How NOT to start a nano reef
- Build Thread
- Thread starter Medical_Reef
- Start date
- Tagged users None
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
Only until I screw up again!
On a different note, I read through you thread about including details in the signature and may adopt a portion of that! That being said, I couldn't find a build thread let alone a picture of your current tank. I'd love to see it! And I think it adds great credibility to the one offering advice.
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
February 10th– Downsizing to save money
In the spirit of trying to get caught up to the current setup, I am going to push on and write up another step in the process. Also, this is better than studying.
Today I made the decision to down size the tank and try starting over. I came to this decision for a couple of reasons, but the biggest was that I didn’t want to put any more money into what was a failed attempt at a saltwater tank. You could say that I just had a string of bad luck, but I am of the mindset that I was the root cause of most of those issues. Additionally, I was sitting on a fairly reasonable pile of good equipment that seemed to be fetching a decent price, even if it was used. I’m looking at you, Gen 3 Radion XR30 Pro. Turns out they were going for $350 on R2R, eBay, and anywhere else I could find them. You know what else costs $350? A brand new WaterBox 15 Gallon Cube + that came with an AI Prime and a light mount. The Prime HD+ itself runs for $210 and with the $25 mounting arm, this was looking like a pretty decent deal. Even better? It was currently $20 off at SaltWaterAquarium. I couldn’t think of any reason not to do it, so I placed the order and walked away with a 15-gallon cube, some Marine Pure Gems for the sump, and some free coral glue all for the price of the Radion. Now I just needed to sell it.
I threw it up on my local reefing Facebook group and hoped that I could sell it locally, so I didn’t have to ship it. Within a day or two I had a serious buyer who made a full price offer at $350. We lived about an hour away from each other, and she said she could come get it in a few days over the weekend, so I happily agreed since I didn’t need it gone immediately. Besides, it was a full-priced offer. What more could I ask for? If you’ve ever sold anything you know how this next part goes: someone sends a generic request to ask if the item is still available, you happily tell them it is pending, but you will let them know if it doesn’t sell, only to have them demean you for not selling it from underneath the person you had previously agreed to. My favorite part was the patronizing, low-ball offer plus the phrase “I got cash right now, bud.” Thanks “pal”, but I’m all set.
Oh, the joys of selling used items. That being said, here is the point where I get to actually discuss one of the big successes I’ve had in this hobby to date. If you read previously, I acquired the Radion as a non-functioning Gen 2 Pro and paid to have the LED pucks upgraded to Gen 3. I also built a custom wall mount and had a basically new light for ~$200. Meaning, when I completed the sale that weekend, I made a handsome $150 from my initial investment. I also sold my Tunze 9001 skimmer for the same $65 I had paid for it a few months earlier, as well as the 1K Gyre for $110. I now had the funds to start all over! Again. So, if anybody has any broken Gen 2’s they are interested in selling let me know!
I should mention now that I also debated buying an Aquatop Recife Eco Series complete aquarium system from my LFS. It was a 24-gallon cube that included a stand, return pump (turns out the return pump for the WaterBox is an Aquatop pump, go figure), protein skimmer, a basic 30w light and basic filtration. I couldn’t find a ton of information on the system, but it was a pretty reasonable price of ~$400 I believe. I decided against it for a couple reasons, the biggest being that the included light was not that impressive. I would probably feel the need to upgrade the light later down the road anyways, so why bother? Plus, the tank had the option to add a sump down the road and was predrilled in the AIO section, and while some of you are shouting at your computers that this is a good thing, I would disagree in my situation. I have to move the tank at least three times in the next few years, so I don’t want to introduce any additional potential leak points. I love AIO tanks precisely because the entire system is enclosed in 5 sheets of glass with no holes or plumbing and greatly reduces the risk of leaking water everywhere. Having pre-drilled holes that are plugged up defeats that whole purpose.
The other piece of essential equipment I needed to secure was a new stand. I knew I could build one, but I didn’t want to invest the time into the process, especially after having done just that to then soak my stand in water and break my tank. I took a risk and tried to save some time and money by buying a “utility stand” from Amazon that I could reinforce. Add this decision to the “mistake” category again, though I hope no one is actually keeping track because it would be ugly. I’ll post more on this next, but let’s just say my plan to save time not having to build a stand backfired on this one.
When all was said and done, I had a new fish tank, a new light, and a new stand on the way, plus $75 left over from selling my equipment. I was still determined to make this work!
In the spirit of trying to get caught up to the current setup, I am going to push on and write up another step in the process. Also, this is better than studying.
Today I made the decision to down size the tank and try starting over. I came to this decision for a couple of reasons, but the biggest was that I didn’t want to put any more money into what was a failed attempt at a saltwater tank. You could say that I just had a string of bad luck, but I am of the mindset that I was the root cause of most of those issues. Additionally, I was sitting on a fairly reasonable pile of good equipment that seemed to be fetching a decent price, even if it was used. I’m looking at you, Gen 3 Radion XR30 Pro. Turns out they were going for $350 on R2R, eBay, and anywhere else I could find them. You know what else costs $350? A brand new WaterBox 15 Gallon Cube + that came with an AI Prime and a light mount. The Prime HD+ itself runs for $210 and with the $25 mounting arm, this was looking like a pretty decent deal. Even better? It was currently $20 off at SaltWaterAquarium. I couldn’t think of any reason not to do it, so I placed the order and walked away with a 15-gallon cube, some Marine Pure Gems for the sump, and some free coral glue all for the price of the Radion. Now I just needed to sell it.
I threw it up on my local reefing Facebook group and hoped that I could sell it locally, so I didn’t have to ship it. Within a day or two I had a serious buyer who made a full price offer at $350. We lived about an hour away from each other, and she said she could come get it in a few days over the weekend, so I happily agreed since I didn’t need it gone immediately. Besides, it was a full-priced offer. What more could I ask for? If you’ve ever sold anything you know how this next part goes: someone sends a generic request to ask if the item is still available, you happily tell them it is pending, but you will let them know if it doesn’t sell, only to have them demean you for not selling it from underneath the person you had previously agreed to. My favorite part was the patronizing, low-ball offer plus the phrase “I got cash right now, bud.” Thanks “pal”, but I’m all set.
Oh, the joys of selling used items. That being said, here is the point where I get to actually discuss one of the big successes I’ve had in this hobby to date. If you read previously, I acquired the Radion as a non-functioning Gen 2 Pro and paid to have the LED pucks upgraded to Gen 3. I also built a custom wall mount and had a basically new light for ~$200. Meaning, when I completed the sale that weekend, I made a handsome $150 from my initial investment. I also sold my Tunze 9001 skimmer for the same $65 I had paid for it a few months earlier, as well as the 1K Gyre for $110. I now had the funds to start all over! Again. So, if anybody has any broken Gen 2’s they are interested in selling let me know!
I should mention now that I also debated buying an Aquatop Recife Eco Series complete aquarium system from my LFS. It was a 24-gallon cube that included a stand, return pump (turns out the return pump for the WaterBox is an Aquatop pump, go figure), protein skimmer, a basic 30w light and basic filtration. I couldn’t find a ton of information on the system, but it was a pretty reasonable price of ~$400 I believe. I decided against it for a couple reasons, the biggest being that the included light was not that impressive. I would probably feel the need to upgrade the light later down the road anyways, so why bother? Plus, the tank had the option to add a sump down the road and was predrilled in the AIO section, and while some of you are shouting at your computers that this is a good thing, I would disagree in my situation. I have to move the tank at least three times in the next few years, so I don’t want to introduce any additional potential leak points. I love AIO tanks precisely because the entire system is enclosed in 5 sheets of glass with no holes or plumbing and greatly reduces the risk of leaking water everywhere. Having pre-drilled holes that are plugged up defeats that whole purpose.
The other piece of essential equipment I needed to secure was a new stand. I knew I could build one, but I didn’t want to invest the time into the process, especially after having done just that to then soak my stand in water and break my tank. I took a risk and tried to save some time and money by buying a “utility stand” from Amazon that I could reinforce. Add this decision to the “mistake” category again, though I hope no one is actually keeping track because it would be ugly. I’ll post more on this next, but let’s just say my plan to save time not having to build a stand backfired on this one.
When all was said and done, I had a new fish tank, a new light, and a new stand on the way, plus $75 left over from selling my equipment. I was still determined to make this work!
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
February 14th– We lost Dumbledore
I have always planned on adding a couple more fish to the tank, and my goal when choosing fish is similar with corals; it’s a small tank, so nothing goes in that isn’t colorful. My LFS was running a sale on all their livestock, so I decided to go grab a Firefish and a Royal Gramma, two that I had been looking at for a while. I’ve always loved the pixelated colors on the Gramma, and the Firefish in my parent’s tank had some great personality. I also planned on having the new tank up and running in a couple days, so I knew they wouldn’t be in the 10-gallon for very long. I added the fish that evening before going to bed hoping to reduce any aggression from the clowns. My wife named the Gramma “Tonks” and the Firefish “Dumbledore” as his long dorsal fin looked like a wizarding hat.
Unfortunately, it seems I vastly underestimated the aggressive nature of Fred and George, as it appears that the Firefish didn’t even last the night. I knew they were docile by nature, but I didn’t think the clowns would go after the Firefish so quickly. I also felt like most of the time when I read about fish exerting their dominance it included harassing the less dominant fish and preventing them from eating. Fred and George, on the other hand, appeared to have eaten Dumbledore, as all I ever found in the tank was a little tail fin. Losing another fish was hard, especially since I didn’t see it coming. I have seen plenty of examples of Firefish and clowns living together in harmony, and I hoped that with the multiple moves between the tanks the clowns would not have claimed the tank as their own.
Apparently, we are in book 6 of the trilogy, which may explain why the tank has had such bad luck. Unfortunately, that would mean bad things for Tonks and Fred in the next stage of the tank, so let’s hope that’s not the case.
I have always planned on adding a couple more fish to the tank, and my goal when choosing fish is similar with corals; it’s a small tank, so nothing goes in that isn’t colorful. My LFS was running a sale on all their livestock, so I decided to go grab a Firefish and a Royal Gramma, two that I had been looking at for a while. I’ve always loved the pixelated colors on the Gramma, and the Firefish in my parent’s tank had some great personality. I also planned on having the new tank up and running in a couple days, so I knew they wouldn’t be in the 10-gallon for very long. I added the fish that evening before going to bed hoping to reduce any aggression from the clowns. My wife named the Gramma “Tonks” and the Firefish “Dumbledore” as his long dorsal fin looked like a wizarding hat.
Unfortunately, it seems I vastly underestimated the aggressive nature of Fred and George, as it appears that the Firefish didn’t even last the night. I knew they were docile by nature, but I didn’t think the clowns would go after the Firefish so quickly. I also felt like most of the time when I read about fish exerting their dominance it included harassing the less dominant fish and preventing them from eating. Fred and George, on the other hand, appeared to have eaten Dumbledore, as all I ever found in the tank was a little tail fin. Losing another fish was hard, especially since I didn’t see it coming. I have seen plenty of examples of Firefish and clowns living together in harmony, and I hoped that with the multiple moves between the tanks the clowns would not have claimed the tank as their own.
Apparently, we are in book 6 of the trilogy, which may explain why the tank has had such bad luck. Unfortunately, that would mean bad things for Tonks and Fred in the next stage of the tank, so let’s hope that’s not the case.
A sea K
Active Member
I have been looking a lot in the members tank area and am thinking seriously about doing something on my system as it is now. I've never done a build thread and am way past that juncture now and have no plans of another system but I am making some changes to what I have very soon as I'm setting my sights on a more sps dominated system than the current lps/mixed reef I'm running now.
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
I think that would be well worth documenting. I feel that the transition to SPS is one that people consider making often, so it would be beneficial to see your perspective and process!
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
February 18th– The WaterBox is up and running!
The first thing I had to take care of was building and reinforcing the new tank stand. The easiest way to add some serious rigidity to the build was simply to replace the back cardboard panel with a piece of solid wood. I just happened to have a now unused tank skin that I could repurpose, so the circular saw went to work. I also added a brace underneath the bottom shelf to support my ATO reservoir and most importantly, adjustable feet. These were very easy to install and allowed me to independently level the whole system from the four points of contact, which I checked ad nauseum. I was not going to break this tank.
With the stand level, I cut down the Seaboard to fit the length of the tank and transferred everything over. The depth of the WB is about an inch longer than the Nuvo, so there is a slight gap of the Seaboard near the back, but I don’t think it is too noticeable. Plus, I’ll be moving the tank next summer so I will replace it with a perfectly fitted one at that point. The rock structure looked great in the new cube and everybody seemed pretty happy.
The last picture is specifically from my wife’s perspective, because what she really cared about was getting her kitchen counters back. Happy wife, happy life, so if you want your wife to be happy, don’t get a fish tank.The second best option is letting her name all the fish.
The first thing I had to take care of was building and reinforcing the new tank stand. The easiest way to add some serious rigidity to the build was simply to replace the back cardboard panel with a piece of solid wood. I just happened to have a now unused tank skin that I could repurpose, so the circular saw went to work. I also added a brace underneath the bottom shelf to support my ATO reservoir and most importantly, adjustable feet. These were very easy to install and allowed me to independently level the whole system from the four points of contact, which I checked ad nauseum. I was not going to break this tank.
With the stand level, I cut down the Seaboard to fit the length of the tank and transferred everything over. The depth of the WB is about an inch longer than the Nuvo, so there is a slight gap of the Seaboard near the back, but I don’t think it is too noticeable. Plus, I’ll be moving the tank next summer so I will replace it with a perfectly fitted one at that point. The rock structure looked great in the new cube and everybody seemed pretty happy.
The last picture is specifically from my wife’s perspective, because what she really cared about was getting her kitchen counters back. Happy wife, happy life, so if you want your wife to be happy, don’t get a fish tank.The second best option is letting her name all the fish.
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
February 19th– If you have little kids, you need a lid.
Thankfully I don’t have a story to tell with this one, but it just seemed like a good rule to follow. Also, I would hate to lose a fish just because I didn’t have a net, so it seemed like a no brainer.
My first attempt at a lid was to use the hanging clips from the Nuvo 20 and cut a piece of thin acrylic. This didn’t work. It probably could have been an option if the acrylic was thicker, but in my case, it was either fogged with the condensation from the tank or it would actually bow down onto the surface of the water, neither of which were exactly what I was going for.
I took a closer look at the lid that came with the Nuvo and realized that I could probably take it apart and cut it down to a smaller size, so I did just that. Just like the Seaboard bottom, it ended up being a little smaller than the depth of the tank, but unless I have a very determined jumped it should do its job. The little hand-saw in the picture was a great buy, as it had an interchangeable wood and metal blade. I utilized that little saw often, and this was a great application.
I’ll take this one as another success, as I repurposed the old lid and didn’t need to spend a dime for the new tank. One step closer.
Thankfully I don’t have a story to tell with this one, but it just seemed like a good rule to follow. Also, I would hate to lose a fish just because I didn’t have a net, so it seemed like a no brainer.
My first attempt at a lid was to use the hanging clips from the Nuvo 20 and cut a piece of thin acrylic. This didn’t work. It probably could have been an option if the acrylic was thicker, but in my case, it was either fogged with the condensation from the tank or it would actually bow down onto the surface of the water, neither of which were exactly what I was going for.
I took a closer look at the lid that came with the Nuvo and realized that I could probably take it apart and cut it down to a smaller size, so I did just that. Just like the Seaboard bottom, it ended up being a little smaller than the depth of the tank, but unless I have a very determined jumped it should do its job. The little hand-saw in the picture was a great buy, as it had an interchangeable wood and metal blade. I utilized that little saw often, and this was a great application.
I’ll take this one as another success, as I repurposed the old lid and didn’t need to spend a dime for the new tank. One step closer.
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
February 20th to 21st– That didn’t last long
Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just set this tank up once and let it go for a while? Historically, the answer would seem to be a resounding no, so let’s all pray this gets better moving forward.
Can you spot the problem? It may be hard to tell from the picture, but the top of the stand is sagging. That’s right, the weight of the tank is too much, and I am risking stressing my tank with the current setup. The longer level clearly demonstrated the sagging top. I believe that if the footprint of the top of the stand was the same size as the tank, the weight would have transferred right down the solid side panels and not warped the top, but that’s not the case here. Remember when I said this stand was going to be a pain? Well here it is. I set up the 10-gallon tank AGAIN, but this time I used the old stand to keep everything close and to avoid commandeering the kitchen for the third time. I did two main things to strengthen the top of the tank. First, I placed solid wood rails on the bottom of the top in the shape of a “T” to reinforce the top surface and tie the surfaces into the sides of the stand. Second, I carved out space in the shelves to add a 2x4 beam from the wood rails to the floor that would transfer the weight of the tank on the front edge to the ground, with an adjustable foot of course. I lost the functional drawer during this conversion, and I had to offset the beam from the center to ensure that I could still squeeze the 5-gallon ATO bucket under the stand. I also had to remove the doors and slide the hinges further towards the front edge to accommodate the added beam. While a pain, it worked as intended. Besides the fact that I bought this stand specifically to avoid having to fabricate a new stand. Oh well.
I introduce to you… Franken-stand! This is the fourth complete tear-down and rebuild since September, for those of you following along, and I mean to make it my last before I move! So far so good.
Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just set this tank up once and let it go for a while? Historically, the answer would seem to be a resounding no, so let’s all pray this gets better moving forward.
Can you spot the problem? It may be hard to tell from the picture, but the top of the stand is sagging. That’s right, the weight of the tank is too much, and I am risking stressing my tank with the current setup. The longer level clearly demonstrated the sagging top. I believe that if the footprint of the top of the stand was the same size as the tank, the weight would have transferred right down the solid side panels and not warped the top, but that’s not the case here. Remember when I said this stand was going to be a pain? Well here it is. I set up the 10-gallon tank AGAIN, but this time I used the old stand to keep everything close and to avoid commandeering the kitchen for the third time. I did two main things to strengthen the top of the tank. First, I placed solid wood rails on the bottom of the top in the shape of a “T” to reinforce the top surface and tie the surfaces into the sides of the stand. Second, I carved out space in the shelves to add a 2x4 beam from the wood rails to the floor that would transfer the weight of the tank on the front edge to the ground, with an adjustable foot of course. I lost the functional drawer during this conversion, and I had to offset the beam from the center to ensure that I could still squeeze the 5-gallon ATO bucket under the stand. I also had to remove the doors and slide the hinges further towards the front edge to accommodate the added beam. While a pain, it worked as intended. Besides the fact that I bought this stand specifically to avoid having to fabricate a new stand. Oh well.
I introduce to you… Franken-stand! This is the fourth complete tear-down and rebuild since September, for those of you following along, and I mean to make it my last before I move! So far so good.
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
March 6th– Is my tank leaking?
Thankfully no, but at first glance, seeing a small puddle of water on the top of your tank stand can be very alarming. It turns out that the water level in the WB is slightly higher than it was in the Nuvo, causing the clips that hold the lid in place to be just under the surface of the water. This allowed the water to wick up the inside of the glass and down the outside, pooling on the table top.
Thankfully this was a minor problem with an easy fix. I used my same handy-dandy hand saw and trimmed the lip of the clip that sits on the inner surface of the tank. I took off less than half an inch and solved all of my problems. The water could no longer reach the clip and spill over the edge.
We are getting close to caught up, only a couple more updates to go!
Thankfully no, but at first glance, seeing a small puddle of water on the top of your tank stand can be very alarming. It turns out that the water level in the WB is slightly higher than it was in the Nuvo, causing the clips that hold the lid in place to be just under the surface of the water. This allowed the water to wick up the inside of the glass and down the outside, pooling on the table top.
Thankfully this was a minor problem with an easy fix. I used my same handy-dandy hand saw and trimmed the lip of the clip that sits on the inner surface of the tank. I took off less than half an inch and solved all of my problems. The water could no longer reach the clip and spill over the edge.
We are getting close to caught up, only a couple more updates to go!
A sea K
Active Member
Thanks for the words of encouragement....
I can not believe how much trouble you have had, if I faced this much adversity when I first got started I would not be here today. Kudo's to you for your perseverance. The toughest obstacle I faced was continual bad advice from the LFS, this of course was pre internet so I was pretty much at their mercy when it came to information and advice.
eggplantparrot
Valuable Member
February 19th– If you have little kids, you need a lid.
Thankfully I don’t have a story to tell with this one, but it just seemed like a good rule to follow. Also, I would hate to lose a fish just because I didn’t have a net, so it seemed like a no brainer.
My first attempt at a lid was to use the hanging clips from the Nuvo 20 and cut a piece of thin acrylic. This didn’t work. It probably could have been an option if the acrylic was thicker, but in my case, it was either fogged with the condensation from the tank or it would actually bow down onto the surface of the water, neither of which were exactly what I was going for.
I took a closer look at the lid that came with the Nuvo and realized that I could probably take it apart and cut it down to a smaller size, so I did just that. Just like the Seaboard bottom, it ended up being a little smaller than the depth of the tank, but unless I have a very determined jumped it should do its job. The little hand-saw in the picture was a great buy, as it had an interchangeable wood and metal blade. I utilized that little saw often, and this was a great application.
I’ll take this one as another success, as I repurposed the old lid and didn’t need to spend a dime for the new tank. One step closer.
if you plan on adding corals i would take that screen material off and get some thinner stuff. the only reason i did not buy their screen was because of how ridiculously heavy duty the mesh they provide is. thinner stuff should allow more light through and allow slightly better air circulation.
jabberwock
2500 Club Member
so, what kind of doctor are you?
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
It's one of those things that as I look back at the mistakes I've made, they could have all been avoided. I don't think that my story is that unique, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that have a super rough start in the hobby and either quit or figure it out, I just feel like we don't always hear about them. I'm hoping that this thread will show that while it's defiantly not an ideal way to start the hobby, things can happen and it is recoverable. For me, the biggest obstacle is purely the money issue. Recovering from disaster is much easier if you have the funds to throw more money at it. One day, maybe I'll have that luxury.
Yeah my LFS is not ideal, I am kinda ignored. But it's no big deal. If you need more encouragement keep coming back!
will25u
Well-Known Member
You’re the definition of perseverance. We have wanted a reef tank for so long. We set up many while my husband was military only to break them down due to moves.
Finally, that’s in the past and we’ve had our tank up for almost six years so far. I’m sorry for your luck dealing with Innovative Marine. We have their 30L tank and the same skimmer that you had initially (Tunze 9001, I believe).
Looking forward to seeing yours fill in! Cheers!
Finally, that’s in the past and we’ve had our tank up for almost six years so far. I’m sorry for your luck dealing with Innovative Marine. We have their 30L tank and the same skimmer that you had initially (Tunze 9001, I believe).
Looking forward to seeing yours fill in! Cheers!
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
I'll definitely keep that in mind, thanks for the tip! Corals are going in eventually, though I am planning a softie tank so hopefully not anything too demanding. I probably wouldn't have ordered that style of lid myself, but it came with the Nuvo so I rolled with it.
Ideally I'll find a par meter someone will let me borrow and I'll get some actual measurements. The scientist in me craves having those numbers. lol
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
Currently, I have a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and I am about halfway to earning an MD. So right now, I am not the kind of doctor that helps people, but I will be soon. lol
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
Thank you! What branch was your husband in? My father was an Air Force pilot and I understand the sacrifice that life style can be, so thank you for your families service!
The military is similar to medical training in some ways, with lots of moves and having little say over your own life to a certain extent. I'll be in training until 2026-27 with at least three moves during that time period. Most doctors will also have a "starter job" of 4-5 years or so to pay off student loans and then move again, so it will be a while until we are settled down! But I think the little 15-gallon will travel well.
OP
OP
Medical_Reef
Active Member
March 7th– The Texas State Aquarium
We ended up taking a last-minute trip up to Corpus Christi to celebrate my son’s birthday and visit the Texas State Aquarium! If we are being completely honest, it was completely my idea, I love aquariums. Ever since I started my own tank I have been keen to see different examples of successful reef tanks. While the Aquarium was very impressive and had a ton of cool exhibits, especially the 500,000-gallon shark tank, it left a lot to be desired in terms of coral reef exhibits. There were really only two tanks that had any live coral in them, one of which seemed to be in a current state of rebuilding and was rather unimpressive. The other tank was pretty modest sized and contained a mix of mushrooms and palys, but what was most impressive were the handful of royal grammas in the tank. I think I saw five or six of them, and they each obviously had a little hole in the display they were guarding with their life. It was a cute little reef and probably not too far off from a standard beginner’s softie tank.
We also stopped at a fish store in the area and picked up a skunk cleaner shrimp and a blue damsel. I know, a blue damsel, why the hell would I get one of those evil fish. Partially, because I love the bright blue color and it is a great contrast to the orange, yellow, and purple that we currently had in the tank. More importantly though, Fred and George had demonstrated that they were cold-blooded killers, cannibals even, and only left a scrap of Dumbledore’s fin to send me a message, so I wasn’t worried about them defending their turf from a single damsel, no matter how mean.
Unfortunately, the shrimp didn’t do so well, and I believe that since he met his demise very shortly after being added to the tank that I am fully to blame. I was worried that after being in the car for a number of hours that he needed to get into a tank sooner than later, so I acclimated rather quickly over a couple of minutes and tossed him in. Again, a mistake that I regret, and one my wife did not take well. She has a caring heart and I am shocked at how fast she gets attached to new creatures in our tank. The damsel is doing great though, and we have since named her Fleur. Did you know damsels change colors? I did not, and it is fascinating.
We ended up taking a last-minute trip up to Corpus Christi to celebrate my son’s birthday and visit the Texas State Aquarium! If we are being completely honest, it was completely my idea, I love aquariums. Ever since I started my own tank I have been keen to see different examples of successful reef tanks. While the Aquarium was very impressive and had a ton of cool exhibits, especially the 500,000-gallon shark tank, it left a lot to be desired in terms of coral reef exhibits. There were really only two tanks that had any live coral in them, one of which seemed to be in a current state of rebuilding and was rather unimpressive. The other tank was pretty modest sized and contained a mix of mushrooms and palys, but what was most impressive were the handful of royal grammas in the tank. I think I saw five or six of them, and they each obviously had a little hole in the display they were guarding with their life. It was a cute little reef and probably not too far off from a standard beginner’s softie tank.
We also stopped at a fish store in the area and picked up a skunk cleaner shrimp and a blue damsel. I know, a blue damsel, why the hell would I get one of those evil fish. Partially, because I love the bright blue color and it is a great contrast to the orange, yellow, and purple that we currently had in the tank. More importantly though, Fred and George had demonstrated that they were cold-blooded killers, cannibals even, and only left a scrap of Dumbledore’s fin to send me a message, so I wasn’t worried about them defending their turf from a single damsel, no matter how mean.
Unfortunately, the shrimp didn’t do so well, and I believe that since he met his demise very shortly after being added to the tank that I am fully to blame. I was worried that after being in the car for a number of hours that he needed to get into a tank sooner than later, so I acclimated rather quickly over a couple of minutes and tossed him in. Again, a mistake that I regret, and one my wife did not take well. She has a caring heart and I am shocked at how fast she gets attached to new creatures in our tank. The damsel is doing great though, and we have since named her Fleur. Did you know damsels change colors? I did not, and it is fascinating.
will25u
Well-Known Member
He was Army for 14 years. It was such a struggle! But we didn’t have a small tank - 75 gallons. We clearly weren’t thinking properly.
I work as a respiratory therapist for a pulmonologist who teaches medical students. We have two right now that are about to begin their residency. I do not envy them one bit but I’m thankful for them. Lots of luck to you!
Similar threads
