New Marine Tank

[park83]

New guy here with new tank. A couple weeks ago I set up a 45gal saltwater tank. Right now I have 2 clownfish and 3 blue-leg hermit crabs. I'm waiting for it to cycle completely before I put any species in that are more "fragile" than these.

Here's some pics, tell me whatcha think:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/tank01.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/tank02.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/clown01.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/clown05.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/clown02.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/clown03.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/clown04.jpg


I also enjoy photography, but its much different taking pictures of small fish through a glass tank. I'm gonna need some practice. :duh:

[is300zx]

nice tank and welcome to AC!

[dorkfish]

tell me whatcha think

I hope that's all fake coral...

The crushed coral will eventually become a detrius trap... So will the power filter.

[KingOfTheDeep]

nice, you need to get some anenome for those clowns, they love it

[park83]

I hope that's all fake coral...

The crushed coral will eventually become a detrius trap... So will the power filter.


It is crushed coral. I plan on siphoning it out on the water changes to remove the buildup. Will that not work? A buddy of mine actually sold me the tank, in which he successfully kept saltwater for years using the same stuff...

[Tommy Gun]

I realize that I am not the expert on saltwater tanks, but have one like you that I just begun a few months ago. I wanted to chime in on the crushed coral subject because from this forum and the advice that I read about CC, I actually took at better look into my 55 gallon freshwater tank and the gravel substrate I have had in there for nearly a year now. I wanted to point this out because I was foolish and kept adding more and more gravel in the first month or so of having my 55 gallon tank (my first tank, by the way) because I had put all black gravel in it and then wanted to add color to it. Eventually, after adding some blues and greens, I ended up with a 3 inch substrate layer in the tank and like you point out, had planned to keep vaccuming it out with water changes.

I feel this is relavent to a SW tank, because from my observations, four inches of substrate is usually the recommended layer for a SW system. (Because of the bigger need for more bacteria in most cases, but humor me a bit here) So, the other day, when looking at my 3 inches of substrate, that I religously vaccumed out, this is what I was able to 'kick up' into the water:
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/tommygunnz76/FW%20Pictures/Takingoutgravel1.jpg
This is a picture of my tank from looking down on the top. You can clearly see how 'muddy' it looks and from this angle, the water is clear compared to what it looked like at the bottom. Needless to say, I changed to sand that day and realized the ideas and info that are being pointed out about CC are not just someone's opinion, but an informed opinon.

I just wanted to share that with you because while I am not an expert by no means, I am not brand new to the hobby and I promise you that I did not neglect my tank at all, this waste and detrius just built up without me knowing it. I really think that your tank is amazing and would hate to see you have problems a year from now (or even earlier) because you thought you were doing everything right, like I did.

Like I said, amazing tank though. I really love it and it is a good example of a tank without using tons of live rock. While I have seen quite a few tanks without live rock in person, I do not usually see people on forums like this one going that route.

[Aussie_hippie_2]

When looking at your tank I just found myself really wanting it for myself :) . I love the simplicity of it all.

congrats!

[BlueLobster]

When looking at your tank I just found myself really wanting it for myself :) . I love the simplicity of it all.

congrats!
I also think it looks simple, but I believe it looks great too! I personally would get that crushed coral out though just from the pictures above I am squirmy hehe. I

[park83]

Thanks for all the opinions and compliments! After seeing your muddy tank I will definitely look at my options for replacing that. It seems that most people on here prefer sand, correct?

[Tommy Gun]

I do, and was very leery about it when I first set up my SW tank, but honestly, it is a totally different think in saltwater tanks versus freshwater. I dont know if it is the density of the water or what, but it is much harder to kick up into the water and even if it does, SW fish and inverts are used to sand storms from time to time and can handle it.

[park83]

Well, im finally getting a little better at taking pictures of the aquarium (more specifically, fish). Got the camera into manual mode, and increased the shutter speed. Heres a few more, with 2 pics of the goby I just put in a couple days ago...


http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/blue_goby_1.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/blue_goby_2.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/clown_fish_4.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/clown_fish_2.jpg

[WeeNe858]

your blue neon like to hang out with his friends.. get him about 3 more and they will pick fishes clean of parasites for you and i recommend more live rock if you plant to keep more fishes.. its just beter filtration for you


(and your tank is currently outfitted for marine only.. keep that in mind and if you do plant to conver to reef.. its going to cost about ... 6-700 dollars for the right filter and lighting)

[park83]

your blue neon like to hang out with his friends.. get him about 3 more and they will pick fishes clean of parasites for you and i recommend more live rock if you plant to keep more fishes.. its just beter filtration for you


(and your tank is currently outfitted for marine only.. keep that in mind and if you do plant to conver to reef.. its going to cost about ... 6-700 dollars for the right filter and lighting)


Live rock was next on my list. I dont plan on going to a reef tank, its just too much work.

I plan on putting in:

1 hippo tang
1 or 2 more gobys
1 butterfly of some kind
1 or 2 cherub angels
maybe a cleaner shrimp (hopefully the others wont think he's food)

I'm waiting for a couple weeks to head down to Lancaster to go to That Fish Place, as the Petco and local fish store here doesnt have much.

[TomToro]

Great looking show tank! Very clean with a good front view. Going to be very easy to see your new fish.

My CC experience: I've been vacuuming out my crushed gravel with every water change (once a month) and it seems to be helping my nitrates. Maybe a couple of more months and I'll be done with it. Also bought 18 Nassarius (sp?) snails that keep the gravel moving. I have sand mixed in so it's a real bear.

Good luck and keep putting up new pics as you get new fish and rock.
Tom

[TomToro]

Great looking show tank! Very clean with a good front view. Going to be very easy to see your new fish.

My CC experience: I've been vacuuming out my crushed coral (Max got to me) with every water change (once a month) and it seems to be helping my nitrates (<15ppm). Maybe a couple of more months and I'll be done with it. Also bought 18 Nassarius (sp?) snails that keep the gravel moving. I have sand mixed in so it's a real bear.

Good luck and keep putting up new pics as you get new fish and rock.
Tom

[gman52]

Nice tank. If I was you I would leave in the Crushed Coral. As long as you vacuum it every once in a while you will be fine. Something else you could do is in between vacuumings stir up the crushed coral. Let your filter
and/or protein skimmer pick up all of the floating waste. Then when you do your vacuuming swish the filter cartridge around in the water. If you do that the Crushed Coral will stay nice and clean. I have a Crushed Coral bed and would never go back to sand. Crushed Coral is a much better substrate than sand IMO.

[park83]

I've heard both opinions on CC. I think i'll just stick with it for now. I bought the tank from a buddy who's successfully kept many tanks of SW and FW fish, and he used the exact same CC that I have.

[park83]

New addition:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/coral_beauty_1.jpg

[Ghost_knife]

if your new they not the easiest to keep, and they can be hateful SOB's.. I had 3 of them and never will buy'm again

[Mgamer20o0]

nice looking fish you have there.

[Emg]

OOOOOOOooooo......NICE fish !!


On the cc......keep it for now, but if you do decide to go sand....use an agonite based sand. And...if you do go with LR....or even reef later....you can make a nice refugium out of an aquaclear 110 HOB. Just silicone a baffle between the impellor and the "tank" part. I have one on a 20long (aquaclear 70) and it works fantastic !

I don't have a protein skimmer either (too expensive)....I just blow the tank out really well each week along with a wc. I put a filter pad over the outlet of the fuge to catch all the junk while I'm cleaning the tank....after everything settles out I remove the filter pad, rinse it off in the old tank water and set it aside to use next week.

Here's a link to the site where I got the idea about the fuge..... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hagenrefugart.htm

Bookmark that....hehe...you may want it later..... :D




......

[jgavlock]

Beautiful addition!

[park83]

if your new they not the easiest to keep, and they can be hateful SOB's.. I had 3 of them and never will buy'm again


I read a lot about them and seem to see highly varied experiences with them. Some claimed they are easy to keep, some claimed they are hit or miss. I guess one big problem with them is acclimation. When i first put him in the tank, he hid for a full day, I was getting kinda worried, but now he's out and about, eating all my algae. Hopefully he works out. He was too nice of a fish not to give him a try.

EDIT: Could the aggressiveness be from having 3 of them in the tank?

[park83]

OOOOOOOooooo......NICE fish !!


On the cc......keep it for now, but if you do decide to go sand....use an agonite based sand. And...if you do go with LR....or even reef later....you can make a nice refugium out of an aquaclear 110 HOB. Just silicone a baffle between the impellor and the "tank" part. I have one on a 20long (aquaclear 70) and it works fantastic !

I don't have a protein skimmer either (too expensive)....I just blow the tank out really well each week along with a wc. I put a filter pad over the outlet of the fuge to catch all the junk while I'm cleaning the tank....after everything settles out I remove the filter pad, rinse it off in the old tank water and set it aside to use next week.

Here's a link to the site where I got the idea about the fuge..... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hagenrefugart.htm

Bookmark that....hehe...you may want it later..... :D




......

Thanks, i'll read into that. :)


I also picked up a visi-therm heater (I was sick of the el-cheapo I had needing constant attention), and a Penguin power head. The clowns absolutely love the new water current generated by it, but the angel doesn't seem to really give a crap.

[park83]

Added the last couple fish to the tank on Saturday night.

Red Firefish:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/Marine%20Aquarium/firefish_03.jpg


Sailfin Tang:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/Marine%20Aquarium/sailfin_tang_01.jpg


Vagabond Butterflyfish:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/Marine%20Aquarium/vagabond_butterflyfish_01.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/Marine%20Aquarium/vagabond_butterflyfish_02.jpg


Other pics:

http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/Marine%20Aquarium/?action=view&current=butterfly_and_tang.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/Marine%20Aquarium/all_fish_01.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/park83rsx/Marine%20Aquarium/vagabond_butterflyfish_03.jpg


I knew the butterfly would be a risk (getting him to eat) but he's doing surprisingly well and eating brine and mysis shrimp already, as well as picking at the live rock.

Also, theres gonna be a point where the sailfin needs a larger tank.. I'll prob just shoot for a 100-125g when that day comes.