Marine & Reef Aquaria

[Ghosty]

Anyone here into the hobby? I use to be for a long time, ever since a kid with a goldfish bowl, but then took a decade off to play with the Supra & bikes. This past year I've gotten the itch to slowly get back into it. Bought a 60g tank & stand and some equipment and more books to catch up on the latest technology and methods.

Low & behold, I just won the grand prize in a local Marine club charity raffle a week ago! Huge 110 gallon tank, furniture, & equipment! Needless to say it's kicked me into high gear. I now have two big tanks & stands, various lights, two 29g tanks, one to use as a quarantine, the other as a breeding tank, a huge (60g) sump which won't even fit under the 110, another 30g sump, about 100# of dry rock, 3 bags of sand, salt, a huge skimmer, pumps, etc. So much for going slowly, ugh...

Anyone on MASC (Denver) or SCMAS (Springs) local reef forums? What tank(s) & setups do y'all have? What stores (Elite, AquaMart, Neptunes, Fish Den, etc.?) do you frequent? What are your favorites? Seems like the perfect winter hobby for bikers. I'll have some great pics to share hopefully, once I at least get this 60g going...

[salsashark]

had a 20gal cichlid tank when I was in college, never really got into it.

I saw, and had to deal with, the pain in the ass that was my dad and his obsession w/ fishies. He had numerous tanks, the largest being a 100+ gallon brach tank. Lots of work, relatively little pay off. He did have one puffer fish that was an absolute clown.

My mom had an oscar tank when we were little. She had one oscar that would lay on the bottom of the tank and let her pet it... no one else though.

[birchyboy]

I've got a Betta in a 1 gallon tank with a pump. That's enough for me. Kudos to anyone with more than that to take care of!

[bulldog]

I am into Ciclids and had them for over 15 years now; and freshwater tanks since I was about 5. I did brackish, but it got to be a lot of work and always dreamed of getting a saltwater tank (without the work).

I forget what I have now but think it is a 50 gallon bowed tank (not square, front is bowed out).

I've breed them and raised them for years!

[Ghosty]

Nice! As a kid I use to have a 20g community tank with the usual Angels, Cardinals, etc. Then got a 75g salt with mostly fish and a little liverock. Never had success because I was always using crappy water source, found later it probably had copper in it, ugh! Then a 60g Hex (carnivore tank) with a Lionfish, Snowflake Eel, & (orange) Spotted Grouper.

Brackish setups are sweet. Some look almost like saltwater fish.

[dirkterrell]

We've got a 29L with two Gouramis, a few mollies and tetras, a couple of Ottocinclus, a Chinese Algae Eater, and on the bottom a couple of spotted Corys.

[bulldog]

Nice! As a kid I use to have a 20g community tank with the usual Angels, Cardinals, etc. Then got a 75g salt with mostly fish and a little liverock. Never had success because I was always using crappy water source, found later it probably had copper in it, ugh! Then a 60g Hex (carnivore tank) with a Lionfish, Snowflake Eel, & (orange) Spotted Grouper.

Brackish setups are sweet. Some look almost like saltwater fish. Are you planning to go freshwater or saltwater?

If freshwater i would go with African Cichlids. They are one of the most colorful and to me one of the smartest freshwater fish (I'v had nearly them all at one point of time). Mine dig tunnels about 2 inces deep and have their own space in the tank; they are vey terrotorial. Plus they are mouthbrooders so cool to see them keep the eggs/fish in their mouth till ready. if you read up on Cichlids they are amazing; I beleive they are the species that have evolved the fasteest to survive (even including mammals).

I've primarily got mine from friends or South Broadway Tropicals, but I have found some cool ones at Petsmart too (usually babies)

[Ghosty]

All salt, I haven't done fresh since I was in MiddleSchool. Not knocking it, Cichlids are way cool, especially how they stake out territory and are easily bred in captivity. My original plan was for a 60 or 75g mixed reef with mostly reef fish and a few corals. Then it changed to a 90-120g. Then I won this giant 110g so now everything's up in the air. I might even do plumbing from the mainfloor down to a huge sump in my basement. For now I think:

60g: FOwLR (Marine, fish only with liverock, a few easy safe corals & crustaceans): Easiest. Hopefully will start cycling it this week.
110g: Reef (Lots of corals, a few "reef-safe" fish): This is the pinnacle, the most difficult to keep, hence a long-term build.
29g: Breeding tank, either a pair of fancy hybrid Clowns or Bangai Cardinals.

[bulldog]

All salt, I haven't done fresh since I was in MiddleSchool. Not knocking it, Cichlids are way cool, especially how they stake out territory and are easily bred in captivity. My original plan was for a 60 or 75g mixed reef with mostly reef fish and a few corals. Then it changed to a 90-120g. Then I won this giant 110g so now everything's up in the air. I might even do plumbing from the mainfloor down to a huge sump in my basement. For now I think:

60g: FOwLR (Marine, fish only with liverock, a few easy safe corals & crustaceans): Easiest. Hopefully will start cycling it this week.
110g: Reef (Lots of corals, a few "reef-safe" fish): This is the pinnacle, the most difficult to keep, hence a long-term build.
29g: Breeding tank, either a pair of fancy hybrid Clowns or Bangai Cardinals. No "knocking" taken! I'd love to do salt water and the fish are much nicer! Just haven't wanted to spend all the money it takes to get it up and running and the time it takes to make sure a $300 fish doesn't die. A cichlid dies, I am maybe out $20, so scared of making the change :lol:

You ever watch that show called "Tanked (http://animal.discovery.com/tv/tanked/)". The aquiriums they make for people are my dream setups and really cool!

Post up pics when you get it all set up man :)

[Dietrich_R1]

I've had plenty of the off-the-shelf freshwater. I went to saltwater for a couple years but found it to be way to much work w/ a daughter... even though she would stand on the hood and stare all day!

Been eyeing a shrimp tank for a while & think a potted tank would look heck-a cool. Just havn't pulled the plug