I thought it'd be interesting to document within one thread the setup of this tank from day one through to, well, I won't say completion but perhaps it's first inhabitants.
First a few things about me & my fishkeeping. I've kept FW tropicals for 7 years now, starting with a little 10G and moving up to the current 35G. I've kept everything from Discus to bread and butter stuff like neon tetras. I've dabbled at breeding with a fair amount of success with species such as discus, angels, cories and bettas. The move to marines was trigged by the death of my breeding angels due only to old age over a period of a month (they were 4 when I got them 5 years ago.). Without them the tank looked empty and forlon and I lost heart somewhat in it. I was considering ripping it down totally and getting out of the hobby when a new FS opened right by College, it was the reincarnation of what had up to it's closure been my favoured LFS. I dropped by for a look to discover they were marine only. Half an hour sat watching their stunning display reef tank made my mind up - I was going salty.
From there began hours of research and the purchase of books such as The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. I tried to decide what equipment I'd need, what I wanted from the tank and what my budget could strech to. Then I remembered this place from my FW days and re-located it...read, re-read and read again many threads via the search facility then began annoying you all with Q's!! I worked out I wanted a FOWLR tank, that the LR would be my filter as such along with a clean up crew. I also began looking at livestock I'd like to keep.
17/9/06
It all begins, we spend an hour stripping down the FW tank and catching the inhabitants who include my beloved Lemon Phantom Plec and Striped Raphael Cat. As always, there is the one elusive cory who gives us the slip so we eventually abandon her capture and head to the LFS. A quick scan of my tankmates and they agree to give me €60 credit for them (nice, for a shop who don't "do" credit). I browse the marine section and settle on getting a Red Sea "starter pack" which includes 10kg of salt mix, a hydrometer, PH buffer solution, Calcium supplement and nitrite, nitrate, PH and alkalinity test kits all for €120 which is a saving of about €40. (At this point I begin to realise Marines are like my much loved sports car, stunning but an endless money pit). I pick up 2 x 25kg bags of inert aquarium sand - aragonite isn't available but apparently the buffers, rock and salt mix will deal with my PH ok anyway. I'm delighted to find I can remove the internal filter from my tank as it's only siliconed in, it was proving to be a pain in this whole setup process. The sand is washed as thoroughly as possible and spread into a 3" DSB in the tank. It was then filled with water (I plan to add the salt mix right into the tank when it's up to 24c as there's nothing but inert sand in there atm) and we all stood back and admired the glowing, murky water. Let's hope it settles down!! LR arrives on Thursday evening....
ETA..also dicovered I have access to an industrial sized RO unit - the joys of having parents who run a lab!
First a few things about me & my fishkeeping. I've kept FW tropicals for 7 years now, starting with a little 10G and moving up to the current 35G. I've kept everything from Discus to bread and butter stuff like neon tetras. I've dabbled at breeding with a fair amount of success with species such as discus, angels, cories and bettas. The move to marines was trigged by the death of my breeding angels due only to old age over a period of a month (they were 4 when I got them 5 years ago.). Without them the tank looked empty and forlon and I lost heart somewhat in it. I was considering ripping it down totally and getting out of the hobby when a new FS opened right by College, it was the reincarnation of what had up to it's closure been my favoured LFS. I dropped by for a look to discover they were marine only. Half an hour sat watching their stunning display reef tank made my mind up - I was going salty.
From there began hours of research and the purchase of books such as The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. I tried to decide what equipment I'd need, what I wanted from the tank and what my budget could strech to. Then I remembered this place from my FW days and re-located it...read, re-read and read again many threads via the search facility then began annoying you all with Q's!! I worked out I wanted a FOWLR tank, that the LR would be my filter as such along with a clean up crew. I also began looking at livestock I'd like to keep.
17/9/06
It all begins, we spend an hour stripping down the FW tank and catching the inhabitants who include my beloved Lemon Phantom Plec and Striped Raphael Cat. As always, there is the one elusive cory who gives us the slip so we eventually abandon her capture and head to the LFS. A quick scan of my tankmates and they agree to give me €60 credit for them (nice, for a shop who don't "do" credit). I browse the marine section and settle on getting a Red Sea "starter pack" which includes 10kg of salt mix, a hydrometer, PH buffer solution, Calcium supplement and nitrite, nitrate, PH and alkalinity test kits all for €120 which is a saving of about €40. (At this point I begin to realise Marines are like my much loved sports car, stunning but an endless money pit). I pick up 2 x 25kg bags of inert aquarium sand - aragonite isn't available but apparently the buffers, rock and salt mix will deal with my PH ok anyway. I'm delighted to find I can remove the internal filter from my tank as it's only siliconed in, it was proving to be a pain in this whole setup process. The sand is washed as thoroughly as possible and spread into a 3" DSB in the tank. It was then filled with water (I plan to add the salt mix right into the tank when it's up to 24c as there's nothing but inert sand in there atm) and we all stood back and admired the glowing, murky water. Let's hope it settles down!! LR arrives on Thursday evening....
ETA..also dicovered I have access to an industrial sized RO unit - the joys of having parents who run a lab!
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