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What's the best kinda of all in one reef ready aquarium?
Yeah I know
>All in one tanks
But I really just want something simple to setup I'm thinking about getting a Redsea 44g system what do you think?

>>2105487
I don't usually have opinions on tanks smaller than 100g.

>>2105487
I service a few clients that own them. They are pretty straight foward to set up but I have some issues with them.

The Red Sea built-in skimmers are pretty sucky and you cant really swap them out with an alternative one. As with all those all-in-one systems it's like a prebuilt gaming PC or lapto where you can't really expand or upgrade equipment on it.

The other issue is the glass on the Redsea tanks seems to be super porus/sticky and tends to be really hard to clean.

>>2105493
have you been feeding your new nem?
if so, what are you feeding?

just curious, I've had mine for a few months now and just fed it something yesterday. It seems to do fine without food.

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>>2105536
I don't feed it with any real consistentency. I feed my fish alternating pellets and frozen. Whatever is left falls on the nem the rest the new cinnamons tend to feed it too.

I do notice a big difference between unfed anemones and well fed ones and the poorly fed anemones tend to shrivel up. Twice a week is a good feeding regime for anemones.

>>2105490
Marine Tanks under 70 imo are pretty hard to keep stable.
But I have absolute respect for those who do.

>>2105557
beautiful picture

>>2105863
the problem I have with them is they're pretty cheap and easy to keep for the first year.

so you see tons of newbs that have ~30g tanks and then a year later they aren't keeping reefs anymore because everything died.

I've seen it so often I just ask people how old their tank is now. If it's less than a year I'll compliment them and walk off knowing full well it'll be gone in a few months.

>>2106031
It's not impossible to keep nano tank. You just have to be religiously ontop of maintenance.

>>2106665
I don't think it's impossible.

If it's your fourth tank and you've been keeping reefs for 15 years then it's probably fine.

it's pretty rare to meet someone with experience that wants to keep a nano though.

it's almost always newbs that can't afford the hobby, and their tanks are almost always wiped out in 12 months or less. That's all.

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>>2105487
I really like my 30g nano cube.... its been working great for the last year or so.

Also, really dig the marine /aq/ thread..

>>2106666
The reason I have my 30g Nano is for mobility. I have to pick up my tank and move it every 6 months of so since I'm in college, and the 30 is sooo easy to move. A million times easier then even my 55g. I can load it all up into 7 5gal buckets in about an hour, and unload it and set it up in about four when I get to wherever I'm going. Although I will need to get a bigger tank soon here... I've just about run out of room for coral in the tank.

>>2106674
>The reason I have my 30g Nano is for mobility.
sure.

and that's also part of the reason they have a tendency to die on people.

reefs survive moves just fine, but biofilters might not make it.

anyways I don't see anything wrong with people starting off with a nano, I've just seen so many of them crash and their owners quit that I don't really have any opinion on them anymore.

my opinion is that 9/10 people that own them won't be keeping saltwater in a year.

>>2106675
>but biofilters might not make it.
wut? The live rock in the tank is the majority of your biofilter, and if their totally submerged in water over the move, there should be no issue.

>>2106668
Man that's beautiful, almost makes me want to go get an aquarium

>>2106687
>The live rock in the tank is the majority of your biofilter
yeah, that's another reason newbs tanks crash.

they believe stuff like that.

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Just got a 25gallon aquarium, looking for some ideas about the fish i'm gonna put in (kinda partial to bettas)

>>2106708
Then you must be getting bad liverock.. or not using enough of it.. I don't even use a protein skimmer because of the sponges and tiny organisms all over my liverock. Coral growth is way better then I ever expected, nitrates have never been readable, and nothings ever died.. soo... I feed super heavily too. at least twice a day with pellets, and once every two days with brine and my coral blend for all the coral that will actually eat food.

>>2106668
Thanks, its been a lot of work.. If everything is happy in the tank tomorrow I'll take an updated pic. That one is like 3-4 months old. A lot of stuff has grown/moved.

Shit, >>2106941 is meant for >>2106696

>>2105426
Maybe stop acting like marine aquarist are the best because of all the money you spend?

>>2106938
I think you hit on a major point-
the nutrients are consumed and turned into biomass, whether it's bacteria or pods or corals or fish.

this is good, but every tank has a limit on how much biomass it can support, and the more nutrients you provide the quicker it reaches that limit.

so what often happens is the tank runs along just find consuming all the food you can throw at it until finally the life in the tank is just too much. Then something pushes it over the edge, whether it's an animal dying in the rock or you forget a water change or maybe the life runs short on oxygen or some critical nutrient. Then all hell breaks loose as things start to die in a chain reaction.

Having an external biofilter doesn't prevent this, it just slows it down and makes it easier to catch. Filters cause their own problems because they tend to produce a ton of nitrate, but that's easier to deal with than ammonia, just because it works slower.

either way, adding a filter allows heavier stocking of fish and make the balance easier to keep. It makes things change more slowly. Like a cushion that can absorb some mistakes and accidents. And over a long enough time period we all have mistakes and accidents.

>>2106945
most of the anons here brag about how LITTLE money they spend.

I have a tank that cost more than a new car, but I almost never talk about it and rarely post pics. You're far more likely to hear me brag about how much I spend on diving various reefs around the world.

>>2106941
>A lot of stuff has grown/moved.
we'd love to see it. You have a great tank.

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>>2105426

>>2106954
My purple ribbon gorgonian looks like it's finally going to open back up today, so I should definitely be able to get a picture... It's been 'molting' for the last month and a half or so. It's what I consider the one of the most attractive corals in the tank, so i never really take pictures while it's molting.

>>2106950
That's all very true. That's part of the reason why I frag heavily in my tank, and believe strongly in biodiversity. I frag to cut down on the biomass gained (basically to lessen the damage of that coral dying, if something went wrong in the tank) and the diversity is to make sure that if some population in the tank suddenly crashes, it makes up such a small portion of the tank that it virtually doesn't matter. When I first had my tank, the live rock was covered in copepods. But after two months or so, the amphipods became dominant, and I could see amphipods hunting copepods (which is really neat to watch btw). Eventually it was mostly just amphipods. Then I introduced micro brittle stars to the tank (on purpose), and they have quickly dominated the copepods and the amphipods. I wouldn't be surprised if something else comes in and takes its place soon. I'm currently going through a limpet population explosion.

I think more then anything, success in reefkeeping can be achieved just by paying attention to your tank. I mean close attention. My tank is less then 3 feet away from my desk, that I spend probably 75% of my time at. I watch my tank literally all day. I watch populations rise and fall, see what corals look bad, correlate which groups of corals look bad to particular problems, and a address the problem. This is part of the reason I don't use test kits. Test kits are reactionary. Shits going downhill fast, and so you just need to start testing for everything to figure out whats the issue. I aim to beat the problem before I'd get to that reactionary stage of 'Oh shit stuffs dyin'. Besides, the fish store I work at is just 10 minutes away, and I could test my water for everything there. I still dont. But I could.

What are your experiences with older reef tanks?
How long are your tanks running?

I have a 4g tank running for over 4 years now. Started with about 5 pounds of liverock.
The amount of species decreased over the years and led to a few bigger coral and higher populations of other invertebrates but there arose also spaces without coral growth.

Would it be wise to add a fresh pound of liverock to get some action and new species?

Also do leds emit less light over this amount of time?

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Took new pics today, gunna dump some.

>>2107069
>4gallons
Just start with that

>>2107188
Why is there a tree branch in your ree-OHHH! It's a gorgonian...

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>>2107044

>I think more then anything, success in reefkeeping can be achieved just by paying attention to your tank. I mean close attention. My tank is less then 3 feet away from my desk, that I spend probably 75% of my time at. I watch my tank literally all day. I watch populations rise and fall, see what corals look bad, correlate which groups of corals look bad to particular problems, and a address the problem. This is part of the reason I don't use test kits. Test kits are reactionary. Shits going downhill fast, and so you just need to start testing for everything to figure out whats the issue. I aim to beat the problem before I'd get to that reactionary stage of 'Oh shit stuffs dyin'. Besides, the fish store I work at is just 10 minutes away, and I could test my water for everything there. I still dont. But I could.

I never react on test kit readings. It is far more important to record you test results and base you actions over long periods of data rather then "coral died" test and find out that dkH is off range by 2-3 then buffer your water.

For that reason one of the great benefits of the digital controllers is they have realtime monitoring and data logging so you can see on a graph how your pH or temp swings and varies over a selected range of time.

You can even publicly view my tanks parameters here
http://www.reeftronics.net/Va/vayeate/apex-status
>>2107178
that's really nice like the monties nice color, what do you dose with a how often?

>>2107195
Yea, it just doesn't have its polyps out right now :)

>>2107238
I am going to be getting an apex soon for that reason. It won't really do much more then monitor and run my lighting for me though. I don't dose anything, ever :). I do weekly 10% water changes with high quality salt (salinity by aquavitro) and feed heavily. No protein skimmer for the last 3 months now. Carbon filter pad being replaced every 3-5days. That's about all

>>2107248
>that reason. It won't really do much more then monitor and run my lighting for me though. I don't dose anything, ever :). I do weekly 10% water changes with high quality salt (salinity by aquavitro) and feed heavily. No protein skimmer for the last 3 months now. Carbon filter pad being replaced every 3-5days. That's about all

Good keep that up. Without sounding like a nagging grandma. The best and most vital feature of the apex is that it can act as an alarm and failsafe if your heaters/chillers fail or stick on.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen tanks crash because of $15 heater fucking up and taking out the entire tank. I don't even guarantee livestock anymore with my service clients if they don't have an Apex or a DA.

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How is my marine tank looking /mq/? Just had the clowns in a few days.

Does anybody have some suggestions for mini projects or non-cheesy ways to liven up the tank? It's too early for corals and my lights probably aren't good enough for them right now anyway, so it's looking a bit bare with just rock, sand and a pair of fish/hermit crabs.

>>2107325
I like the little cave you made in the rock.

If I was you I'd probably just add some more critters. Maybe a cleaner shrimp, a couple snails once you get some algae growing.

also, nice rimless. what's the size?

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>>2107180

>>2107351

Do fire shrimps do a good job of cleaning up diatoms? I've got some on the central live rock and a bit on the walls. I like the fire shrimps' appearance more than the cleaner shrimps of peppermint shrimps.

Thanks, It's a 14gal tank. I know it's on the small side so I'm not going to do something stupid like getting a blue tang. It does actually have a lid but I removed it to fit the LED lighting I bought. Which is actually another point - I like it more rimless but it does cause a few problems, namely the water seems to evaporate faster and if I get the mini filter spraying along the surface for oxygen flow it sprays too much out the tank.

Is a surface ripple enough for healthy oxygenation? There's the mini filter and an external cannister filter itself blowing a 600L flow rate but in the water they don't do much more than a moderate surface ripple.

>>2107371
>Do fire shrimps do a good job of cleaning up diatoms?
no.

pods are the best for cleaning diatoms. Snails are second best. To get rid of them permanently you need to get some sponges growing to eat up the silica. Assuming you've got real live rock, the pods and sponges are already in your tank, just need time to grow.

for oxygen you should be running a skimmer, even a tiny one. Especially if you have external filters because nitrifying bacteria consume oxygen.

oxygen probably isn't much of a problem at your current stocking levels though.

>>2107376

I've been trying to go skimmer-less for the moment, substituting with weekly 20% water changes, just because skimmers seemed like slightly more complicated gear (and possibly slightly more unsightly, having a tube sitting outside the tank that fills with essentially much). I'd buy one before going coral for sure, though.

>>2107383
yeah, what usually ends up happening is a sump gets built to hold all that equipment and keep it out of your tank.

anyways, I wouldn't worry about oxygenation. That surface ripple should keep biofilms from clogging your surface, and unless your fish are gasping at the surface your o2 is probably fine.

>>2107383
the other thing that affects oxygen is temperature.

water holds more oxygen at lower temperatures, and animals and bacteria consume less oxygen at lower temps.

so if oxygenation is a concern, aim for a temp around 26 or so. Maybe even 25.

don't try that with corals though, they do best at higher temps than fish do.

>>2107388

Okay, thanks, my tank's hovering at between 26-27 at the moment. I have noticed immediate signs of oxygenation problems, I just inferred that if I'm not getting enough surface distortion that the tank wouldn't be well oxygenated but don't really have a frame of reference to know if it's good enough so have been a bit nervous, but I won't worry so much now I've been pointed out my stock level is probably too low for issues.

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>>2107325
You could add an easy softie like Green Stars or a simple hard LPS like Duncans or acans.

Corals don't really add much waste to the bioload so you can't really "overload" them the same way with fish other then increased consumption of alkalinity and cacium.

If want to risk it you also add a macro algae like Dragons tounge.

Anyway this is a nano tank I set up a year or two ago for a school swimming pool. The Rock and corals are in my main display at home. It's too bad because people just couldn't help it over feed it despite my warnings over and over again and I got sick of cleaning it and doing it for free sadly the kids are the ones who lose out on this.

>>2107366
Haha I love it when people like my tank... I really don't think it looks good. So many things I still need to do with it before it can be 'perfect'. It should be perfect by the end of this summer though. My new fish store job with all the money and discounts I get from that should ensure it. Also planning on getting an Apex and setting up an ato/Kalk doser

>>2107419
*sigh* one of the biggest things I need to make my tank perfect is a big piece of Acropora

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>>2107383
A skimmer will help, if anything It's just oxygenation.

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So I currently have this 10g freshwater tank but I have always wanted a saltwater tank. I recently bought a 55 gallon when petco had their sale and have been debating using that for a salt water tank, or transfering my freshwater tank to it and making a 10g nano reef tank

The price of a 10g reef tank is the most attractive point since there isn't a huge initial investment, but I know it'll be more stable in a bigger tank. I'm a broke college student and I'll be moving in a year so there is also that

>>2107915
Having moved a 55g reef a couple times I'd say just wait on that.

10g is fine, and if you manage to keep it alive for a year you'll not only have a little starter reef to move to the bigger tank, but you'll also find the 55g way easier and more fun after keeping a nano.

>>2107864
nice shot.
I love the glow.

>>2107918
see I'm just worried because everyone at my LFS told me not to even think about starting a reef tank if its under 100g but online I keep seeing all these neat little nanos that wouldn't be like $1000 wasted if everything dies

I could also aim for like a 20 or 30g

on that note, has anyone used tampa bay saltwater? I've been looking at their package deal and it seems like a good price

>>2107928
well first nano's aren't that bad as long as you can do small weekly water changes.

second, as you say if the whole thing dies it's not that expensive. So if you go into it knowing you could lose everything you buy you'll be fine. And you should be thinking that no matter what your tank size, because tanks of all sizes can crash.

just don't put more than one or two tiny, hardy fish in it and it should be fine. I'd go with one or two tiny damsels or clowns and nothing more. Maybe even skip the fish entirely and just do corals or macros. It's up to you.

I wouldn't bother with a 20 or 30. They really aren't much easier than a 10 in my experience. 55g really is the perfect size for a starter, but if cost or space prohibits you might as well go small.

>>2107932
I mostly meant a 20 or 30g so I could keep a little bit more in it without the price going up a lot more, and yeah I mostly want to do corals and macros, with crustaceans and maybe one clown fish, yellow tangs are my favorite fish but they aren't exactly an option in a tank that small

>>2107938
yeah, I think yellow tangs get something like 10 inches long. Way too big for a 10g.

a 20 or 30 should cost 2-3 times more than a ten. I mean when you figure you're buying rock by the pound and your equipment goes up in price as fast as it does in size.

but if that's an option the standard advice is to get the largest tank you can afford. If that's a 20 or 30 then go for it.

>>2107938
Prices have dropped considerably though.

a few examples:
I have a 60g tank.
I have on it a Chinese reef LED that cost $90
A Chinese skimmer and pump that cost $30
A heater and controller that together might cost $30
a couple hundred pounds of dead rock I got for free
and live rock that cost $100, most of which was shipping.

now I also have some other equipment in there because I built a sump for it, but the stuff above is the basics and it really isn't that expensive. What have we got, $250? Almost half of which was the tiny bit of live rock I bought.

other anons will say a second LED unit is necessary, I suppose you'd have to decide that for yourself. On a 55g it might be, they're pretty long.

>>2107184
>mars aqua LEDs
Heh, I bought some, but never use them now that I've got a proper hood and T5 lighting. £65 wasted I guess.

>>2107951
funny, I replaced my fluorescents with those LED's cuz I got tired of buying expensive bulbs every 4-6 months.

>>2107957
>"expensive bulbs every 4-6 months."
>go to hydroponics shop
>bulbs are a few dollars each
I dunno why "aquarium grade" stuff is 10x the price of regular bulbs, especially since hydroponics lights are made for plants and output the correct light, which is great for freshwater tanks.

>>2107971
oh yeah,
if you don't have a reef tank those LED's won't do you any good.

>>2107974
They worked fairly well for my plants actually. The only downside is that I've got a new tank and I can't fit the LEDs under the hood, hence why I haven't used them.

>>2107977
Yeah, they should work, but most of that actinic and cold white would be wasted. Plants need some blue light but they do a lot more work with red.

but with a reef you need the blue, and you're replacing bulbs every 6 months even if they're not worn out just so you know you're getting it.

In that case the silly little LED fixture pays for itself in less than a year.

>>2107974
Speaking of LEDs, I've got a Current USA Orbit Marine LED for my 10 gallon. I really like it because it's programmable to resemble natural outdoor conditions and a timer with a lot of modes that gives illusion to sunsets/sunrises, and moonlight.

I'm only worried that it's not enough. My LPS barely grow and I feel like it's not powerful enough. I think another problem is I use R/O and store bought saltwater from the lfs and it doesn't have the minerals that marine salt has. However, I pretty much regularly dose the tank with Kent Marine Coral-Vite & Powdered Calcium.

But, it's been neglected a bit since a lot of personal family stresses and college finals (I didn't expect my first spring semester to be so harsh) going on at same time has led to me being distracted from my aquarium's water quality along with personal fitness, hangouts with my friends, and my other hobbies(diving, fishing, ect).

Since I feel the summer semester is going to be a lot easier, I believe that I will have a lot more time and energy to give all my aquariums, my friends, and my gains a lot more attention.

But yeah, is a Current USA Orbit Marine LED alright for growing LPS, Zoos, Softies, and in the future SPS?
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewitem.aspx?idproduct=CU04100&child=CU04100&utm_source=adwordsfroogle&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=adwordsfroogle&utm_content=CU04100&gclid=CjwKEAjw3fG4BRDsn9GAv7T2zEkSJACNJdjgD0Qfd-0uPR7UtT2sN9ODPBBS2LRT8-u_CMYgWat_sRoCnwrw_wcB

>>2107951
I love my mars aqua. Grows coral great. And the ability to constantly change my spectrum is great. Soon it'll be hooked up to apex so it can dim it throughout the day.

>>2108137
Just start mixing your own salt. I know it might kinda seem daunting at first, and like you might really mess it up, but it's really not that bad. Just buy a cheapie hydrometer, and some high quality reef salt like salinity by aquavitro, and do 30% water changes every week with that for a month. I guarentee everything will begin to look very different in your tank. If you want to step it up even more, you can get one of those cheap 165w LEDs online for less than 100 bucks. Both will certainly improve your LPS growth.
The best bang for your buck will be the salt though, I promise it'll make a difference.

>>2108245
Thanks mate! I'll owe you a fts of my baby when I see improvement!

All I want to do is have a tank big enough to do this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Y4WoR6tLk

>>2108341
You can do that in like a little 20g if you want. Smaller really.... But 20g is the minimum I would want to keep a nem in. They can be sensitive

>>2108437
Plus nems like to move around. I would be scared putting a nem in a tank smaller than 30 gallon reef and have one move to a spot right next to an acro.

>>2108443
And that's why I flat out wouldn't put a nem in a reef at all. If I ever have a bubble tip anemone, it'll probably have have it's own tank. Actually, my idea for a nem tank is a 55 gallon tank with several different colors of bubble tip anemones, and (hopefully) a pair of clowns for each nem. I've seen a tank almost just like this before that had probably 20-30 nems in it and 8 or so pairs of clowns, all different morphs, all bought as bonded pairs so they all stayed segregated, on their own nems peacefully.

Basically though, if you get a nem don't get any coral you will be upset losing. That nem could one day decide it doesn't like it's spot, detach, and start tumbling through your tank, killing everything it touches.

Whats all of yalls favorite micro goby? I'm thinking about removing my three green chromis, and just having my cinnamon clown and a bunch of micro gobies

Hey Vayeate, (or anyone else) do you know a good place to get a cheap apex or any type of controller? I keep checking craigslist, but the few controllers that go up there, the guys posting never get back to me about it. Trying not to break the bank on something I really don't feel I need, but at the same time do.

>>2108677
I don't, but what specifically do you want out of a controller?

because all those individual systems can be bought separately for much cheaper. A temp controller costs like $12. Water alarms are similarly cheap. PH controllers and dosing pumps cost a bit more but they're still way cheaper than an apex.

only real advantage to the thing I can think of is having all your stuff in one spot and being able to use it remotely. And really that's quite a bit of money to pay for a convenience you'll probably never use.

>>2108681
The biggest thing I want an apex or similar controller for is my lighting. I want to be able to dim and brighten over the period of the day properly, and have correct moon cycles and everything. To my knowledge, there's not a product out there that does only automatic dimming of LED lighting. But I can get an apex and hack my light real quick, and get fully adjustable/dimmable lighting. It's the only real thing I need it for. It would be really nice to have the datalogging abilities and being able to view how my tank is doing while I'm gone (I often have to leave the tank completely alone for a week or two at a time)

>>2108696
I think someone itt or in the /aq/ thread was talking about a timer that dims his LED's.

remote access I'd guess you'd need the apex or similar though.

>>2108701
Hmm, I don't remember seeing that, but I'll have to control f that real quick and ask if anyone has anything for it... If i could find an alternative for like 50 bucks I would totally take that instead of apex. I'm working at my LFS over the summer, so I assume I will probably be able to come across an apex there pretty cheap

>>2108704
I was wrong, he's talking about a programmable LED.

>>2108137

>>2108706
ahhh yes. Yea, unfortunately I can't find a decent way to dim the lights without going with a big programmable controller. I even thought of doing something so rough as to put little servos on the dials of my 165w board. I would have to build some type of arduino board to control the servos, which is where I'm stuck, cuz I'm useless with electronics, and me building my own arduino board is literally impossible. And it would just be super crude looking

>>2108714
I'm the anon with the controlable light. It's awesome. It has customizable sunset/rise time, moonlight, day time, intensities(which makes it dimmer, brighter), and a bonus is it's modes. It has different forms of cloudy days for mornings, midday, or dusk, and a lightning storm mode.

It comes with the remote control since it is only remote controlled.

>>2108718
No offense, but that light would kill all of my corals quickly ;). It's not nearly as powerful as the small collapsed sun I have hovering over my tank now. The features are really cool though :)

>>2108719
The thing is, you can dim the lights so daylight isn't nearly as harsh as you want. You can also control both blue and white lights intesity separately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpQev4pWxGc

>>2108722
That same light for my tank is only rated for about 50 watts of power. Whereas my light claims to use 165w of power, but actually only use about 110w in all actuality. It just over two times as powerful as your light. I actually wouldn't mind buying two of those orbits though...

>>2108725
For 180 I could get an SB reef light, which is just an upgraded 165w LED. I believe you can get programmable ones that will basically do everything I need.. I'll have to see if I can hack my current LED to do that..

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>>2108696
Also if you want to directly interface with the lights with the APEX you will need an WXM or WLM modual which about $100. That is if you want to hook up your lights to the controler. I know the WXM box is for the Ecotech Radions and AI's picture very much related.
>>2108677
Bulkreef supply has really good deals on the Apex. You can even probably do with just a apex lite or get the base unit+energy bar and probes and you pretty much are good to go.

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>>2108681
The most important thing with an controler is that it will offer valuable insurance when shit hits the fan. It can for example detect if the heater/Kalkwasser doser is malfunctioning and kill the power to those components at the same time instant messaging you that there's a problem so you or a friend can handle it when you are away.

I don't offer any guarantees on service acccout livestock even freshwater without an APEX. It's a $200 peice of equipment that can save you a $1000.

I posted my APEX code so feel free to use and copy it.

Also Ecotech Radion g3 pro LED Master race here.

>>2108748
The ecotechs are nice... Just WAAYYYY to pricy for me. I ended up with a 165w chinese black box.
First one fell into the tank (I picked it up right away, recieving some good shocks myself but the tank was okay and thats all that matters..), replacement (cuz lying to amazon) came about two weeks later and the light board quickly went out on it. Since the ballast on the first one was all that fried when it got wet, I just swapped the old lightboard onto the new ballasts and got a light working. Ended up costing me $5 for shipping the initial light XD
Over two times cheaper than the last 150w MH bulb I replaced :P

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No I totally agree I got them becuase I could and I honestly wanted to support my cousins city of Bethlehem, PA. It one of the few things they still make in the US.

The Maxspect led are really high quality as far as Chinese ones go. I mean they actually give Ecotech a run for their money. I was at their booth at the last MACNA in D.C and they had the slickest setup for LED show even submersible reef lights.

>>2108788
Submersible reef lights? I'd be interested to see more of that... I wonder what type of applications they were suggesting

>>2108790
I think it's just a style and more or less proof of concept my best guess would be in large tanks where you might want to have "spotlighted" corals

I want to do a 29 gal cube, Im obviously going to get alot advice from my local reef shop people but is there anything I should know before getting started? I def want to do Clownfish and anemones and a few soft corals.

>>2109017
>anything I should know before getting started?
take your time. No hurry. Enjoy the process because it never really ends.

Ya'll shoulda made this general a minute ago doe.

I'm a freshwaterfag but I would like to understand Marine aquariums more.

>>2109195
What would you like to know, friendo

>>2109197
Everything, really.

But I could just google that. I'm just going to lurk and see what you guys find interesting.

>>2109199
Feel free to not just lurk but ask questions... Go lurk on some of the reef forums like reef central or something too.
Also, if you want to go marine, just do it. Go get a little 5 gallon tank, start it cycling, and pick up some hermits, maybe emerald crabs, and start runnin

>>2109199
I promise it's not as hard as most of us like to make you think

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Could someone even grow anything with one of these in a 5 gallon tank, or two in a 10 gallon?

>>2109210
I think two of those on a ten gallon, with good reflectors, would be ample for probably anything. Although certain corals won't be a good idea in a tank that small, like sps and other sensitive corals.

>>2109202
>>2109203
No room for more tanks right now.

Also I might have too many as it is, as I find that I'm slacking on feedings and water changes, water changes especially. I try to get away with it by overfiltering and densely planting.

I'd have to somehow liquidate all the livestock in an existing tank to have space in my life for a marine tank.

>>2109234
How many tanks do you have now?? If you have a lot of freshwater its probably best you never get a marine tank until its the only thing you have. Once I got my reef, I started neglecting my two freshwater tanks really bad.

And yes, it is because it's that much better.

>>2109240
Two twenty gallons and a nano betta tank.

I don't have room left for SHIT. Though about selling my bedroom TV and my digital piano to free up space.

One of the tanks is in the basement and one is on the second floor. So I feel like who does or doesn't get fed is based on which floor I happen to be on that evening. My betta starts eating his tail when he doesn't get fed it seems.

I'm moving out this summer so hopefully I can get bigger and better tanks.

Saltwater looks interesting but it almost seemed like I would need RO to do it properly.

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Literally what the marine hobbyist are trying to do to freshwater aquarist

>>2109433
Damn, yea your pretty set on tanks for now. And yea, you would need RO for saltwater, but it's really not a big deal. You can find RO filters on craigslist all the time for under 50 bucks, or you can just get it from your local LFS, cuz most of them will stock it. It's usually 2.50 for a 5gal bucket of the stuff. Kinda a hassle to lug around a 5-10 gallons of RO whenever I want to to a water change/ have water for top off, but it's not a big deal. Or you can spend 50 bucks and hook it up to your hose.

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>>2107069
this is my tank

I added some new live-rock
was hoping for a new mantis or pistolshrimp but i didn't get any

>>2109486
Thats pretty crazy looking. Should try and get a better shot with your camera, can't really make much out here. Also, if you want a mantis, just let your LFS know. They'll probably keep an eye out an sell you one out of their live rock shipments pretty cheap. Or they can order one. Your really just better off getting a beautiful peacock mantis though.

yeah, i might take one tomorrow.

They said, they don't do this anymore, their business's time schedule doesn't allow it

peacock mantis are cool, but this tank is tiny.

My shop does sometimes have A. bellulus or A. randalli for about 30€.
So I could go for this option or get more and more live rock.

>>2109511
>I could go for this option or get more and more live rock.
I've bought half a ton of uncured live rock from Fiji, Haiti, Florida, and Tonga. That's a pretty big pile of rock.

I've never in all that rock found a mantis or pistol shrimp.

maybe I'm just lucky. I don't think I'd try to get a shrimp by buying rock though.

>>2109526
>>2109511
mantis shrimp really aren't that common. At least not anymore. Hitchhikers in general are less common on liverock, as it's become more of a practice for the importers to power wash the rock as it comes in, and scrape anything valuable besides the rock off itself, so they can sell that later.
You will still get the occasional mantis, but it's relatively rare. My LFS will get a mantis in every couple order of live rock (1,000s of lbs)

>>2105426
Those are some damn comfy fish. QT as hell

>>2109526
>>2109545
thanks.
I once heard that they put stones recovered from deeper areas in very shallow water to let them get more algae so they look more "live".

The first two pounds of uncured liverock i got had two mantis-, one pistol- and one normal shrimp and some crabs.
So i was hoping to get something similar.
Here in Germany we get liverock from southeast Asia i think.

>>2109913
that wouldn't surprise me at all if they did something like that. Many people who collect corals and lr do some shoddy things. Wow, getting all of that stuff off a little liverock is awesome. I wish that happened to me. What type shrimps and crabs were they?

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>>2110037
sadly the only one who survived was the pistolshrimp

it was a mistake to put fresh liverock quasi right out of the plane into a tiny tank without a skimmer; there were also hundreds of worms who didn't make it
the tank smelled like death and i had to put active charcoal, zeovith and a lot of oxygen into it

the mantis were Gonodactylellus affinis and the shrimp was unknown, with black and white stripes
the pistolshrimp later died in a horrible battle with a bigger pistolshrimp that i got as a gift from friends

now i've only got three thor shrimps and this hermit

>>2110151
You didn't get a sexy shrimp in liverock did ya? Cuz that'd be sick. I kinda wanna get a bunch of them. so cute

>>2110165
That's nearly impossible. Usually shrimps collected from liverock would be small, colorless shrimp that aren't very desirable.

>>2110182
I also didn't think getting two mantis, one pistol shrimp, a shrimp, and a handful of crabs could show up in just 2lbs of liverock... Stranger things have happened

>>2110165
>>2110182
nah, it wasn't a sexy shrimp
but it was the size of a male sexy shrimp and alive for some time

the rock plate i bought was relatively dense
i also bought another rock which was still more in coral form and there was nothing in it

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2,6 gallon
2 years old

>>2110191
I think a lot of rock dealers treat the stuff with freshwater or similar to force shrimps out.

People consider them a pest.

>>2110236
Absolutely stunning.

How much noise do these things make? If I like my room to be super quiet when I sleep, would having one of these in it be stupid?

>>2110269
sometimes the eheim skim sucks in too much air and goes wild, otherwise it's silent.

>>2110236
beautiful tank

what light source do you use?

>>2110581
9 w dennerle marine t5

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>>2105426
I keep passing by that pic and I just fucking love it those clown look so peaceful and comfy dyooghaodjwwaodawafg

It's a shame how many are gonna die in freshwater fishbowls in the upcoming decade after that upcoming movie. Parents who buy their shitty kids pets on a whim should be forced to survive in some nearby lake or creek like the numerous pets they've almost certainly abandoned.

>>2110819
>It's a shame how many are gonna die in freshwater fishbowls in the upcoming decade after that upcoming movie.
I really doubt this will happen. Parents aren't going to want to drop $25 on a fish as a curio for their kid, and most children can't seem to tell the difference between a clownfish and a 12¢ goldfish anyway.

>>2110841
>Parents aren't going to want to drop $25 on a fish as a curio for their kid

You'd be surprised. $25 is nothing these days.

>>2110856
I guess it depends on where you live. I hear people bitch about $25 for a tank kit, much less a fish.

>>2110877
>I hear people bitch about $25 for a tank kit

Which people? where?

>>2110884
Mostly parents buying fish stuff for their children at chain stores.

>>2110884
Or any time I'm trying to sell anything. Ever.

>>2110856
>$25 is nothing these day.

What about tetras, barbs, and guppies you buy at Petsmart? Everybody feels that all fish are as cheap as most common freshwater types and are pretty much "worthless". It is quite a shame that there's so much that goes into bringing LIVE fish from halfway across the fucking globe and hope to God they stay alive, and expect that fish to cost less a $5 bill. This of course excludes many aquacultured species(although tank bred saltwater fish are even more expensive because of the process in which it takes to raise them).

>most children can't seem to tell the difference between a clownfish and a 12¢ goldfish anyway.

I wish animal sciences were taken a bit more seriously in public schools, or anywhere for that matter so that even the dumbest people can have a little information to talk about nature and to tell apart the differences from basic species.

It's horrible how PETA and treehugging libs say that we should protect these big ass, top of the foodchain animals that everybody's heard of and not want to learn everything they can. Do you know what tapirs eat? They're endangered, so we must protect them! A malayan tapir has a diet of around 180 different plant species(rough estimate), but prefers 32 of those. The genuses(geni?) of the plants in it's preferred diet aren't even recognized in wikipedia! No red links, just absent. How the fuck will we know how to protect a malayan tapir, if the public can't and are too stupid to know what it eats?

I had a final project in my college class to talk about a topic given to use by the professor an organism, habitat, ect. of our state. Since I knew a lot about every topic, I just fucking breezed through it. Everyone else just suffered. The girl who got a coral reef topic could barely get any information of anything! "I takes hundreds of years for a single coral...-pauses to look at her cards- ...colony to grow".

Im thinking of doing a 20 gal nano for my first reef, should I use dry rock and live sand? or live rock and sand? Also how do you clean the sand (vaccum? are there sand cleaning inverts?) Will I need a substrate for the sand?

Does anybody know what I had on my dartfish? I never got a good picture, but think of acoel flatworms, except without any color. Samesize, oval shaped, and milky clear flatworms. I got the dartfish, and about a week in, I saw two of those fuckers attached to him crawling all over him and I panicked. I immediately dunked him in a 5 minute freshwater dip. After that, they weren't there anymore. The closest idea I could think of is flukes. It's been a month since I bought him, and about 3 weeks since the dip. They're hasn't really been much in the signs of fluke afterwards; VERY reflective eyes, not cloudy, not any signs of discoloration, doesn't scratch on the decor, only hides when my gramma chases him(comes out whenever he can), never clasps his fins, almost fully extended. The only thing I feel shows sickness is his "yawning", he does it about every minute or two. But I rarely seem him do it. This goes with my other two fish in the same 10 gallon. Is everything safe? Is whatever it is gone?

>>2110913
I would go with live rock and live sand. Or you could do normal sand and dry rock, and just buy a little bit of liverock, and get some sand out of someone's tank. It'll take longer for everything to colonize, but you can do it.
I've never vacummed the sand in my reef (1yr old) but I do stir the portions of the sand bed in a rotation every once in awhile. I also have lots and lots of bristle worms, nassarius snails, and brittle stars, which all help a shit ton in controlling detritus buildup. My cleanup crew is quite robust, which helps a lot

>>2110950
Your probably safe. If you wanted to make sure (which I would, with all my other fish in the tank), just do a prolonged hypo salinity treatment in a hospital tank or something.

>>2110964
Oh thank you! I heard that those fuckers can hide themselves for a good month or two and the fish won't show any signs.

>>2110962
Could I add an emerald crab at the same time I add the other cleanup crew members, or should I wait until I add coral and stuff?

can you guys post some pictures of cool ass corals?

Sieg heil my fellow salt water elitist

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>>2110998
I feel like it's tacky but pulsing Xenia is still my favorite.

>>2111082
I hate that devil weed. It grows like wildfire in my tank and tries to overrun everything.


It is super cool though

>>2111088
Sieg heil!

>>2111082
Its so cool but it has to be controlled

>>2111092
>>2111088
How are wild populations of xenia controlled? Flat worms, I'm guessing?

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>>2111021

>>2111101
Bahahahahahahahaha I love you

>>2111099
>>2111099
I'd guess some type of flatworm or nudibranch, yes. I don't know of any fish that eat them, but there probably is one. They probably still have vast populations though

>>2111101
>thinks $1000 is a lot of money
Welp just pointed yourself out as poor instead of him.

>>2111110
Check these. And $1000 is rich.

>>2111101
Not to be a downer but that isn't a lot of money.

>>2111120
>>2111110
do you guys have more than a grand in cash sitting around at any random point in time? Just curious.

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>>2111101
Hello. Found a picture of you. I make double that every week at my regular job and 500-1000 depending if I have to do any diving that week for tank maintenance.

>>2111124
I've posted my pic here b4.

I'm the anon with the big tank.

>>2111021
>>2111101
>>2111129
Well.. That was super easy.

>>2111131
but was it fun?

if you didn't have fun it wasn't worth the time I put into it.

>>2111132
Hitler did nothing wrong.

>>2111134
I'll take that as a yes.

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My reef 25 gal cube. 1 year old in May.

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>>2111124
You do diving for tank maintenance? I just got a new fullface scuba mask w/t regulator for the tank I dive in.

Btw I ask for $32 p/hr. It think thats fair if your doing any diving+ aquarium maintenance and related work.

>>2111292
More than fair. Covers your cost of equipment. That shit gets expensive.

>>2110950
If they are flukes every fish in your tank would be infected and by the time you notice visible symptoms is when you start having fatalities.

It's the biggest reason for "everything was fine and then all my fish died for no reason!" Kinda incidents.

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>>2111295
The cost of my equipment is expensed out. Like hell im paying $800 bucks for a commercial dive regulator. I also do maintenance on a large pool sized koI pond and the large 10k gallon reef tank.

Anyway what is /mq/'s opinion on getting rid of fuzzy hair algae? My tank has it on the rocks. Its not crazy bad or hurting anything just a green fuzz that's really pissing me off. I bought a lawnmower blenny but it doesn't look like he's made much dent.

My nitrates and phosphates measure 0 but that's a useless state since it only reads the nutrients not consumed by the tank.
dkH is 10.92 and calcium is 497.

Will a blackout work?

>>2111307
If inverts wont eat it you can treat it with phosphate rx and then pull it out by hand

>>2111307
>what is /mq/'s opinion on getting rid of fuzzy hair algae?
I remove it by hand.
eventually it goes away.
phosphate sponges really do help.

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Do these guys hurt corals? Ive heard horror stories but I really want them in my tank

>>2111307
15k black tip tank here. It's neat to swim with sharks and people love when I do.

>>2111332
I take it the dive went good then?

>>2111334
I was scared at first. But they aren't scary anymore. They'll allow me to touch them. As long as they're fed I'm good.

>>2111336
I first met them at paradise island in the Bahamas. I thought they were like stray dogs- scary but curious. Not dangerous if you weren't scared and they weren't hungry.

>>2111336
also fist bump for facing fear.

I know that feel.
those fish could fuck you up if they wanted to.

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>>2109493
here, this picture turned out sharper but i cannot upload higher resolution

I'm planning on putting xenia or some green lps on the plateau on the lower right and maybe getting rid of the montipora in the top left

>>2111307
Sally lightfoots should deccimate that stuff. Or at least both of mine have. The females can get predatory when they get older and large, they'll ambush fish, very efficiently. But only small ones, and as long as it's well fed it should never do it. But I just swap them out whenever they get close to a large size.

>>2111270
Looks sick man, nice looking chalice, is that a stunner? that huge blue sps to the right of it's beautiful too. What's that orange coral down in the water up and to the top right?

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>>2111544
I think itd be really cool if you replaced that montipora digitata with a shelving red/green/purple montipora. Could put a hammer coral or something above that colony too.

>>2111544
What type of gorgonian (?) is that next to your nem too? looks cool

>>2111307
Also turbo snails. I have 10 turbos in my tank, and almost never see any of them. They come out from under the rocks at night to feast and clean up the days algae growth.

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>>2110841
BUT MOM I WANT A CLOWNFISH LIKE IN THE MOVIE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Also, thinking about how many turbos I have in just my 30g reef.. I wonder what clean up crews do you guys use? and how many of each thing do you have approximately (I know it can be near impossible in larger tanks like some of you have)
In mine there is
-2 very large brittle stars and hundreds of baby and micro brittles
-10 hermit crabs (3 large, 3 medium, 3 small, and one halloween crab)
-10 astrea snails
-10 turbos
-4 nassarius snails (1 large, 3 small)
-1 Cleaner shrimp
This is all in a 30gal reef

btw, if you don't have a cleaner shrimp, get one. Not only are they super cool because they'll jump on your hand and clean your fingers, but they clean parasites off of your fish. Once I received a cubicus box fish covered with ich, and I didn't even think twice about adding him immediately to my reef. As soon as he was released in the water, the cleaner shrimp jumped on him like a rabid spider monkey, and within an hour the cubicus was completely cleaned off my the cleaner shrimp. The cleaner shrimp was even going in his mouth and gills, pulling out and eating every last sucker. They would probably do it for things like flukes as well.

>>2111120
>>2111110
The point he was making was that he just had a bunch of hundreds lying around. Nobody claimed that was a ton of money.

>>2111574
yes, that would look nice but sps is not growing anymore
not sure what causes this but since i got a hermit and fed it from time to time zoanthus vanished and sps stopped growing
the anemones on the other hand grew big

>>2111575
I think it's a pinnigorgia; it's closed on the pic

>>2111624
Stop. No more b8 taking please.

>>2111615
As long as you dont care that theyll all be dead

Have you guys ever successfully bred clownfish?

>>2111675
....huh?

>>2111630
I would guess that it's not related to the hermit, just coincidental. That's strange though. Have they bleached or something?

>>2105490
>2/10 would not bang.jpg

>>2111688
you heard me

>>2111693
Doesn't even make sense.

>>2111689
the montipora was partially damaged by the anemones and i had to relocate it
since then it doesn't show growth at its tips and the damaged parts have not overgrown either and there are also some Thylacodes snails on it
current might be a bit too direct at the new spot but it's not a strong pump (600 l/h)

what do you guys think about the red sea AIO tanks? I'm looking at the max c-130 for my first salt water tank

>>2111882
>34g
>$1,100

does it come with a blowjob or are they just straight fucking you?

>>2111887
well I was trying to figure out how to set up my own 29g tank with a sump and such but after pricing out the best stuff I could afford it came out to around the same price and the red sea would be easier. I also don't like biocubes very much, the slight bow to the front glass is irritating.
of course I am open to other ideas but I don't have a lfs to ask questions at and when I've tried online I don't get any responses.

>>2111888
I'd guess I could assemble that setup with all new equipment for less than half of that.

but you're right, it would be easier to buy it all in one.

>>2111888
>the best stuff I could afford
in a lot of cases the worst and the best are exactly the same.

I used to run a $600 skimmer and pump. When it broke down I bought a $30 unit from china. It works exactly the same.

>>2111893
>>2111890
what would you guys think about picking up something off craigslist? I found a few really nice things on there but idk if it would be more hassle for someone new to the hobby like me

>>2111895
>craigslist

Should be fine. You get all the potential issues you might get with buying anything from CL, but I don't see why there should be a problem. Its all about location and travel distance.

>>2111903
so how do these look to you? cause I mean they are way cheaper than starting a similar size tank

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/gms/5553356578.html

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/for/5558870834.html

>>2111903
or these two

https://hickory.craigslist.org/for/5539406685.html

https://asheville.craigslist.org/for/5560217671.html

holy shit that one in hickory

>>2111907
>>2111908

Look ok to me. Normaly on CL as a general rule I'd offer two thirds of their asking price. Also check it in person before you hand over money. You can assume the tank would be fine but don't give them money on the assumption that the fish have much value.

Main problem is logistics.

>>2111923
well I have a big ass van and I could get a 60-90g trash can to transport most of the water rock and fish, all of those are within an hours drive too. so not too far

any tips on anything specific to ask/look for? I'm definitely going to bring a test kit and test their water before I buy anything.

>>2110962
should I let my bristle worms stay or should I keep hunting them? like. they're fucking ugly. but. is it worth it?

>>2111949
bristle worms are valuable parts of your CUC.

it's fireworms you want to get rid of.

>>2111927
>I'm definitely going to bring a test kit and test their water before I buy anything.
seems excessive and not particularly helpful.

if their water is a problem they'll just change it before you show up. and if you buy the thing you're going to be changing all the water anyways.

if the livestock looks healthy then you can guess the water's fine. If the thing is caked in algae and full of dead rock then you know the water's not going to be ok.

if you test their water the probably won't want to sell to you because it's an obvious newb move and they probably don't want to unload their tank on someone that will just kill it.

though perhaps I shouldn't have said anything, since it would appear that you ARE a newb that's going to kill whatever he buys. No insult intended, but that's the most likely outcome if this is your first tank and you plan on starting by moving a working system someone else built.

>>2111949
They can get out of out control, but they are definitely beneficial. Try introducing micro brittle stars to keep them for over reproducing

>>2112032
no insult taken, I fully understand I have a good chance of killing whatever I buy regardless of whether its used or not. Buying used makes it a lot cheaper though.
I am actually going to give the fish in the system to a pet store since none of them are what I want, and none of the tanks appear to have a real cuc and none have coral, I'm mostly just wanting the working equipment and the live rock since I'll be changing the sand
but I realized after posting that there wouldn't be much point in testing the water and I got some advice on things to watch out for, I have a small quarantine tank set up as well for the fish and if they have coral they didn't mention

>>2111895
I have no issue with craigslist stuff, however as the other guy said 2/3rds the asking price is my first offer.

Also on my own principle I never pay more the a dolar a gallon for a used tank. 99% of the time the tank is fine but honestly you are doing the owner more of a favor by hauling a large tank then just buying it from him.

>>2111888
I wouldn't get a Redsea cube. Price aside my experience from working on them is that they are of a low quality, the Redsea skimmers in particular seem to be shitty. The glass on them tends also to be very porus and sticky making it hard to clean.

>>2112443
What about a coralife cube?

>>2112449
Just get the tried and true biocube/nanocube like every other normal person
Every other AIO tank I used has sucked, and killed everything I put in fast. I've used two nano cubes from nuvo (cuz the tanks are fuckin beautiful) but they kill whatever I put in there. I have a goddamn betta living in my 4g nuvo now, since that's the only thing that can apparently live in it. If you want something larger than the standard 14g/30g models, jbj does make a rimless 45g version of their nanocube, its pretty sick looking.

>>2111888
Why do you want to put a sump on a biocube? I promise, it's unnecessary.

>>2113039
Ill probably get a biocube to start. Im looking for something I can afford and something considered (nano) so that I can get in good habits as far as water parameters, coral care, fish care etc before moving up to a larger tank.
I found this
http://blog.marinedepot.com/2015/03/BioCube-Hacks-6-Easy-Ways-to-Upgrade-Your-Nano-Aquarium.html
are their tips worthwhile? I do like the idea of upgraded lighting and those protein skimmers built for cubes

>>2113173
The only thing I have in my tank that was on that list is macroalgae. But it doesn't work well unless you have a very high powered light blasting the chaeto, so i grow my chaeto in an eggcrate container I made, that hangs inside of the tank (so it gets hit by my 165w LED). Other than that, you will need an additional powerhead for a biocube 30 if you want to keep corals. I don't have even have a skimmer anymore, let alone a reactor. I would recommend you use a skimmer though... at least until your tank is mature, and full of sponges.