Hello to all!
So this is literally the first thread I have started on any forum ever. I'm not really big into social media, so I will probably be nowhere close to the most active member on this site, but with all the help that this cornucopia of reefing knowledge has supplied me with over the past few years, I feel I should at least introduce myself and my tank(well, one of them for now).
Let me start by saying that I have been keeping fish for as long as I can remember. The first thing I remember doing fish related was filling the 5 gallon bucket in the bathtub and adding dechlor to help my dad with the waterchange on our Oscar and Jack Dempsy tank. While my father was really only interested in keeping fish that he could feed fish to, it definitely helped spark the aquarist I am today.
Well that was several years ago and in between then and now I have had everything from the most elegant betta tank you will never see (I've not been good at documenting my experiences), to African Cichlids, to South American Cichlids in a planted tank, a biocube that was an anemone garden, tiny pico in my kitchen.
I also have been able to make a career out of this hobby. Started when I was 22 and underemployed. I had a job, but when I was given the chance to be an "aquatic specialist" at my favorite Petco, I jumped at it. The pay wasn't great, neither were the hours (who wants to work from 11 am to 7 pm? You feel like you miss the entire day), but it did provide me with quite possibly the best connection I have ever made. There is quite a bit of maintenance that needs to be done on the fish systems that Petco actually subcontracts out to a third party company. Replacing pumps, ballasts, redoing plumbing, working on heaters/chillers, uv, etc. are all examples of the kind of work I mean.
Well after several times of the same guy coming out to do work for us, I finally asked him who he worked for and if they were hiring. He was more than happy to give me the info to get in contact with the company. Several weeks later I had an over-the-phone interview that went terribly, and I felt fairly disappointed in myself for not making a better impression. The next time the guy came in to do maintenance I did my best to avoid him, but when he was about to leave he came and asked if I had gotten in touch with the company. I told him the story and he gave me the owners direct email and told me to use him as a reference and to specifically ask for an in person interview. Later that week I was officially an "Aquarium Maintenance Specialist"
I currently maintain 32 aquariums both private and public across the Kansas City metro. Most are saltwater, most of which are reef tanks. A good portion are African Cichlid, and the rest are either saltwater fish only or freshwater planted tanks. Most of these receive weekly service, a few are every other week and two of them are every four weeks. I guess the reason Im giving all this background is to help you understand that I have so much aquarium in my life, I really don't care as much about my personal tank as the average aquarist probably does. As long as there is life for me to stare at, I'm happy with it.
So without any further rambling, my tank (well, one of them).
Disclaimer: All photos were taken with a galaxy s4 camera, by a very unprofessional photographer.
29 gallon standard All-Glass aquarium. DSB. Been running since February 2014. The two propeller pumps on the left are Hydor Koralia 425 gph that are on a wavemaker that alternates them every 15 minutes. The one on the far right is a Sicce Nano Stream (530 gph). Lighting is a Kessil A360W-E Tuna Blue and a Kessil A160WE Tuna Blue both controlled by the Kessil Spectral Controller.
Aquaclear 70 modded to be a hang on sump, holds filter pad, heater, bag of chemi-pure blue, and pump for biopellet reactor.
Lee's counter-current protein skimmer(this thing honestly outperforms just about any hob skimmer I have ever seen, this is almost exactly 24 hours worth of skimmate) in the back left corner.
For the ichthyophiles, I have two female Red Scooter Dragonets (Synchiropus stellatus). Both attack frozen food(mostly LRS).
Super tiny Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish (Dendrochirus brachypterus). When I got this guy he was dwarfed by a quarter! No joke, he could actually hide between zoas. He is just over an inch and a half long at this point, and seems to be growing more and more each time I look at him.
ORA Captive Bred Transparent Cave Goby (Fusigobius pallidus). This guy is kind of a jerk.
Aussie Banded Pipefish (Corythoichthys intestinalis). I have only had this guy about a week and he will soon be going to another tank as he will supposedly eat red bugs, we shall see.
I also have two stupid Chromis (Chromis viridis) and a Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis). They are all too fast of swimmers for my before-mentioned photograph capabilities.
For those more into the Cnidarian side of things, well you probably wont be terribly impressed with what I have, as it is pretty much just corals that will put up with my lack of consistency in maintenance. In the above pics you can see a Julians Golden Gorg, some Duncans, a Plate, Reefgen Green something Leather, some palys, and the bottom of a not very happy "eco-gorg"(I have several different gorgs in this tank, pretty sure the only reason this one isn't doing great is the palys growing around it).
Reef Gen Fuzzy Gorg and a cabbage leather
A few ricordia florida at the base of a leather
Rock flower anemone
Another "eco-gorg"
3 Cherry Actinia Anemones that hang out on the front glass pannel. Upper left in the FTS.
Photosynthetic Purple Plating Sponge
Hitchhiker pavona (luckily I was able to remove and transfer the palys I had intended on purchasing without bringing any of this stingy stuff with it.)
Photosynthetic Red Plating Sponge (Not sure why this one refuses to grow when its cousin just a few inches above it has to be trimmed monthly)
Acro with burnt tips. (My KH is steady at 11 and that's what Im blamming this on. It was way worse about a week ago. Seems like it is starting to accept the higher level as polyps are starting to reemerge with some color from areas that looked bleached and ready to die)
$5 dollar Monti
So this is literally the first thread I have started on any forum ever. I'm not really big into social media, so I will probably be nowhere close to the most active member on this site, but with all the help that this cornucopia of reefing knowledge has supplied me with over the past few years, I feel I should at least introduce myself and my tank(well, one of them for now).
Let me start by saying that I have been keeping fish for as long as I can remember. The first thing I remember doing fish related was filling the 5 gallon bucket in the bathtub and adding dechlor to help my dad with the waterchange on our Oscar and Jack Dempsy tank. While my father was really only interested in keeping fish that he could feed fish to, it definitely helped spark the aquarist I am today.
Well that was several years ago and in between then and now I have had everything from the most elegant betta tank you will never see (I've not been good at documenting my experiences), to African Cichlids, to South American Cichlids in a planted tank, a biocube that was an anemone garden, tiny pico in my kitchen.
I also have been able to make a career out of this hobby. Started when I was 22 and underemployed. I had a job, but when I was given the chance to be an "aquatic specialist" at my favorite Petco, I jumped at it. The pay wasn't great, neither were the hours (who wants to work from 11 am to 7 pm? You feel like you miss the entire day), but it did provide me with quite possibly the best connection I have ever made. There is quite a bit of maintenance that needs to be done on the fish systems that Petco actually subcontracts out to a third party company. Replacing pumps, ballasts, redoing plumbing, working on heaters/chillers, uv, etc. are all examples of the kind of work I mean.
Well after several times of the same guy coming out to do work for us, I finally asked him who he worked for and if they were hiring. He was more than happy to give me the info to get in contact with the company. Several weeks later I had an over-the-phone interview that went terribly, and I felt fairly disappointed in myself for not making a better impression. The next time the guy came in to do maintenance I did my best to avoid him, but when he was about to leave he came and asked if I had gotten in touch with the company. I told him the story and he gave me the owners direct email and told me to use him as a reference and to specifically ask for an in person interview. Later that week I was officially an "Aquarium Maintenance Specialist"
I currently maintain 32 aquariums both private and public across the Kansas City metro. Most are saltwater, most of which are reef tanks. A good portion are African Cichlid, and the rest are either saltwater fish only or freshwater planted tanks. Most of these receive weekly service, a few are every other week and two of them are every four weeks. I guess the reason Im giving all this background is to help you understand that I have so much aquarium in my life, I really don't care as much about my personal tank as the average aquarist probably does. As long as there is life for me to stare at, I'm happy with it.
So without any further rambling, my tank (well, one of them).
Disclaimer: All photos were taken with a galaxy s4 camera, by a very unprofessional photographer.
29 gallon standard All-Glass aquarium. DSB. Been running since February 2014. The two propeller pumps on the left are Hydor Koralia 425 gph that are on a wavemaker that alternates them every 15 minutes. The one on the far right is a Sicce Nano Stream (530 gph). Lighting is a Kessil A360W-E Tuna Blue and a Kessil A160WE Tuna Blue both controlled by the Kessil Spectral Controller.
Lee's counter-current protein skimmer(this thing honestly outperforms just about any hob skimmer I have ever seen, this is almost exactly 24 hours worth of skimmate) in the back left corner.
For the ichthyophiles, I have two female Red Scooter Dragonets (Synchiropus stellatus). Both attack frozen food(mostly LRS).
Super tiny Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish (Dendrochirus brachypterus). When I got this guy he was dwarfed by a quarter! No joke, he could actually hide between zoas. He is just over an inch and a half long at this point, and seems to be growing more and more each time I look at him.
ORA Captive Bred Transparent Cave Goby (Fusigobius pallidus). This guy is kind of a jerk.
Aussie Banded Pipefish (Corythoichthys intestinalis). I have only had this guy about a week and he will soon be going to another tank as he will supposedly eat red bugs, we shall see.
I also have two stupid Chromis (Chromis viridis) and a Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis). They are all too fast of swimmers for my before-mentioned photograph capabilities.
For those more into the Cnidarian side of things, well you probably wont be terribly impressed with what I have, as it is pretty much just corals that will put up with my lack of consistency in maintenance. In the above pics you can see a Julians Golden Gorg, some Duncans, a Plate, Reefgen Green something Leather, some palys, and the bottom of a not very happy "eco-gorg"(I have several different gorgs in this tank, pretty sure the only reason this one isn't doing great is the palys growing around it).
Reef Gen Fuzzy Gorg and a cabbage leather
A few ricordia florida at the base of a leather
Rock flower anemone
Another "eco-gorg"
3 Cherry Actinia Anemones that hang out on the front glass pannel. Upper left in the FTS.
Photosynthetic Purple Plating Sponge
Hitchhiker pavona (luckily I was able to remove and transfer the palys I had intended on purchasing without bringing any of this stingy stuff with it.)
Photosynthetic Red Plating Sponge (Not sure why this one refuses to grow when its cousin just a few inches above it has to be trimmed monthly)
Acro with burnt tips. (My KH is steady at 11 and that's what Im blamming this on. It was way worse about a week ago. Seems like it is starting to accept the higher level as polyps are starting to reemerge with some color from areas that looked bleached and ready to die)
$5 dollar Monti
