I'm being patient...

ccrfuzzy

ccrfuzzy

Member
...I dont' like being patient, but I'm trying.
I got my Nitrites to zero and Nitrates to 15-20....the chart I had said that was good so off hubby and I went to buy fish. Had those Chromis and a Hawk all decided on. Well, took my little water sample and had the guy there test it and he got basically the same results (though he got a different pH, more on that in a minute). So I eagerly mentioned picking out some fish...Well, he gave me 'the look' and gently said 'Well, if you want a Marine tank for a month, I'll sell you some fish, but if you want a Marine tank for years, how about some more live rock?' I thought maybe this was a very diplomatic way of telling me to hold my horses and don't be in a rush. I was right. We had a great talk about my tank and my future plans. So I came home with something a little different than I planned, but it's what I NEED, not what I WANT. :thumbup:
I bought 15 lbs of LR to bring the tank total to about 35 lbs.
He really, really encouraged me to work on adding a refugium system instead of a HOB. His philosophy is 'as simple and basic a biological filter the better'. Let nature do what nature does. I really do prefer that concept. I don't like the price of the ready built systems, so I'll build my own.
He also explained that my low pH was directly influenced by my alk which was also out of whack and suggested a good buffer to treat both. (Kent Superbuffer dhK) He also suggested a better pH and Alk test which I really had planned on anyway since I read that some have bad results with the Aquarium Pharm tests.
He did throw me a bone in the form of 5 little hermies so that I could enjoy SOMETHING in the tank. :rolleyes:
So I'm not backwards, I'm actually moving forward and have things to do, namely build a sump/refugium and a protien skimmer before getting my fish. I have some questions about plumbing the fuge tank (building is the easy part) but I"ll ask that in the DIY forum. I'm not sure if I want to build the skimmer. Is it really worth it?
Thanks for waiting it out with me! :coffee:
Elaine....owner of a 55 gallon, $300 (so far this month) hermit crab habitat. :)
 
cracker

cracker

Well-Known Member
May I be the 1st to congradulate You on your patience. I'm sure the higher ups will agree!
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

Well-Known Member
35 lbs of rock in a 55 gallon tank, and you want to add fish? WHOAAA there...the normal recommendation is 1-1/2 to 2 lbs of rock per gal. You're a little shy...Part of the reason so much rock is recommended, is that it makes a great biological filter, but does take quite a bit of it to be effective, and under the right conditions, can also become something of a de-nitrifying filter.
Personally, I'm a big believer in protein skimmers. They remove so much crap from your tank before it can break down and become pollution, and is great for improving the quality of the water, as well as helping to oxygenate it some. Whether you build your own or not, I"m not gonna try to influence you, as I don't know your skill level, but doing it right takes a lot of planning, plus the right tools and supplies...Many people DIY great skimmers however, so it's up to you...
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
:thumbup: Excellent Elaine! Keep up the patient work! Kudos to your LFS too~~

I second the skimmer recommendation!
 
ccrfuzzy

ccrfuzzy

Member
Thanks Guys. I totally agree about the LFS too. The store is That Fish Place in Lancaster PA. About an hour's drive for me, but I consider it worthwhile. The Fishroom supervisors are degreed marine biologists of various types and they honestly, really do know their subject. The younger employees seem to turn to these supervisors quickly and that tells me that they are approachable and want to teach. I have to admit, it was pretty compelling to hear a store employee discourge me from purchasing stock. Had that stock died, I'd have probably bought more later. But instead he directed me to spend my money more wisely. not the way my much smaller and closer lfs opperates, but in the end, who do you suppose will get more of my $$$? ;)
Well, the hermies are doing fine this morning though one was picking on the other pretty badly so I think I better find some shells to scatter around for them. The tank actually looks nicer with much less coral bone rock and more LR too. It occured to me that I have this really nice 20 long tank with an overflow built into one side. If that will fit in the bottom of the stand, then it would make a completely awesome sump/refugium. I'd need to put a baffle at the opposite end, but that's no biggie. I could put some LR, plant matter and small critters in there and enjoy it as well. Still reading, still thinking...
Elaine :coffee:
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
The only hermits that are allowed in my reef are scarlets. I have tried others but they were very aggressive to other hermits and snails :(
 
ccrfuzzy

ccrfuzzy

Member
Ah, ok, well that explains that. I'm not too worried. It was a $5 purchase just to give me something to look at and remind me to be paitent. If I watch them pick on each other, then at least that's entertainment of a sort. :rolleyes:
The trip to the store did have another good side effect. Hubby was much more interested in discussing what sorts of fish HE would like to see in the tank. The man is just in love with clowns :smck: He so wants a 'yellow' clown and a 'red' clown and an anemone if possible. OK, I'm soooo not into the whole 'NEMO' thing, but whatever. I want him to be happy with the tank too so he gets clowns. :rolleyes: He did like the Chromis, so that's cool. We both want a hawk and gobies/blennies. Most of the other fish we both liked are aggresive (does that say something? hmmm) so that would have to be another tank or another time. Someday, I want to set up a seahorse tank for the man. He SOOOOOOOO loves those things, but they are a one-species tank, right?
Elaine :coffee:
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
Yes.. seahorses need a special species tank... low flow, no harrassing fish, and lots of things to hang onto that will not sting them.
 
B

boozeman

Well-Known Member
Congratulations on being so patient...I imagine it is the hardest thing to be when setting up a reef aquarium :chair: Dont know what I'm going to do when that time comes and my 2yo askes ''daddy wheres the fish?'' :waa:
 
C

Charlie97L

Well-Known Member
blue_eyes53813 said:
Congrats on your good LFS and waiting on adding fish. Sounds like a very reliable LFS.
Click to expand...

yeah, that's where i got my tank... it's a huge pet warehouse. www.thatfishplace.com they do online stuff as well, but going up there and wandering around in person is really fun too.
 
Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
THATFISHPLACE....oh yeah,,that is a monster,,,i used to do deliveries there,,,if you live within driving distance,,i would go for a drygoods stock up.
 
ccrfuzzy

ccrfuzzy

Member
Well, that was a minor bust. :tears: The tank I thought I remembered as a 20 long....is WAY longer than any 20 gallon. OOPS. It definitely won't fit under this 55. Sooooo...back to the proverbial drawing board to build the sump/fuge tank. I'm trying to keep this reasonably priced but not too ugly to look at. Would a 10 gallon be too small? I seems like it would. Rubbermaid type containers hold water, but who wants to look at that? :columbo: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
 
cracker

cracker

Well-Known Member
ccrfuzzy, What kind of stand do you have? My 55 is on an old metal frame and there isn't a lot of room under for a sump and decent skimmer
 
ccrfuzzy

ccrfuzzy

Member
Yeah, that's sorta my dilema too.
build3-thumb.jpg

This is a photo of my setup early on (it's changed a bit since then but the stand is the same.) Whatever I put underneath will show, so I dont want it too ugly. The stand is incredibly well built (welder hubby custom built it) so I dont' really want some thing different. I have roughly 24x36" of space (that's an over, not under- estimate).
Elaine
 
cracker

cracker

Well-Known Member
I want to remove the shelf below the tank, leaving the two sides and back frame that surrounds the shelf.Being a welder,your husband would know if it was possible and how to brace it. My thanks for his opinion.
 
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