. Beyond that I like to add pieces around once ever two months.

 

[iamn8]

Dang it Dup posts!

 

[pruss]

Sounds like a nice tank load... How do you handle quarantining with the staggered introduction of new denizens?
-- Pat

 

[andrew]

I remember when my boss got into them in the 80's. Big money then! Back then mortality was high so they have come far.

Still is big money, the cost of live rock at most stores I see is at least 5$ a pound for the basic stuff. About the cheapest fish I've seen are around 35$. It's still something that takes alot of time and patience as you can screw it up fast. There's a reason I've only stuck to fresh water.

 

[cally454]

All you need is some dark side of the moon and one of your pipes and your set. I think I read that aquariums lower you blood pressure significantly. Well at least until they flood your loft lol

 

[pruss]

Without question, Nate's loft flood was traumatic and costly... But if you're a fan of reef tanks and aren't afraid of tragedy, may I highly recommend this build thread. It summarizes the design, build and failure of a 1300g reef tank. There are other places which capture elements of this story, but this forum thread is the blow by blow. Grab a pipe, a pot of tea, and enjoy the journey: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1811725

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2096730
-- Pat

 

[andrew]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2096730&page=34#838 post 838 is where it happens. All I can say is this is how aquariums can be beautiful, but a major stress at the same time. Don't think without alot of work you're going to have this beautiful aquarium to appreciate without putting alot of time and effort and work into it. Also no matter the size, make sure you level the aquarium perfectly, I've had a tank seal go because it wasn't leveled right, it was a quick apartment move which didn't allow pets, so when I got a call from my landlord that water was leaking into the persons apartment below my heart sank. It's a very rewarding hobby but can be very stressful at the same time. A parasite can be introduced from a fish that can pretty much wipe out all of your other fish. If you aren't putting the time in to clean it the fish will get sick. A filter pump can go and it can cost you 100's of dollars. A seam can give out. There's so many variables with that amount of water pressure. You need to have a quarantine tank before you add any new fish to your main aquarium. I want to get something in the 150-200 gallon range one day when I have my own house.

 

[iamn8]

So happy to find others into reefing here!! Its so true that anyone who spends VAST amounts of time, energy, and cash creating a reef tank will, for the most part, ALWAYS experience a complete and total system failure. If you haven't yet, just wait. It happens to everyone.
Andy, ditto!!! i was in a loft last year. i went to see Book Of Mormon. As i was leaving the play, i saw i had a dozen missed calls. they were from building management letting me know that water was GUSHING into my neighbors lofts. The loft was about 700sqft. I went home as fast as i could, opened my door, and stood staring at it for a good 5-10 minutes allowing my brain to catch up with what my eyes saw. I didn't even know where to begin. Around 130g of saltwater filled my loft. Once i finally stepped foot into the loft, i watched the standing water ripple all the way to the rear wall of the loft. It was very serious. I lost pretty much everything touching the floor,not to mention the tank and thousands in coral. my neighbors did not like me. It happened on a Sunday night and took a crew of professionals over 5hrs to drain, remove all lost items, and begin the week long process of drying it out. Five industrial dehumidifier ran at the volume of jet engines 24/7 for a week which made sleeping impossible. it was so awful! so i feel your pain!
pretty much everyone who sees a reef tank thinks "wow that much be so relaxing". It isn't. there's NOTHING relaxing about it. Even during those times when it all goes off without a hitch, a part of you is always waiting for the ball to drop. It's very rewarding, fascinating, and fun to do, but always stressful. I grew up with my fathers reef tank. he is a chemical engineer and back then there wasn't an aquarium industry for saltwater. What he accomplished was amazing, building a skimmers before skimmers existed. a 400g mixed reef in the early 80's was a VERY serious accomplishment that i can't fathom! not even an internet then!!
So far as quarantine goes, i have a separate 40 gallon setup where items stay for a week. Once its been used, its then drained and new water made. thats a part of why i only add once every two months or so. Also, i have a very strong relationship with a LFS. He always keeps new items for me for a week to TRY to insure healthy items making it home with me. I also have a good relationship with one online dealer who has amazing stuff, best inventory I've ever seen here He's great for showpiece items and shipping is free for anything over $150 which is a seriously amazing deal!! overnight priority shipping is pricey!!. to me anyways, the most difficult part of this hobby is going slow and realizing you can't just spend money to accelerate things. Its a great life lesson that you must go slow sometimes. Go too fast and exceed your tanks bioload and you will loose your coral every time. Lighting is a HUGE deal. without good lighting....
Anyways yeah...complicated hobby to be sure. although my other hobby, astrophotography, isn't exactly simple either. The pipe provides the glue to keep my sanity, my least complicated hobby

 

[hawke]

And therein lies the attraction, the challenge. Only another reefer really understands the internal rewards. When folks come by they are amazed. The little ones are mesmerized. After years I could still get up at night and shine a light in and enjoy what I saw. New live rock is always fun as well. That nudibranch was a hitchhiker in my above video. I was lucky and never got a mantis shrimp. I need to see if I can find my video of the yellow goby and pistol shrimp I had.

 

[iamn8]

Yeah Hawke, the symbiotic relationships like that are the best! The clown/anemone and goby/pistol are why most people begin a reef. I love the animals with jobs, that serve a specific purpose in the reef. A diamond goby to keep the sand bed clean, the symbiotic relationships, the "clean up crew", the cleaner shrimp that eat parasites off the fish... I have two decorative fish, there to be pretty and that's enough. Mantis shrimp are the bad ass gang members of the reef. I actually love those things when kept on purpose and not by accident lol
Water was a bitch because I haven't hooked up my r/o unit at my new house. This meant carrying LOTS of distilled water, a pain in the ass!!!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

:::Sigh:::, I used to keep Oscars in a 100 gallon tank. Great fish with lots of personality, but this thread is bittersweet. I really cannot afford a new hobby nor the time involved, and you are making me want to. Ugg!! Now, I just need someone to start posting golf threads to really drive me crazy, ha ha.