Look what I got this weekend!

[seasquirt]

I met up with another saltwater hobbyist and he gave me a coral that outgrew his tank. This is called a Sarcophyton, but its common trade name is "toadstool leather". This pic is from when it was still in his tank, about 6 months ago. It is now the size of a kid's baseball mitt, and looks really good in my tank!

 

[SxyPrincess]

Sea,

Very neat! I'd love to see a pic of your tank, also.

 

[seasquirt]

I took a few full-tank shots the other day, but I have to get the film developed - the roll's not finished yet. I'm not sure how well they'll come out since my camera's a little auto-focus job. But I will definitely share them when I get them!!!

 

[missi1013]

How big is your tank? My husbend is thinking about starting a salt water tank. We aready have 4 freash water tanks. Our biggest is 45 gallons and smallest is 20 gallons. Any sugg.'s?

 

[seasquirt]

Missi, my biggest tank (the reef tank) is 135 gallons. My other saltwater tank is 20 gallons (only has 1 clownfish and some live rock, that's it). My freshwater tanks are: a 60 gal hexagon (all goldfish), a 55 gal (freshwater community), a 37 gal (mollies), and a 10 (has a small puffer, currently increasing the salinity to brackish). I am also setting up another 55 gal, as a saltwater tank. I can't decide if I should move all my corals to the 55 and use the 135 as a fish-only tank, or just have the 55 as fish-only. Ack!

Suggestions? Get the biggest tank you can afford, because water chemistry is easier to handle in a bigger tank. Get some really good books (my fave is "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner). Do NOT rely on pet shop employees for advice. Do some research to figure out exactly what kind of system you want (fish-only, fish and some invertebrates, or full-blown reef). I can help you out when you want to get started! A good online source of info is the message board at www.reefcentral.com - tons of people to help you out.

 

[seasquirt]

The former owner lent me a HUGE tupperware (the kind you can use to cover a really big cake), so I moved it in that. I was able to keep it all underwater. It closed up as soon as it was moved, and it didn't open back up completely until the next day. It was kind of cool - the flesh of the "crown" (the part where the tentacles are rooted) feels like raw turkey skin when all the tentacles are withdrawn! These types of corals are pretty tough.

Thanks for all the compliments, all!

 

[Sierra39]

That is really neat, Squirt! I've always wanted to set up saltwater tank, but thought it would be too tough to maintain! Will check out the resources you listed to see.

I helped an ex-boyfriend with his discus tank – talk about tempermental fish! If the ph is screwed up they go into "ph shock!" They were his "babies"...

I wouldn't mind setting up a "natural habitat" cichlid tank – which do you think would be more difficult to maintain between that and the salt water??

 

[seasquirt]

From what I've heard, maintaining a planted tank is about as involved as a saltwater. Your best bet, in my opinion, is to consider some African cichlids. They tend to prefer harder water, and it seems that the water supply down here fits the bill! I haven't had much success with planted tanks or cichlids, but I can help you out with basic set-up, hardware, and cycling.

 

[missi1013]

Thanks seasquirt! Our big tank has clown loaches, tiger barbs, zebra danio's, cat fish, and a fire mouth(well for now, he's about 3 inches long). The 20 gallon has 2 jack dempsey's, they are about 5 inches now. We are getting a bigger tank for that one. Any sugg. on where to find the cheapest tank? Were looking for a 75 gallon. The other tank has mollies and babies All colors, it's kind of cool. We had to get rid of our gold fish. They were getting to big. They were almost 8 inches!

My husbend wants to take the 20 gallon and turn it into a salt water tank. Thanks for the info!!

 

[seasquirt]

jetmonkey - I love the bottomfeeders, too! I have 9 Corydoras in my 55 gallon: 2 Panda, 2 Shultz, 2 Albino, 2 Bronze, and one Peppered. I've been thinking about getting a zebra pleco, but they're so expensive! Oh, I cover my tanks with a simple pane of glass. I measure around the rim inside the top frame of the tank and order a piece of single-strength glass from A&M Glass. My 135-gallon doesn't have a full top, but the only jumper I've had was a shrimp! (My dog ran and woke me up until I got out of bed and rescued it!)

missi - I would suggest nosing around the classifieds for a bigger tank. Tanks will pop up down here once in awhile, but you'll usually find something in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post. Also check the Pennysaver. If you buy one, fill it with plain tap water and let it sit overnight on some newspaper so you can check for leaks! I would advise against using a 20-gallon for your first saltwater tank; I have to do a water change on mine every other day! Shoot for something the size of a 40-gallon breeder or a 55.

 

[spinner]

This morning's Washington Post had a good article about overfishing for the hobby industry. If you have a tank you should check it out.

 

[seasquirt]

I actually did read it - it's the article concerning Hawaii, right? I think the article made a lot of good points, and there are tons of ways that hobbyists can encourage the marine ornamentals industry to be more responsible and ethical.

 

[giggles04]

That looks really cool. I bet that it looks neat in your tank!