Aquariums - Home Version

[MotherFucker]

Have had a 10g for about a month now and have six Zebra Danios, an Albino Cory, a female Veiltail Betta, and 12 Ghost Shrimp in a pretty well planted (Argentine Sword, Tropica Fern, Windelov Fern, and an assorted Anubias) tank. We just picked up a 20g that I'll begin cycling next week and am already looking at a 30 or 40g tank to pick up in the next few weeks. Only fucking around with freshwater tropical for now but it's a ridiculously addicting hobby. Especially the live plant aspect.

Few pics later, need to do a water change. Any other Mags into aquariums?

[hawkgt]

Hey MF... long time no talk... still got that shitty golf swing???

yep... got a 45 gal right now... thought you saw it when your were over this summer. Great hobby and really cool to zone out to. would post a pic but the green slime came back with a vengence this week and need to get off my ass to clean it, planned for sunday.

check out craigs for a larger tank but fill it prior to buying to check for leaks and really take a close look at the silicone.

hitting the love or monarch sat if interested... send a PM

EDIT:

found an old cell phone pic from June.

[MotherFucker]

Hey MF... long time no talk... still got that shitty golf swing???

yep... got a 45 gal right now... thought you saw it when your were over this summer. Great hobby and really cool to zone out to. would post a pic but the green slime came back with a vengence this week and need to get off my ass to clean it, planned for sunday.

check out craigs for a larger tank but fill it prior to buying to check for leaks and really take a close look at the silicone.

hitting the love or monarch sat if interested... send a PM

Shittier than ever, my friend.

I did see it last time I was over but most likely didn't pay attention to it since I wasn't into the hobby at the time. Let me know if you want some help cleaning the tank and we'll pound a couple beers and catch up.

Picking up the Loveland pass next Wed or Thurs. Incoming.

[hutash]

I have maintained a 26g show tank for about thirty years. Just an assortment of community tropical fish. Better then television.

[Cruiser]

I used to have a nice bow front 36g freshwater setup. I had a ton of mature live plants in it. That always seemed like half the fun to me. But then I had my first kid and my priorities changed. The tank fell into disrepair and I finally tossed it about a year ago after Mrs. Cruiser got tired of seeing it in the basement. I had a gorgeous pair of discus in it for a good while.

I'd love to get back into it now that my oldest would be able to help a little with feeding and maintenance but I can't see my way clear to dropping the coin on a nice setup right now.

[Kim Jong-un]

I used to do saltwater--30 gal mini reef. Had a tank for ~2 yrs. Just way, way too much work, so I took it down and its in the attic now. I began to realize most of the creatures I put in it probably deserved to be left in the wild and started feeling guilty every time something died.

[MotherFucker]

Better then television.

It really is. Maybe it's because we're new to the hobby, but my wife and will literally post up right in front of the tank with a couple folding chairs and watch the danios chase each other around and the ghost shrimp eat and shit.

I used to have a nice bow front 36g freshwater setup. I had a ton of mature live plants in it. That always seemed like half the fun to me. But then I had my first kid and my priorities changed. The tank fell into disrepair and I finally tossed it about a year ago after Mrs. Cruiser got tired of seeing it in the basement. I had a gorgeous pair of discus in it for a good while.

I'd love to get back into it now that my oldest would be able to help a little with feeding and maintenance but I can't see my way clear to dropping the coin on a nice setup right now.

It is retardedly expensive for a set-up but Petco is running a $1 per gallon aquarium special right now (river tanks included) and that's what prompted us to pick up the 20g. They have a few 40g that look so damn tempting because after the sale they go back up to like $99. $1 per gallon is a steal, even for Petco.

You could always ease the kid in with a cheaper 5g betta tank. I saw a few around the store for ~$20 for an entire set-up. If he does well with "helping out," then you could graduate to a 10 or 20g.

[hawkgt]

I used to do saltwater--30 gal mini reef. Had a tank for ~2 yrs. Just way, way too much work, so I took it down and its in the attic now. I began to realize most of the creatures I put in it probably deserved to be left in the wild and started feeling guilty every time something died.

would love a saltwater tank but heard nightmares about them... need to really dedicate to that. at least with freash you can get away with mistakes and god knows I make a ton of them.

pm back mf

[Kim Jong-un]

would love a saltwater tank but heard nightmares about them... need to really dedicate to that. at least with freash you can get away with mistakes and god knows I make a ton of them.

pm back mf

A fish only is not too bad workwise--probably just a bit more than a freshwater setup, but the problems begin when you are tempted by corals and inverts, and you won't be able to resist getting drawn in that direction. A small thing like an undetectable shift in the light output on the lamps as they age, or mystery hitchhikers in the live rock that eat your corals at night, and you wind up chasing all sorts of problems.

I had a mantis shrimp that hitchhiked in a piece of live rock that would consume a cleaner shrimp or small fish every week. Drove me nuts. I was basically feeding him $15 fish for a while until I caught him.

[MontuckyFried]

would love a saltwater tank but heard nightmares about them...

I think the stories are exaggerated. With the wealth of information and communities we have on the interwebz these days, I found mine pretty easy. Had a very successful reef tank for about 5 years with no crashes. Full of beautiful corals I got cheap too! I think one of the biggest mistakes people often make with saltwater is overstocking fish without sufficient water volume. Thus, I kept mine really light on fish, with more of a focus on the coral. Made for a very healthy tank that was easy to maintain.

The saltwater world has it's own group of junkies like TGR is to skiing. http://www.reefcentral.com/ is a great resource. I used to be involved in a local group that had monthly meetings where you could get coral frags, fish, parts, etc. dirt cheap or free sometimes. Was a lot of fun. They'd usually have a beer keg at the back of whatever random fish shop was hosting the meeting that month. Good times.

Having the aquarium certainly kept me occupied, as I spent more time watching it than television. Aquariums are absolutely mesmerizing to watch. The only reason I had to quit it was because after my divorce I moved around a lot, and that's just not healthy for a tank, so I gave everything away. I'll definitely do one again someday, but only after my life stabilizes for more than 2 seconds. You should try it out if you're interested! Watch out tho, it's addicting. Next thing you'll know you'll have a nanotank on the side, a microtank (mine was like 1/4 gallon) in your office, etc.

Edit: Another big mistake people make is not being patient enough when starting. Too many people go to the fish store, with their kids crying they want "Nemo," then they buy an entire setup including fish. Not smart. When I started, I bought a little 20 gallon tank that I cured my live rock in for like a month. Total overkill, but took care of all the initial die-off, nitrate spikes, etc. I had a TON of liverock. My tank's filtration was 100% natural, depending primarily on the liverock and chaetomorpha. I took out the stuff that came with the setup for the baffles in the back, and replaced them with liverock rubble. Was a bullet-proof setup.

[SB]

Had fresh tanks for 20+ years, our cats get all zoned on the 20L tank and still have not figured out that they can not reach under there and get them.

My Oscar in the 40L does the feed me dance every time you walk by the tank. He was seriously depressed and did not eat for 2 month when his crib mate died.

[hutash]

My roommate in vet school had a 75g tank (possibly big, I just know it was huge), and it was like the plasma screen of fish tanks. I loved to just chill with a beer in front of it at night. It was super easy to maintain as the large volume buffered any real problems. The angel fish got big enough to eat.

[wicked_sick]

I'm just getting into it, but not in the traditional sense.

I'm setting up a 45gallon tank and a bunch of fish to feed an 8 sqft grow bed for lettuce and stuff. Hopefully should be ready to start cycling the tank in preparation for the fish by the end of this weekend.

[PB]

Had freshwater tanks since I was in primary school, then made the mistake of turning a wonderful hobby into a career. 18 months later sold the last of my Discus breeders, gave away the tanks - just didn't have the same spark. Retiring soon, think I'll resurrect that hobby .......

[Beaver]

If you've got a grow op and a fish tank run your hydroponics off the fish tank, the nitrogen in the fish shit helps your plants grow bigger faster.

[guroo270]

For the threads sake, the bigger the salt tank, the easier it is to care for. I had a 20 gallon that needed water 1/4 water changes every three days or so. I wouldn't do anything less than 60 for salt ever again.
My buddy in high school went nuts with tanks. He had a 120 gallon with a shoal of 14 piranhas, a 45 gal with a stingray and a blue ringed octopus, and a 60 with oscars and cichlids, oh, and a snake. You could probably guess where we preferred to get baked.

Oh, and, you're welcome...

www.aquascapeonline.com

[BmillsSkier]

My Oscar in the 40L does the feed me dance every time you walk by the tank. He was seriously depressed and did not eat for 2 month when his crib mate died.

Heh, too funny!

We had a 50 gal in college with Oscars and Red Devils. The Oscars would jump out of the water to grab pellets from your fingers. Damn those fish had personality...

[gaijin]

I've been thinking of getting my 3yo a little fish to feed and smile at.

Just out of curiosity, how much daily/weekly hours of maintenance is a bigger 50 or 100 gal? Fresh vs Salt? I'd love a real one in my home but I'm a total jong.

[SB]

I've been thinking of getting my 3yo a little fish to feed and smile at.

Just out of curiosity, how much daily/weekly hours of maintenance is a bigger 50 or 100 gal? Fresh vs Salt? I'd love a real one in my home but I'm a total jong.

Start off on a smaller community fresh water tank with tetras and such. Pay attention to which fish will get along with each other and keep it simple at first. Branch out from there if you get moar into it.

There are some good books out there, a little reading will help lots.

[MontuckyFried]

I've been thinking of getting my 3yo a little fish to feed and smile at.

Just out of curiosity, how much daily/weekly hours of maintenance is a bigger 50 or 100 gal? Fresh vs Salt? I'd love a real one in my home but I'm a total jong.

The ironic thing is that the bigger it seems, the less maintenance you can expect (as in times per month), although on a bigger tank, water changes will obviously be bigger and take more salt. Of course, the bigger you go, the more of a PITA that beast will be to move. Bigger tanks are typically more foolproof, as more water volume helps buffer anything that could happen.

[MontuckyFried]

I had a 20 gallon that needed water 1/4 water changes every three days or so. I wouldn't do anything less than 60 for salt ever again.

Really? I once had a very successful 14 gallon reef tank. It only needed water changes (about 1/4 as well) every 2 weeks or so. It was an incredibly stable setup. I think much of a tank's success has to do with achieving a good balance, as it is very much its own little ecosystem. I had tons of live rock, tons of corals, lots of cleanup critters, and very few fish.

Heh, too funny!

We had a 50 gal in college with Oscars and Red Devils. The Oscars would jump out of the water to grab pellets from your fingers. Damn those fish had personality...

Yeah, Oscars are seriously cool. Brother had two massive ones. Was always fun feeding them.

If you're having a tough time choosing salt vs fresh, another thing I really enjoyed was my African Cichlid tank. People were always surprised when I told them it was a freshwater tank, as the fish were absolutely beautiful, with vibrant blues and yellows. They did well due to the naturally high pH in the local water where I had them, which apparently a very similar same pH and mineral content as their home lakes. Do NOT put other fish in their though, as Cichlids are super aggressive and will tear most any other fish to shreds. I even had to find just the right plant to cohabitate with them. A really cool looking fish. I also had a freshwater eel at one point. Freaking awesome little dude. Had to hand-feed him. Had him for a really long time, but sadly had to give him away when I moved.

Tanks are fun! Just do your research before diving in, and you'll do fine. Again, check out reefcentral.com. There's got to be a local club/forum where you're at. You should check into that. Locals are always a good resources for not only cheap stuff, but their knowledge of your local water conditions and such. Water is so different in every place, and too many people don't take that into account and wonder why their fish die all the time.

[truckeelocal]

I had a 240 gal freshwater tank. I had the bright idea to have an under-tank heater which worked great until the constant heat cycles impacted the rigidity of the stand and the tank split. 240 gal of rarely maintained (fresh) water on the carpet was not a happy situation. The fish didn't do well either, not well at all, dead really.

[WARY]

Every aquarium we've ever had has been fun, pretty to look at, expensive and a ton of work. Except for one tank that we would highly recommend.

Its a big set up, but its zero maintenance. The tank in question was a 60 gallon monster, but with only 4 red breasted piranhas in it. Well actually it started as 6 fish, but that quickly became 5, then 4, more like 3 and a half. But once all the mayhem had subsided the 3 1/2 fish lived peaceably for 5 years. First big reduction in maintenance, money and work? No plants. Don't bother, they will eat them. Go for the huge cavernous chunk of rock for them to hide in and swim around menacingly. A couple more rocks in the corners and you are done. Next big savings in maintenance, time and money? Food. No expensive flake food that you have to dole out every single day or tetras start dying. It depends on the time of year but a human hand sized piranha eats maybe once or twice a week, and its a goldfish. Or a minnow. Or a chunk of your T-bone steak before you grill it. If you get them used to digesting meat once in awhile your costs go way down. As a result of the lack of 50 fish swimming all over the place and doing their business, the water is clearer and cleaner and there is almost no filter maintenance.

Note, they will take your finger tip off and they can jump out of the water to get you. If they do hit the floor stay away from them and get properly geared up to put them back in the water. They will saw through any fishnet and can carve up your hand quicker then you would think, so keep your drunk buddies away from any open lid or floor flopping fish.

[Aenigma]

I have a 90g freshwater tank with 3 Leopard Ctenopoma, 1 Syno Eupterus, 1 Delhezi Bichir, 1 Senegal Bichir, 1 Brown Knife, and 2 Ropefish. It also has a bunch of plants, but those still have a lot of growing in to do--and I have a lot to learn about growing them! I'll try and get some pictures later, if I remember to...

I also have a 60g sitting around, waiting to be set up again as a riparium. I think that project will have to wait until spring, when it's warm enough to get live plants in the mail.

[RockChalk]

This is in my folk's basement, built into the wall/flush like a picture frame.

Really cool, really expensive.

Back in the day a drunk friend accidentally knocked the auto feeder into the tank, batteries corroded and killed EVERYTHING... Pops was not so happy