Official Fish Tank thread

[N2MYE30]

I started with a 5 gallon then up to 10 as what you see above. Good lighting is key! I have yet to upgrade to LEDs as it is still expensive. I thought it was going to be a pita to setup and keep, but I was wrong. I believe that once you start getting into larger tanks, a bit of knowledge is key. I really dont take care of my take as I should and it is doing excellent. Topping off water, feeding the clownfish, and feeding some coral with shrimp is all I do...although a water change should be scheduled in.

We have a great fish store by me that has been very helpful had even does house calls. Im no expert by any means, I just have some experience. Start small and give it a try. I hear that ordering coral on ebay works pretty good too...if you order in bulk.

[nickflic3]

My brother just started up our fresh water tank again. Nothing special really, just some Chichlids that hate each other

[Cong405]

Toughest part is getting everything started and cycled well. Once the tank is properly cycles (read: nitrogen cycle) and assuming you have no inherent problems with your stocking and setup then there shouldn't be a problem. Do your research, there is so much to cover, and you will never stop learning.

Keeping a reef tank with corals requires much more stringent water parameters than a fish-only tank. But to me that's where the hobby really gets good. There's so much to it that it would be pointless to even try to explain it in a few sentences.

Avoid canister filters or any sort of mechanical filtration, they will simply accumulate waste and will make your tank worse off if not taken apart and cleaned very often.
Use a protein skimmer; they actually remove waste from the water.

Regular maintenance isn't much. Feed everything one or twice a day. Periodically clean the glass and do water changes. Break out your test kits if something looks like it's not doing well. None of these things are work to me, I enjoy it just like people enjoy working on their cars.

It's like your own little part of the ocean that you're the "god" of. It's so addicting.


Thanks. 65 gallons.

Yeah I know there are so much stuff I need to learn on how to build and sustain a reef. Good thing my professor been doing it for years and is really into the hobby too. Hopefully I'll be able to documenting the step by step process of building this reef to share with those who are interested.

[CW325]

Hopefully I'll be able to documenting the step by step process of building this reef to share with those who are interested.

that would be awesome :D

[AbeSonic]

Fuckin chichlids, they play all nice when they're at the petstore and the minute you get them home they go all homicidal lol

[AndrewBird]

My girlfriend is big into aquariums (she has 3). Just made her this lighted LED hood:



It's made from a piece of 3/8" thick polycarb, then painted black, leaving the fish and plants on the top unpainted to allow light through.

We also just went rock hunting and picked up all the rocks you see in the tank.

[blackhawkimpact]

Got a 20g tank with some puffer fish, sucker fish, frogs and some Colombian sharks. Just bought a 60g tank for $5. Just have to buy some good filtration for that big ass tank.

[smooth]

I have a nice eheim canister filter that would suit your 60g. I have some nice lighting, too.

I broke down my 90 when I moved but I still maintain the 30g that used to be the fuge.
I'll see if I have any shots of my old tank. I had some of the rarest livestock, including a pair of these (japanese dragon moray eels)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/vJlfM8PzC0E

(how to embed a vid?)

[AbeSonic]

Nice! I used to work at a fish shop and one of my favorites was a Hawaiian dragon eel. Its was beautiful. That, and a red leaf scorpion fish.

[Jim Lepage]

I have a 36x36x24 135 gal mixed reef cube with a sump (30 gal) and refugium (25 gal) in the basement.

[VinniE30]

^ Nice fish and the photo work is very good. Fish are very hard to photograph well.

[Acehye559]

Nice photo skills Jim, do you have better pics of the whole reef and setup?

[VANOS714]

[E30m42cab]

Still waiting for the pic of the e30 tail light full of water.

[Miasma]

I have a 40 gallon breeder mixed reef with a 20 gallon sump. Bout 1 1/2 years old. These pics are from 4 months in... Everything is grown in and has been trimmed a few times. Also added a Sixline Wrasse.