Any aquarium nuts out there (home tanks)?

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yooper said:
I had to move one of my daughter's abandoned 10gallon old skool glass tanks out of my way today while cleaning up my storage room. I kinda feel like firing it up, it's been a while. If I do it I'll try to make it as natural as possible, with lots of real plants. :hhmm:

I read this book many moons ago and have had it in the back of my mind for a while.
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I love the Amano stuff. i had my 20 set up with co2 injection, big lights and daily fertilizer for a while and was growing glosso, and riccia and all the plants that make his aquariums look great, but the maintenance schedule was ridiculous so i switched it to a low tech planted tank. Moss, dwarf sword, and anubias, no CO2 and a few more fish, little if anything in the way of fertilizer. Now I can actually enjoy it, Just top it off every couple of weeks. I can go months without a water change.

My dad just set up a nano-reef in a 10 gallon. He's a glutton for punishment.
 
Basic salt systems are not overly complex and your wet dry filter will work fine. Reef systems require a lot more work and the live rock becomes more important. You also do not have to buy all live rock. The bacteria will live and multiply on rock over time. You must have to be careful of what type of rock you use in the tank. Saltwater is prety nasty to any heavy metals within the rock. And most lava's are pretty high in metals..

Funny, if you look at the algae on the pic you posted you will notice it has been munched on by snails.

That tank was set up as a reef tank most likely.

Also keep in mind that most saltwater fish can get big..
 
kllyjansen and I are setting up a new reef tank right now, in fact... Buying used drops the cost significantly.

What you're looking at here is a bent glass 75g w/ overflow, CPR wet dry sump w/ skimmer and pumps, 240W PC lighting and stand for $300 total on craigslist. 60lbs of argonite sugar sand plus 40lbs of live sand for $80 total on the discount shelf at petco. 75lb of live rock for $2/lb from craigslist.

The "new" prices for that stuff are unbelievable. $300 tank, $200 stand, $500 wet dry, $200 lights, $750 rock. Nuts.
Aquarium2.webp
 
I will also add - I've kept several saltwater tanks and have found that if you pack them with live rock (like 1lb/gallon) they become very low maintenance.

For example, I have a $30 walmart special 5g tank for about a year and a half now with a pistol shrimp and his goby "life partner" plus 5lb or rock and I have done a single water change about 6 months ago. ONE! I tested the water yesterday and ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm, with 20ppm nitrate - too high for corals, maybe, but acceptable for fish. You should strive for better, but my point is that even small tanks do develop a robust ecosystem of their own if you put in enough live rock. I have traded livestock a couple of times in that tank, but I have never killed a fish...
 
amaurer said:
I will also add - I've kept several saltwater tanks and have found that if you pack them with live rock (like 1lb/gallon) they become very low maintenance.

For example, I have a $30 walmart special 5g tank for about a year and a half now with a pistol shrimp and his goby "life partner" plus 5lb or rock and I have done a single water change about 6 months ago. ONE! I tested the water yesterday and ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm, with 20ppm nitrate - too high for corals, maybe, but acceptable for fish. You should strive for better, but my point is that even small tanks do develop a robust ecosystem of their own if you put in enough live rock. I have traded livestock a couple of times in that tank, but I have never killed a fish...
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What's the pH?
 
Hey...some pretty nice set-ups in here...very cool!!! Did D'animal ever get the go ahead for pet forum? I never seen it?

Had a mini reef in a 30 for about 5 years, and I loved it, but it took a LOT of work!!! Live rock, timers, different lights, skimmers, anemones, fish...etc. It was not that hard to keep, but it did take time to do it properly. In no way was it cheap...I nearly ate that Flame Angle when it died! Hospital tanks, media, salt...a great hobby that I plan to get back to one day, but when I am not sure...I also had concerns as to where my stock came from...hopefully things will change in that department in the future. I sold it all to my dad, who then dropped it all in an 80...that thing was awesome, but it was is 120 plant tank that really impressed me!!!

His plant tank was a fraction of the cost, time, and work, and it was absolutely beautiful! I have been using my old 15 hospital tank to house a few tropicals for my daughter, and my wife already planned a spot in the new additin of our house for a bigger tank one day soon.

OK, here is a question...anyone ever make their own tank? I'd like one a little taller than standard for the plants...this make any sense?
 
amaurer said:
kllyjansen and I are setting up a new reef tank right now, in fact... Buying used drops the cost significantly.

What you're looking at here is a bent glass 75g w/ overflow, CPR wet dry sump w/ skimmer and pumps, 240W PC lighting and stand for $300 total on craigslist. 60lbs of argonite sugar sand plus 40lbs of live sand for $80 total on the discount shelf at petco. 75lb of live rock for $2/lb from craigslist.

The "new" prices for that stuff are unbelievable. $300 tank, $200 stand, $500 wet dry, $200 lights, $750 rock. Nuts.
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Oooh...I really like that curved glass :)
 
Mace said:
What's the pH?
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No idea, didn't test that. :D

I should have been taking better care of that tank, but I got busy, and lazy, and knew this bigger one was en route... :meh: None of the inhabitants seem to mind. I even have some green star polyps which, while not exactly flourishing, have been living for about a year in there.
 
While on the subject of tanks. I really would like a get another one for my kid. Space is limited so thinking a curved or angled corner type in a 25-45gal. In pros or cons to the corner style? curved or non? This will be freshwater for start.
 
My wife said no FJ! said:
Hey...some pretty nice set-ups in here...very cool!!! Did D'animal ever get the go ahead for pet forum? I never seen it?

Had a mini reef in a 30 for about 5 years, and I loved it, but it took a LOT of work!!! Live rock, timers, different lights, skimmers, anemones, fish...etc. It was not that hard to keep, but it did take time to do it properly. In no way was it cheap...I nearly ate that Flame Angle when it died! Hospital tanks, media, salt...a great hobby that I plan to get back to one day, but when I am not sure...I also had concerns as to where my stock came from...hopefully things will change in that department in the future. I sold it all to my dad, who then dropped it all in an 80...that thing was awesome, but it was is 120 plant tank that really impressed me!!!

His plant tank was a fraction of the cost, time, and work, and it was absolutely beautiful! I have been using my old 15 hospital tank to house a few tropicals for my daughter, and my wife already planned a spot in the new additin of our house for a bigger tank one day soon.

OK, here is a question...anyone ever make their own tank? I'd like one a little taller than standard for the plants...this make any sense?
Click to expand...

Depends on the type of plants you want to grow. A tall tank makes it hard to grow plants that need a lot of light. On the other hand you can get a tall tank and grow things like vallisneria (eel grass), some species which can grow 24 inches or taller and it looks great with with very little maintenance.

vallisneria-gigantea-02.jpg
 
My wife said no FJ! said:
OK, here is a question...anyone ever make their own tank? I'd like one a little taller than standard for the plants...this make any sense?
Click to expand...

I'm interseted in this for sure. I've got a 5 foot tall metal box frame that's about 2foot square and four foot tall with a crossbeam at about a foot and a half off the floor. Seems like it would make a sweet tank on the bottom with the top half for newtishes or froggy things and tropical plants.

Just don't know how to go about it. My buddy built his fram out of wood, used fiberglass and resin/paint for his plant pools, and plexi for his tank.

But it leaks. Not quite what I want but close. I just don't know how good a choice plexi would be for moisture/cleaning. I'm thinking glass would be a better way to go.
 
look at the filtration system behind it, I bet it is noisy :D
 
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