So you got a new fish tank Newbie

[Mike4284m]

Of course

I wanted to hear what you had to say about mangroves. I have a brackish tank setup with red mangroves and I love em. It is true that if you start with a pod they take awile to start growing, but once they start they really take off. Oddly enough my best ones were bought from Target, I thought those odd potted plants looked familar. I also got a bunch from ebay very cheap and they already had leaves and roots started. Now I'm waiting for the prop roots to develop, but I think that takes awile.

Now I can sleep tonight, thanks WaterKeeper

[jeffbrig]

Originally posted by WaterKeeper
"It only eats fresh caught Coelacanth."

I've enjoyed reading this as well as some of your other threads, but this is the funniest thing I've read yet. Keep up the great work WaterKeeper, very entertaining as well as informative!!!

[WaterKeeper]

Originally posted by jeffbrig
I've enjoyed reading this as well as some of your other threads, but this is the funniest thing I've read yet. Keep up the great work WaterKeeper, very entertaining as well as informative!!!

To Reef Central

FUNNY!!! You think I've got the time to Joke with you Newbies??


Thanks Jeff-glad you like it.

Hey Mike,

This thread could use a little input from a MangroveKeeper. How about giving us the lowdown on pruning those suckers or do you just have a 60 foot cathedral ceiling in your house?

[Radicaljbr]

Will you be putting this thread out on audio tape? You see, I travel for a living and would love nothing more than to listen to your wisdom rather than getting a stiff neck from reading it.

Also, when you come out with your book (You are going to treat us with a book...RIGHT!!) I would like to come to your book signing.

Or what about doing a lecture tour? Now your talking.

Seriously, I have a question for you. A little more advanced, but do you have any comments on auto water top offs? Good ones, bad ones or easy to DIY ones. I have been doing a lot of research and before I start contstructing one from my RO I thought I would get your input.

[WaterKeeper]

Originally posted by Radicaljbr
Will you be putting this thread out on audio tape?

No, but I've had a Braille edition tattooed on my behind. It is a limited edition, only available to the ladies.

All auto top-offs are good as long as they have safety features which keep them from going loco and overfilling your tank. I'll add more to this next time as I need to get to the tattoo parlor for an update today.

[thewuf]

Originally posted by WaterKeeper
No, but I've had a Braille edition tattooed on my behind. It is a limited edition, only available to the ladies.

All auto top-offs are good as long as they have safety features which keep them from going loco and overfilling your tank. I'll add more to this next time as I need to get to the tattoo parlor for an update today.

My Gosh at the visual

[Mike4284m]

I haven't actually pruned mine . . . yet. They don't grow like weeds so I'm not at that point, though I'd rather grow them out.
Right now the stems have reached the top screen of the tank and are growing horizontally.

Some of the ones I had gotten sent from Hawaii (to Buffalo in winter) from ebay were missing their terminal bud. They have since started growing branches, so I think these guys can be hacked pretty good and still come back. Like with most plants, just make sure there is still a set of leaves and an axillary bud left for future growth.

I have a thirty gallon aquarium that is set-up sort of like a mangrove swamp. The water is filled 1/2 way to 3/4 (I switch it up sometimes). The 24" bulb is just a zoo-med flora-sun. The plants are constantly growing, though like I said not at warp speed or anything.

MangroveKeeper . . . hmmm . . .

[Radicaljbr]

Originally posted by WaterKeeper
No, but I've had a Braille edition tattooed on my behind. It is a limited edition, only available to the ladies.

That must be one LARGE behind to display every page of this thread. LOL

Sorry, you left me with no choice. That one was just asking for it.

[Rob A]

Hi WaterKeeper,
Like many others that are keeping up w/ this thread, I'm also trying to learn what to do. Thanks again for all the time that you have put into this thread, as well as the others. Theyre great.

I have a question about the fuge and it's occupants. Are all of these critters microscopic? Or are some of the starfish, worms and shrimp (pods, right?) and things larger? How much larger is larger--1/8"-1/4" or so? When the pods reproduce, is this the stuff that makes up the microscopic plankton that tank inhabitants eat?

Somewhere I read that some of the pods in the LS will eat the fish feces, some type of star, (bristle maybe?) Is this true?

If you don't have enough ideas for this thread, how about cleanning the tank. For example, is the LS vaccumed like it would be in FW?

Thanks for your time

[WaterKeeper]

Hi Rob,

I guess I have been ignoring this thread as of late. Since I have more than one going at a time, one thread tends to suffer while I add to another. Sorry!

To answer your question, the organisms in the fuge vary from microscopic, like rotifers, to fairly large, such as bristle worms which can grow to a foot or more (although I'm not to sure if I'd want one that big in my sump. )

"Pods" vary in size but most can be seen with the naked eye, mainly after the lights go out. Besides the info here on RC there is a great site World of Copepods hosted by the Smithsonian.

Many of the critters in the fuge eat waste material, which is why they get the general name of Detrivores, that is "One who eats debris". That is one of the reasons I suggest low flows in a Fuge. It allows debris to accumulate and provide food for the fuge critters.

I never clean my substrate. I let nature take its course and clean it for me.

I will try to add more to this thread this week. I think the topic will be "Easter Eggs Hunts in the New Aquarium"

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

very informative thread !!

[Drizzy]

Awesome thread! I just spent over an hour reading through this whole thing. Hopefully my Organic Chemistry teacher will understand when I fail my test tomorrow.

Hope you dont mind a noob question or two - How much can one expect to pay per month in maintenance of a 50-60 gallon tank with corals and fish? (I know this is general but perhaps an average..?) My FW tank costs next to nothing to maintain. I've never had a marine tank but I would like to get into it - however, as a poor college student I dont know if I can afford another monthly payment. Could you please make a general list of all the little things required to maintain the water, food, etc. costs AFTER setting up and getting everything running. THANKS!!

[loyalty]

Originally posted by Drizzy
Hopefully my Organic Chemistry teacher will understand when I fail my test tomorrow.

man i heard that..my organic chem prof is a twit

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

i would rather be the pigeon cept statues live longer !

[WaterKeeper]

Wow Dizz--giving a monthly upkeep cost is really hard to do.

I can break it down into areas but you'll need to do the math as costs vary by region and tank husbandry methods.

Electric costs are the biggest difference between a FW and SW tank for most people. Brighter lighting and greater circulation demands account for this. It just so happens that good old RC has a cost calculator to compute electrical costs for your tank. Electric Cost Calc

Following, electric is water. A good RO/DI will cost around a dime to a quarter a gallon for expendables over the long run. You also need to figure in the water costs and sewer charges. These vary so widely from place to place that it is impossible to estimate them. The frequency of water changes also matters. I buy salt in bulk so I can usually figure about 0.30 cents per gallon, maybe a little lower if I catch a good sale. If you do 10% water changes like I do, then salt alone runs about $7.20/month for a 60.

The next biggest cost is probably food. Again this is hard to calculate, and probably why there is no RC calculator for it , as it depends on what you have in your tank. If you pretty much make your own food I would estimate that a 60 gallon would run about $5-10 per month.

You need to figure in how much testing you do. I test a lot so I figure testing runs me about $10 per month. Tank size doesn't have much bearing on this factor.

For my 130 I figure it runs about $120-$150 per month. Electric isn't too bad around here at 8-10 cents a KW.

I guess you could say that using a figure of a dollar/gallon per month is not too bad a number to use. You'd need to increase that if your power costs are much higher.

Well I need to get to work. With all the request for writing a book or making an audio/video tape I've decided to do it up right. I'm turning this whole thread into a major musical.

[thewuf]

Can't wait to see the serpent star dance number!

[WaterKeeper]

or the Atlantic Croakers, Micropogonias undulatus, singing Bali-Hai

By the way Newbies, I notice a full 96% of you are youngsters according to the poll on the home page. I'm sorry if I offended any of you with the tattoo comments. I didn't realize how many of you didn't even know there was a difference between boys and girls; that is, until half time at this year's Super Bowl.

[qwuintus]

bump for knowledge and for waterkeeper's avatar's haircut!

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

good one water keeper !!

[sunamoon]

<> Too funny

<>
hurry up!!! I want to go to the premier!

Well I am tired now after reading this whole thread! But what a great read. Truly this newbie is humbled by the knowledge and humor of our dear Waterkeeper!! I have not laughed this much in quite a few days, it was enjoyable!

I have only one question that this thread has left me with. Due to two months of reading before i got started i was under the impression That you were not supposed to change the water out during cycling. So now I am confused, should I or shouldn't I? I'm only in my second week of cycle, have lots of diatom algae, a a few sprigs of green hair algae, test's are running in so called normal ranges for a 2nd week cycle. 48lbs LR and 50 base rock, 90 lbs base sand. The Tank hasn't reached it's worse look yet...
just a wee bit confused....
Thanks,
Suna

[bheron]

good question. i've heard both sides. also heard people say run the skimmer and dont run the skimmer. i guess both work - its your choice.

FYI - i cycled with un-cured LR and did not do any WCs nor run skimmer. my cycle took exactly 4 weeks to the day.

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

well i have been doing this for 40 years and i am a lot more confused than that !!

[WaterKeeper]

My own feeling is to do water changes, and big water changes at that, during the cycle. The dieoff from the LR is usually massive during the early stages of the cycle. There is plenty of ammonia to go around. I say, "As long as that sucker smells like the men's room at the Super Bowl, or is it the locker room, change that water!".

Suna seems to have some pretty well cured LR as she already has algae after two weeks. Even at that, there are probably all sorts of nutrients in her tank. Water changes will help export these nutrients and shorten the duration of the alga outbreak. Most of the important bacteria in your tank are attached film bacteria lurking on the rock and sand. The amount of "bugs" removed during a water change is only a tiny fraction of the beneficial bugs in one's tank.

[sunamoon]

In all honesty I dont know if the rock was cured or not. Cuz of the newbie thing. But it was bought form a good LFS, at least they seem great to me an my sister. (They take the time to talk with us,and let us know when its safe to buy certain things... Meaning my sister, my tank is no told as hers. lol ) Iguess i should have asked if it was or not. On the second batch i bought they were just unpacking it from the shipping boxes. The store clerks place it in huge circulating tubs, til purchased. It had a few things hanging off of it, but i left them there to jump start my amonia cycle. No live fish cycling here. When i bought my LR i brought my own rubbermaid tub with SW (3 gal) made up to transport. I was hoping the sloshing around would dislodge any mantises that might be lurking around in the holes. So far I have not seen anything in the tank. But who knows what might be there after the lights go out?
bending to the will of those who know more than me... G would you say this was cured or uncured rock?

Just keep swimming dori says....
Well i am swimming... well treading water is more like it...
Suna
PS- So far my tank doesn't smell of anything but salty warm water.. is this bad that it smells normal to me? LOL

[bheron]

Good point WK.

I think b/c I didnt do WCs during the cycle, and I didnt scrub the rock to good when I got it, now I have a lot of unwanted "junk" in my tank.

In hindsight I would probabaly to a WC.

What about the skimmer?