zoolatry
New Member
zo·ol·a·try
–noun the worship of or excessive attention to animals.
[Origin: 1810–20; zoo- + -latry
]
Be warned, I intend to go on at some length about myself and my motivations before getting to the nitty gritty of my system, so feel free to skip past my blabbing if it bores you.
I am a lover of all living creatures, which can be seen as soon as you enter my house (well, apartment actually). Two teacup chihuahuas greet you at the door, and a variety of plants nestle in and on every corner, counter, and table.
I have a particular fascination for the tropical, spurred by several trips to my favorite location in the United States, the Florida Keys. Since I must spend my time in temperate climates for at least several more years, I bring the tropics to me. My favorite plant is, hands down, the palm, as it reminds me of the tropical climates I love so much. I have a bottle palm (purchased in the Keys, you can't get them where I live) and several smaller, more typical house palms, and I also have a dwarf cavendish banana that definitely helps pick up the tropical feel.
Back a few years, I used to have 3 freshwater tanks, one of which housed African Cichlids, but I always longed for the beauty and diversity of a marine system. I also always believed (rightly so, at that time) that it was way beyond the capacity of my budget. This year, though, sitting on a nest egg I'd built up with a management job, a friend gave me an old 45 gallon tank, and I did a little research on saltwater, just to see if there was any remote chance I might be able to swing it. A little research gradually turned into a lot of research and eventually I realized that I was going to go ahead and jump into this crazy, wonderful, expensive, time-consuming commitment of a saltwater tank.
Perhaps it was snorkeling over the reefs at Sombrero or Looe Key that really made me want to do this. Floating above those reefs, I'd never felt more at peace or had such a sense of wonder since I'd been a young child. I wanted to try to recreate a piece of reef in my own home, to feel a scrap of that wonder every day.
So, I began by trying to clean off the hard water film from the old tank I'd been given. Then I became concerned about its long-term ability to hold water, and decided to reseal it. Next, I became concerned about just what might have been in the tank before, and whether it might leach into the water. Finally, I put it in the you-know-what bucket and sprang for a new 46 gallon tank and stand.
I dumped some more money into the equipment for the tank, and got it up and running. I went to five different pet stores before finding one two hours away that actually had decent live rock in significant quantities.
These are the basic specs of my tank:
46G Bowfront tank
T5 HO 39W X 4 Lighting
AquaC Remora HOT Skimmer
2 AquaClear 30 Powerheads
1 Hydor Koralia #1 Pump (plus a second for mixing saltwater)
200W Heater
~70 lbs Live Rock
~50 lbs Aragonite Sand
A day after putting in the live rock & sand
So far things seem to be going extremely well. The live rock was well cured but fresh enough to still have a good bit of life on it. Within days the ammonia spiked and fell, nitrites spiked and fell, and nitrates were at measurable levels.
I am really pleased with the skimmer and very glad I did a lot of research before buying. From what I've heard about other skimmers, it was worth every penny. Surface scum disappeared within days of its "kicking in" after the break-in period, and it produces lots of dirty brown skimmate and now requires no adjustment.
Much of the coralline on the live rock did indeed turn white and die, but I've already got new growth.
New algae growth beginning
The glass is teeming with 'pods, and though I have yet to see any worms, I am sure they will be making an appearance soon. I've got some small hydroids that have appeared on my glass as well.
Hydroids on glass - Approx. Size 1-2mm
I'm trying to go for a natural look with everything. I want this to look like it could be a section of reef somewhere.
–noun the worship of or excessive attention to animals.
[Origin: 1810–20; zoo- + -latry
Be warned, I intend to go on at some length about myself and my motivations before getting to the nitty gritty of my system, so feel free to skip past my blabbing if it bores you.
I am a lover of all living creatures, which can be seen as soon as you enter my house (well, apartment actually). Two teacup chihuahuas greet you at the door, and a variety of plants nestle in and on every corner, counter, and table.
I have a particular fascination for the tropical, spurred by several trips to my favorite location in the United States, the Florida Keys. Since I must spend my time in temperate climates for at least several more years, I bring the tropics to me. My favorite plant is, hands down, the palm, as it reminds me of the tropical climates I love so much. I have a bottle palm (purchased in the Keys, you can't get them where I live) and several smaller, more typical house palms, and I also have a dwarf cavendish banana that definitely helps pick up the tropical feel.
Back a few years, I used to have 3 freshwater tanks, one of which housed African Cichlids, but I always longed for the beauty and diversity of a marine system. I also always believed (rightly so, at that time) that it was way beyond the capacity of my budget. This year, though, sitting on a nest egg I'd built up with a management job, a friend gave me an old 45 gallon tank, and I did a little research on saltwater, just to see if there was any remote chance I might be able to swing it. A little research gradually turned into a lot of research and eventually I realized that I was going to go ahead and jump into this crazy, wonderful, expensive, time-consuming commitment of a saltwater tank.
Perhaps it was snorkeling over the reefs at Sombrero or Looe Key that really made me want to do this. Floating above those reefs, I'd never felt more at peace or had such a sense of wonder since I'd been a young child. I wanted to try to recreate a piece of reef in my own home, to feel a scrap of that wonder every day.
So, I began by trying to clean off the hard water film from the old tank I'd been given. Then I became concerned about its long-term ability to hold water, and decided to reseal it. Next, I became concerned about just what might have been in the tank before, and whether it might leach into the water. Finally, I put it in the you-know-what bucket and sprang for a new 46 gallon tank and stand.
I dumped some more money into the equipment for the tank, and got it up and running. I went to five different pet stores before finding one two hours away that actually had decent live rock in significant quantities.
These are the basic specs of my tank:
46G Bowfront tank
T5 HO 39W X 4 Lighting
AquaC Remora HOT Skimmer
2 AquaClear 30 Powerheads
1 Hydor Koralia #1 Pump (plus a second for mixing saltwater)
200W Heater
~70 lbs Live Rock
~50 lbs Aragonite Sand
A day after putting in the live rock & sand
So far things seem to be going extremely well. The live rock was well cured but fresh enough to still have a good bit of life on it. Within days the ammonia spiked and fell, nitrites spiked and fell, and nitrates were at measurable levels.
I am really pleased with the skimmer and very glad I did a lot of research before buying. From what I've heard about other skimmers, it was worth every penny. Surface scum disappeared within days of its "kicking in" after the break-in period, and it produces lots of dirty brown skimmate and now requires no adjustment.
Much of the coralline on the live rock did indeed turn white and die, but I've already got new growth.
New algae growth beginning
The glass is teeming with 'pods, and though I have yet to see any worms, I am sure they will be making an appearance soon. I've got some small hydroids that have appeared on my glass as well.
Hydroids on glass - Approx. Size 1-2mm
I'm trying to go for a natural look with everything. I want this to look like it could be a section of reef somewhere.
