Any marine nano reefers here?

[BlueJ1]

Mt step-dad is a marine Biologist. Fun to go to fish stores with him, and he names every kind.

[Gunthr]

This is my first salt water tank, Mini D. I started it up about 6 months ago. I can collect some of my own livestock here in FL, but it is still not a cheap hobby. It is a lot of work, too, but not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.

As you well know, we all have to have our hobbies I could get into bird photography pretty easily down here, but there's only so much time...

[Gunthr]

C'mon I wanna see Gunthr in a pic kissin a Morey Eel on the lips.

You can do it Gunthr...Just look the Morey in the eye and say "HaaaaaaaR...."  -AWMac

One time I was spearfishing over the Copenhagen wreck off Ft. Lauderdale. I was swimming along the deck and I had some fish I had speared on a stringer hanging from my belt. As I passed over an open hatch, a huge green moray came out and was following me. My buddy started making antics off to the side. I couldn't figure out what he was trying to say...

... that was when I felt something nosing me between the legs. I looked down and saw this moray head the size of a football right in my crotch. My buddy told me later that I shot my speargun off at that moment, and I didn't even realize it. I dropped my belt and let him have the fish.

Found out later, he was harmless - just used to being fed by divers.  


BlueJ1, thats pretty cool having a step-dad whos a marine biologist - I wish I had one handy to answer questions sometimes....

[BlueJ1]

Bah, they can take fingers off, now think what the can do to boneless items, harmless my arse.

[Gunthr]

I don't want to think about it, BlueJ

[Hawklore]

Originally posted by BlueJ1
Mt step-dad is a marine Biologist. Fun to go to fish stores with him, and he names every kind.

Helps alot when the scientific names and stuff are right on the tank..

But can he name their price?

[wombatt]

Originally posted by hawker238
I want to be the first to say tiny sea noodle'.

Freud could have fun with that.

[guttboy]

Gunthr,

I kept marine reef tanks for approx 10 years.  LOVED THEM...I had a 120 gallon (still have now converted to a planted freshwater tank where I breed German Blue Rams and Endlers Livebearers).

When I lived in Okinawa Japan I was able to take water from the reef and replenish my system...pain doing RO/DI salt adds all the time.

Got my corals to spawn which totally freaked me out....happened when my ballast blew from a water leak (repositioned now) and I had to put a flourescent shop light over the tank.  Simulated the moon as best I could tell.

I am moving to San Antonio TX in a few months and will probably restart my reefs....keeping the planted FW tanks to my 20 , 15 tall, and 10 gallon tanks to keep the endlers going.

regards

[octospider0]

Originally posted by Gunthr
Yes, I knew they are immortal - don't die in the wild as long as they get what they need. Interesting animal. My RBTA likes to wander around my tank occasionally, stinging my other inverts and corals as he goes. I'm hoping it will split soon because its starting to get a little too big. Sorry about your carpet's condition. I never had a carpet anemone because they get to big for my nano tank (29 gal with a 15 gal refugium growings pods, culerpa and chaetomorpha macroalgae.)

carpets are huge wonderers, it can get pretty trickly sometimes, although my hammer coral does far more damage is not paid attention to.  
I had my rittori split on me a few weeks ago. seems to be doing really well.

[Gunthr]

Hi Guttboy,

People think you're nuts if you have both fresh and saltwater tanks. Call me nuts, cuz I have a 55 gal planted tank with a CO2 reactor and ecocomplete substrate under 260 watts of 6500 Kelvin pc lights in addition to my marine tank. I was kind of growing an Amazon biotope until I got interested in growing a glossostigma carpet on the bottom, then I started growing everything. I have only a few fish and some freshwater shrimps in the tank. Sorry to say its getting neglected a bit these days. I never kept Rams, but admired them.

Congrats on getting the coral to spawn, even if it was by accident! That is wild. They must have been pretty happy in there. A lot goes on in a marine tank that is very interesting.

I thought somebody was joking when they told me to keep my calurpa macroalgae - grown for nutrient export - trimmed back to keep it from "going sexual" and crashing my tank. I later found out he wasn't kidding.

The RO/salt mix water changes are a bit of a pain, but what can ya do...  it isn't convenient for me to lug water from the ocean - its 7 miles away and off Ft. Lauderdale I'm leary of petroleum in the water.

[JB73]

Originally posted by Gunthr
Found out later, he was harmless - just used to being fed by divers.  

mentioned already fleshy appendages...


heck they can take an arm right off when 1/2 the size you say.

they grab and twist violently shredding off whatever they want to eat.


i am getting the shivers just thinking about one near me (within 100 yards).

[SunTracker]

I had a 40 gallon seagrass tank.  Had a yellow-tailed damsel, cardinal fish,  clownfish, 24 pieces of seagrass, and 30 peices of macroalgae.  Was absolutely beautiful.

[Gunthr]

I had my rittori split on me a few weeks ago. seems to be doing really well.

Was that the 29 incher? Rittoris are the largest growing carpet anemones I believe. I wanted one for a Percula clown, but had to face facts that it would get too big for my nano reef.

[Gunthr]

mentioned already fleshy appendages...


heck they can take an arm right off when 1/2 the size you say.

they grab and twist violently shredding off whatever they want to eat.


i am getting the shivers just thinking about one near me (within 100 yards).

JB73, these things are not interested in attacking you. They are docile and curious, but not man eaters. They will often take fish right out of your hand. Its a delight to see them. Any bites on humans are cases of mistaken identity or acidental. Barracudas are more of a nuisance as far as I'm concerned when you are spear fishing - but in either case, you buy them off with a fish and then they swim off and leave you alone.


Suntracker - I love the kind of tanks like the one you had. I'm going to get some turtle grass from the keys - just a few sprigs - I'm afraid it might be illegal these days.

[guttboy]

Gunthr,

its all about moderation and adaptability.

Some folks jump in and put every cool looking coral and fish in a tank and Ill tell you what it will die off or get very ugly quick.

you can get by without using RO/DI but you have to know the specifics of your water.  In Fort Walton Beach, where I lived prior to Japan, I had no use for the RO/DI....my corals did fine as did the fish....partly due to the fact I dove off the Gulf with friends who owned a reef store and harvested liverock with them, and partly to the fact I didnt have a problem going to the beach (5 miles away), and hauling those damn plastic jugs up.

I just let them sit for 48-72 hours before adding my top off water.  You have to be careful, Im sure you know this as your pic shows you have a beautiful tank, that if you to replace with seawater or mixed...CHECK THE SALINITY.  I would dose with just regular Winn Dixie Distilled water when I didnt want to go to the beach to get salt water.

BTW it also depends on how a person wants to set up their tank.

In my FW I have CO2, 2 EHIM cannisters, PH meter, and a pump in the tank to circulate things.  MY lighting in the 120 is an electronic ballast (btw same i used in my SW tanks!) and it kicks arse.

I keep things on the simple....my other tanks are all run on substrate on the cheap like kitty litter and playsand and absolutely rock and roll!

Again its about knowledge and starting slowly.

Where are you in S FLA?

Regards,

mike