Aquarium fanatics help me out

http://bluezooaquatics.com/livestock...fo.php?id=2144

I was always a fan of a hydrometer

helpful thread im interested in getting some fishees - the salt water fish are so kewl - thats unfortunate its a lot more work - need low maintainance fish

u guys mind posting pics of ur set ups?

Originally Posted by KrzyBum420

I think a senegal bicihr is the best fish to start with thats still interesting, easy to care for, and is a decent hunter

I have a 46 gal tank that i just started populating... went for 2 bichirs, 2 plecos, and 3 red glass barbs

the bichirs grow SO fast!!! especially if you put freeze-dried shrimp in the tank! I can't believe how big they've gotten compared to when I got them 2 weeks ago.

Do a brackish tank with cichlids, fish are very colorful and it is an easy tank to maintain. Been running a 55 gallon acrylic seaclear system 2 tank for years now.

Saltwater isn't "harder" but more work for sure and much more money
My 120 gal reef has 6 grand intO it.

At first setup your looking at 6-8 weeks for a nitrogen cycle to complete before you add fish
Then u will have to check ammonia nitrite nitrate and your salinity

If you have /want corals you will need to check your alk. Calcium magnesium phosphate levels

PH is a waste of time trying to get to a certain number
Consistency is more important (for all levels)
The co2 in the air in your house will drive down the ph so if the tank room door is closed with people in it like a bedroom vs having door open woth no onein there the ph will be different. so its a waste of time trying to buffer it.

Nothing good in saltwater happens fast patience is key

Reefcentral.com and READ READ

I've had saltwater tanks for a looong time, all reef set ups. Maniacs advice is the one worth listening to in my opinion

I would go with Acrylic. Less dense with better clarity, less seams, less likely to leak, and more shatter resistant than glass. Negatives are they scratch easier, more expensive, but easy care with water and microfiber towels.

Either way you go, make sure to properly level the tank on the stand before you add water. If the tank isn't properly aligned, it will crack over time, especially a glass tank.

Just remember that aquariums are essentially sewage systems. They are designed to grow beneficial bacteria that will remove toxins put out by the fish, food, and waste in the form of Ammonia and Nitrites. Nitrates are removed mostly from partial waters changes, 30% a month, I prefer 25% every two weeks myself.

Oh and don't bother with a hydrometer they're garbage get yourself a refractometer and a $5 bottle of calibration fluid

kekekek no one noticed I bumped this from 2006.

I just wanted to make a post mentioning my new fish

Originally Posted by Maniac

Saltwater isn't "harder" but more work for sure and much more money
My 120 gal reef has 6 grand intO it.

At first setup your looking at 6-8 weeks for a nitrogen cycle to complete before you add fish
Then u will have to check ammonia nitrite nitrate and your salinity

If you have /want corals you will need to check your alk. Calcium magnesium phosphate levels

PH is a waste of time trying to get to a certain number
Consistency is more important (for all levels)
The co2 in the air in your house will drive down the ph so if the tank room door is closed with people in it like a bedroom vs having door open woth no onein there the ph will be different. so its a waste of time trying to buffer it.

Nothing good in saltwater happens fast patience is key

Reefcentral.com and READ READ

i also had 6k into a 120, and sold it all for $400 ,women.......but, low ph will give corals a slow death, it will take months but they will eventually die,ask me how i know

Originally Posted by Maniac

Oh and don't bother with a hydrometer they're garbage get yourself a refractometer and a $5 bottle of calibration fluid

you can calibrate with 0 tds water which is what you should be mixing your salt with

Things that make the tank easier to care for:
-bigger tank (up to a point)
-bigger protein skimmer
-better lighting
-better water circulation
-more support equipment like reverse osmosis filters for adding water, chiller if the location of the tank exceeds 80°F, calcium reactors, refugiums, etc...
-lower fish density

Things that make the tank more expensive:
-all of the things above except for lower fish density

I highly suggest getting lots of books. Tons of great inspiration and hopefully learn to do it right the first time. My first time cost probably about $3k for a reef tank up until a heat wave killed about $1k in corals.

ugh... just got done completely rebooting my tank.

apparently one of my plecos died a while back. I never saw him, but figured he was just hiding.

a few days ago the water went REALLY muddy. after completely cleaning it out, I found 1 less fish. I guess his body got trapped under some decorations or something, cause he never floated to the top and I didn't find any remains.

bichirs probably ate most of him

My reef tank is the reason why I stopped posting on this site lol

Originally Posted by broey v

ugh... just got done completely rebooting my tank.

apparently one of my plecos died a while back. I never saw him, but figured he was just hiding.

a few days ago the water went REALLY muddy. after completely cleaning it out, I found 1 less fish. I guess his body got trapped under some decorations or something, cause he never floated to the top and I didn't find any remains.

bichirs probably ate most of him

this is why you do weekly water tests, and bi weekly 25% water change

it was alot of money and alot of work, but, it was a cool hobby that i learned from scratch, which was the most fun

i may do it again someday, but on a much smaller scale , and no corals, just anemones................i had 2 mated pair of clowns, one in a purple tip seabae and one in a red bubble tip

those really put the corals to shame imo, and so much cheaper

i have pictures on another hard drive i gota retrieve, but i know i'll get nostalgic

life is strange, you can sit around and look at what you have right now, and in a year it could all be gone

Originally Posted by wasp9166

this is why you do weekly water tests, and bi weekly 25% water change

it was alot of money and alot of work, but, it was a cool hobby that i learned from scratch, which was the most fun

i may do it again someday, but on a much smaller scale , and no corals, just anemones................i had 2 mated pair of clowns, one in a purple tip seabae and one in a red bubble tip

those really put the corals to shame imo, and so much cheaper

i have pictures on another hard drive i gota retrieve, but i know i'll get nostalgic

life is strange, you can sit around and look at what you have right now, and in a year it could all be gone

I think one of my bichirs ate my new red glass barb

had 3 adult red glass barbs.. bought 2 more babies 2 days ago.

this morning noticed one was missing. did a 25% change, cleaning the decorations and still nothing. no sign of him jumping the tank either.

and the bichirs are looking mighty contempt

I have learned that it is best not to look at the $$$ that you put into the hobby. You will definitely lose money, but you will gain so much in understanding ecology, biology and a sense of accomplishment (if you are successful) that is hard to match. Of course, it CAN be frusttrating in the beginning.