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05-13-2008, 02:20 PM
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#1 (permalink)
| | Astrea Snail
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 59
Karma: 55
 |  Hello from BlackJack
Hi, Im stationed in Arizona and nearing the end of a 20 year career in the Army, after which I'm hopefully headed back to Houston Texas.
I enjoy building/drag racing my 2003 Oldsmobile Alero, and just recently decided to enjoy the stress relief of a small reef setup.
Bought all my startup equipment from a local pet store about a month and a half ago, and made a mistake or two due to my lack of knowledge.
Here's what I started with:
60g tall hex
Hydor Koralia #2 powerhead
Cascade 1000 cannister
Prizm deluxe skimmer
Current 150w metal halide, blue and white LED
lace (sp?) rock for filler
50lbs of Fiji live rock
Instant Ocean salt
drop-in heater
crushed coral substrate
After about 3 weeks of running, I went to a real salt-only fish shop, I brought the water in for testing, was given the thumbs up for livestock, and bought:
20 hermits
10 snails
1 scarlet cleaner shrimp
3 blue/green chromies
a frag each of green and red zooxanthids
a purple mushroom
Interestingly, the shop told me the cannister was pretty much unecessary and those really haven't been used very much in salt setups for the last 10 years or so. This I'm inclined to believe since their shop has been in business for awile and they have no cannisters.
One of the chromies didn't survive, cause unknown (maybe the shrimp "overcleaned" it?). The rest have done fine for a few weeks and the zooxanthids are flourishing, so.....
I just adopted a blue tang a couple of days ago, and he/she is doing well so far with lots of caves to hide in, but now it's out and active all the time (yay!)
In the next couple of weeks, I am planning on a green bubble aenemone and a pair of yellow striped maroon clowns.
Here in Arizona it gets hot, and my water temps were causing me some concern, so I built my own chiller which I'll post in the DIY contest as soon as I can find the darned camera. I'm sure it's nothing we haven't seen before, but I think the cost was just right (free desktop dorm refrigerator, and about $15 worth of parts from Lowes, that cheap enough?) and it dropped my temps back into the mid 70's range.
I just want to say thank you to everyone for consolidating their knowledge and experience here in this forum, and it has been a valuable resource for the initial success of getting started.
-BlackJack-
(Mike)
Last edited by BlackJack : 05-13-2008 at 02:32 PM.
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05-13-2008, 03:03 PM
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#2 (permalink)
| | Clown Trigger
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tatamy, PA Age: 15
Posts: 2,033
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Your Welcome! That tang will get big! And slow down, give your tank a month to mature a little, then add a new fish if you want and repeat  _________  | |
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05-13-2008, 03:22 PM
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#3 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Miami Age: 39
Posts: 3,790
 
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Your still cycling and that can last up to 12 weeks. You shouldnt have any livestock in that tank. I would stop going to that LFS that told you that you were ready for livestock. They dont know what their talking about. BTW, welcome aboard and thank you for keeping our freedom alive. Luna _________ 9YR OLD 90G 30G w/d Mag18 150G skimmer 692w MH,yel&kole tang,foxface,midas&convict blenny,B&G chromies,Blk/yel fin chromie blackcap,nemo,neon goby,6line; Blastomussa Merleti,Acan ,BUBBLE,Torch,LTA, Goniopora(2), Acropora(2),Brain, Moon, assort zoas, yel& G star polyps, R&G open brain, P&B ricordia, montiporas, cup&candy corals, enias,B/G mush,flower ane(2), cherry red mussa, dusters,cleaning crew  | |
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05-13-2008, 03:38 PM
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#4 (permalink)
| | Astrea Snail
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 59
Karma: 55
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sound advice, and that's why I came here. Thanks guys! | |
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05-13-2008, 04:08 PM
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#5 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Meriden, Connecticut Age: 43
Posts: 3,905
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Howdy and welcome to 3reef!
Congrats on your time and servie in the U.S Army!!!!!
Funny you mentioned that, because I just took my son, who is in the Boy Scouts, to West Point in New York, where the Army Cadets put on a camporee show for us. Awesome time!
Best of luck to you on your endeavors with the wonderful, enjoyable and rewarding marine hobby! _________ 125gal.w/Mag9.5 return(dual megaflow)>Mag7 pump Aqua Cev180skimmer.Wave2k Hamilton Reefstar(2)250watthqi(mh)pend.a Yellow, Naso Tang Red Lip Blenny Percula Clown Demoiselles Niger Trigger F. Wrasses Ceriantharia Orn.Shrimp and Stars Hermits Queen Conch asst. snails> Stars Zoos shrooms Montipora Brains Gorgonians Favia Turbinaria(large+small polyp) Acropora Xenia Tridacna (CroceaMaximaSquamosa) Leathers <35+75gal.reef tank as well> 
"IF THE PHONE DOESN'T RING...IT'S ME"  jb  | |
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05-13-2008, 06:00 PM
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#6 (permalink)
| | Clown Trigger
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tatamy, PA Age: 15
Posts: 2,033
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^ I went to West Point with my previous scouts troop. Did you see the football game  we did. Switched troops because the old one was only established so the scoutmasters son could reach eagle in 3 months  which by scout law, is impossible as you are supposed to wait 6 months between the ceremony things....cant think of the word right now....... | |
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05-13-2008, 07:16 PM
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#7 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: ohio Age: 32
Posts: 3,111
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Welcome to 3Reef>>>>>
_________
5.5 gal, 72w of pcs, 2 leds, rio nano skimmer, 40 gal hob filter, 50w visi-therm heater, 5pds lr, 1 inch live sand bed, 1 australian black perc clown ,1 porcelain crab, , 1 pep shrimp, 1 lge turbo , 3 cerith, 1 astrea, 1 nassaruis snails, neon grn bali slimer acro, purple acro, millipora's, feather duster, monti's, duncans, grn polyps, shrooms, zoa's, blue clove polyps, purple death pallys and grn star plyps. | |
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05-13-2008, 07:37 PM
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#8 (permalink)
| | Gigas Clam
Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Columbus, Indiana Age: 23
Posts: 857
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WELCOME, and thanks for serving this great country of ours!! I agree with Luna 100%, but stick with it and make sure your water parameters stay rock solid. Hopefully everything will be fine! Just remember, only bad things and bank account drains happen quickly in SW. Welcome again, and feel free to ask questions! _________ 55 gallon slowly growing reef aquarium, 85 lbs. live rock, 2 1/2" sandbed, 1 False Percula Clown, 1 Sixline Wrasse, Tetratec PF500 filter, 2 110 watt URI Super Actinic VHO actinics, 2 250 watt metal halides with Reef Optix 2 reflectors powered by Blue Wave 3 ballast, born 1/3/08 My Tank Thread My Tank Video  | |
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05-13-2008, 07:41 PM
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#9 (permalink)
| | Teardrop Maxima Clam
Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Garden Creek,VA
Posts: 810
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Howdy! and welcome to 3Reef we are glad you found us
_________
If the truth wasn't cruel, then it wouldn't be called the truth!
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05-13-2008, 10:27 PM
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#10 (permalink)
| | Gnarly Old Codfish
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Silverdale, Washington Age: 58
Posts: 4,607
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` 
Always happy to see another (almost) retired military about. (I finished up my 20 yrs in '92 - so have been at it a while.)
Sounds like you are off to a good start...Great "learning" system you can practice at, so you can get "tank of your dreams" set up from scratch when you get settled in back in Tx.
My suggestion is decide what kind of tank you want and build house around it... 
Great to see you found way here.
Keep us posted...
Scott (US Army (Ret)) _________ AG "125," AquaC EV 180, 30 gal sump, "SCWD", 80 lbs LR, CoralSeaLife "Moonlite" Hood, PFO 250W HQI Mini-Pendant (SPS HQI 14000k bulb)
12 Gallon NanoCube - 24w stock PC 50/50 light "...nothing good ever happens fast in a reef tank, only bad things happen fast..."
- MIKE PALLETTA - (Davis Family Reef Aquarium - Home Page/Reef Log) (Best Photos of 2008!) | |
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