Hey all,
It's been a good year+ since my last post. In that year I've seen a lot and done a lot, but saltwater aquariums have fallen by the wayside. I'm in a position now where I can better enjoy the hobby and after browsing the internet, a few forums, and the marine depot catalog I've found a new level of excitement at the realization that I finally have the money to get back into things the right way.
Just for kicks I figured I'd post a few pictures of my tanks from over the years...This whole hobby started with a stupid goldfish that I'd won for my girlfriend at the time at a carnival in Daytona. If only I'd known...
The goldfish had a home in my original 10g fishtank...Like I said, I won the goldfish...but I couldn't just keep him in a milkjug...so I bought a 10g. But it looked sparse, so I bought some plants and the like. My girlfriend said he looked lonely so we bought a crawfish. We also bought a few tetras. The crawfish ate all the plants. Then he ate the goldfish. The tetras died and now I had an empty 10g fishtank.
About that time I found TRT and it was all downhill from there. I had the bug. In May 2009 I bought a 20L with a HOB, a heater, and a fluorescent. It cured all summer as I spent my time in Quantico at "summer camp" and when I got back to school I had a nicely cycled saltwater tank! That worked for a bit but as I read more I realized the right way was to build a sump. Enter the old 10g! I had a sump. I needed better lighting.
To this day I can't believe I put a 250w halide on a 20L.
I thought I was happy here but I'd always dreamed of something bigger. I wanted a 40B but I didn't have the cash. In September I got a phonecall from my mom...she said she'd found a fishtank at a yard sale for $20 so I said sure, pick it up. She sent me a picture. It was a 120 gallon tank...MOM FOR THE WIN. I took the glass apart, cleaned everything, drove it the thousand miles from NJ back to Daytona and built it on the third floor of my apartment. I'll tell you...filling that tank for the first time sure took a little nerve. Having never silicone a fishtank before, it seemed like every 5 minutes I was wondering if it would explode. My next question was "I wonder how long it'll take the neighbors below me to call?" Thankfully the seams held and I had me a FISH TANK! I scraped together a few pumps and powerheads, built my own skimmer, set it all up, and shared many a night with my roommates drinking beer and eating taco bell infront of that tank. Unfortunately it was only there for 8 months before I graduated and moved out. During those 8 months my mom also found a good deal on a 40g tank that I set up for freshwater. I eventually gave that one away.
http://ift.tt/1h3AJzw
http://ift.tt/1pRBhId
http://ift.tt/1pRBk6Q
I sold the tank (regretfully) and consolidated down to the 40 Breeder I'd always dreamed of. I went bare bottom to minimize cycling. That tank was set up for 3 weeks before I moved back to NJ. I took the tank with me and this was the first of many 1000-mile-plus moves that I would accomplish. I set the 40B up in my parent's house where it stayed until November of 2011 while I moved around for work. In November I moved from Quantico, VA to Pensacola, FL. While In Quantico I'd found a great deal on a used 75g that came with me to Pensacola where I set it up. Over Thanksgiving I drove BACK to NJ to get my tank...The 40B and almost all the coral made it safely and I set it up. The 75 had scratched glass and it just wasn't working for me, so with the encouragement of my new girlfriend-at-the-time I bought a brand new 75g! (I later proposed and am now engaged to this woman). I had that 75 set up until September 2012 when I moved an hour up the road where it was set up for 2 months before again moving 800 miles to Kingsville, Tx in January 2013.
I've had that same 75g system set up in Tx and we're getting ready to move yet again! I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed, but this will be the longest move yet: 1,500 miles to either the west coast or the east coast.
It's been a good year+ since my last post. In that year I've seen a lot and done a lot, but saltwater aquariums have fallen by the wayside. I'm in a position now where I can better enjoy the hobby and after browsing the internet, a few forums, and the marine depot catalog I've found a new level of excitement at the realization that I finally have the money to get back into things the right way.
Just for kicks I figured I'd post a few pictures of my tanks from over the years...This whole hobby started with a stupid goldfish that I'd won for my girlfriend at the time at a carnival in Daytona. If only I'd known...
The goldfish had a home in my original 10g fishtank...Like I said, I won the goldfish...but I couldn't just keep him in a milkjug...so I bought a 10g. But it looked sparse, so I bought some plants and the like. My girlfriend said he looked lonely so we bought a crawfish. We also bought a few tetras. The crawfish ate all the plants. Then he ate the goldfish. The tetras died and now I had an empty 10g fishtank.
About that time I found TRT and it was all downhill from there. I had the bug. In May 2009 I bought a 20L with a HOB, a heater, and a fluorescent. It cured all summer as I spent my time in Quantico at "summer camp" and when I got back to school I had a nicely cycled saltwater tank! That worked for a bit but as I read more I realized the right way was to build a sump. Enter the old 10g! I had a sump. I needed better lighting.
To this day I can't believe I put a 250w halide on a 20L.
I thought I was happy here but I'd always dreamed of something bigger. I wanted a 40B but I didn't have the cash. In September I got a phonecall from my mom...she said she'd found a fishtank at a yard sale for $20 so I said sure, pick it up. She sent me a picture. It was a 120 gallon tank...MOM FOR THE WIN. I took the glass apart, cleaned everything, drove it the thousand miles from NJ back to Daytona and built it on the third floor of my apartment. I'll tell you...filling that tank for the first time sure took a little nerve. Having never silicone a fishtank before, it seemed like every 5 minutes I was wondering if it would explode. My next question was "I wonder how long it'll take the neighbors below me to call?" Thankfully the seams held and I had me a FISH TANK! I scraped together a few pumps and powerheads, built my own skimmer, set it all up, and shared many a night with my roommates drinking beer and eating taco bell infront of that tank. Unfortunately it was only there for 8 months before I graduated and moved out. During those 8 months my mom also found a good deal on a 40g tank that I set up for freshwater. I eventually gave that one away.
http://ift.tt/1h3AJzw
http://ift.tt/1pRBhId
http://ift.tt/1pRBk6Q
I sold the tank (regretfully) and consolidated down to the 40 Breeder I'd always dreamed of. I went bare bottom to minimize cycling. That tank was set up for 3 weeks before I moved back to NJ. I took the tank with me and this was the first of many 1000-mile-plus moves that I would accomplish. I set the 40B up in my parent's house where it stayed until November of 2011 while I moved around for work. In November I moved from Quantico, VA to Pensacola, FL. While In Quantico I'd found a great deal on a used 75g that came with me to Pensacola where I set it up. Over Thanksgiving I drove BACK to NJ to get my tank...The 40B and almost all the coral made it safely and I set it up. The 75 had scratched glass and it just wasn't working for me, so with the encouragement of my new girlfriend-at-the-time I bought a brand new 75g! (I later proposed and am now engaged to this woman). I had that 75 set up until September 2012 when I moved an hour up the road where it was set up for 2 months before again moving 800 miles to Kingsville, Tx in January 2013.
I've had that same 75g system set up in Tx and we're getting ready to move yet again! I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed, but this will be the longest move yet: 1,500 miles to either the west coast or the east coast.
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