Switching

[riverman444]

Well, I've decided that it's time to exchange one set of headaches for another. I love planted tanks, but have been getting the itch to set up a marine tank. I love watching the gobies in my local LFS. They just hide in holes and seem to be busy building and moving the substrate. They are like little workers, and I plan on getting a few.

I also like clowns....(not the circus type) as they seem to have very distinct personalities. Are gobies and clowns going to get along together?

I know that a marine tank is not easy and neither is a successful planted tank, but, I've always wanted to do it. I have a 30gallon US tank(long) that I intend to use. I don't want a bunch of fish, just a few gobies and a clown or two.

Well, here goes nothing. I"ll post some pics.

30 gallon now:



Goodbye plants!!!

 

[demonmagus]

I *think* that that would be described as a nano reef, not to sure though.

Good luck, oh and I think gobies and clowns get on well

 

[bunjiweb]

30Gallons is on the border-line, although it would sustain a perfectly good reef.

A pair of clowns, 2-3 different gobies and another fish or 2 would work fine (within reason).

Just bare in mind that you may have used copper based medications or plant fertilisers that are potentially lethal to inverts, so make sure that you clean the tank thoroughly and once empty leave it to stand for a week then test the water for copper.

Have you decided whether you are going for tap water or RO?

What type of filteration are you going for? Skimmer and lots of Live-Rock or something more advanced?

Have you seen any tanks you like the look of? I suggest you search for other tanks that you like and see how they have gone about achieving it.

Ben

 

[riverman444]

30Gallons is on the border-line, although it would sustain a perfectly good reef.

A pair of clowns, 2-3 different gobies and another fish or 2 would work fine (within reason).

Just bare in mind that you may have used copper based medications or plant fertilisers that are potentially lethal to inverts, so make sure that you clean the tank thoroughly and once empty leave it to stand for a week then test the water for copper.

Have you decided whether you are going for tap water or RO?

What type of filteration are you going for? Skimmer and lots of Live-Rock or something more advanced?

Have you seen any tanks you like the look of? I suggest you search for other tanks that you like and see how they have gone about achieving it.

Ben

Coming from the planted side, I REALLY like the idea of a lot of live rock and a skimmer. My tap Ph is 8.2 with a nitrate of about 10.......I'll have to research clowns and gobies before I make the choice between RO and Tap just yet.

One of my LFS has a 30 gallon with a decent-sized chunk of rock in it. The gobies burrow around it and are always making tunnels. I like that idea. I'm not going (initially) for a bunch of coral and fancy stuff, just a nice gobie "worksite". I'm going to ease myself in to marine fish-keeping as I know that it requires a bit more patience and a bit more care.

Thanks guys

 

[steelhealr]

Riverman, . You've just decided to join the coolest forum on TFF and also, IMO, the most challenging.


A 30 gallon fits into nano for our purposes, so, we'll move this thread there. I would not use tap water at all. Period. Although there are anecdotal success stories, it is only a headache waiting to happen. If you use laterite and CO2 in a planted tank, you should use RO water in marine tank. In addition, as you know, nitrate won't evaporate from a marine tank, so, adding nitrate each week from tap can slowly increase levels until you (if you) establish a planted refugium.

SH

 

[SkiFletch]

Agreed SH. I'd also like to add that tapwater commonly contains copper, silicates, iron, and many other trace elements which are detrimental to the overall health of your biomass

 

[hutsler]

I was using tap water and trust me dont go there it just makes it alot harder and you never get your nitrates down, unfortunately i lost a fish before i smartened up

 

[bunjiweb]

I use tap water, pH of 8.2, Nitrate usually about 5/6 straight out of the tap. Use this for all 3 of my nano tanks and don't have ANY problems with massive algae growth or anything. I would have thought living in the country if the water was going to be bad it would out here, with phosphate run-off from the fields and aging pipes etc.

However, I wouldnt always reccomend tap water as it can vary hugely in a relatively small area, so whilst someone at the end of your road might have good water, yours may be piped differently and be drastically different.

Ben

 

[xNOTLOCx]

hey well good luck i think its so awsome, i have my 30 gallon and im getting new filtration soon but everything is going smoothley now, i am getting ready for another water change this weekend, because im sure my nitrates will be higher than normal again, last time i tested wich was friday it was at 10 so it might b be 15 now... but im sure htye will go down after i get my skimmer in a month or two... hope u enjot it, also ide get a clean up crew they help alot, and snails and hermits are just awsome to watch, i had a shell form a cold water ocean so i boiled up liek 8of them and put em in my tank for a ntaural look, and one of my brabs decided to change her shell, im not sure how she can get aroun because she switched into a very large shell, shes very smalland her shell doesnt match her lol but shell grow into it.. one of myne might be pregnant too!

 

[littleimp]

Marines are not as hard to keep as most fishkeeper seem to believe. I think this echoes back to the days before modern marine keeping using the berlin method was introduced with peopleusing external & undergravel filters to keep them.

One thing to keep in mind though is to do it right from the beginnig!! Don't skimp on crappy equipment & read & research loads.

Start off right and you won't go far wrong.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Marines are not as hard to keep as most fishkeeper seem to believe

I agree with this statement 100%

 

[mj32]

Marines are not as hard to keep as most fishkeeper seem to believe

I agree with this statement 100%

Me too - with the wealth of knowledge and experience on this forum it's not that difficult all

 

[bunjiweb]

But don't let every joe bloggs know this, I actually like the fact that marine keeping is slightly "elitist" as it means that the hobby is not destroyed by joe bloggs who wants to keep a nemo with little care for the welfare of the fish.

I only wish every person who keeps fish was as conciencious as the majority on this forum when it comes to fish keeping.

Ben

 

[xNOTLOCx]

ya i agree i am anal about making sure my tank is doing good, because i cant live with knowing anything could be hurting in there its not place to make them suffer, so therfor i make it as good as i can get it... and i think that it is betetr to have an image that its extremely hard and expensive so not so many no brainers get into it and decide they dont like it and let it go to waste or kill things because they didnt expect the work or challenges, so its better to know it will be hard and fins out its much mroe easy and rewarding than to think its easy and find out later its much mroe difficult....