Complex Setups: What gives?

[Myanth]

Originally Posted by Chaotic Cricket

So would you still put two clowns in ten gallons

Yeah.

Under the right circumstances. I did most of my research and experimentation with that ten gallon. It was a reef tank / quarantine tank for two years before I got it from a friend. I purchased 12 lbs of cured liverock and two clownfish when the ammonia levels were non-existant. Had a penguin 270 HOB filter with no media and a powersweep something, second from the smallest. Corallife 96 W light came when I couldn't get any growth from candy canes. Had seventeen species of coral, scooter blenny, two clowns and two cleaner shrimp, plus twenty or so hermits and assorted snails.

The clowns are getting on three years old and are breeding happily under their heteractis magnifica anemone. (picture in the invert thread from a couple of days ago)

Now would I ever subject a heteractis magnifica anemone to captivity in any size tank ever again. That's a different question. The time will come when I can not supply what this animal needs and I will be looking for a new place for it.

But two clowns in a ten gallon. Sure.

I would post pictures if someone let me know how to put them in the message. I can only seem to get them on as attachments. Duh...

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by Der_Iron_Chef

Ruth--

I'm sorry if my comment bothered you. It was not my intent to generalize, as my comment may have appeared to do. In my post, I said that there's a "certain amount" of bravado and narcissism. I hold true to this. Early into the hobby, I left a particular LFS in Calgary very discouraged and angry. The owner basically made me feel like an idiot because I didn't have two grand to spend on lighting and a skimmer. On the other end of the spectrum, the people on this forum have been encouraging and informative.

The point of my comment was to inform the newcomer (like myself) that the expensive gadgetry isn't necessary, even if someone will make you feel like an arse for the sake of a sale.

Again, I apologize if I've offended. I can admit to my mistakes, and perhaps I've made one here.

No offense taken Drew - it was "buggin" me so I felt I had to respond. I think my point is that it is a personal choice - what you want to/can afford to do. There are so many ways to have a successful saltwater tank and what works for one person may not work for the next. Some stuff is basic, some is very complex. Some people enjoy and make the gadgets work for them - others prefer not to or can't afford to, use them.
So basically whatever floats your boat or blows you skirt up - go for it. Heck I was the one on here a few days ago crying because I lost a bunch of really nice fish - and this was from a tank with a lot of expensive gadgets on it - all because of a tripped breaker

[Myanth]

Thanks to Christy I think that I've got this figured.


New batch of eggs Jan 18, should be hatching evening of the 26.

Mike

[muck]

Originally Posted by Myanth

Thanks to Christy I think that I've got this figured.


Well maybe.

Make sure you use the url from the large picture Mike.
Otherwise you did it right.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Originally Posted by Ruth

No offense taken Drew - it was "buggin" me so I felt I had to respond. I think my point is that it is a personal choice - what you want to/can afford to do. There are so many ways to have a successful saltwater tank and what works for one person may not work for the next. Some stuff is basic, some is very complex. Some people enjoy and make the gadgets work for them - others prefer not to or can't afford to, use them.
So basically whatever floats your boat or blows you skirt up - go for it. Heck I was the one on here a few days ago crying because I lost a bunch of really nice fish - and this was from a tank with a lot of expensive gadgets on it - all because of a tripped breaker

Well, I agree with everything you've said! But you know what's frustrating for me? I don't want to pay lots of money for a crappy stand/canopy, but I have no DIY woodworking experience! I need a new stand to accomodate a new sump, etc. Hmmm. Maybe I'll try it out and be surprised by my mad skills.

[Delphinus]

You never know until you try!

And one other point, any stand you DIY is going to be so seriously overbuilt anyhow, compared to what you can usually buy. Look at a consumer stand, sometimes they're built out of melamine or MDF. Look at any DIY stand, and it will be 2x4's, 2x6's, cross-braced to the wazoo, you can park a CAR on most DIY stands I've seen and not worry about it one day giving out.

[Jaws]

I'll be the first one to chime in and say that buying the best equipment still doesn't ensure an excellent system. I've been in the hobby for almost three years now. I started out buying the best of the best, slowly accumulating it over time while I ran a 70G sytem with the HOB skimmer and the maxijets to gain experience. I've had my 180G tank set up for a year now and I'll tell you, it was far from easy. Even after spending thousands and thousands of dollars on equipment it all came down to the amount of time I wanted to put in to it. Thankfully I'm addicted to the hobby and time and effort was just as much fun as it was frustration. There were hours and hours spent turkey basting rocks, pulling off buckets of hair algae, and cleaning equipment. Attention to detail is key in this hobby. I feel my system is reaching a point of stability finally and I can enjoy the hobby a little more while spending a little less time. Keep in mind that it does take about a year to establish an appropriate amount of bacteria and even nutrients to have a healthy system so patience is just as important.

With all that being said, it was an excellent learning experience to watch the system mature especially when I added new components to it and could observe the impact each one had on the tank. For example, it was unbelievable to me to see just how much of an impact flow had on my tank. I had about a 30X turnover in my tank for about six months with all kinds of algae problems. Now I have a 55X turnover and I haven't had a problem with algae since. Even with a 40X turnover the algae seemed to disappear. It was partnered with a lot of manual removal of algae as well but the flow pretty much stopped the algae from coming back. In the end, just like mostly everyone else mentioned, the more higher end equipment I added just allowed me to spend less time overpowering the larger problems and more time to spend on the smaller details that can make a system really thrive.

[Doug]

And whats the matter with hang on skimmers.

[Johnny Reefer]

I agree with the statement that complexity, with regard to this hobby, is relative. The definition of such can be as broad as there is people in the hobby.

As some of you know, I recently upgraded both my Reef and FOWLR systems. One of the reasons being to simplify things. But there is a point where I draw the line. I currently am not running my PhosBan reactor. It’s sitting idle in a closet. I run RowaPhos in a canister (along with carbon). I am not convinced...yet...that the reactor is any better than the canister and running the Rowa in the canister...for me...is simpler. While doing the upgrades I was considering a UV sterilizer. I decided to hold off on that....for now. I’m not sure that that is necessary and the downside to it is that it also kills off good stuff. And the day I get lighting that simulates Cumulonimbus cloud cover is the day I win the lottery.

But one thing that I really can’t get my head around is the benefits off a Ca reactor vs. manual dosing. I’ve never seen a Ca reactor, so I just don’t know much about them. (Ca reactor dummy here). I test Ca once a week. If it’s down, I go to the Reef Chemistry calculator to determine the amount required to bring it up to what I want. Then put a couple of cups of sump water in a jug. Measure the required amount of Ca and add it to the jug. Stir it up and pour it into the sump. Test the next day again. Done. I don’t find it to be much of a burden. Is there not a trade off of chores with having a Ca reactor? I get that it eliminates manual dosing, but what about maintaining the lower pH required within a Ca reactor? Also, does it need cleaning every so often? Then there’s the CO2. How much “hands on” does that require?

I guess, long question short.....what maintenance does a Ca reactor require?

Thanx much,

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

I get that it eliminates manual dosing, but what about maintaining the lower pH required within a Ca reactor? Also, does it need cleaning every so often? Then there’s the CO2. How much “hands on” does that require?

I guess, long question short.....what maintenance does a Ca reactor require?

Thanx much,

nope, no PH problem on a properly set up reactor. no cleaning just filling once and a while and you could rinse it when you fill it. as for co2, I had a 30lb bottle and I would have to fill it every 6 months. media I would have to fill every 6 months also as I had a large volume on mine. PH was constant at 8.0 so no problem there.

Steve