Looking for advice about Fish Aquariums

[Electro]

Please post pics / specs

I really enjoy reading about this type of stuff.
I find it very useful in helping me make some decisions.

Apparently as a kid my fiancee kept seahorses, said
she had 3 in a 60gallon tank. So I believe that she's had
plenty of experience (said she kept them for about 3-4 yrs).
So I think we will do well.

[pnoyhd13]

nice setup

[pnoyhd13]

i like the salt water aquarium but cant afford it

[Quixon]

once I get my 2x2x2 cube done I will have to post pictures (reef).

the only thing that was said before that I will somewhat disagree with Quxion on is that a reef tank doesn't need MH. There are also florescent lighting options that can produce pretty much the same results but at less cost.

That being said I LOVE the shimmer effect of a MH, which is why my Cube will have 1 MH and be supported by a few T5 antics.

What company are you getting to manufacture the tank?


And yes, T5's can be used on a reef no problem. Honestly though, the power consumption factor isn't all that different. The price can go either way as well, especially on tanks longer than 4'.

T5 bulbs aren't made longer than 4', so for a 6' tank like mine I would need at least 16 Bulbs. The 16 bulbs would comprise of (8) 4FT 54 Watt bulbs and (2) 2FT 24 Watt bulbs. That would PAR wise, give you the same intensity as (3) 250 Watt DE Halides if you are over driving the bulbs with a ballast like an Icecap 660.

So power wise you are looking at:

750 Watts~ for the Halides. It isn't exact b/c all ballast will pull a little more than their listed wattage (same for t5's).

v.

432~ Watts + 192~ Watts = 624 + 10% since the bulbs are over driven --> 693~ Watts.


The bulb prices are $240~ for the T5 Set up. That is assuming an average cost of $15 per bulb. Some bulbs are closer to $10, while others are closer to $20.

On the halides you are looking at $200~. That is for (3) DE Phoenix 14K.



For your cube I would look into LEDS for actinics. They are extremely cheap if you build them yourself. They are, coincidentally, pretty easy to build also lol.

(1) 250 Watt 14K in a Lumenbrite Mini w/ Blue Cree LED Actinics would look completely insane.


Lumenbrites are hands down THE best reflector/pendant you can buy. I just installed mine 2 weeks ago, immense difference from the 6' fixture with shitty bat wing type reflectors.

I'll try and get some updated photos tonight with the new lights. I'm planning on bringing in a ton of SPS frags towards the end of next month. The fish tank budget is just a bit low now after spending $1000+ on new lighting -_-

[Quixon]

I would love to do a small seahorse tank. The only thing stopping me, is that they need cooler water. Chillers are expensive, and expensive to run... so for now I have to opt out on those lol.


They are definitely an animal for an experienced hobbyist though. So you seem to have picked the right partner to help you out in the hobby.


Edit:

I forgot to add in my super long post above:

I like T5's a lot better b/c you can customize the color of the tank A LOT more than if you go with halides. For my application though, it just wasn't worth it since the tank was so big.

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

What company are you getting to manufacture the tank?


And yes, T5's can be used on a reef no problem. Honestly though, the power consumption factor isn't all that different. The price can go either way as well, especially on tanks longer than 4'.

T5 bulbs aren't made longer than 4', so for a 6' tank like mine I would need at least 16 Bulbs. The 16 bulbs would comprise of (8) 4FT 54 Watt bulbs and (2) 2FT 24 Watt bulbs. That would PAR wise, give you the same intensity as (3) 250 Watt DE Halides if you are over driving the bulbs with a ballast like an Icecap 660.

So power wise you are looking at:

750 Watts~ for the Halides. It isn't exact b/c all ballast will pull a little more than their listed wattage (same for t5's).

v.

432~ Watts + 192~ Watts = 624 + 10% since the bulbs are over driven --> 693~ Watts.


The bulb prices are $240~ for the T5 Set up. That is assuming an average cost of $15 per bulb. Some bulbs are closer to $10, while others are closer to $20.

On the halides you are looking at $200~. That is for (3) DE Phoenix 14K.



For your cube I would look into LEDS for actinics. They are extremely cheap if you build them yourself. They are, coincidentally, pretty easy to build also lol.

(1) 250 Watt 14K in a Lumenbrite Mini w/ Blue Cree LED Actinics would look completely insane.


Lumenbrites are hands down THE best reflector/pendant you can buy. I just installed mine 2 weeks ago, immense difference from the 6' fixture with shitty bat wing type reflectors.

I'll try and get some updated photos tonight with the new lights. I'm planning on bringing in a ton of SPS frags towards the end of next month. The fish tank budget is just a bit low now after spending $1000+ on new lighting -_-

Not too sure about this post, I don't think it holds water.

[Quixon]

icwutudidthar

[Nightbreed]

Awesome setups! Wish I had the time and knowledge to get one like that going.

Sorry to hijack but could use a little help, since I am clueless.

I am looking to get an EXTREMELY easy setup for my daughter's room. She turns 2 in April but absolutely loves fish and can spend an hour in the pet store staring at them.

Maybe a 10-20 gallon tank with some easy to handle fish. What type of fish should I go for? Honestly I was just going to get some feeder goldfish and I am sure she would be happy but seems very boring.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Electro]

From my research I've been doing it all depends. You can easily go with some guppies as they have hundreds of colors and variations and are very easy to take care of. If you want something thats not too boring you can even go with some of the african chichlids. They come in various colors and cost a little bit more, but you can probably fit 2-3 in a 20 gallon, or you could pent easily 10-15 guppies in a 20 gallon.

You can browse http://www.aquabid.com and look at some of the stuff they have such as guppies, goldfish, and chichilds and just try and find a place
local that may have them if you don't want to order.

Also if you decide on guppies they breed like rabbits.

[AzazaelFenrir]

The tank I have is actually from a reefer here in town that is getting out of the hobby. He had it and the MH for about 9 months (laid off, no income, etc) and everything is still in great condition. I am finishing up the stand for it now and then will start a clean cycle in it. My existing 55 will get moved into a 10 gal (fish and corals) in the interim. All of the rocks will be cycles and the sand will be cleaned since I have a phosphate problem somewhere.

[Quixon]

Run Phosban (or generic Granular Ferric Oxide) in a Fluidized Media Reactor.

Your phosphate problem will be non-existant in 2-3 weeks. I run 4 Cups in a Two Little Fishes Phosban Reactor on for a month, then off for a month. The reactors are only like $40ish, and you can use a small power head in the sump to feed the reactor. I actually have mine fed from a manifold I have running off my return pump.

[Nightbreed]

Thanks Electro, will definitely take a look into them!

[Quixon]

Molly's and Platy's work well in a small tank also, and get a bit more size to them then guppies.

Don't put goldfish in there. They all get really big and they become a real pain in the but b/c they are very messy fish (they shit ALOT), so you have to be up on the maintenance.

[grozny]

I wish I had the money/time/space to have a tank. I would mainly want an octopus!

tonmo is a great site to get help with this type of stuff. It is mainly dedicated to cephalopods, but you can probably get other help there as well.

[Quixon]

Are you the same Grozny from Valefor?


If so.... what's up dude? :-p



Tonmo is a great resource. I'll post a couple others here in case they got lost in the shuffle:


www.ReefCentral.Com (general info.... MASSIVE Forum Community as well)
www.wetwebmedia.com (General Info)
www.liveaquaria.com (for purchasing livestock)
www.bluezooaquatics.com (livestock)
www.premiumaquatics.com (equipment)
www.aquacave.com (equipment)

[Electro]

Thanks Electro, will definitely take a look into them!

Check to see which fish you might want and these are charts on compatibility issues.

Freshwater: http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/f...lity_chart.cfm
Marine Fish: http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/c...lity_chart.cfm

[Linliel]

Beware of platies, if they like their environment they will BREED like crazy. We started out with 4 (1 male, it turned out, 3 females), and ended up with almost 30, and we didn't even try to nurture them -- these are the darwinian fish, lol. I'm certain a whole load got eaten by all the other fish in the tank too.

[grozny]

Yeah, Hows it going Quix?

I haven't been playing too much lately, busy buying a house and moving in soon.

[AzazaelFenrir]

Run Phosban (or generic Granular Ferric Oxide) in a Fluidized Media Reactor.

Your phosphate problem will be non-existant in 2-3 weeks. I run 4 Cups in a Two Little Fishes Phosban Reactor on for a month, then off for a month. The reactors are only like $40ish, and you can use a small power head in the sump to feed the reactor. I actually have mine fed from a manifold I have running off my return pump.

did that for almost 2 months (changing out the medium 3 times) and it is still there. I am not too worried about letting things cycle again. Gives me time to tweak everything to exactly how I want it. I only have 5 fish atm (2 damsels, 1 clown, and 2 chromis) and a small handful of corals so I am not too worried about putting them in the quarantine system for a few months.

I thought about putting a manifold system on my new return to power the reactor. Haven't really made that decision yet.

[Quixon]

did that for almost 2 months (changing out the medium 3 times) and it is still there.

Hmmm. They have to be coming from somewhere. If you have a deeper sand bed ( >1") that would more than likely be your problem. Phosphates will also bind to calcium carbonate rock if you let crud build up in them. You are using RODI I am assuming?


Definitely get a handle on the phosphates before you start the new tank up. If GFO is not working, the phosphate is bound to something (sandbed or in the rock), or you have phosphates in your tap water. It's easy to get of the sand just by rinsing it really well. If it's bound in the rock you will need to be a bit more aggressive, like organic carbon dosing (sugar, vodka, vinegar, etc).


Look into the manifold dude. You have to up the size of the return pump a little, but you are saving space and power in the long run. You don't have to worry about dumping little power heads in the sump for media, calcium, and nitrate reactors. You don't have to worry about maintenancing all those little pumps either.

And what's up Groz! I quit FFXI like 5-6 months ago, nobody every online and got bored just standing around in town lol.