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Any aquarium hobbyists on ATOT?

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A few years ago, $10/gallon was considered "cheap" for a complete tank set up. I know I had well over $2500 in the 180 I was putting together...and that's without putting a drop of water in it.

I don't like 55 gallon tanks. They're too "skinny" (front to back) for good aquascaping. A 65 or 70 is better. (IMO, nothing less than 18 inches F/B) The added bit of depth really makes a huge difference in how the tank looks. (24 inches is great, but not everyone can accommodate the extra)

At a bare minimum, you need a tank and stand, ($200 or so new) some sand for the bottom, some live rock, (1/2 to 1 lb/gallon) basic lighting, (about $100 for low level lighting) and a good filter. For something this low-budget, I'd recommend a hang-on-back filter like an Aqua-Clear rather than a canister.
 
Gotcha. Like I said, I'm not at a place in my life where I can setup a freshwater tank let alone a saltwater one, but I've always been interested in them and when I eventually stop moving around I'd love to set one up. Right now the only pet I can keep is a snake and even she is staying with friends in Texas until I finally move to my next apt.
 
Wyndru said:
Apple Snails? I've always had better luck with a plecostomus as far as cleaning. The snails always reproduced on me to the point that I had hundreds of them on the glass.
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Pond snails or ramshorns are a pest. I got them from buying live plants once, and the population spiraled out of control. I'd have to bait them with my fish net and a piece of cucumber. a few hours later, the cucumber would be surrounded by a bunch of snails, and i'd throw the min the trash. they still reproduced quickly as hell, so i got two assassin snails, and they are doing a great job of keeping the population in check. there are only a few ramshorns left in my tank, and i don't mind them at all. they help keep the tank clean along with my plecos.
 
shortylickens said:
Whats the name of those snails that clean your glass?
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Freshwater of saltwater?

I never liked any of the freshwater snails. More of a pest than a help IMO.

Saltwater snails on the other hand are great cleaners.

I always had at least 4 or 5 different varieties because they work on different algaes and different parts of the tank.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=497+526

Ceriths, astreas, nassarius sp., nerites, and trochus were (IMO) the best for a reef tank.
(not suitable for many fish-only tanks though...they're just expensive snacks for fish like trigger fish.
 
evident said:
Pond snails or ramshorns are a pest. I got them from buying live plants once, and the population spiraled out of control. I'd have to bait them with my fish net and a piece of cucumber. a few hours later, the cucumber would be surrounded by a bunch of snails, and i'd throw the min the trash. they still reproduced quickly as hell, so i got two assassin snails, and they are doing a great job of keeping the population in check. there are only a few ramshorns left in my tank, and i don't mind them at all. they help keep the tank clean along with my plecos.
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pics of assassins doing their job? haha
 
I was going to put a pic up last night but forgot the thread and my camera was stolen last weekend -_-.

I'll get some with my phone see how those look tonight.
 
Ns1 said:
pics of assassins doing their job? haha
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If you have brackish water you can get one of those puffer fish. I got one and he ate about 300 snails the first night he was in my tank. I could hear him crunching on them all night long and when I woke up the bottom of the tank was just littered with empty snail shells. D:
 
Maintenance on saltwater tanks can be a nightmare or a breeze depending on planning and level of automation you want to initially set up (e.g. RO/DI unit vs buying saltwater). The most daunting task in the hobby is probably water maintenance, mostly water change and top off.

Like others have mentioned, the biggest initial cost in a saltwater tank is the RO/DI unit (reverse osmosis deonionizer). You can buy saltwater from your LFS, but that becomes cost prohibitive in the long run. While fishes don't require as much water quality as a corals, you need to start with a good water supply. Equipment can be bought dirt cheap from people exiting the hobby, and while I would always recommend bigger tanks, nano tanks are okay if you need mobility and are on top of your maintenance schedule (looking at nano 8G, 12G and 28G).

Start with a low bio-load, aragonite sand and some live rocks. Damsels are dirt cheap and really hardy fishes. Get a pair for the initial cycle of your water. Cheap HOB filters are okay if you cannot initially invest in a protein skimmers. And unless you want to grow coral, premium lighting is optional.

You gonna have to be on top of your water top off if you don't have an auto top off system, because salinity swings is the number one killer of fishes and corals.

Next will be controlling your pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and KH (alkalinity) levels (and cal/mag if you are growing corals). Fishes aren't as nearly demanding as corals, so you have some leeway with rookie mistakes. Most of the time, people neglect KH, but if you got it right, then pH will fall in place. The other parameters will swing around depending of your bio-load and how much you feed your fishes vs your filtering system, but controlling them is as easy as a water change, reducing your feeding, or adding some form of chemical filters or dosing vodka in your tank.

The task seems daunting for anyone new to the hobby, but once you do it with adequate planning, it becomes a breeze.



roguerower said:
Gotcha. Like I said, I'm not at a place in my life where I can setup a freshwater tank let alone a saltwater one, but I've always been interested in them and when I eventually stop moving around I'd love to set one up. Right now the only pet I can keep is a snake and even she is staying with friends in Texas until I finally move to my next apt.
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I don't mind the researching, if anything I find the researching of a new hobby to be almost as rewarding/interesting as the task itself. I researched skydiving like crazy before I did my first jump, same with my motorcycles, rifle, etc. For me it helps to build up the anticipation.

Like I said earlier though, I'm not in a position now due to work. I live in an apartment and move every year/year and a half. Reading some of the guides for SW tanks, it could take almost 9mo to properly set up a tank.
 
roguerower said:
I don't mind the researching, if anything I find the researching of a new hobby to be almost as rewarding/interesting as the task itself. I researched skydiving like crazy before I did my first jump, same with my motorcycles, rifle, etc. For me it helps to build up the anticipation.

Like I said earlier though, I'm not in a position now due to work. I live in an apartment and move every year/year and a half. Reading some of the guides for SW tanks, it could take almost 9mo to properly set up a tank.
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It really only takes a couple months for it to really start thriving. go to reefcentral.com.
 
Ok here are some pictures of my fish tank and my pond 😀
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IMG_1094.JPG

IMG_1011.JPG

IMG_0960.JPG
 
Ns1 said:
pics of assassins doing their job? haha
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I've never caught them in the act... It looks like they prey on them when all the lights are out overnight, because over time i just see empty snail shells pile up in the corner of the tank.

bignateyk said:
If you have brackish water you can get one of those puffer fish. I got one and he ate about 300 snails the first night he was in my tank. I could hear him crunching on them all night long and when I woke up the bottom of the tank was just littered with empty snail shells. D:
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they also have freshwater mini puffers as well. I heard they are pretty aggressive fish though.
 
If I wanted to convert my fw tank into a sw fish only tank what all do I need? Am I correct in assuming its new sand and protein skimmer, and possibly a different filter media?
 
Soccerman06 said:
If I wanted to convert my fw tank into a sw fish only tank what all do I need? Am I correct in assuming its new sand and protein skimmer, and possibly a different filter media?
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Protein skimmer. No sand and absolutely no filters. Protein skimmer and water changes are all you need. Some live rock would be nice. Then a calc/alk potion. Oh. And salt mix.
 
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