FishWife1
01/15/2006, 03:13 PM
I've been going round and round for a couple of weeks but after pricing everything out using and AGA 10-15 gal, plus lights, plus, filter, plus surface skimmer attachment, plus ph(s), I figured the nanocube is not that much more. I went throught Drs. Smith & Foster and got the Reef Central member discount so it was $159.99.
I'm just going to do the stock thing for now except for upgrading to a Minijet 606 for the return. I looked at Nano Customs and considered going with higher lighting but since I just want softies/shrooms/polyps, 4 watts pg should be fine.
I'm a little leary of a mixed tank though I see lots of people have beautiful ones. I had a 75 mixed for several years then moved up to a 200 gal. After about a year and a half my mushrooms and other softies started attacking my lps. It wasn't pretty. By attacking I don't mean growing over them or anything, I could have fixed that. I mean releasing toxins in the water that caused formerly healthy corals to suddenly begin receeding. I spoke with Eric Borneman and he suggested that I get rid of either the softies or the hard corals. Well, getting rid of mushrooms and polyps is a lot easier said than done so I pulled all of my stonies out and gave them away. Why everything was fine for years and then suddenly wasn't, I don't understand. I guess the softies reached critical mass :eek1: . Whatever, it wasn't good. The saddest was a beautiful elegance that we got when it was about 6" across. We had it for several years and it was a good 18" across when fully extended and about 12" high. A real thing of beauty. One day I noticed some skeleton showing and it just slowly shrunk away to nothing.:(
Oh well. Anyway, we we git 'er goin' I will post some pics and tell some tales. I'm so happy to be back in this hobby.
Laurie
p.s. The obsession has already kicked in.
I'm just going to do the stock thing for now except for upgrading to a Minijet 606 for the return. I looked at Nano Customs and considered going with higher lighting but since I just want softies/shrooms/polyps, 4 watts pg should be fine.
I'm a little leary of a mixed tank though I see lots of people have beautiful ones. I had a 75 mixed for several years then moved up to a 200 gal. After about a year and a half my mushrooms and other softies started attacking my lps. It wasn't pretty. By attacking I don't mean growing over them or anything, I could have fixed that. I mean releasing toxins in the water that caused formerly healthy corals to suddenly begin receeding. I spoke with Eric Borneman and he suggested that I get rid of either the softies or the hard corals. Well, getting rid of mushrooms and polyps is a lot easier said than done so I pulled all of my stonies out and gave them away. Why everything was fine for years and then suddenly wasn't, I don't understand. I guess the softies reached critical mass :eek1: . Whatever, it wasn't good. The saddest was a beautiful elegance that we got when it was about 6" across. We had it for several years and it was a good 18" across when fully extended and about 12" high. A real thing of beauty. One day I noticed some skeleton showing and it just slowly shrunk away to nothing.:(
Oh well. Anyway, we we git 'er goin' I will post some pics and tell some tales. I'm so happy to be back in this hobby.
Laurie
p.s. The obsession has already kicked in.