Aquariums Anyone?

I thought I would share a few pics of my new hobby, reefkeeping. Since growing has become a bit of a job, I took up an old hobby of keeping aquariums. I always kept freshwater until recently. I decided to get into the really cool stuff and go saltwater and not just plain saltwater, but reefkeeping specifically. I like the coral reef and the more peaceful fishes and critters that inhabit the corals. It's a fun and interesting hobby, although a bit costly. If anyone else here is or has kept tanks in the past or is interested in the hobby and wants to comment, ask questions or offer up advice, feel free. Otherwise I hope you enjoy the pics. I spend hours staring at my tanks. I started with a 12 gallon all in one tank and quickly purchased a 60 gallon from a friend.

 

wow what a cool hobby :thumbs-up: A question- where do the corals come from? Do you buy them or do they grow? , I'm a total reef noob

 

Over the years I had several fresh water aquariums up to 230 gallons.


Did a lot of Salt water tanks biggest was a 55. Loved the salt water fish the vibriant colors. Saltwater back then was a real challenge compared to fresh water. The salt tanks were hard to keep and the fish costly.


I am sure now the methods are far advanced from what they used to be. Very interesting hobby and you are right you can watch them for hours. I always liked the clowns, blue surgeons, copper band butterflys and some of the more colorfull angels the colors are out of this world. Wildest one I had was a four foot blue ribbon eel.


t6

 

I've had numerous tanks years ago. I had a 100 gal saltwater, 100 gal fresh, a 75, 2-50's and a 20 for feeders. I'm with teamster, I hope the salt is easy than it used to be. They are a LOT of work. It was so much, as a matter of fact, that after a couple years of it, I quit doing any at all. I had some coral in mine, if you had saltwater, who didn't? I enjoyed my tanks tremendisly. The Chiclids tanks was probably my favorite. I had almost all kinds of fish through out all the years of having aquariums. Jewels, Jack Dempseys, Convicts (mean nasty fish. A story that has to be told later), Oscars, mollys, Plecos, Redtail Sharks, Swordtails & saltwater Clownfish, Damsels, Banded shrimp, Gobies, Blue Tang. Aquariums are a great hobby. Even with a tv in the same room, you end up watching your fish instead of the tv. Good luck with the saltwater tank. I hope you enjoy it. The reefs look great. Very relaxing.:bravo:

 

Thanks, it is a very cool and rewarding hobby. Frustrating and challenging at times, but anything worth doing usually is. The corals come from a few places. They all grow and are not plants but animals. You can buy them from local fish stores or online, as well as from private individuals. Some that you can purchase from the store or internet have been collected/harvested from wild colonies grown on the ocean. Some are grown in tropical ocean waters by humans, and some are aquacultured in tanks by other aquarists. Increasingly governments are enacting regulations and all out bans on harvest or importation of wild corals and fishes, unless harvested legally according to that country's laws.


Typically I purchase small pieces of corals called frags that have been cut away from a larger colony. That way I can watch them grow and multiply and I know that the tank is healthy.

I've been doing freshwater tanks for years. I love aquariums and watching the fish. I wish I could go really big, burt I live in an old mobile home and I am afraid the floor couldn't handle the weight of a huge tank. For now I have several smaller tanks with the 60 gallon being the largest at the moment. I have a cool retro long octagon 55 gallon with some young Oscars and a couple Parrot Cichlids. They will be needing another tank soon enough. I will be getting another 55 gallon for the Parrot Cichlids to go live in and that will bring it to 6 tanks total. I really don't mind the upkeep of the tanks. the freshwater is easy, just top off with water, feed em, and occasionally change a filter cartridge. Everyone has always said "Saltwater is too difficult". I don't find it all that difficult. It does require more attention than freshwater, especially if you keep corals, but if you can grow hydro you can do a reef tank. Salinity daily and water top off and feed the fish. 2x a week I feed my Anemone and Large Polyp Stony Corals. 1x a week I check my water parameters and add my calcium, iodine, and vitamin supplements. 1x per month I do a 20% water change. I have seen a lot of different regimens and setups since starting into the hobby. I would like to do a FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) tank soon so I can have an Eel and maybe a Lion Fish and a Puffer. FOWLR tanks are easier and less costly to maintain than a coral reef tank, and you can have a lot of the larger more aggressive fish that yo can't keep in your reef tank. Fish like Puffers and Lions and even Butterfly and many other fishes will nip at or just straight up devour corals. FOWLR tanks also don't require the intensity and special spectrum of lighting that the corals do. My favorite fishes though are Clown Fishes. I really want to get a Lightning Maroon Clown Fish

I use a simple setup for my saltwater tank. It has a protein skimmer, a fluidized bed filter, a regular power filter, and live rock and sand for filtration. I am going to add a refugium soon but it's not a necessity. It's basically all biological filtration. As for who doesn't keep corals? Lots of people. It takes the right lighting and precise water parameters for the corals to thrive. Anemones are especially hard to keep. I just upgraded the lighting on my tank and more than doubled the wattage and lumen output since I added a LPS frag and a Bubble Tip Anemone since buying it from a friend. Soft Corals like Mushrooms and Kenya Trees are easier to keep and require less lighting than LPS or SPS and Anemones. I agree with you on the TV thing. I always have my TV on in the background but I am always staring at the tank. I even have the Blue Moonlight LED lights on my new light so I can watch them during the dark hours too.

 

I looked into this a while back. Was really going to do it at one point, but im kind of glad i didnt in the end.


I happily look at your pics for now

 

Very cool. Just got rid of my last SW tank within the past year. Prior to that I kept African cichlids and SW fish and corals for many years.


Love the orange mushrooms, and that Cardinal fish. Are those Xenia in the middle? Can't really tell as it looks like they're closed. Very cool when they're open and constantly opening and closing, look like little grasping hands. If you can get the tank the way they like it (iodine supplement), they will reproduce like crazy. Every few months I would take a batch of Xenia to the fish store for credit. Those Ricordea mushrooms will also reproduce like crazy.


One word of warning about that bubble tip anemone. They need LOTS of light. If you can keep them happy, and feed them occasionally, they'll get big.

 

I thought I remember you mentioning something about reefkeeping in the past. Thanks for the compliment, but the tank is not that new. It's new to me, but it belonged to a friend who had it running for several years and he did all the work growing out the Kenya Trees and Mushrooms. I added the Branching Hammer Coral frag and the Bubble Tip Anemone. The smaller tank I started from scratch though. It's doing well and the small frags I bought are beginning to grow now. I really enjoy the hobby. The only drawback is purchasing the equipment. My next big purchase will be a chiller. The summers here are brutal and I know I will be needing one.

 

Hey thanks Tony. The ones you're thinking are Xenias are actually Kenya Tree Corals. These are doing well and reproducing like crazy. They have been dropping little branches all over the tank. I would love to get a Blue Pulsing Xenia for the tank. They are hypnotic to watch them pulse. I am getting ready to frag a few of the Red Orange Mushrooms and one of the Green Leather Mushrooms and some Kenya Trees to take into the local fish store for credit. I did my research on the Anemone before I bought it. I just upgraded to a 4 x 54w T5 fixture for the tank. It's only 17" deep so that should be sufficient. I feed the nem regularly and it eats what I give it. I've ony had it for about 3 weeks but it seems to be settling into it's new home. It wandered around the tank a bit until it found a nice little crevice to stick it's foot into and it has been there for a couple days now. From what I understand the biggest hurdle in keeping anemones is to have very old stable aquarium water. They don't tolerate changes in their environment well, and pH is important. I'm still learning and I appreciate the advice. I plan to do my best to keep all the aquarium inhabitants happy.

 

Hey Bredren


Nice looking tanks you have there. I have always wanted a reef tank and have been looking at the Biocube from Oeanic. Looks like your smaller tank maybe a Biocube. If so how do you like it? I am hesitant to start a tank as my brother just gave away his 75gal set up. He had amazing corals and fish as well as sea urchans. He just got tired of all the work to keep it up. My brother spares no expense and was vigilant with his sysem. I am not sure I hav the drive to keep up a reef tank.

 

I used to keep FW tanks years ago but haven't been able to lately due to financial circumstances. Really want to get back into it. I've got a 28g bowfront begging to be set up. Lights, co2 injection, rocks, driftwood, the works. One day I'd like to get an ADA tank and glassware. One day.


I've always been partial to heavily planted setups. Shit is mad peaceful.


This is the kind if shit i'm talkin about. Takashi Amano is a god among men.


[YOUTUBE]j5Bn2C_OGUo[/YOUTUBE]

 

Nice tanks Ras. I saw one good sized aiptasia though. What do you do to. keep them at bay? I put in a file fish. They were working good for me. I know they're not completely reef safe but then neither are aiptasia.


Retiree

 

Where do you see an aiptasia?

 

These can be as intensive as a garden,my wife knows much of salt water as she worked in a store and kept the tanks for many years.


If i could keep the ''rocks'' alive i would be a happy camper.


I kept to fresh...oscars Jack dempsy....i bred Jewel Fish


But Salt....never did it


Good luck

 

Cool tank, but too much extra work for this cat.

 

When my life was simpler and I had free time I had a 150gal saltwater tank set up. Didn't even think about it down I began to think how much weight I put on the 2nd floor of a 130 year old house, I'm still shocked it didn't go through the damn floor!


I miss having the tank and its amazing the personality a fish can have!


When I get to a computer ill post some pics!

 

Nice tanks Ras.:thumbs-up: I worked in the salt water fish trade for a friend who had a large pet store in Wilimington NC. Loved the reef tanks. I had a 55 gallon for years with corals and fish. Love the clowns though. Ras I'll bet they nip at your hand if you mess with the anemone. That's what mine use to do, nip nip nip.

 

Beautiful Tank, We have had several reefs, and some fish only salt water tanks, it can be quite a costly hobby.