Hello from new member in the UK

[russ b]

Thought id say hi,

Heres my first post, it may be quite a long one but I shall try my utmost to keep it to a sensible length. I have kept freshwater tropicals pretty much from being knee high and then for the last 30 years. To start with I had hardy community fish and later on discus and Uaru cichlids. I sold my 3 tanks last year as we changed the layout of the house and the systems were taking up a lot of room. In truth too I was quite bored of the routines required to maintain the breeding tanks along with the display tank. (25% daily on 2 tanks!!!)

So as far as experience goes I have a reasonable understanding of aquariums and their requirements. Admittedly only fresh water though. Ive always been intrigued by marines but was always put off by the horror stories of others and the relatively high expense. However now I have decided to scratch my itch for a reef aquarium, this is where you the contributors might be able to help.

Things are going OK had a few glitches but heres my tank at the moment














Im not to good with my camera as you will have seen but this is where im upto at present.

Ive added some mor LED lights and corals last eek so i will take some more pictures later.

Russ

[charlie]

Hey Russ,


Can you tell us a little more about the system, like how long you have been set up?
It looks like you have a good start going!!!

[metalhead]

Welcome!!! Tank is looking really good man! I too migrated from fresh and have been wishing I'd done so sooner ever since. Give us some more details on your setup when you get a chance and keep up the good work.

[russ b]

Hi,

This tank was born on the 4th of July 2008 which is a pretty special day for you guys across the pond! It’s a custom build tank which was made for me by a local retailer. I stole a really good start with this tank as I bought some live rock from a friend who was packing the hobby up so my live rock was covered in corals and full of really good critters from the off. Sorry if my terms are different to yours but I am a Limey after all.

Gotta say this hobby has really gotta hold of me and I cannot imagine my life without it. It enthrals me and I can’t begin to say how it makes me feel to see these fantastic animals thriving and growing on. My kids are amazed by the tank and I try to encourage their help rather than them playing computer games or watching TV programmes.

The tanks going well but I have got some problems. The tank has 50 kg (110 lbs) of live rock of which 40 kg is eco rock (man made) as I thought it was the right thing to do. I’ve been fortunate to dive on some spectacular reefs all over the world and have seen some bad **** from people kicking the crap out of the seas so I thought no I wont subscribe to that and bought this eco rock. I think you’ll know what it is but basically its man made and then thrown onto a reef to mature and colour up.

I have nitrates!!!!!!!

Sometimes around 50PPM and im properly pissed off about it cause im chasing numbers and its doing my brains in. I have mushrooms popping up everywhere and my toadstool has doubled in size. My neighbour has a marine tank too and uses my water and has no Nitrate so I’m blaming my eco rock. Other than that all is pretty good so I’m just waiting till the day I fit my 2000 Litre system.

A question for you my new friends, do you have LED lighting over there??

Cheers Russ

[charlie]

Yep, we have LED lighting, but it is sooooooooooo expensive, that it is definitely out of my price range!!!!!!
There are a couple of folks that have DIY'd some LEDs, check out this thread:
TOTW 12-3-08 DIY LED Hood for Reef Tank

Have you thought of starting up a refugium to help with the nitrates??? I don't know what to tell you about the eco-rock!!!!!!

[russ b]

My Tank under LEDS YouTube - My marine fish tank

Charlie, I alreday have a refrigium with 5 kg of LR, DSB and caulerpa.

Thanks Russ

[charlie]

That looks really nice Russ!!!!!!

As far as the nitrates go, it may be the rock, but I really would look into feeding habits, or, do you use RO/DI water for your system??

Fortunately, soft corals can put up with more nitrates than the LPS or sps can, so you have an advantage there!!

[russ b]

"As far as the nitrates go, it may be the rock, but I really would look into feeding habits, or, do you use RO/DI water for your system??"

Hiya i always feed a small amount and I really do not believe I overfeed. I only use good quality foods and trickle foods in over 10-15 minutes when possible.

I make my own RO and DI water which usually sits at 0 or 0.1 ppm.

I do a 50 L change every week too.

Russ