maintenance isn't too bad. Maye 5 bucks in food and 5 bucks in salt at the most and a few bucks for calcium/alkalinity suppliments. Throw in a couple bucks for when I'm running carbon.
I only feed the corals twice per week - they eat shrimp. fish get fed everyday.
What makes reef so expensive is the lighting, rock and corals. Plus you pretty much have to buy a RO/DI unit to make your water.
then there's the test kits, pH probe, refractometer.
Corals are anywhere from 25-100 bucks with the nicer ones running over 150.
But I've really enjoyed it. There is truly a self contained reef in my house now and you always find something new living in there.
I only feed the corals twice per week - they eat shrimp. fish get fed everyday.
What makes reef so expensive is the lighting, rock and corals. Plus you pretty much have to buy a RO/DI unit to make your water.
then there's the test kits, pH probe, refractometer.
Corals are anywhere from 25-100 bucks with the nicer ones running over 150.
But I've really enjoyed it. There is truly a self contained reef in my house now and you always find something new living in there.
- Feb 14, 2004
- 51,515
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Wow, sweet. The expense is like anything else, if you really want it then save up for it. What's a refractometer and RO/DI unit?
I walked through installation and cleaning procedures with the guy at the pet store, who is really cool. He said that every month I should (1) replace the filter, (2) replace 25% of the water and clean the gravel, (3) add the dechlorinator after changing the water, and (4) clean the algea on the sides of the tank. Is there anything else I need to do or is it really that easy? I got the hose/vacuum tube thing today and I'll get the scrubbie on a stick when I get the fish next week.
funboy6942
Lifer
- Nov 13, 2001
- 15,368
- 418
- 126
Exactly. Plus when they get bigger, and they will, the other fish in your tank become food for it.
How do you think my nick was established?
It's out of date though and should probably be changed. Any ideas?
Back home there are a pair of ~1500 gal custom acrylic room dividers in my sportsbar entertainment area. They are MT and have not been started since construction and installation in 1999. Kind of sad but that's the way it is.
My brother in law who is looking over things there would love to have them set up but the set up is too small for what I would really want to put in there AND he likes to tamper with things he should not. On an unrelated note I suspect he is banging the maid so the tank is the least of worries there.
I've dumped over $650k in the "hobby" if you call it that from 1993 through 1997. The peak was 1996 when over 3400 sq feet was dedicated to port holes, plumbing, pumps, controls, and computers. It was literally like living on an offshore oil rig. My wife and I had enough in 1997 and I really cut back. When the new place was built we planned on having a few systems but never filled them and most likely never will.
Now...haha well what can I say? When you see water every day you just kind of lose interest in having it in your house.
It's out of date though and should probably be changed. Any ideas?
Back home there are a pair of ~1500 gal custom acrylic room dividers in my sportsbar entertainment area. They are MT and have not been started since construction and installation in 1999. Kind of sad but that's the way it is.
My brother in law who is looking over things there would love to have them set up but the set up is too small for what I would really want to put in there AND he likes to tamper with things he should not. On an unrelated note I suspect he is banging the maid so the tank is the least of worries there.
I've dumped over $650k in the "hobby" if you call it that from 1993 through 1997. The peak was 1996 when over 3400 sq feet was dedicated to port holes, plumbing, pumps, controls, and computers. It was literally like living on an offshore oil rig. My wife and I had enough in 1997 and I really cut back. When the new place was built we planned on having a few systems but never filled them and most likely never will.
Now...haha well what can I say? When you see water every day you just kind of lose interest in having it in your house.
jspeicher
Golden Member
- Apr 9, 2003
- 1,904
- 0
- 71
IHateMyJob2004
Lifer
- Sep 29, 2004
- 18,656
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- 91
- Feb 14, 2004
- 51,515
- 7,225
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hey, we just got those same black stones! my tank didn't come with a usb cable tho
we also just upgraded our beta to a mansion about the size and shape of your monster tank, except it's curved in the front and aqua colored. he loves it, been swimming around all day. had him in one of those elongated hexagon tanks before.
Just a thought about your fish list...you shouldn't mix coldwater (IE goldfish) and tropical (the rest of your list)...neither will thrive and they do better with different food/temp/pH requirements.
A note about Saltwater...
I've got 2 saltwater tanks going right now and they don't require a whole lot of maintenance for the quality of tank...I prefer looking at my two saltwater tanks over my 55 gallon freshwater tank any day.
A note about Saltwater...
I've got 2 saltwater tanks going right now and they don't require a whole lot of maintenance for the quality of tank...I prefer looking at my two saltwater tanks over my 55 gallon freshwater tank any day.
20 gallon freshwater here - mixture of zebra danios, albino tiger barbs, and a chinese algae eater
Marineland Eclipse System 12.
Yea, I'd stay away from saltwater, altough saltwater does have some nice fish... Regal Tang.
Yea, I'd stay away from saltwater, altough saltwater does have some nice fish... Regal Tang.
- Feb 14, 2004
- 51,515
- 7,225
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Two questions:
1. Sometimes the air tube for the bubble bar gets lots of water in it, especially when I turn it off. The water seems to go all the way back to the air pump. Is this normal? Will it fry anything?
2. I was working on setting up the tank and dropped half of the lid into the water (twice). The water has been cloudy ever since. I let it sit for a day and it's getting better, but it's still mildly cloudy. Any ideas on why the lid would make the water cloudy and why the cloudiness wouldn't go away through filtration?
1. Sometimes the air tube for the bubble bar gets lots of water in it, especially when I turn it off. The water seems to go all the way back to the air pump. Is this normal? Will it fry anything?
2. I was working on setting up the tank and dropped half of the lid into the water (twice). The water has been cloudy ever since. I let it sit for a day and it's getting better, but it's still mildly cloudy. Any ideas on why the lid would make the water cloudy and why the cloudiness wouldn't go away through filtration?
Powermoloch
Lifer
- Jul 5, 2005
- 10,084
- 4
- 76
I love my goldfish, I got 2 of them in a 10 gallon tank. I named them Bob and Durk.
The other fishes before them usually died from an unknown disease
The other fishes before them usually died from an unknown disease
A1: You should setup so that the tube has a "curve" so that water doesn't go back into the air pump because that would be bad, unless the air pump is waterproof -- which has to be in-tank anyway...
A2: Did you rinse the lid or wash it with any cleansers? Your water might just be dirty and do a partial water change. Or use one of those drops to clear it up.
I have a small fish tank (about 6 gal.) with three comet goldfish -- Hannibal, Mary-Kate and Ashley.
Kaido,
If you get bubble eyed goldfish, make sure you do not put anything with sharp edges in the tank (shells, decorations, whatever)... the "bubbles" are very delicate.
Also, weekly 10% waterchanges are better than monthly 25%. And you do not have to replace the filter every month. If you have activated carbon in the filter, then replace the carbon. DO NOT replace the sponge or filter floss every month, just rinse it thoroughly in a bucket of water from the tank.
Is the airpump placed above the level of the tank??? Water in the airpump will fry it. You might want to put a check-valve in the airline.
Cloudy water could be due to a number of factors. Do a 50% water change and see if it clears up in a day or so.
If you get bubble eyed goldfish, make sure you do not put anything with sharp edges in the tank (shells, decorations, whatever)... the "bubbles" are very delicate.
Also, weekly 10% waterchanges are better than monthly 25%. And you do not have to replace the filter every month. If you have activated carbon in the filter, then replace the carbon. DO NOT replace the sponge or filter floss every month, just rinse it thoroughly in a bucket of water from the tank.
Is the airpump placed above the level of the tank??? Water in the airpump will fry it. You might want to put a check-valve in the airline.
Cloudy water could be due to a number of factors. Do a 50% water change and see if it clears up in a day or so.
Yeah, you can get a check valve for like $1. They also usually have an air filter built into them as an added bonus.
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