10 Gallon

Hello, I'm new to this forum, I hope I'm posting in the right section. I've owned a 10 gallon Glofish freshwater tank for 6 months with great results, but I'd really like to change it into a saltwater tank. I would like to keep two clownfish. I know that I'll need to replace the gravel with sand, and I know that I'll need some live rock and a coral, and I'll need to purchase some new conditioner for the saltwater. Is there anything else I'll need? I have a filter and a tropical fish water heater, will I need both of those? Will I need a saltwater specific filter?

Sign ups

Hii! I'm a newby!
I am new to saltwater, actually just beginning literally! I have many years exp in fresh water. I read alot of threads on here through Google and just had to join! So thanks for having me! I have soo many questions and would appreciate any help! I just got a 54 gal corner bow front. (Baby steps!! Lol ) I thought I could use my Rena 3 canister filter but apparently Not! Lol
Soooo. I have a sump that came with another old tank I bought, but it doesn't fit under the cabinet! Are yas ready for mee?? Lol

Getting a water filter do I need DI water?

I am looking g at a water filter and I can get one for RO water what is what I think what I out in my tank now as I am going to a shop and getting my water from there. It is showing I can get a Deionizer to make DI water and looking on the internet it looks like everyone is using RO/Di water? So is it best I spend a bit more and get it or is it not worth it? Here is a link to the filter I am looking at getting.
http://ift.tt/1QHGoYk

Firefish defense mechanism?

Hey guys! I was wondering if anyone knows what this is about... As we all know, firefish have a long dorsal fin that they can erect or lay flat and every time i go near the tank they sort of flick the dorsal fin up and down in what looks like a warning to either predators or the sort. Is this a defensive posture? Is this to warn me, the "predator", off? I'd love to hear what you guys think. Thanks!

Pretty sure its brooklynella, what now

-Bought healthy looking Naso about 2 weeks ago and didn't qt (i know stupid)

-Naso picked at rocks for 2-3 days and looked fine but refused to eat any food despite my best efforts

-Day 3 he stopped picking at rocks and was heavily breathing , still refused any type of food i offered, but showed no external parasites or anything else

-Day 5 Naso still hasn't touched food and has splotchy discoloration all over body which i assumed were stress splotches

-Day 7 Naso died

-Day 8 Yellow tang has white spots on center of body and i mean right in the center that look like ich, but nothing too severe, still eating and looks healthy besides the spots

Day 10- Spots have spread all over Yellow tang's body and tang has started to breath heavily, still eating as usual
Blue hippo tang has cloudy eyes, looks like ich or something on eyes but no where else on body, still eating fine looks good
Flame angel and large engineer goby have died out of no where (haven't been paying much attention to them honestly with yellow looking bad)
Dosed entire reef tank with prazipro thinking its flukes and the ich is a stress related thing on the yellow from having flukes, i think at this point I was trying to convince myself its not brooklynella because that would require a tank shutdown essentially and also because my clownfish don't seem affected at all (which i thought were very susceptible to brook)

Day 12- Yellow tang still in the same condition, still eating, but prazipro doesn't seem to be affecting it
All other fish same condition

Day 13- Try to catch the yellow tang for freshwater dip... not happening

Day 14- yellow tang found dead that night

Day 15 (Today, Monday)- All fish same condition except some of the clownfish
3 out of 4 clownfish show similar spots on body as yellow tang found this pic online that looks similar


So I'm prettttyyy sure its brooklynella, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to go about this GIANT task of catching my fish and quarantining them. I'm thinking of putting them in my sump and disconnecting the sump from the display and putting some in there since the center area is 32 inches long so it should give the blue some room to swim. I also have a 30 gallon tank that's 30 inches long and a 10 gallon 20 inches long.

My biggest questions to you fine folks are:

What medication do you use for brooklynella, and what methods of treatment have you had success with?

How would you place the fish that I have in 2 30 inch long tanks and 20 inch tank?
I currently a 5" blue tang, a 2" sailfin tang, a 2" rabbitfish, 4 clownfish, a 4" hoevens wrasse, a 1' engineer goby, 3 cardinals, and a pink spot goby

How do i maintain these fish for 6+ weeks of quarantine to clear out the brooklynella from the DT? What do i do in terms of filtration, how many water changes a day will i have to do?

Please help, I'm planning on removing all the fish on Wednesday when i have the day off and starting treatment from day 1.

Cyanobacteria and Diatoms

My tank is circa 2.75 years old

All fish and corals doing great but I have a problem with cyanobacteria and diatoms on the sand

No issues with nitrate and phosphate readings so where am going wrong?

RO/DI water output reading is nil; confused!!!

Choosing your LFS

I haven't seen a thread like this here yet, though I haven't been here long. But just curious as to what ya ll look for in your Lfs. What do u guys look for in your lfs? What kind of stuff if u see would u say "I'll never buy from here" ? I have about 5 near me and I'm trying to choose ONE to do business with. Also what do u think about buying livestock online. Thanks all!

SE PA - Frag Swap

Here are some pictures of my tanks/ frag tanks and what I have available:

c26665d3-9a22-4c4b-bb6f-44e2eceaba81_zps

* * *
Spend 150 or more and save 10%.
Spend 225 or more and save 15%.
Actual shipping charges apply. I do not have a box or packaging fees.
* * *
Estimated shipping costs are:
Pennsylvania Tri State Area: 35-40
East Coast: 45-55
West Coast 65-80
* * *

SPS:
$10:
ORA Purple Milka Stylo
ORA Neon Green Birdnest
ORA Orange Digi
ORA Peach Digi
ORA Green Digi
ORA Birds of Paradise
Purple Monti
Red Monti

$15:
Yellow Mili Frag
Tri Color

IMG_2530_zpsxpxemko1.jpg

IMG_2618_zpst1baid0o.jpg

IMG_2084_zps1nvececd.jpg


Zoa:

Eagle eye -3p 5
IMG_2615_zpsfwohdswn.jpg

Mean greens -3p 10; 5p 15
IMG_2616_zpsngikqvd2.jpg

Ice fire -3p 5; 7p 10
IMG_2614_zpsr9xmbyv6.jpg

BamBam -1p 5; 5p 20
IMG_2611_zpsqlnxjr0f.jpg

Sunny D -1p 5; 5p 20
IMG_2613_zpsudsthaav.jpg

Darth Mauls -p 5; 5p 20
50600fe3-e246-4ad7-a04d-aefe51d2fcd2_zps

Oregon Duck -3p 10; 5p 15
53c24ef7-bbab-4ba0-918d-0e16330b59c9_zps

Pinwheels - 3p 10; 5p 15
IMG_2617_zpsfohnbqgm.jpg

Eye of Rah -3p 10; 5p 15
IMG_1410_zpsit7ajyqs.jpg

Green implosions -1p 10; 3p 25
IMG_2626_zpsl0ihhofs.jpg

Utter chaos -1p 30; 3p 85
99966328-59e3-41e2-9a40-4c610fa1f473_zps

Rasta -1p 15; 3p 40
IMG_2628_zpstkfzkgwv.jpg

Tubbs blue -3p 10; 5p 15
IMG_2627_zpsdaj5i83z.jpg

Sunset horizon -3p 10; 5p 15
IMG_2624_zpsk3kz7ysf.jpg

Nuclear Green -1p 10; 3p 25
IMG_2625_zps1kmvweez.jpg

Blastos:
Red/Green -1 head 10; 5 for an additional
IMG_2622_zpsxbbmfpez.jpg

Purple/Green -1 head 10; 5 for an additional
IMG_2621_zpsutmibx0i.jpg

Euphilla:
Bi-color frogspawn -1head 15; 10 for each additional
Purple tip green hammer -1head 15; 10 for each additional
Green with purple tip hammer -1head 15; 10 for each additional
Orange Hammer - Grow out
Teal Hammer - Grow out
IMG_2607_zpsmsfyfbh9.jpg

Green with purple and pink tip torch -1head 15; 10 for each additional
IMG_2608_zpshx89e9ih.jpg

Leather:
Yellow Fiji -35 to 45 depending on size
IMG_2537_zpsqrxw7yv8.jpg

Candy Cane:
Neon Green Candy Cane -10 per 1-2heads
IMG_2623_zpsxu7ktmfp.jpg



I can ship if required, but would rather swap and meet people.

LAST CHANCE: 11% off (almost) Everything!

LAST CHANCE: 11% off (almost) Everything!

11% off 3,400 aquarium products ends tonight @ midnight!

HAPPY LEAP YEAR!!!

Best Substrate for New Fish w/Live Rock (Salt) Tank

Hi all!

This is my first post here, so if I am doing something wrong, please inform me!

A little background first...

I have been operating freshwater aquariums since I was six years old, and have decided to move onto saltwater. My current plan for the new aquarium is a 50-60g tank w/fish and live rock (maybe reef later on, after I get some experience).

Now my query...

My planning is going well, except for my substrate choice. I recognize that having sand (fine grain medium) opens the doors to many type of fish. Despite this, sand has specific cleaning conditions. Does anyone have any tips or recommendations? Anything is appreciated!

Thanks y'all

~arrowjaw

*onday...like it or not!

Top of the *orning Folks, and ......HAPPY *ONDAY! *y internet connection is acting up, so didn't really want to risk 'first posting', but as late as it was getting didn't want Cath to have to drag out the pots and pans again.:D Butter*ilk waffles and coffee and pink *ilk to get us out the door. Running 'Lil' Hack to school. then off in search of the world's cool stuff to get into...all the best,
Hack

Advice Appreciated - Starting a 10g

Nitrate: 80 ppm
Nitrite: 4 ppm
Alkalinity: 180 ppm
pH: 7.4-7.8
SG: 1.025
Temp: 78F

10 Gallon
12 lbs of live rock
10 lbs of live sand
hob filter
Hydor koralia 240 power head
200w submersible heater

So I mixed my reef salt and distilled water in a garbage can following the directions. I measured the specific gravity and it was real high, about 1.033 or so, but I thought it was just because the water wasn't 77 degrees so I added it anyway. I added my sand and then rock and let everything run for a day. Today everything was pretty settled, but there were sand particles covering everything and it looks terrible, but the problem is the sg was still sky high at a perfect 78 degrees. So I did a 1 gallon water change using less salt this time and that brought the sg down to 1.025, but the pH dropped too low as you can see at the top.

Am I doing something wrong or was the specific gravity high when I measured it because of the sand particles in the water..?

I also don't understand the Nitrate and Nitrite levels being where they are. Do I already have some nitrogen cycle bacteria doing their jobs?
This is my first saltwater tank and I did a lot of research, but I may need some more help. :P Thanks in advance.

Worm looking thing

Today I was cleaning my tank walls down in the sand and I noticed this weird worm thing that I uncovered. It was in the sand and went back into the sand shortly after, but I have no idea what it was. It had a head that was much fatter than the tail. The tail was long and skinny. It was white but I could see inside of it. I will post a picture if I can figure out how.

Cycling questions

So I'm starting up a 29 gallon saltwater tank and I'm in need of some advice. Before I'm attacked. Everything I've done thus far was advice from my father on how to cycle a tank because that's how they did things back then. I started with two damsels(blue and domino) and some gravel and some dry rock and decorations. I know now that's not how to cycle but there's no going back nearly 4 weeks later. They actually haven't shown any signs of distress at all. The ammonia went up one week in and went down to 0 two weekends ago, now the nitrite has been over 5 ppm for about a week. I've did a few water changes and added plenty of Seachem prime and they're still doing good. It appears they will make it through the cycle with no reservations and I expect my nitrite to drop any day now. My question is, do I need to get rid of the damsels, if so how? I can't take them back as I purchased them from petco since it is the only store close by. I plan on purchasing a Valentino puffer and coral beauty and I don't want them getting sick or injured by the damsels. My dad has two damsels in his tank that don't appear to be aggressive and mine have been fine with each other but I don't want to take the risk on $70 worth of fish compared to $10. Again, don't bite my head off for the decision to do a fish cycle as it wasn't my idea but just want some help to finish things out the right way. Thanks in advance!

I got a 'skimmer' if you call it that..

Hiya, so i had a chance to buy a skimmer from a friend for 15$, so i did. Its a no name brand from ebay, the ones that cost like 30$ lol, hey why not. Before i tore down my 20g sps and cleaned it i had the skimmer on it for a few days and pulled out some dirty water, but since it isnt a reef octopus im still very speculative. But hey its better then nothing. So i decided to go youtubing to see how my foam head compares to others and found this interesting video

https://youtu.be/fh5vzh7hxNE

It seems the wetskim skimmate is much higher in ammonia then the tank water, however phosphates are the same. Dont be fooled though, first of all the ammonia is coming from something decaying therefore soon enough phosphates will be released. Anyways i thought it was interesting to see that wet skimming (i cannot speak for dry skimming at this point) is actually helping in exporting nitrates (because ammonia eventually gets converted to nitrates) and phosphates, since we dont really mention nitrates when wetskimming.

10G cube with cutout v. stock 10G tank

I'm trying to upgrade from my 5 gallon cube, now that I've unfortunately broken the glass cover and replacements are not available. In addition I've realized that 5 is too small for fish and most livestock. You really need 8-10 to even consider the smallest of fish and perhaps a crab or two or a shrimp. Hair algae is also brutal in micro tanks.

So I decided that I could go as large as 10G and that is better than the 8. Choices are cubes:

http://ift.tt/1Qno73p

versus a standard 10G fish tank rectangular (20x10x12).

Some important differences. The cube has a nice cutout in back to hid the filter media. But the tank that was 15x12x13 becomes merely a 11.8" x 11.8" cube given the back compartment. That is practically the same size as my 5G 10x10x12 that is open with an HOB filter on back to increase water volume and also not clutter up the rear too much. That also has my filter media in there, with another filter that does more filter as an in tank filter in the corner, heater in the other corner.

The other aspect I like about the open tanks is that I can have a long draw tube from an HOB filter which sucks up a lot of the gunk in the water further down the tank. Stuff like the Innovate cube only has an intake at the very top. You put the filter media in the back and it's probably altogether more effective. You also don't have to worry about the HOB filter not working and spilling on the floor. But that rarely happens and I find my setup reasonably effective. But I do worry about the proprietary return flow in the back. Don't know if there are other units that will fit in this little compartment should I need to replace.

Last thing is the tank dimensions. 20" wide is much more preferable, at least I think so. That's a lot better than 12", even with the price of a cluttered rear of the tank. Plus wider lighting is usually much easier found. I found 14" being the smallest most of these decent lights go. It's why I have an LED bulb in a lamp above my current tank. Any thoughts?

Need advice on a Sebae anemone

Okay, I consider myself a pretty smart person. And the LFS I go to has pretty good ratings. But right now I'm questioning it all. I wanted to get an anemone so went looking for one. I researched on anemones for several months now. I understand they take care and feedings and everything I'm pretty certain I'm able to do. I'm not a newbie. BUT I didn't know much about the different types of anemones and now I feel like a deer caught in the headlights.

I was instructed to get this Sebae anemone over the bubbletip I was looking at because quote "It's the best for a clarkii clownfish." which is what I have. Okay, I want to give my clown the best anemone for it, and they've been a pretty good LFS so I think I can trust them. I bring it home and look it up specifically and now I'm completely freaked out. These things are known to be very difficult and for experts only! Not only am I freaked out, but I'm pretty ticked off as well. I made it very clear I wanted something easy. I'm not happy.

Nevertheless, I'm stubborn and I'm wiling to learn IF I think it's possible to do. So can anyone give me some advice on these things? I've been doing a lot of reading and it's acclimating right now but I need to hear from some experts. I don't consider myself an expert. Intermediate at best. Tell it to me straight. If I should just take this guy back tomorrow, I'll do it. I refuse to kill an animal. But if it can be done, I'll give it my best too.

So what should I do? Thank you in advance for your advice!

EDIT: The anemone isn't what I would consider bleached. It's a tannish cream color with purple tips. It's about the size of my hand. I'm a small person, so it would probably be a little bigger than the palm of a large man's hand.

Odd slimy thing

I checked on my tank this morning and found this guy on the side of my wall. When I came back, it had moved across the tank to a rock. It does not appear to have any eyes, a head, mouth, or shell.
What is it? Good? Bad?

Attached Thumbnails

 

One spot fox face getting too friendly?

So I've got a one spot that I've had for about 6 months. Normally he's been very shy. He's almost always hiding, but lately if I come to the tank he swims to the front, sits for a moment then swims over to the my seaweed clip. Of course I go and get him some seaweed and put it in the clip.

The first few times I didn't have any issues but the last few feedings I've been getting a little nervous because he wants to eat it right out of my hand rather than wait for me to get it in the clip. He doesn't put his spines up unless I move suddenly. But I can hardly get my hand in the water to get the seaweed in the clip or get the clip out of the tank before he's right there.

It's really a neat experience that he is so friendly, but I don't need any throbbing fingers. Any suggestions?

MyReefCreations CR-6 Calcium Reactor $400

This is a My Reef Creations CR-6 calcium reactor with a Blueline pump, two co2 bottles (one full), PH controller, PH Probe holder, bubble counter, and the valves. Not sure if the valves are 100%.The last picture will show the extra parts to go with this set. This calcium reactor is rated for up to 725 Gallons.


Height of reactor 21"
Reactor Chamber Diameter OD 6" & 4 1/2"
Reactor Chamber Thickness 1/4"
Foot Print 14" x 14"
Water inlet size 1/2" Nylon Barb
Water Outlet size 1/4" John Guest Speedfit
Method of feeding Gravity or Pump/powerhead
System capabilities 725 gallons
Needle Valve for effluent control Standard
Water Pump Not Inluded - BL 20
Chamber Capacity 18 pounds

New aqua nano tank

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd create a thread of my new Aquanano 36 reef tank. This is my second marine tank. I previously had a 110 litre which I regrettably sold over a year ago. I decided to go smaller this time due to cost and ease of upkeep and purchased my aqua nano 36 around a month ago, second hand. Even though my 110 litre was small it was quite long and I didn't have the funds to be able to fill it with corals etc. the way that I would have liked to (I'm only a postman ). Plus the lighting on it was only T8 bulbs so I needed to invest in new lighting.

So, the aquanano 36 that I bought, came with a fluval reef light, back weir with everything built in (protein skimmer, pump and heater). I've tried to keep the cost down as much as possible and decided to go for second hand fiji live rock (which came with a few mushrooms and some green star polyps of which I scraped some off as they can get out of control - I do like them but in moderation), I bought 5.5 kilos of this. This is going to be my main biological filtration. I will be just running filter floss in the weir and possibly some phos remover and nitrate x. Plan on doing 5 litre a week water changes.

Along with the 1200 litre lph pump in the rear I'll also be using a power head for extra flow.

After finally deciding on where to put the tank in our room, I filled her up and here's a picture.

fish compatibility and aggressiveness

is there any where i can go on here to see what fish may or may not be compatible and to see what kind of fish will eat coral or are aggressive. thanks.

hey guys awesome forum!

hey all I just recently set up a 90 gal reef tank with a 30 gal sump. I wish I knew about you guys when I set up my first tank a few years ago. I had a 110 with same sump but one of my seams on the bottom of the tank broke and I ended up with about 80 gallons of water on the floor over night:mad: So its been a while since I had a fresh tank. I used my dried live rock from my last tank. with NO actual live rock. So this should be a long fun cycling process and experience!

biggest (reef safe) container that will fit under a 20long,29,37 stand?

so i bought a reef octopus classic 152 and put it under my 37 tall tank with a 10gal sump, only problem now is that i literally have no room left for my chaeto to grow. whats the biggest tank that i could realistically squeeze under the tank stand? its a 30" long stand by 13" wide but obv the inside isnt as big because those measurements are from the outside of stand.

anyone ever have this stand before? its an aga black pine standard like you would see at a lfs. i want to make a new sump that would allow me to have a small space to grow chaeto.

Look What Came With A Coral Frag.

This came with a coral frag, it was originally tiny but kept on growing until one of my Blue Tuxedo urchins walked all over the frag, picked the whole frag up and stuck it to it's back, the "clam"(I suppose that's what it is) fell off somewhere and I have now found it on top of a rock filter feeding quite hapilly...it is about 3/4" across.
Can anyone tell me what it actually is...I'm only guessing that it is a clam I have no idea.
Thank you.:):)

Happy birthday to mitchmac on 2/28!

And here's the Official TRT Chorus® to sing.........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOUUUUU!!!!

Sunday Sunday

Morning all :wavey:

Dawgs starting the day today,,, Blyth was not pleased. Told her they almost never wake me up early when she was working ,,, ok sometimes they did :o .

Coffee is on the way,, dunno what else will be going with it,,,


Got the call we might be getting our next Doxie foster inna few days,,, 14 :doh:, long dawgs coming up from Missouri yesterday,,, 4 males 10 females, 2of them preggo :arg:, with one ready to pop prob within the week (we are set up to get male dawgs, since we have all males in our "pack" here)
The fella was a backyard breeder of sorts, even tho he kept the dogs in the house, but had a doggie door so they came n went as they pleased,,,, The fella committed suicide,:( hence the dawgs coming into rescue.
No in stone of getting one, but the rep called asking if we were ready for any fosters(had told her to hold off on us taking any in, until King gets fitted in well here first), we said yup :agree:.

Youngest nephew's birthday party today,,, just gotta find stuff to do before and after it,,,,,


Hope everyone has a great day! :wavey:

Quick question.

Hi TRT, my clownfish love annoying my hammerhead coral by digging under the sand where it lives and knocking it over... is this normal?

Cheers.

cycling params

hey guys not sure if there is another thread out there for this. just wondering what is normal levels during cycle. my ammonia spiked to 8+ then a few days later dropped down to about 2. once I saw that I measured nitrites and they rose to about .5. How high should nitrites go before they start tapering off and I see nitrate?

thanks yall!

Been gone 5 years time to get back in. Help!!!

2011 was the last time I posted here and over the years with the help of many I made a pretty bad to the bones 36 gallon setup. I had all this fancy stuff and even made my own Cree LED setup with heat sink from the help of others here.

Life took over and I had to give the tank away as I was moving too much to keep the tank stable

I am finally settled again and I began to research tank setups. It appears a lot has changed in the last 5 years.

So I still want to go small. I have read good things about the JBJ 28 gallon pro and I want to go this route.

Some questions though:

1) Is there room for a protein skimmer? Or in these new setups is one not needed?

2) Man, I remember a sponge filter was a big no-no. Now all these all in ones have carbon, ceramic rings, and sponge filter. I know I wont need the ceramic rings because I will have live rock, but what about the carbon and filter?

3) Any negatives to these all in one tanks?

Found a bobbit worm today!

I was cleaning the 150lbs of rock I have been curing for the past week. Had a rock out of the curing tank. I was paying attention to the movie I was watching, and didn't notice I was resting my arm on the live rock I was chiseling corals off of. I felt something moving on my wrist. I instantly knew what it was because it seemed like the stupid thing was looking right at me. A 12-18" bobbit worm was stretching out over my hand/wrist. So.... I did what any other adult man would have done. Screamed bloody murder, and stabbed it with a screwdriver multiple times. Normally I would have saved something like that. Raised it in another tank. But this thing caught me way off guard. I had a screw driver and a hammer in my hands. This thing was a little thicker than a pen. I only had nitrile gloves on. They are very thin, and I had safety goggles on. Thankfully I was prepared. I have never seen a bobbit worm in real life before today. Never thought I would have either! If it was a spider I would have done the same thing! Haha. I just don't like bugs or worms crawling on me.

I read they are venomous? Didn't know that! So, I tossed the remains in the front yard where the dogs couldn't eat it. And now I am a little disappointed I killed it. It's bittersweet to say the least. I am happy it's out of the curing tank. But sad I didn't get a chance to measure it, take pictures of it, or put it in a jar so I could examine it further. i think part of it is still in that rock. Any chance it can regenerate? The head portion of it was cut off. I wonder if it's like a snake... Cut off the head and the body dies.

Leap Year Sale: 11% off Storewide!

Leap Year Sale: 11% off Storewide!

A sale this good only comes along once every four years!

RODI numbers

I just replaced my membrane for the first time I purchased the Spectrapure 99% rejection rate. Numbers seem right to me but not sure if I need to trim the flow restrictor or not.

60 psi of water pressure
TDS 300 from Tap
TDS 2 from RO
TDS 0 from DI
TDS 315 from waste

60 seconds 145ml of RODI water
60 seconds 650ml of waste water

Waste TDS seems low to me

QT tank setup questions.

Hello guys! It's been quite a while since I have been on here. Just been taking a break is all. For the most part I've just been letting my tank be, but I did get some new fish recently which is always fun!

I've decided that I need to set up a QT though and I need some advice. I don't QT fish ATM and I suppose that has always been one of my downfalls with my reef. Pretty much every time I add a fish they seem to get sick with something. My current fish seem to somehow be immune (triggerfish, clownfish, banggai, jawfish, goby) and that tends to give the impression that things are all good. Thus I add fish, and the vast majority of the time I find that is not the case. The hardier fish like damsels and jawfish seem to be fine upon addition, while more sensitive fish like tangs and butterflies seem to be hit a littler harder with outbreaks for obvious reasons. I've decided that I have had it up to here with this scenario as it's the same thing every time. It's not fun for me to look at my tank and see my new fish get sick, and it's not fair to the fish to have to deal with the disease and struggle to fight it off in the first place. So I've decided that if I want a healthy reef like I desire, then I need to set up a QT. I have never set one up because it means another tank to take care of for a time, but I've decided it needs to be done. In the long run it will save me a lot of headache/heartache too so I believe it's the smartest choice.

So first things first, I need to find an appropriate sized QT for all my fish. My tank is a 120 gallon with a 30 gallon sump. Currently for fish I have:

1 Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Banggai Cardinal
1 Sixline Wrasse
1 Blue Jaw Triggerfish
1 Kole Tang
4 Yellowtail Damsels
1 Yahsa Goby
1 Dusky Jawfish

I am hoping that a 55 gallon would work as long as I keep up on maintenance as I don't really have room for anything bigger. I could fit a 60 or so gallon, but don't really want to set up anything bigger. Thankfully the tang is still small at around 3.5 inches so swim room shouldn't be as much of a problem like if he was bigger. My damsels are still small at 1 inch, and my triggerfish is about 4.5+ inches. He's the largest open swimmer in the tank. By QT'ing all my fish, my tank can stay fishless for a time and the diseases can hopefully die in the main display. I have a bit of mild ich I think and tangs seem to get some blotchy/cloudy patches on their pectoral fins sometimes and I don' really know what that is. Something bacterial? Because I have a few things going on I will probably have to treat them for more than one disease. I know ich will die after a time, but will other types like bacterial things? I hope so or I may be screwed.

I guess I will start there as I don't know what else to say. I apologies for the long thread as well. I tend to be long winded.

Concerned about a porcupine puffer???

My puffer ate my Bangaii cardinal! Looks like he's not doing well now. Does anyone know if the cardinal could have a negative effect?

Hello! New to the hobby.

My wife and I are from Jacksonville, IL. We are only 5 weeks into our tank. It's only a 30 gallon but we can't wait to upgrade tank sizes! I want a 150 gallon or more but the wife is stuck on 75. She doesn't know it yet but we are getting the size I want lol 😆. We are only housing your basic live rock and some damsels to start the tank. We are going through some growing pains but can't wait to learn how to deal with them through the forum. Thanks again guys!

UV Sterilizer Benefits?

Hey guys! I was just wondering...., I understand that it kills parasites in the water column, but what are the pros and cons of using a UV sterilizer? Does it limit algae growth by killing algae in the water column? Will it affect my PC algae? Will it help with future parasitic infections? Thanks

Coralife Super Skimmer 65 HELP

Hey guys! I need HELP with my Coralife Super Skimmer 65. I've had it for about 5 days. I've followed the instructions very carefully...motor is 3.5 inches below water line, valve above motor is slightly open, the sponges and water output is .25 above water line, the output tube is 1 in from the white sponge. When I plugged it in, the skimmer filled up the bottom area immediately and started the fill the cone up to the middle of the cone in the collection cup. There are no bubbles, there is no foam. I've blown into the airline with the tube that connects to the motor under water and I get bubbles and foam in the cone with that, but it stops when I stop blowing. The water is clear as day in the cone, the sponge and output area bubbles occasionally, the water in the cone is fluctuating.

It's been 5 days and no difference...HELP ME. :cry:

Hitchhiker crab

So yesterday I added a cleaner shirmp which ran into the rocks as soon as I released him and he scared out a little crab I never seen before. the crab is less then a inch big and is rather fast. I tried my best to get a picture but didnt get a very good one. just hoping its not gona grow to be a killer. his arms nere is mouth swing up and down and he has a purple hue when viewed in the light. any ideas all post a better pic if it ever comes out from hiding.

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Seaweed growing

First I am new to the world of aquariums and reef tanks. We have started a 65 gallon tank and put in about 60# of live rock. 1st week added a melanurus wrasse and second week 2 clownfish. Heres what I am am questioning. There appears to be a lot of seaweed growing from the live rock. It starts very clear and skinny the first couple weeks. Now this is the beginning of the 3rd week and it seems to be getting thicker and more abundant. Is this normal and is there a way to control it. Have posted a picture of it.

Siphon vac sand bed

Hi all

I've been reading lots of threads about algae on sand beds. I am doing my best to lower nutrient loads. But I still get what some call the uglies after 8 months running. I also have green algae on my white rocks (not LR).

It's a 95 gallon corner with a 25 gallon sump.
UV, skimmer, wet dry sump, phosban reactor running.

Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10 depending
Ammonia 0
pH 8'2
Sal 1.024-26
Temp 77

2 clowns
1 cleaner shrimp
3 new purple eye anthias
3 blue green chromis
1 red flame

I try to siphon vac the sand but end up with a lot of sand coming out. It's not working. Anybody have suggestions?

Need advice!

Hello there,

I recently set up my 220, about 3 1/2 weeks ago. I do believe after doing some reading I have been given bad info, but same info from two different LFS, so not sure. I started my tank with RO water, 160lbs of live sand, and nearly 200 lbs of live cured rock. I was told my tank should be "almost instantly cycled", and it was ok to put my pair of clowns in, which have been for a week and half, as well as a "hardy" puffer within the last 3 days. Parameters are:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
I have noticed the last couple of days brown algae on the rocks and sand, does this mean the cycle is over or starting? I have been dosing microbacter 7 for a new tank set up for two weeks also. Lastly, should I start up my skimmer, read mixed reviews on this one??

Any advise moving forward would be appreciated, thanks.

Sunny Saturday stuff

Good mawnin', TRT sleepyheads!



Coffee is ready. Whole wheat French toast with Dave's VT maple syrup, scrambled eggs with cheese, fresh fruit cup and someone can fix the bacon/sausage.

Let's get this day going!

Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

Happy birthday to Max1990 on 2/27!

And here's the Official TRT Chorus® to sing......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOUUUUUU!!!!!!!

Thoughts or experiences with Corallife Skimmers?

Looking into details for new set u:

Considering 40 gallon breeder tank.

thinking about hanging a Corallife Skimmer off the back.

Any thoughts or experiences?

Thanks,

Chris

Anyone use Fluval Sea LEDs

Hello All,

Starting to look into details of setting up a new reef tank (been out of the hobby for 10+ years.

Saw "Fluval Sea LEDs" at a local shop today. I liked what I saw, and they were using them on their display tanks and over there corals for sale section.

Considering a 40 gallon Breeder tank for my display.

Thoughts on Fluval LEDs?

Chris

What's better sand or gravel?

I have a 200 litre tank (about 45 litres I think that is) a lionfish a long spiked black Sea urchin, a short spiked sea urchin and 2 brittle stars. I have been struggling with high nitrates and have been doing bigger water changer that has got it down a bit but still have high nitrates. I hear if you have a sand bead you just need a good clean up crew to clean it because dirt dose not go as deep in sand as it would gravel. I did a clean of the tank and moved all my live rock what I don't always do in fear of burying a crab and there is a LOT of dirt coming up. What is peoples opinion on sand? I have crashed reef as a bed so I hear it's meant to be good but don't know that much about it. What do you use?

Mounting lights with no canopy

Hi there I'm new to these forums. My wife and I started a 30g saltwater tank. Both of us are new to this hobby. So right now we have a versa top with a t-8 fluorescent light over it. We just purchased a Full Spectrum 165W Dimmable LED Aquarium Grow Light FishTank Reef Coral LPS SPS. We don't have a canopy and thought about building one but are there mounts so I can keep it open or can I just put those new lights on top of the glass or would that be too close? Or should I just build a canopy to fit over it? Don't be me up too bad on this as we are only 1 month into this hobby! Any suggestions would be appreciated 😃.

Please please help my nitrates!!!

I HAVE 200 PPM NITRATES. i tested with strips but was told they were inacurate. so i bought a liquid test and te same results. i have a 100 gallon and a 55 gallon connected to one sump. the 55 gal houses a picasso trigger and a white eyes moray eel. the 100 gallon houses a niger trigger, clown grouper, black volitan lionfish, and a dogface puffer. i have about 15 pounds live rock, not much. my filter consists of a drawer filled with bio balls, then lava rock about 20 lbs. i recently empyed the entire sump rinsesed all the media and did a big water change but no diference. so i replaced the sand bedin the 55 gallon(it was shallow half inch or so) and siphoned every possible dtritus as well as in the 100 gallon. so what is happening please help me it is driveing me crazy. thanks in advance.

PA Reefer here located in SE

Hello,

I have been reefing for nearly ten years now and I figured that I should sign up on this forum to share ideas, thought and learn new things from some of the veterans and new guys alike.

If anyone wants to get together for swaps or meets, please let me know.

Located in SE PA.

We could use a few good swaps and meets to keep the hobby up and running.

-Paul

Can someone name this tank hood.

I purchased this hood for 25 dollars and am looking to identify what brand it is so I can get some oarts. Any help? The emblem is a circle with like 3 waves.

How many fish to add at once

Hello All:

I am thinking of buying a sailfin/algae Blenny and two or three purple eye anthias. Can I add them all at once?

Water is good. It is a 95 gallon corner bow front.
Temp: 79-81
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5-15 depending on the day
pH: 8-8.1
Sal: 1.0235-1.025 refractometer

"So far" their tank mates would be:
3 green/blue chromis
2 ocellaris clowns
1 red flame angel
1 cleaner shrimp

Can I do this at the same time? Thanks!

Invention, Product in Production Today!

I have a new product that I invented that helps to clean tanks that is being manufactured in China today. It looks sort of like a turkey baster/siphon hose cleaner. It is designed to easily suck out items such as algae from the tank but only spit out the water back in the tank and keep the alage stored in the product. Its a portable handheld item that looks similar to a turkey baster. So imagine sucking up dirty water, algae, particles, debree, dead fish and stuff with a turkey baster, and spitting out only clear water while having all the other crap stored in the item. My utility patent should be approved next week. I had visited local flea markets and advertised online very briefly to see if there was interest before I went full force and seemed everyone loved it. My wife works as a product manager for a fashion accessory company that makes plastic jewelry in china so through her I was able to find contacts to manufacture the item. I will probably start selling it priced around $9.99 to $14.99. Just wanted to see your thoughts on this.

New to reefing. how long do I run my lights for?

hey everyone. so I'm new to the hobby. and I had a question about lighting.

I my light is a Mars aqua and these are the specs.
Dimmable 165W LED with Lens for each led.
Dimmer One(28 LEDs): 8 x Cool White 12,000k, 6 x Neutral White 7500k, 6 x Warm White 3500k, 2 x Red 660nm, 2 x Green 520nm, 4 x Blue 460nm
Dimmer Two(27 LEDs): 7 x Royal Blue 450nm, 20 x Blue 460nm

I'm just wondering how long and how bright should I run my lights for?

I have a 40 gallon tank with a couple clowns in it. I'm purchasing a bubble tip anemone and some candy cane today the tanks been running for 3 months. I'm using omega sea salt and rodi water.

any help would be appreciated thanks.

White Stuff floating around in my tank

For about two weeks now I have had white particles floating around in my tank and also it sits on top of the water.

At first I thought it was just sand getting blown around but it's not. It doesn't seem to bother any of my fish or corals and my water is testing fine.

Any ideas?

Activated carbon in filter?

Quick question:

The Ehaim 9-gallon nano I have came with a filter that has a bio-media compartment in it. It came with a supply of bioballs to put in there. Reading up on it, however, I have been made aware that bioball media are typically nitrate factories. Considering the small size of the tank, I wanted to eliminate that as an issue, and from the recommendation of a co-worker with a couple very successful tanks, I purchased some larger activated carbon pellets to replace it.

My question is, with the carbon inside the filter (water column-->sponge-->filter media-->out again), is this going to present any issues? I wouldn't imagine it would, but I want to ask you guys in case there is something I missed.

Led vs other stuff?

Mhmm

http://ift.tt/1TIBMaX

Interesting Phosphate article

Check this out...interesting at the least - http://ift.tt/20ZI31h

Stocking 55 gallon tank

I have a 55 gal. set up about 3 months ago. So far it is live rock/fish only but I plan to add coral in the future. I'm looking to add some more fish but need suggestions or input on compatibility. Some fish I have been looking at are the bangaii cardinal, a pair of firefish, small school(5) of green chromis, and an angle or a tang.

This is what I have so far:
2 orange clowns
1 6 stripped wrasse
1 Dragon Sand sifter goby
1 coral banded shrip
5 or 6 blue hermits
3 margarita snails

Happy friday!

Top of the morning TRT friends, and......HAPPY FRIDAY! Srambled egg and bacon bowls, coffee and pink milk for starters. Another warm day as the end of February draws close but will be dry, and hopefully not as WINDY as yesterday was. A day of cake making ahead of us...a busy cake weekend. Hope all are well,
Hack

Hammer tip problem

I have a hammer tip frag it's starting to look a little pale and the tentacles limp ( help ideas ? What the problem could be ? :worm:

What new fish should I get?

Hey guys! I have room for one more medium size fish in my tank. What should I get? I have 2 mated perc clowns, a Melanurus Wrasse, Leopard Wrasse, Yellow Tang, a small Blue Chromis, 3 Fire Gobies, 2 cleaner shrimp, 3 nems and some LPS. What do you think? I'm looking for something very peaceful as I do not want to upset the balance of the coexistence in my tank. Would a sailfin blenny be good? I have lots of mature live rock and little caves and stuff. Any suggestions?

First reef tank! Questions! Questions! Questions!

Hi I'm starting my first reef tank, I already have a 29g saltwater for fish and few corals. This new tank is going to be all coral though, and only 12g with a 10g sump. I've got the idea of how the sump runs and ordered the parts and had the chambers sized. Hopefully my idea of how it works turns into it actually working, BUT my question is do I need a refugium? I have always wanted to try a mandarin goby, and since it will be a small tank I will have soft coral, so would having some hair algae growing in a refugium with some reef bugs be helpful?

I have seen mixed reviews on here for them, so for my situation what do you recommend?
Thank you so much!
Becca
:dance:

Return pump question

Hey everyone, it's me again. I'm getting closer and closer to getting my new tank set up. I finally purchased a long over due RO/DI unit that I love and another good powerhead. I purchased a new led full spectrum light a few months ago. All I lack is picking up my tank which will be a 75 with an overflow. I was going to go 90 but my skimmer isn't rated for that and I don't want to buy another new one. So 75 it is. I'm lacking a heater(or two) and a return pump. Any suggestions that won't break the bank? Any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated :thumbup:

Filter Socks

Hey guys I was looking at some filter socks on ebay because I wanted to use some Phosguard in it.

Here's what I found, Tell me what you think.

http://ift.tt/1VInAwC

http://ift.tt/1VInDbw

http://ift.tt/1VInDs1

Keep in mind I want to use them for Phosguard, So I'm thinking the Microns would be better than Felt. You don't have to hook them onto your sump outlet right? I have a little filter in my sump that I use to push around water down there and I took out all the Filtration in it. So I'm thinking I'll just tighten one onto there with the PhosGuard.

VIDEO: How to Build a Fish Quarantine Tank

ID Help with a plant???

I'm not sure what the green thing is growing out of my zoas. It almost looks like some kind of plant.

I can't get a very good angle on it, so if need be I'll pull a "leaf" off and try to get a better picture, but I don't want to harm it if it isn't bad for my tank.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Chris

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Coral Dip Products

Hello reefers,

Has anyone used the new --Coral proTec from eroupe?-- If so I'd like to hear your review.

Also has anyone tried --Reef Dip?-- From what I can see it doesn't say it kills pest on the bottle, But does it?

GPS closing

Hey guys I have some GPS corals that seem to me infected or something. They look sorta sick like some won't close up and the current seems to be pushing them around alot, even though there in a low flow place in my tank. I think I see some white things on them when there closed. I assume asterina starfish?

Recommended CUC for new 75gal Reef Tank

Doing research on what type and how many snails and crabs etc, I should put in my 75gal reef tank for my CUC? Tank will start out will soft coral and grow from there.

Any suggestions?

Sailfin

Hello All:

I am thinking of buying a sailfin/algae blenny.

Water is good. It is a 95 gallon corner bow front.
Temp: 79-81
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5-15 depending on the day
pH: 8-8.1
Sal: 1.0235-1.025 refractometer

"So far" his tank mates would be:
3 green/blue chromis
2 ocellaris clowns
1 red flame angel
1 cleaner shrimp


I notice algae builds up on my rocks and sand. I would like a cleaner fish (I do not want to add snails, etc.) Any thoughts on the blenny?

Total System Revamp

Just starting to get everything dialed back in. Deep sand bed no more! :)
Still working on getting all of the cords and cables managed and cleaned up. Here's what the new system is looking like.

125 Gallon Glass Cages Starphire DT
BB w/Black Starboard
90# of Real Reef Rock
Neptune Apex Controller
2 – Ecotech MP40’s
3 – AI Vega’s

75 Gallon DB Sump Tank
Vertex V6 Return Pump
Vertex Alpha 170 Skimmer w/RD pump
Vertex RX-U 2L Media Reactor (GFO)
3 - Vertex Libra Vessels for Alk, Ca, Mag
BRS Triple Doser
Vertex line and probe holders
Smart ATO w/15 gallon reservoir
7” Filter Sock Holder w/Mesh Sock
Blueline Titanium Heating Element
16” Frag Section
Blue Glow Frag Racks
Ecotech MP10
AI Vega

20 Gallon Fuge, just for chaeto and some added TSV

How do I catch my clownfish??

Yesterday I tried to move my fish to my main tank to my nano, it didnt work out at all. We had to wait another day and try again, I really need help because
I need to move them in today. So, no fish trap ideas because I have no time :rolleyes: :rolleyes:...

Thanks TRT...

How to post pictures...

How to post pictures...

Make sure when you post you are in Advanced mode, scroll down to Attach Files and click Manage Attachments. In the screen click choose file and browse to picture and select it and click upload. When done close attachment screen and post your message by clicking submit.

HTH
pmarkj

My weekly wc/cleaning maintenance is...

Thought id start a thread to help people better understand how much work goes into the "behind the scenes" of owning and maibtaining a reef tank, aswell as to maybe pick up some new ideas concerning "cleaning day". So lets hear some cleaning schedules, starting with tank specs, any special cleaning/maint equpiment, and general procedure during or not during water changes...ill start

SYSTEM: Running a 37 gallon tall with 10gal sump. Coralifesuper skimmer 65g, which in 2 more days will be upgraded to a reef octopus classic 152 cone skimmer. Using chemi pure elite, purfiltrum media by seachem, and polyfilter resin pad in sump. Using one ceramic plate of marinepure bio media.

No filter sock until water change day. Every week i change out 10% (roughly 5 gallons) and replace with seachem aquavitro salinity salt mix.

ROUTINE: During WC i stuff downpipe from overflow to sump with poly filler, rubberband it in place. I also started rubberbanding a wad over the duckbill of my return pump(cred to phanesoul for suggestion) then i usually scrape down sump real good, scrape out my overflow box (its clear and works as a hair algae turf scrubber) and ill blow off the rocks real good and kinda watch my tank eat all the bacterial goodies before it settles, ill then siphon the whole sandbed, just the very top couple of centimeters, then ill rebaste the rocks again, then hit it with a deep 1-2" siphon job to get the rest. While i do this i throw skimmer cup in scalding hot water and give the body a little hot water swirl to get detritus out of skimmer body. At this time i would dose any amino acids/carbs that my skimmer would otherwise take out right away.

Salt mixes quickly and can be used within the hour, use a rio 1100 to send wc water back to DT from my mixing buckets(best way imo) then i take off all the crud wncrusted polyester filling, sit back, and watch my corals puff up like no other :)


One part about my maintenance im curious to get some input on: regarding my marine pure ceramic media, every wc i try to take out the plate and dunk and swish in the bucket of water that i just took from tank, this clear alot of the bacterial mulm and detritus that builds up on plate, should i be removing the plate from sump fully when i do this? Is it bad to introduce heterotrophic bacteria to a second or two of air? The block holds water very well i think only the outside gets exposed briefly.


Cant wait to hear your schedules!!

Scott

I want to start some SPS Coral.. which one?

hey guys! I love the branching look of some SPS Corals but thus far I've been an LPS guy. What do you suggest I get for a first go at SPS?

Marine Aquariums

Hello everybody!

I need your help!!

Ive decided to have a new fish tank but which one is the question that i am stuck on!

Im looking to spend around £1,000 to £2,000 on a marine tank for my fish

i have seen a few from Shirley Aquatics in Birmingham

could anybody recommend them or has anyone got a tank from them?

Thunderstorm Thursday

Quite the lightning show in Boston this morning with pounding rain. Hopefully my flights to Chicago then home will go well.

Have a terrific Thursday. Nothing but crappy overpriced airport coffee to offer.

Finally

Finally getting all the specs within limits. I've noticed a lot of difference getting the Nitrates down and the salinity up. I have a nephthea that I just fragged a small piece. The fish store that I got it at will give me credit for. Everything is looking good. My anemone is doing really well, my frog spawn looks amazing.

Beware of the bristle worm

I was cleaning my tank Sunday and managed to get a bristle worm sting and bite. No big deal, right? Got out the eyebrow wax, spread it over, ripped it off... no more bristles, and continued cleaning the tank. Monday my right index finger was covered with small brown spots and hurt like heck. Tuesday my finger began to swell, and my ring finger became discolored as well. So Wednesday I figured I should go to the immediate care clinic, who then transferred me directly to the emergency room. They had to open my finger to drain it. Wear gloves.

Meat coral reproduction?

As title states.... how do meat coral reproduce?

I have a small bud that appeared at the bottem of one of my breathtaking aussie meat coral... and I'm prayingggggggg.. it's a little aussie meat baby!

Blenny died mysteriously

So my red scooter blenny went from swimming around and munching on pods late last night to this morning not moving and gasping. Mandarin is just fine all my parameters are good nitrates in check and there's plenty of surface disturbance. Pods are all over the glass still as well. I'm real bummed we had him for over 6 months was beautiful and never showed signs of sickness. If anyone has insights so this doesn't happen again and my mandarin stays safe I would appreciate it

Dosing for controlling

Hey Reefers,

I've been having an algae issue recently and I was wondering if I was to put Kent Marine Iodine in my tank would that help the purple algae to grow instead of the brown, red, and green algae? Almost all my rocks have some coralline algae on it. (if not a lot)

Also does anyone dose Calcium? I've been told just supplement it with salt.
And does anyone dose Iron? I've been told also to just do water changes with my reef crystals salt.

Dead Algae

Does dead coralline algae cause excess nutrients?:read::confused:

Every journey starts with a single step

Hello all,
I am VERY new to this hobby so please forgive me if I don't make sense at times. I am posting here because I would like some advice on what it takes to build and maintain a saltwater aquarium. Just last weekend an opportunity came to me that seemed too good to pass up. My brother's neighbor had to relocate his family on short notice and either did not want to deal with moving it or perhaps was taking the opportunity to set up a new system when he moved. Either way, he gave a tank and everything that went with it to my brother who in turn asked if I would be interested in having it. After a bit of hesitation I agreed to take it off his hands as he was more interested in regaining his garage space than anything.

Here is a quick breakdown of what I THINK I have:

• 90 gallon tank - at least that is as near as I can tell based on the dimensions. 48" wide x 12+" deep (bowed front) x 19" tall.
• Tank stand
• Two banks of 8 puck LED lights with controller Aqua Illumination brand (Pictured below)
• Pump (not sure what the GPM are)
• Skimmer (Reef Octopus with a number on the side of NW-110-6520B)
• Heater (VISI-THERM 150Watt)
• Lifegard QL-25 Ultraviolet Sterilizer
• A Homer bucket full of what I believe to be Dry Rock. (Pictured below)

I have always been impressed with saltwater tanks and have always wanted to have one in my home. There is something about looking into a tank of fish that is just so relaxing. The colors and little creatures crawling around, the way the coral sways and even the sound of the water flowing and pumps running has always been so appealing to me. That being said, it has always been my impression that the upkeep and maintenance would be too much for me to handle. That is until the last few days I have spent poking around these forums and seeing the passion and dedication you all have for your craft. Reading your posts has done nothing but fuel my curiosity and make me think that this may be something that I would really enjoy.

My work requires me to deal with pumps, heaters, thermostats etc. and also some plumbing and basic chemistry so I would like to think that my technical background is strong enough to handle things. From what I have read it requires a lot of testing and monitoring to keep a tank healthy. This, believe it or not, is appealing to me. Kind of like an on going science experiment! My worries circle more around the time requirements. Here are a few questions I have right off the bat.

1. What happens in the event that there is a power outage? Do you need a UPS or the like? How long will your little fishys survive without water and/or air circulating?
2. What is the plan on vacations or long weekends away? Most of what I have read says that feedings are required twice daily. How long will the inhabitants live without feedings? Is the feeding simple enough that the neighbor kid could handle it without destroying the ecosystem by over or under feeding?
3. I figure that the tank would weigh over 1000 lbs. when full. Besides the concern of if the tank did rupture, are there any common structural concerns that people look out for? Keeping the tank over a structural wall or maybe how to position the tank in relation to floor joists. I would like to have it on the second floor of the house.
4. How about home insurance? Should I let them know if I decide to embark on this adventure?

If I decide to give this a go my plan was to try and use this community as my knowledge base. Seems to be a better way to go than a book or my local fish store. I thought it would be kind of neat to look back some time in the future and hopefully get a chuckle out of how naive I was at the start and maybe build something we all had our figurative hands in that we could be proud of.
Looking forward to reading your responses.

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Highgear's Tank

Here is a quick breakdown of what I THINK I have:

• 90 gallon tank - at least that is as near as I can tell based on the dimensions. 48" wide x 12+" deep (bowed front) x 19" tall.
• Tank stand
• Two banks of 8 puck LED lights with controller (Aqua Illumination brand)
• Pump (not sure what the GPM are)
• Skimmer (Reef Octopus with a number on the side of NW-110-6520B)
• Heater (VISI-THERM 150Watt)
• Lifegard QL-25 Ultraviolet Sterilizer
• A Homer bucket full of what I believe to be Dry Rock.

Rose Bubble Tip Anemone Half "Open"

Here's a picture of my Rose BTA. It's been "half open" like this for two days. Probably nothing, but I'm just wondering if it's a symptom? Attachment 121814

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Difference between Randalls accessor and macneills assessor

From what I can tell the Randalls assessor looks different from the macneills assessor...the macneills to me looks like a bit of a prettier fish. Is this true, and do any of you have pics of your own Macneills assessor?

10 gallon reef

I'm looking to do lps and sps in a ten gallon tank. I have a 165 watt galaxy hydro light fixture. I want to know how high to hang this fixture above the water level. Some advice please.

WOW, a lot has changed!

(Moderators, please throw this post into whatever category you see fit if this is the wrong place, or if you think it will get more traffic somewhere else.)

I have not had a tank up and running for over 10 years!

I used to be VERY much into the reef keeping hobby. In fact in my first house I built a 125g tank into a wall, with a huge fish room behind that wall to hide and house everything that was tied into my display tank. (1) Wet Dry filter set up in a 55 gallon tank that was set up to hold about 25 gallons of system water, 2) a 55 gallon refugium that overflowed into the display tank (it was supposed to help with nitrates, and I am sure it did, but from some of the reading I have done on here the last couple days, it appears the wet dry systems of years ago are now considered Nitrate factories) (the main reason I put the refugium into my system was to grow and cultivate the little live critters that my manadarin goby and seahorses loved and thrived on), 3) a 6 foot protein skimmer that a customer built for me that was RIDICULOUSLY efficient in how much crap it skimmed (held close to 5 gallons of water), 4) 40 gallon separation tank that could be shut off from or returned to the entire system with external filtration systems (I think we called them "mechanical filtration systems" back then), 5) 40 gallon seahorse tank, 6) Fluval canister system and 7) and extra 55 gallon tank sump running at 50%, just to be able to accommodate ALL these tanks in the system's overflow if the the power would go out, or if my main pump should ever fail. All in all, I think there was somewhere between 250-300 gallons in the whole system.

Back then I was young, my wife and I were "dinks", absolutely LOVED to watch the tank (the wall I built it into was in our "TV" room, now they call them "media or theater rooms" where we would spend a couple hours a night, and more on weekends), I was well versed in the hobby (I had worked at a well respected fish store for most of my college years (started out as a marine biology major, but switched to education when I accepted that the only marine biology jobs near home were at Sea World in OH, which has since closed.), I was running a tank maintenance business with all the clients I wanted/needed, and in general had a command of the hobby. I slowly got out of my tank maintenance business, as I started having more draws on my time. Eventually only maintaining my own home system.

I got totally out of the hobby when my wife and I decided to start a family, after living the flush "dink" life for more than 7 years, and I became a stay at home Dad, giving up one of our incomes. (It was not easy, but its something I do not regret for ONE SECOND. Do I long for the years where we would go on 4 day weekend trips to Vegas? Yes, but I have 2 big winners in our son and daughter!)

So flash forward to now, I stopped into one of the TF stores across town just to see what has changed in the hobby, holy cow?!?!?! I then checked out another TFS in the area that specializes in saltwater, holy bigger cow?!?!?!

To say "time marches on" would be a gross understatement. I feel like 10-15 years ago, I knew a lot, and what I didn't know, I knew where to study, who to ask, and had the real life experience to evaluate the different approaches and philosophies before I put one into practice . . . and now, I feel like I know how to put a chain back on a bike but need to take my car into a mechanic with the check engine light on. I can't believe how much I have forgotten, or lost in the gray matter between my ears, due to time, the gray hair on top of my head, and possibly "use it or lose it" and me not "using it".

If you have stayed with me to this point, thanks, I wanted to give any that will respond a little about my history, in that, I am not a newbie, but man with whats out there today, I feel like one!

I still have ALL the tanks listed above. they are dry as a bone, and will eventually need to be washed out this summer, when it is far easier to accomplish outside!

Some initial questions:

1) Smaller self-contained, stand alone reef tanks?

I notice a TON of smaller, stand alone, reef tank set ups for sale now. In the stores they ARE GORGEOUS and obviously very well established! (meaning I can tell they have been set up for quite a while due to the coral growth, spreading to other rocks and substrates . . ) It used to be the "bigger the better", has this changed?

2) Protein Skimmers

Protein skimmers are INFINITELY smaller than they used to be in my past. I am assuming the principals are similar to the past, but the technology has made them FAR more efficient while simultaneously shrinking their physical footprint. When I was in the hobby in the past, they were all, especially the better ones, were all stand alone units that pumped water into them and returned water back to the system, now I see they are small enough now to fit into the sumps. Are their brands that put out excellent products with regard to cost? Also, if anyone is willing to take the time to give me a quick science lesson on the "new, noticeably smaller skimmers" I would be very curious. It used to be it was all about "maximizing the exposure to as many tiny air bubbles as possible to adhere to the impurities and then collecting those wastes", hence venturi valves, with wood diffusers hooked to powerful air pumps, with pumps within chambers to mix and churn those air bubbles as they fought their way to the surface of the chamber.

3) Lights?

Back when I was in the hobby there were two ways to go, metal Hallide, which then required chillers because they put off sooooo much heat to the water. Or, squeezing as many actinic and other spectrum flourescent tubes on top of your tank as close to the water surface as you could get them while using icecap ballasts etc. (I chose the ice cap ballasts, and still have them, but doubt they are beneficial or even recommended anymore) I now see all these stores with LEDs, with everything from small hanging from wire boxes the size of half a shoe box lid, to larger ones resembling more the size of a large pizza box. I have heard the HUGE benefit is they last for years, where the tubes of old lasted 6 months at max benefit. I have also heard, that the price points on these units can vary HUGE in cost. What are your opinions? Likes? Dislikes?

4) Filtration?

As I said earlier, I have read that the wet drys of the past that were considered the top of the line back then are now labeled as Nitrate factories and borderline vilified today. What are the philosophies and methods admired today? (Of course I still have my wet drys, but I assume they will fall into the same category as my icecap ballasts mentioned above)

5) Monitoring Systems?
I see more "electrical gadgets" on some tanks that make it look like a Christmas tree lit up with LED blinking lights under the tank, and hear TFS employees talking to potential customers about monitoring systems that are linked to the smart phones, computers etc. for lights, water testing levels, pumps etc. HOLY CRAP??? I could see this taking all guess work out, and I could see it being a nightmare with a "glitch". Thoughts?


SOOOOOOOO much has changed, and to those that have only been in the hobby for 5-10 years, at the risk of sounding like an old geezer lamenting walking uphill to school both ways in the North Pole, count your blessings as it seems like the hobby has come a VERY LONG way in a very short time.

I am very much thinking about getting back into the hobby for my interested kids' sake, and frankly, I miss it. Due to our kids increased day to day activity schedule, and long weekend days away from home with son's baseball and swimming schedule, over the years as my wife and I's original "fur babies" crossed the rainbow bridge we have not replaced them, as I don't think we have the "social time" to give a dog, especially a puppy, that needs to be exercised, picked up after, and socialized with. But I do think a well placed and maintained fish tank could help with "slowing down" the hectic schedule, and maximize the relaxation 10 minutes here and there that could be had, and offer an amazing alternative to competing "screentime".

Thank you VERY much in advance for any and all input and information. I very much value the knowledge provided by forums, and not that TFS are always trying to "sell" their stuff, but I hope to re-educate myself before I go "kick the tires"

I could see me eventually putting a "fish room" back up with all my older tanks, with "new technologies", but for now am actually interested in some of these smaller self contained tanks.

Feeling much older than I care to admit I am!

Glass Cages 150 Tall

I have a 150 Tall from glass cages I'm trying to sell. It has no leaks and is drilled. PM me for pictures. Im in the Charleston WV area. Would need to pick up but I can load it for you if you have a truck. Im asking $550.

Royal Gramma Aggression

Hi everyone. I have a 30g fish only setup with a common clown, Royal gramma and two pyjama cardinals at the moment. It's been running for a couple of months with no issues but recently I've had some concerning behaviour with my gramma. He has a particular cave which he protects and is fine but recently he's been all over the tank bullying the cardinals by charging at them forcing them to stay in a tiny top corner of the tank. They come out for feeding but I'm concerned that the gramma is now seriously stressing them out. The clown and the gramma seem to be best of friends, always swimming with each other. Why is he suddenly picking on the cardinals and what can I do to help them? :(

Thanks

Windy weather Wednesday

Good mawnin', TRT!

Coffee is ready. Scrambled eggs and cheese. Nanners and oranges. Just the basics to get us started.

Prowler and Vinnie - Good luck with your dangerous weather down there. I heard that Ray in the FL Panhandle had scary weather last night as well. This afternoon is our chance.

Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone!

Vortec MP10's Powerheads

Hi,

Is anyone on here using a Vortec MP10 powerhead on their tank? I am really struggling to get the setup right. I have a 250litre Red Sea Reefer tank and I have 2 MP10's on either side. I cannot seem to get the right mix between either having dead spots were debris literally builds up on the sand, or blowing the sand all over the tank!! Also, what mode do you find is most efficient at nutrient removal?

Cheers

Algae Nightmare

Hi everyone,

I have been having an algae nightmare for almost 6 months now! I have an established tank (2.5 years) which started have some algae problems after a move. Around October I started with the most awful hair algae problem where I was literally ripping the stuff off every day. I tried almost everything in the book before resorting to the last resort 6 weeks ago of dosing with chemicals (Redsea max stuff). Sure enough the hair algae has gone, but in its place is horrible brown stuff (almost bubble like a bits) across all the rocks, sand, corals the lot! What is this brown stuff, and any advice on how to remove?

Acrylic cover to replace the glass

Have a small nano with a gooseneck fixture and reef LED bulb that is clipped onto a nearby bookshelf hanging over on top that has worked nicely. As luck would have it, the perfectly fitting glass cover that hangs on the little holders clipped on the top and provides about a 1/8" space for air around the top broke. So... the question was what to do.

I went to the hardware store and found a 12x12 sheet of acrylic that will cover about 90% of the top of the tank leaving an inch exposed on the back where the HOB filter is (have an extra for my filter media and extra water movement) and cords out for my second in tank filter and heater. This seems to be an acceptable solution except now there is more space in the back where ambitious snails may be able to get out (unless I cut the sheet to fit more precisely. But I think this should be fine and provides more than enough space for air to filter in and out.

I've read all the arguments about not covering and I already see the evaporation condensing on the top. I may punch a few small holes in there. But there are some significant advantages with a cover IMHO.

1) Washing it off every few days is easy. That should never prevent you from not having one.

2) It can be VERY handy should things potentially fall on top of the tank, including lighting when you're away. (Actually had a failure of a lamp before as well as something that went flying in the air... and landed on top of the cover.)

3) It prevents a great deal of evaporation. In small nano tanks managing this can be a major hassle and minimizing it means minimal addition of RODI or distilled water and endless testing.

4) On my tank, more than enough light seems to get in anyway. Controlling the awful hair algae is a much bigger problem (yes, my phosphate levels are down and it still seems to thrive, requiring periodic toothbrushing, blowing away debris, etc.)

5) Space is large enough to drop in the liquid food I may drop in once a week and occasionally a small piece of crab food for my mithrax.

I'm pretty sure I know about the negatives but, from what I can see, the positives clearly outweigh not having a cover on a small tank unless you've got it isolated, you don't experience too much evaporation and you don't expect to be away often. Just curious if anyone vehemently disagrees here.

Tank Problems

Ok Guys my 90 gal reef tank has been having some issues.

I don't have a lot of test kits but I have a ammonia and Calcium test tubes. I can run some test with those and give you what they say.
Alright I'll tell you what I'm seeing and give you my thoughts.

This is what's not happening, Fish are *not* dying. (there's 6)
Corals don't seem to be growing very fast but are *not* dying.
I have a little over a year old LED light, with a blue flourscent light bulb that is rarely on.
I have a 40 gal sump with a Bubble-Magus Protein skimmer.
I also have about two inches of sand down in the sump with some Macro Algae.
Have a little a year old LED light for my sump. There's Lots of flow in my main tank and the sump.


Alright Here's what I see to be the problem, Basically there lots of unwanted (and not to good looking) algae in my tank. It goes from small spots of green algae to hair algae, (and the one I hate the most) some brownish stuff that seems to get everywhere! It even seems to get places where there is no light... The tank is a little over a year old but I've only had it for about 4 or 5 months. See I bought it from a guy and moved the whole tank water and all.

Here's what I think the problem might be.
Frankly I'll admit, I have practically no clean up crew. All I have is an emerald crab, 2 hermits, 3 snails. That could possible be it.
It could be old lighting, But unlikely. LEDs last longer than most lights and the light doesn't seem like it would grow so much algae in that amount of time. It could also be water changes? I hadn't done one for about 2 to 3 weeks and then I did a 20% water change. But I'm wondering if the reef crystals I use helps the algae to grow? I do have a good amount of corraline algae. I'm wondering if it would help or hurt my corals to do a 20% water change with Instant Ocean because it has less nutrients to help algae growth. Or maybe the best move would be to do more water changes?

OK! What do you think?:thumbup: :D :read::idea::read:

Commensal crabs

I have a few bandit commensal crabs that all of the sudden switched corals. It looks like one may have kicked the other one out of its home and it moved to the Acro next to it. But why would the first one leave its colony?

Opinions on sump setup

So I have a 33long aquarium. Its only been up and running for a week. I did use cured live rock, and live sand. So hopefully this tank will cycle quickly. Im upgrading from a 13 gallon bowfront, and my corals have out grown the tank. So I decided to upgrade.

I have never used a sump, and I have a basic understanding as to how it works. I put together a shopping list, and would like your feedback on my choices. Thanks again!

Aqueon pro flex sump model 1-max gph is 550. This is a really cool sump, that you can use as wet/dry system, berlin system, or refugium.

Eshopps hob overflow-rated for 300gph

Return pump-rated for 400gph

I havent chosen a skimmer yet, and Im a little confused. All of the equipment I chose range from 300gph-550gph. Should my skimmer be rated 400gph?

Also if im correct I should be turning my water over 5-10 times per hour?
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

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What is your favorite coral? Pics?

Hey guys! What is your favorite coral that you own? Show me pics!!

Mine is my green goniopora I've had for over 18 months :)

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Has anyone's electric blue legged hermit changed colors?!

Hey guys! I have had a large electric blue legged hermit for about a year now and about a month ago he changed to an almost "rusty" purple color. I know it's him because he's the only large hermit I have, I have 12 small ones and they are all accounted for. Is this possible? I mean, yeah it is cuz it happened lol. But WHY?! lol

Planning stage of starting an aquarium

When I was younger I had a 55gal freshwater tank. I have not had any fish for several years now, but would like to start a salt water tank. I have A LOT of questions, and need your help! I am starting from scratch here....

1. What size tank should I get? 55 gal is a little too large for me right now, I was thinking about a 40 gal tank, what do you think?

2.What fish should I put in this tank?

3. What all do I need to set up the tank? Live rocks? Live sand?

4. What equipment do I need?

5. What things will help make taking care of this tank easier?

I basically need someone to help me decide which are compatible tank mates, and are appropriate for a 40 gal tank.

question about seachem salinity borate levels and red sea coral colors dosing.

I have the color abcd supplement package from red sea and before i start a dosing schedule, should i buy seachems magnesium, borate alkalinity, and boron test kit before i start dosing the B part (potassium & Boron) or is 4x above nsw (what i looked up aquavitro sailinity salt to be) not a cause for alarm with dosing? I have the coral color test kit aswell but it only tests for iron potassium and iodine.

Any thoughts? Does anybody use this red sea package?

Overflow Re-Design

Hello All, planning to change my overflow from the typical Durso stand pipe to a bean animal due to the extreme noise from the overflow. This is 180 AGA with dual overflows - (2) plastic overflow weirs siliconed to the rear wall of the tank and (2) Durso standpipe holes drilled for each overflow/return at the bottom of the tank.

The tank has been up and running for about 4 months and my plan is the following - use the Durso standpipe holes as the (2) drain pipes needed for Bean Animal overflows. Run the sump return lines up and over the back of the tank.

Question - can I remove the Durso stand pipes and bulkheads in the bottom of the tank to allow just the water inside the overflow to drain to sump? Then I could modify the Durso drains to Bean Animal. I'm concerned about leaking water from the display tank.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Xanthid Crab?

Hey guys, so I have a big dead coral skeleton as a center piece in my tank and I found a full grown, I think xanthid, crab that is a hitchhiker and is picking algae off of the inside of the skeleton. I've been watching him for a few days and he hasnt touched anything besides algae. He is hairy with slightly black tipped claws that are slightly curved. I'm having a hard time removing him as he is way down in the skeleton and I can't seem to get a pic of him. Should I really try to remove him? He hasn't done anything bad to my live brown button polyps that are on that skeleton and by the size of him, hes been there for a long time. What should I do? Thanks, I'll keep trying to get pics.

Weird Markings on Male Clownfish

Hey guys! I just wanted to ask you guys... I got a wild pair of true percs a while back and the male has this weird "birthmark" and I have no clue what it could be... it's always been there, he's healthy (after battling a bit of ich, but thats not what it is) and I was wondering what you guys thought of it.

Is it just his markings, is it an old injury, is it something else? I'm not concerned, I just am confused. Thanks for the help!

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Chemi Pure Blue- BOGO

Boyd's ChemiPure Blue BOGO / New Seahorse Feeding stations!

Stormy Tuesday!!

Good Morning

Coffee is on, Bagels and Cheam cheese.

Big nasty storms in the forecast today, Schools have been canceled or letting out by noon, even LSU cancelled classes today.

Have a Great Day.

TLF's Nano reef.

Good morning TRT, I have downsized my 60 gallon aquarium to a 25 gallon mixed reef. I have no coral right now apart from 5 mushrooms and some star polyps, I'm planning to add 2 true percular clownfish and loads of softies and possibly some LPS corals like hammers and frogspawn...

Today, I filled up the tank, started the filtration, and added sand as well as about 6 pounds of liverock.

Here is what you have really been waiting for :funny: ....















there you guys go :)

Clown Trigger & Koran for sale

Selling my Clown trigger about 3.5-4
my Koran is starting to change in the face. about 3.5
asking $120 for clown and $30 for Koran also have a eshoppes sump and over flow box for 100 gal tank if interested. $120 for both

Clownfish Courtship Behavior

Hey guys! I have read a lot of stuff but I wanna hear what your experience is..

What kind of behaviors do clownfish exhibit when they are pairing, courting, and mating? How do you know when they are about to do the deed?

Thanks!!

Anyone use any tank log apps?

Just downloaded Aquarium Note. Seems pretty neat so far. Can log tank parameters and data. Anyone else try this app? Or got any other good ones?

mixed salt

So I have had some reef crystals salt mixing for a few 3 days under almost no light. I noticed today a very small skin of what looked like a brown algae or something growing on the side wall of the acrylic water tank I use? Not a lot but definitely a trace of something???

Fire fish issue ..., Help, please

Hot home today and found one of my fire fish looking he has a few holes in the side of his head and it is very red. Trying to attach photo ... Fight??? Disease ??? Not sure what to do.

Anemone Disease/Parasite?

So I acquired a green carpet anemone from my dad, who is giving up on his now-sparse tank. I have a fairly new tank (about 6 weeks), and I know anemones need to be in mature tanks, but there really wasn't much alternative for the little guy, so I took him into my care.

I noticed after he opened up a bit that he has some pink, swirly little things on his tentacles, mostly on the outer borders. I have googled up and down trying to figure out what this is, to no avail, so I'm hoping someone here can tell me. It looks like it MIGHT be scar tissue from damage of some sort, but it looks too much like a worm or parasite to not ask this to some people more expert than myself.

He is doing well, despite the possible ailment. He's done a couple laps around the tank, but always ends up staying for a while in the same spot before moving again. Hopefully he'll park somewhere soon. I fed him a quarter-inch piece of shrimp yesterday, which he ate right away, so he can't be feeling TOO horrible.

Apologies for the big pic size and clarity. It's the best shot I could get of it:

Is this brown jelly disease on acan?

Is this what they call the BJD? If so, this is the first time happening in my tank and I have to take the sad coral off before it spreads.

There's some sort of dirt that covers few Acan holes (there's 2 in the middle as shown in the pic) ... to be honest, I'm not too sure if the color is brown but it doesn't look happy that's for sure.

Any update would be much appreciated!

I don't want to know everything

I posted this thread here 3 years ago and just found it. I wanted to re-post it because I thought it would be interesting and stir up some conversation:


I don't know everything and I don't want to. For me it is the challenge of the unknown that excites me and the more knowledge I get, the less challenge there is. If we knew how to definately cure ich with say a pill or eliminate hair algae in an hour how boreing would this hobby be.
The same thing happened just before fish keeping began in the 1800s. Women in England would collect ferns. And eventually their fern collections grew to include all of the ferns in Europe and there was nothing left to collect. They had all the knowledge there was to know about ferns, how to keep them, how to identify them etc. There was drawings of all the various varieties and their hobby stagnated as the thrill was gone. Then they started walking around in the shallow tide pools and started to collect marine sea creatures. That is how this hobby started.
But when we know how to cure everything, keep everything and raise everything there will not be any reason to get excited if your bangai cardinal spawns because it will be a normal, almost daily occurance.
When they build powerheads, lights, and skimmers to last forever it will be very boring, for me anyway as I love to experiment with new things.
I am sure that any time now there will be no need to dose as they will most likely make ASW with time release nutrients as they do with pills. Nitrates will most likely be eliminmated with some device like a catylic converter that removes pollutants from car exhausts.
So I think that if we feel we have a problem with something in our tank, we should view that is an exciting, learning experience and not a harbinger of doom as most people view it.
I personally like it when something goes wrong and I can find a way to fix it and discover ways to stop it from happening. I don't just want to view my perfect tank forever just the way it is with no changes and all the same creatures living forever. In my living room there is an 8' painting of an undersea scene. I may as well just stare at that.
People ask me all the time why I don't raise the fish that spawn in my tank. The answer is simple, I already raised a number of them so the thrill is almost gone. The first fish I raised were some blue devils. After the eggs were laid I would sit up all night with a flashlight waiting for the eggs to hatch. Then I would try to count them and feel really sad when I would lose some. I nursed them to adulthood and waited for them to spawn. It was a big thrill and an exciting time in the hobby for me, especially because that was way before the internet was invented so the few people I told about it were amazed. Now of course thousands of fish have been spawned and raised and written about so if it happens in your tank, very few people would even care. The more we do in this hobby or life in general, the less excited we get. It's just life. I still very much love this hobby but now my "goal" has changed. I no longer buy a fish to see how long I can keep it because I know how long (if at all) I can keep most fish. I know which corals I can and can't keep and the ones I want to keep. Many people in this hobby feel the pinnacle of success is a tank full of SPS. I also did, but now my interests have changed. I now go for oddities, unusual creatures we rarely see.
How do you feel about al this?