socalswtanker
Community Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2015
- Messages
- 27
- Reaction score
- 17
Hello all,
I've perused many forums over the years and finally decided to join R2R after seeing how great the community seems to be. Please hang in there with me since I'm still trying to get some decent pictures of my system to post (so many amazing pictures on this site leaves me feeling embarrassed of what I have to share). I'll get something up here soon, I know how much more enjoyable it is to see the photo's than to read the words.
Some background: I've been dabbling with fish tanks for over 15 years. I started with fresh water systems; a 10G, 20G, 30G, 44G, and a 150G. I've had planted tanks, predator tanks, community tanks, turtle tanks, breeder tanks... One of my favorite fresh water fish was an albino red tail black shark that lived for 10 years until a heater malfunction killed him.
10 years ago I finally decided I was ready to give salt water a try. I started with research. I'll admit to this day I still know less than I should. I think many out there would agree that this is an extremely difficult 'hobby' filled with many intricacies and nuances and I've found it extremely difficult to maintain and sustain sw systems over the years.
I began with a 10G system -- no coral, just live rock and a few damsels. I quickly murdered the poor damsels during a water change when my salinity levels weren't being properly read by the refractometer. Horrible set back, but I determined to learn from the situation and soon I was back in business -- this time with a clown fish (daughter had to have 'Nemo'). Things were quite well for a few months until one morning I woke to find 'Nemo' dead. The heater malfunctioned and the poor fish was boiled to death.
Not one to quit, I kept on trying.... upgraded from the 10G to a 30G. Started to dabble with Coral at this point, mainly softies. Things went well and eventually I upgraded to a 44G custom hex. I ran this system for a few years and eventually felt it was time to upgrade to a 150G, which I cycled and had prepared for the transfer. The morning of the planned transfer, I woke to find that I had yet ANOTHER heater malfunction and all of my livestock were dead.
Extremely discouraged but not completely broken, I slowly established the 150G system. I must state that I didn't have the funds when I purchased this tank (used) so it was lacking (amongst other things) proper filtration and flow, so from the jump I was struggling. Algae quickly became my biggest nemesis. I'd purchase coral, watch tiny frags explode with growth for months only to be overtaken by various algae and killed. I had a hammer frag start as a single head and blossom into around 40 heads (it was absolutely stunning), only to succumb to a brown jelly-type disease.... The one thing I was successful with, was keeping healthy fish. I had 3 beautiful tangs -- Yellow, Blue, and Powder Blue. Well of course I couldn't help myself and on one trip to the LFS I saw a beautiful Yellow-Eye Tang and w/out bothering to QT, I put him in the display. The fish refused to eat and quickly showed signs of Ich, resulting in a full outbreak. I lost my amazing Copperband (it would literally lay in my hand and let me feed it), and a number of others that didn't survive the treatment process.
Having rented a tank at the LFS at this point for treatment of the sick fish, I left the tank fallow. During this time I paid the owner of the LFS for an assessment of my system. He bluntly advised me that my setup wasn't sufficient for saltwater (he was also amazed I hadn't quit the hobby, given the amount of maintenance I was performing -- 2x weekly 20% water changes by hand, and daily algae cleaning). Wouldn't you know it, he had a tank he was willing to sell me that would be more proper. We worked out a payment plan and out went the old system, and in with a new all-in-one 150G.
This is where I stand today:
150G system (including fuge/sump/skimmer built into back of tank)
2x Jebao RW-15
3x single strip LEDs
1x Orbit Marine LED
Stock:
Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Naso Tang
Valentini Puffer
2x Cardinals
3x Firefish
1x Goby/Pistol bonded
1x Mandarin
1x Clown/Nem bonded
1x Brittle Star
5xTurbo Snails
20x Hermits
1xCoral Banded Shrimp
Coral (not many):
A few leathers
A few assorted mushrooms
Torch
Assorted Zoas
Assorted Palys
Sorry so lengthy of a post -- pics to come !
I've perused many forums over the years and finally decided to join R2R after seeing how great the community seems to be. Please hang in there with me since I'm still trying to get some decent pictures of my system to post (so many amazing pictures on this site leaves me feeling embarrassed of what I have to share). I'll get something up here soon, I know how much more enjoyable it is to see the photo's than to read the words.
Some background: I've been dabbling with fish tanks for over 15 years. I started with fresh water systems; a 10G, 20G, 30G, 44G, and a 150G. I've had planted tanks, predator tanks, community tanks, turtle tanks, breeder tanks... One of my favorite fresh water fish was an albino red tail black shark that lived for 10 years until a heater malfunction killed him.
10 years ago I finally decided I was ready to give salt water a try. I started with research. I'll admit to this day I still know less than I should. I think many out there would agree that this is an extremely difficult 'hobby' filled with many intricacies and nuances and I've found it extremely difficult to maintain and sustain sw systems over the years.
I began with a 10G system -- no coral, just live rock and a few damsels. I quickly murdered the poor damsels during a water change when my salinity levels weren't being properly read by the refractometer. Horrible set back, but I determined to learn from the situation and soon I was back in business -- this time with a clown fish (daughter had to have 'Nemo'). Things were quite well for a few months until one morning I woke to find 'Nemo' dead. The heater malfunctioned and the poor fish was boiled to death.
Not one to quit, I kept on trying.... upgraded from the 10G to a 30G. Started to dabble with Coral at this point, mainly softies. Things went well and eventually I upgraded to a 44G custom hex. I ran this system for a few years and eventually felt it was time to upgrade to a 150G, which I cycled and had prepared for the transfer. The morning of the planned transfer, I woke to find that I had yet ANOTHER heater malfunction and all of my livestock were dead.
Extremely discouraged but not completely broken, I slowly established the 150G system. I must state that I didn't have the funds when I purchased this tank (used) so it was lacking (amongst other things) proper filtration and flow, so from the jump I was struggling. Algae quickly became my biggest nemesis. I'd purchase coral, watch tiny frags explode with growth for months only to be overtaken by various algae and killed. I had a hammer frag start as a single head and blossom into around 40 heads (it was absolutely stunning), only to succumb to a brown jelly-type disease.... The one thing I was successful with, was keeping healthy fish. I had 3 beautiful tangs -- Yellow, Blue, and Powder Blue. Well of course I couldn't help myself and on one trip to the LFS I saw a beautiful Yellow-Eye Tang and w/out bothering to QT, I put him in the display. The fish refused to eat and quickly showed signs of Ich, resulting in a full outbreak. I lost my amazing Copperband (it would literally lay in my hand and let me feed it), and a number of others that didn't survive the treatment process.
Having rented a tank at the LFS at this point for treatment of the sick fish, I left the tank fallow. During this time I paid the owner of the LFS for an assessment of my system. He bluntly advised me that my setup wasn't sufficient for saltwater (he was also amazed I hadn't quit the hobby, given the amount of maintenance I was performing -- 2x weekly 20% water changes by hand, and daily algae cleaning). Wouldn't you know it, he had a tank he was willing to sell me that would be more proper.
We worked out a payment plan and out went the old system, and in with a new all-in-one 150G.This is where I stand today:
150G system (including fuge/sump/skimmer built into back of tank)
2x Jebao RW-15
3x single strip LEDs
1x Orbit Marine LED
Stock:
Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Naso Tang
Valentini Puffer
2x Cardinals
3x Firefish
1x Goby/Pistol bonded
1x Mandarin
1x Clown/Nem bonded
1x Brittle Star
5xTurbo Snails
20x Hermits
1xCoral Banded Shrimp
Coral (not many):
A few leathers
A few assorted mushrooms
Torch
Assorted Zoas
Assorted Palys
Sorry so lengthy of a post -- pics to come !
