Noob

[GrizFyrFyter]

Currently only running freshwater but marine tanks are in my future so I'm getting as much real info as possible and trying to meet people who deal with these tanks everyday.

I live in Sacramento, CA and work from home (build custom kydex holsters and sheaths) and care for my 2 year old daughter.

I currently have a 65 gal tank ($100 on craigslist) with 6 angels, a black Ghost Knife, African Feather Fin catfish and a common pleco. I will be upgrading these fish to a 90 gal tank within 6 months. They are all very happy, active and eat well.

My wife's tank (she picks decoration and fish) is a 30 gal tank with mollies, platies, guppies and a clown pleco. My daughters 10 gal tank has a male and female beta, 4 mystery snails and some ghost shrimp.

I have pics if anyone cares.

 

[mandarin_goby]

Welcome! Sounds like tanks are a family affair I have a 55 planted with an angel, a school of congo tetras and 5 kribensis, plus cherry barbs and cories. Then there's the 13 gallon cherry shrimp tank with galaxy danios. I know I'd love to see pics of your freshwater tanks So the 65 will be for salt once the others are moved?

Reefing is so different, but in a good way (well, except for the extra cost - live rock, for one thing, is $$$!). I started with a 12 gallon but got bitten by the upgrade bug. I'm loving my 40 breeder reef. You've come to the best place for advice - I learned so much here.

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

My wife only halfway cares. My daughter and I stare at them for hours.

The 65 gal tank will probably be an octopus tank when I'm ready. My plan is a 175 gal marine setup in 12 months and maybe the octopus tank 6 months later.

 

[Sk8r]

Suggest a read of the stickies above on set-up, tank size, and chemistry as a starter. It'll save you money, for one thing, and time and restarts for another. There's more than one True Way of Reefing, but picking one that works and going with it consistently is a way to get where you want to be.

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

65 gal (rearranged since then )

30 gal

10 gal.

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

Oh. Odyssea cfs500 came with the 65 gal tank. It's awesome compared to the 2 hang on filters that barely kept up.

 

[Adamw327]

Welcome! Awesome to hear you have involved the family in your hobby.

A word of advice, it goes from hobby to addiction when you enter the realm of saltwater!!

My daughter turned one on wensday, and i am already planning a micro tank for her second birthday and trying to cram as much education into it as possible. There is SO much to learn about marine life and tanks. The first time you get a tank set up you will be blown away by how much life that pops up without you putting them their in the first place!

Pick up some saltwater aquarium books, i read them front to back before i was comfortable setting a tank up, and then i still learn something knew everyday (honestly) and i have been keeping saltwater for over a year now. I also still reference the books constantly whenever something knew pops up or something at the LFS (local fish store) catches my eye

Again welcome! As a new member here i can say people are very helpful and friendly!

 

[Adamw327]

Another word of advice, unless you are rich, DIY is your friend. I built my own stand, it took me a few hours each day for about a week, and cost me just over 100$ in material. I can not find a comparable one for less than 1k.

You should look into Sumps/Fuges when considering a stand and tank setup as well. I highly recommend buying one pre-drilled if you can afford it, because thats one DIY i am very afraid of (i even have the diamond drill tip un-opened in my toolbox). They add great live filtration (way more important than actual filters as compared to freshwater) and also provide a great place to hide all your equipment (heaters,pumps,skimmer). You can keep animals in their that would otherwise not survive in the DT (display tank) or algaes/marine plants that could not withstand the high flow in the main tank.

Another thing to consider is that you will need much better water quality than for freshwater, most hobbyists use RO, or reverse osmosis water. While you can buy it from most LFS, a large tank like that will cost a lot and have high evaporation rates. So you should highly consider buying your own RO system, and while they can be attached and run from your sink, you will want to run dedicated plumbing instead, and also consider an "auto top-off" machine, making keeping the salinity and water level in check almost effortless.

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

I tried to talk my wife into a nanotechnology tank for the nightstand/safe but she won't go for it, and I'm nervous. From what little I know, a smaller system fluctuates faster and will crash if you aren't paying attention.

Anyhow, here some of the livestock.

Angels

BGK Fish

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

2 posts with img links have disappeared...?

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

Another word of advice, unless you are rich, DIY is your friend. I built my own stand, it took me a few hours each day for about a week, and cost me just over 100$ in material. I can not find a comparable one for less than 1k.

You should look into Sumps/Fuges when considering a stand and tank setup as well. I highly recommend buying one pre-drilled if you can afford it, because thats one DIY i am very afraid of (i even have the diamond drill tip un-opened in my toolbox). They add great live filtration (way more important than actual filters as compared to freshwater) and also provide a great place to hide all your equipment (heaters,pumps,skimmer). You can keep animals in their that would otherwise not survive in the DT (display tank) or algaes/marine plants that could not withstand the high flow in the main tank.

Another thing to consider is that you will need much better water quality than for freshwater, most hobbyists use RO, or reverse osmosis water. While you can buy it from most LFS, a large tank like that will cost a lot and have high evaporation rates. So you should highly consider buying your own RO system, and while they can be attached and run from your sink, you will want to run dedicated plumbing instead, and also consider an "auto top-off" machine, making keeping the salinity and water level in check almost effortless.

LFS quoted my $1700 for everything to run a 175 gal, including sand and water, drilled with sump, skimmer, wave maker, lights and stand.

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

Wife and daughter tanks

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

Black Ghost Knife

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

Clown pleco on TARDIS and the angels around the castle

 

[mandarin_goby]

Beautiful angels and pleco! I've always loved ghost knife's but have never had one.

A 175 will be so sweet! Oh, the possibilities. I can only dream of that since we live in an apartment, maybe one day.

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

Beautiful angels and pleco! I've always loved ghost knife's but have never had one.

A 175 will be so sweet! Oh, the possibilities. I can only dream of that since we live in an apartment, maybe one day.

That's the little pleco. The one in the big tank is a little over 10", we call him Jeremy Wade. This is my second attempt at the BGK Fish. The first one didn't eat well and he was addicted to the bubble curtain. The tank came down with Ich and he didn't make it. This guy likes to play dead though and it stresses me out. He loves thawed brine shrimp and blood worms, I tried to feed him Molly fry but the angels ate them all.

We are in a small apartment at the moment (wife is in nursing school) but we will be back in a house and room for tank expansion is a must, along with a yard for the Malamute to play in.

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

A pic of Jeremy from a couple months ago.

 

[mandarin_goby]

I'm thinking I may need a pleco soon in the 55. I have a few ottos but I need a big guy in there. Yours are very cool.

Hope you get to start reefing relatively soon, but at least in 6 mos you'll have it all planned out!

 

[GrizFyrFyter]

I'm thinking I may need a pleco soon in the 55. I have a few ottos but I need a big guy in there. Yours are very cool.

Hope you get to start reefing relatively soon, but at least in 6 mos you'll have it all planned out!

Cheap fish. Live for something like 15 years.

The catfish we have can live 18 years but he is camera shy (i call him shadow). He lives in the castle with Jeremy and chases everyone else out, except the knife fish. I honestly feel like the knife fish is the most intelligent fish in the tank. He plays with the crabs and is curios about anything new in his tank. I need to start growing brine shrimp, or grow the fry big enough the angels won't eat them, so he has live food to eat