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My New Tank Adventure


Fin2you
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so I too am finally taking my own plunge into SW side of things. I've had FW for so long & always wanted to put together a SW. Well this Christmas my husband told me to go for it. He said I've researched off & on for so many years & always said "no it's not the right time".

it is a 38 or a 40 gal I'm not sure. it's inbetween the measurements for both "standard" sizes.

Running with Aqueon Modular LED lighting, Marineland Maxi-Jet 400 circulation pump, RedSea Prizm Deluxe Protein Skimmer, Eheim Jaeger TruTemp 100W heater, 15lbs Caribbean Aragonite & 20lbs Caribbean sand, & approx 25lbs of live rock.

Thanx to Big Al's Boxing Day Sale; I have jumped a bit ahead of myself in stocking but I am watching my water parameters very closely & am doing water changes as needed to keep parameters ok. 1 Margarita Snail, 2 BumbleBee snails, 1 Yellow Watchman Goby, 1 red feather Duster & then a black & a common Ocellaris Clownfish pair.

I have bought some coral frags privately off kijiji; Green Star Paly, Rainbow Montipora, Red Sea Fan, Orange Crush Mushroom, Captain America Paly & then I also got a Rose Bubble Tip Anemone

I am hoping to cover my live rock with coral's of all sorts, so if there's anyone in the Airdrie/Calgary area who want to help me out LOL as you can see by the photo I attached I have a pretty bare tank!

My fish stocking wish list includes: Asterina starfish, Lawnmower Blenny, Pistol shrimp (I know they usually buddy up with watchman goby's), Candy Striped hermit crab, blue sapphire damsel, 6line wrasse, Royal Gamma Basslet & maybe a Mandarin Dragonet (but I know they are very hard to feed so I'm not sure. So ya those guys along with the snails, Watchman goby & 2 clownfish I already have I think my tank would be just perfect once my reef is mature

post-5692-0-71757000-1451606836_thumb.jpg

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Thanx jvision! my goal is a solid wall in the back but can only afford to build slow. When I can get more I will move the center cave forward & hopefully not P.o. the Feather duster (will move him too as he really seems to like right infront of this cave).

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I don't know if they're still around, but there was a company called Eco Live Rock or something like that. they sell manufactured LR at a very decent price . see if they're still around.

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I strongly suggest to do this.

Grab dead and dry coral pieces from wherever, much cheaper than live. A couple cups of the coral sand which is also dry. Go to the $1 and grab the 2-part epoxy. Arrange the pieces on how you want it to look and start to build the wall with the epoxy. When you glue down a piece, you must still hold it for a minute or so while it cures but before it's dry and flashed over sprinkle some of the coral sand on the epoxy. Make half a dozen large sections and then it's just like lego when you need to install into the tank...or remove. Works like a charm.

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That's a great idea, ckmullin. I've also seen people build a skeleton out of PVC and use white zip-ties to hold the LR on.

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Forget the Mandarin. You don't have nearly the rock to support one. Unless you can find an ORA captive bred one feeding on pellets I wouldn't even try. The starfish probably isn't a good idea either Asterina are a coral eater, especially zoas.

For more rock you can contact Eli at Fiji rock in Calgary. Check out canreef for his contact info he sells dry rock, not this DIY fake skeleton stuff. You need to look for rock with lots of holes and very porus rock. When you pick it up it should be considerably lighter than what you think it should be.

The secret to a successful long term reef aquarium is the live rock and skimmers those are 2 areas you do not want to cheap out on. Saltwater and fresh water are 2 totally different types of aquariums and need to be cared for completely different.

Also the pistol shrimp your wanting will kill and eat your snails and hermits.

Edited by RyanDoolittle
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That's a great idea, ckmullin. I've also seen people build a skeleton out of PVC and use white zip-ties to hold the LR on.

Yes, there are many good ways to build a reef wall. Too many people think that it must be solid rock, the fish don't care and live rock is live rock.

Saltwater and fresh water are 2 totally different types of aquariums and need to be cared for completely different.

The two system while have glaring differences are actually very similar, more so than people think.

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Ryan, yes the Mandarin is only on my list if I can find a 'homebred-raised on frozen cubes/pellets' & it's well down on my list as well b/c I don't have enough rock yet!

Thanx for the tip about the starfish & the shrimp they are off the list then!!!! I want my Corals & would rather have the crab than shrimp!

I will check out the rock person suggested I have a very specific look in mind with my coral 'design'. What Can I say it's the woman in me LOL

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Even hermit crabs you will come to hate as they kill your snails for their shells. I had good luck with the scarlet hermits and is what I will stick with in my new tank. To be honest I don't think you need hermits at all inight a mature system.

The cope pods, Bristol worms, stomatella snails and small brittle stars will do the same job.

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Got some new live rock & sand from a member looking to do something different for a bit. So as soon as the dust settles I have I would say a full tank of LR now along with a nice deep bed of sand full of multi year yummy build up! So excited in how fast my build slow on a budget is coming together b/c of awesome help from fellow reefers! Thanx everyone for helping make my dream come true. I assure you the time you put in to giving me your time & sharing your experiences is very much appreciated! There is a huge file of notes on my laptop & of course some info conflicts but that's OK I love reading & I was ready for a new challenge!

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