The Great (or not so great) Hillbilly Reef Experiment
- Thread starter Hawg Pharm
- Start date
daplatapus
New member
Yup. My wife hated the idea of my tank, but being the supportive spouse she is let me go ahead. Then we started adding some life - she said she still didn't care. I got a couple fish - still not interested. My yellow watchman goby started getting picked on - she made me take him out and set him up in a QT downstairs. She started feeling sorry for him so she'd go feed him and keep him company. Next thing you know she's asking me to set up a dedicated tank for him because she thought he was getting really lonely. Set up a 20 gal cube in the dining room tied into my main system sump in the basement. She starts reading up on them and learns they pair with pistol shrimp. "Why haven't you got him a pistol shrimp buddy" she asks. Get him a pistol shrimp. "That little tank looks so bare" she says, can't we take some of your coral from your big tank". Move some coral over. Visit LFS. "Ooooo I like that coral" she says. We don't have the right kind of light for that coral I say. "Well build one like the one you built over your tank" she says. Build another light. "There needs more life in the small tank, we need some more fish in there swimming around." Get a few chromis.
I could go on
But suffice it to say, when she get's involved she'll be so fascinated by the life in there, don't be surprised if you either have to upgrade or set up another tank, probably a species specific tank or something, lol.
I could go on
But suffice it to say, when she get's involved she'll be so fascinated by the life in there, don't be surprised if you either have to upgrade or set up another tank, probably a species specific tank or something, lol.
kegogut
Active member
haha yea. My wife complains about the money that goes into the tank,but never hesitates to tell me about a fish she wants or what color of coral she thinks were missing.
She knows alot about the hobby now. The difference between sps,lps,and softies. She knows reef safe and not.
Hell, shes going to pick up a yellow tang from the LFS today otw home from work because she wanted the "splash of color" in the tank. lol
You just need to include them in the picking out of the fish/coral and they really get attached to it fast just like we do.
She knows alot about the hobby now. The difference between sps,lps,and softies. She knows reef safe and not.
Hell, shes going to pick up a yellow tang from the LFS today otw home from work because she wanted the "splash of color" in the tank. lol
You just need to include them in the picking out of the fish/coral and they really get attached to it fast just like we do.
Hawg Pharm
Member
Thanks for all the words of encouragement. I think she's slowly starting to come around. She now asks how long it will be until we have fish in the tank. I keep hoping that the fish in the qt will pacify her until I'm ready.
This may turn out better than I expected. Perhaps the war isn't lost after all.
This may turn out better than I expected. Perhaps the war isn't lost after all.
Hawg Pharm
Member
The wife is on board. I repeat, the wife is on board.
You have no idea how happy this makes me. She actually picked out the fish today that went into the qt. Granted, I already knew which direction I wanted to go with the fish in the dt, which was of the small, relatively peaceful variety. I had to nix a few of her desires, such as yellow tailed damsels and a strawberry pseudochromis (unless they go into the 110 gallon sump). But, she quickly zeroed in on the pajama cardinals, the firefish and the clown. They are now comfortably in one of the 29 gallon quarantine tanks and have eaten their first meal. The clown was instantly at home and has made a slight nuisance of himself toward the others. I have another 29g qt and will move him if it becomes a problem, or separate them with egg crate.
<a href="http://s115.photobucket.com/user/kncald/media/photobucket-21544-1373679561403_zps458aaa53.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n307/kncald/photobucket-21544-1373679561403_zps458aaa53.jpg" border="0" alt="2013-07-12_20-36-49_284 photo photobucket-21544-1373679561403_zps458aaa53.jpg"/></a>
You have no idea how happy this makes me. She actually picked out the fish today that went into the qt. Granted, I already knew which direction I wanted to go with the fish in the dt, which was of the small, relatively peaceful variety. I had to nix a few of her desires, such as yellow tailed damsels and a strawberry pseudochromis (unless they go into the 110 gallon sump). But, she quickly zeroed in on the pajama cardinals, the firefish and the clown. They are now comfortably in one of the 29 gallon quarantine tanks and have eaten their first meal. The clown was instantly at home and has made a slight nuisance of himself toward the others. I have another 29g qt and will move him if it becomes a problem, or separate them with egg crate.
<a href="http://s115.photobucket.com/user/kncald/media/photobucket-21544-1373679561403_zps458aaa53.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n307/kncald/photobucket-21544-1373679561403_zps458aaa53.jpg" border="0" alt="2013-07-12_20-36-49_284 photo photobucket-21544-1373679561403_zps458aaa53.jpg"/></a>
daplatapus
New member
:beer: :thumbsup:
Hawg Pharm
Member
So this morning the wife wanted me to feed the fish while she was watching. She was worried about the firefish as he was laying on his side and looking a little lethargic. Well, that all changed as soon as the food got close. At that point the firefish perked up and devoured everything within reach.
She then asked about the snails, which I had allowed to slowly drip acclimate overnight. After checking parameters, I decided to add the five astrea snails to the dt. Scratch that. Make it four snails. Looks like one of them is actually a hermit crab. Two hours since then, I've come to the conclusion that astrea snails love whatever brown algae is growing in my dt. They've cut through it like a lawnmower, leaving a clean trail behind them. The hermit seems fond of it as well. Not too sure about him, though. I've got blue legged hermits coming as part of a cleanup crew package but this rascal has white legs. I'll have to watch him. Any shenanigans and it will be off to the sump, which as big as it is might not be that bad.
The wife just came in from doing some work outside to check on the fish and snails. I'm starting to think that I might be creating a monster.....in a good way.
She then asked about the snails, which I had allowed to slowly drip acclimate overnight. After checking parameters, I decided to add the five astrea snails to the dt. Scratch that. Make it four snails. Looks like one of them is actually a hermit crab. Two hours since then, I've come to the conclusion that astrea snails love whatever brown algae is growing in my dt. They've cut through it like a lawnmower, leaving a clean trail behind them. The hermit seems fond of it as well. Not too sure about him, though. I've got blue legged hermits coming as part of a cleanup crew package but this rascal has white legs. I'll have to watch him. Any shenanigans and it will be off to the sump, which as big as it is might not be that bad.
The wife just came in from doing some work outside to check on the fish and snails. I'm starting to think that I might be creating a monster.....in a good way.
dave.m
Active member
If it's the same kind with white hairy legs that I had in a tank it grows quite large - about 1ci. The only trouble I had with him was that whenever he wanted a new shell the largest Mexican Turbo snail ended up as a blob of white meat floating around the tank.
I remember looking for the big snail one day and wondering what had become of it. At that moment a clattering caught my attention. This all white, extremely hairy looking hermit crab came wandering along the top of the reef, rattling the snail's shell against the glass as he sashayed past with his new home on his back.
Lah!
Dave.M
I remember looking for the big snail one day and wondering what had become of it. At that moment a clattering caught my attention. This all white, extremely hairy looking hermit crab came wandering along the top of the reef, rattling the snail's shell against the glass as he sashayed past with his new home on his back.
Lah!
Dave.M
Hawg Pharm
Member
So what am I dealing with here? Cyano?
It is only growing in the fuge and nowhere else. It's just growing in these little tufts, and only on the rocks, not like a lot of photos I've seen here so I wasn't really sure what it was. Since I ghost fed during the last 6 weeks of the live rock cure, I'm not exactly sure where I am in the cycle. Still ghost feeding (shrimp pellets, frozen Mysis, etc.) and have yet to spike ammonia. I'm sure I did during the cure but didn't test at that time. Nitrates are at 10. Everything else is looking good. Snails are going through brown and green algae in the display tank like there is no tomorrow (but I have less than I ever expected). It's primarily on the rock with just a little brown algae on the sand near the margins of the glass.
<a href="http://s115.photobucket.com/user/kncald/media/photobucket-18698-1374026163888_zpsfd5a6465.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n307/kncald/photobucket-18698-1374026163888_zpsfd5a6465.jpg" border="0" alt="2013-07-16_20-53-43_906 photo photobucket-18698-1374026163888_zpsfd5a6465.jpg"/></a>
It is only growing in the fuge and nowhere else. It's just growing in these little tufts, and only on the rocks, not like a lot of photos I've seen here so I wasn't really sure what it was. Since I ghost fed during the last 6 weeks of the live rock cure, I'm not exactly sure where I am in the cycle. Still ghost feeding (shrimp pellets, frozen Mysis, etc.) and have yet to spike ammonia. I'm sure I did during the cure but didn't test at that time. Nitrates are at 10. Everything else is looking good. Snails are going through brown and green algae in the display tank like there is no tomorrow (but I have less than I ever expected). It's primarily on the rock with just a little brown algae on the sand near the margins of the glass.
<a href="http://s115.photobucket.com/user/kncald/media/photobucket-18698-1374026163888_zpsfd5a6465.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n307/kncald/photobucket-18698-1374026163888_zpsfd5a6465.jpg" border="0" alt="2013-07-16_20-53-43_906 photo photobucket-18698-1374026163888_zpsfd5a6465.jpg"/></a>
Hawg Pharm
Member
Thanks. How's your build coming along?
Hawg Pharm
Member
I figure there were plenty of nutrients when the rocks were curing in the garage. Every morning I was fishing bugs out of the tank. It was almost completely covered but flying critters were notorious for finding that one opening. I noticed a few on the bottom of the tank crammed under rocks from the flow of the power heads. I had already been feeding a few shrimp pellets periodically after I had thrown in a few table shrimp. Once my ammonia hit zero I simply continued to ghost feed every now and then.
But, I'm no longer ghost feeding since my main clean up crew showed up last night. The snails seem fairly happy but the blue legged crabs are tearing up the brown and green algae as well as any cyano they come across. I'm feeding a bit since I have nassarius snails. They have entertained us to no end with their burrowing while leaving their siphon protruding, only to rise up out of the sand bed when their food arrives. I also added four bags of amphipods and copepods to the fuge and dt, which also provided entertainment for the evening. Today I have found them in every nook and cranny of the entire system. Some seem to be perfectly happy at the bottom of my overflow. My favorite is watching one go from the fuge to the dt. Since I gravity feed from my fuge, all you see is an amphipod appearing all of sudden in the water column. At some point, I can only imagine some of my fish hanging around that area just waiting for a quick snack.
Also, I got to add a few more fish to the other QT tank. We got the quintessential yellow tang, as well as a yellow watchman goby (pistol shrimp to follow at some point) and a fairly basslet (apparently we had a "yellow" theme going this week). I keep a Koralia hooked up in the qt but only turn it on to stir up the uneaten food at the bottom. This morning, I found the basslet curled up inside. Good thing nobody turned the pump on by accident or we would have had a bad start to the weekend. I have a feeling that if it were in the dt right now we'd never see it.
But, I'm no longer ghost feeding since my main clean up crew showed up last night. The snails seem fairly happy but the blue legged crabs are tearing up the brown and green algae as well as any cyano they come across. I'm feeding a bit since I have nassarius snails. They have entertained us to no end with their burrowing while leaving their siphon protruding, only to rise up out of the sand bed when their food arrives. I also added four bags of amphipods and copepods to the fuge and dt, which also provided entertainment for the evening. Today I have found them in every nook and cranny of the entire system. Some seem to be perfectly happy at the bottom of my overflow. My favorite is watching one go from the fuge to the dt. Since I gravity feed from my fuge, all you see is an amphipod appearing all of sudden in the water column. At some point, I can only imagine some of my fish hanging around that area just waiting for a quick snack.
Also, I got to add a few more fish to the other QT tank. We got the quintessential yellow tang, as well as a yellow watchman goby (pistol shrimp to follow at some point) and a fairly basslet (apparently we had a "yellow" theme going this week). I keep a Koralia hooked up in the qt but only turn it on to stir up the uneaten food at the bottom. This morning, I found the basslet curled up inside. Good thing nobody turned the pump on by accident or we would have had a bad start to the weekend. I have a feeling that if it were in the dt right now we'd never see it.
droth335
New member
There is always hope! My wife started from ground zero with respect to reef tanks 5 years ago and now had to have "her" 210 built into the basement wall when we finished our basement this past spring....of course, that meant that I get a 280 build with a basement sump in her fish room. It has been great to share the hobby with her. Good luck with your conversion project!
Hawg Pharm
Member
Sweet! Talk about your total conversion. My wife likes the tank more and more each day. A slow process, but progress is certainly being made.
kegogut
Active member
It was a slow process for my wife as well. Once its set up,let her pick out some fish and "pretty" corals. Then once the coral starts to grow you can tell her " baby,look how YOUR pretty coral is growing!" She will have some sentimental attachement to the tank since she will have something growing in it.
Worked for me.
I guess i just got lucky and found a wife that was into to it before I was yes I said that she was the one to get me into the hobby now we have a 120 long that we both share for now until we/I get out of the military and buy our house and then she told me that we can have our big 400+ dt and fish room behind it anyways good luck with the build and you have definitly given me some good ideas for our tank when the time comes
Hawg Pharm
Member
Clean up crew mowed down the cyano. Only shadows of maroon remain. :lmao:
Hawg Pharm
Member
I love the fuge up top. Watching amphipods suddenly finding themselves in the middle of this huge, open water column is priceless. They freak smooth out.
