Aquariums - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

likwid · 08-18-2006, 08:13 PM

I'd LOVE to set up at 100+ gallon sw tank.
Lotta work though for the startup.

Def hunt down a baby lobster and toss him in.
And name him "Pinchy"

teaser · 08-18-2006, 09:05 PM

Likwid, not that much to do for start up. just get crushed coral 2-3" for the bottom. Get a decent pump - I use a Fluval 300, add uplift tubes, rocks, heater, fill with sea water, toss in about 10 mumpers to cycle the tank and after 6-8 weeks ... you're done! Get the fish you like and they're happy campers in the tank. After the water level goes down about 5 gallons just get some more sea water and toss it in, after the tank cycles it takes alot to kill it. If you do start a tank for fish, don't try anything under 50 gallons because you'll be limited on how many fish you can put in there. Go for it! My new grand daughter just loves mine, it's the best babysitter in the world.

Island Girl · 08-18-2006, 11:48 PM

Oh hell no...... There will be no more eels......... I am sorry but um I don't think I can deal w/ ("I think the eel got out of the tank it's somewhere in the house") Yeah that's a little too nasty and disturbing for me....... hahaha nice try but um absolutly not!

You can bring SW fish in all you want but NO EELS

That's all I have to say on the matter...........!

zacs · 08-19-2006, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Oh hell no...... There will be no more eels......... I am sorry but um I don't think I can deal w/ ("I think the eel got out of the tank it's somewhere in the house") Yeah that's a little too nasty and disturbing for me....... hahaha nice try but um absolutly not!

You can bring SW fish in all you want but NO EELS

That's all I have to say on the matter...........!

LOL!!!!
I have had eels escape in my house, in my car, and in my boat. Earlier this year, my dog knocked over my eel bucket and started eating them. I came out and she was grining with half a bloddy eel writhing in her mouth. Boy did she stink.... I took a lot of sh1t for that one.

BUT.... when you realize the money you can save by not throwing eels out at the end of the night, or even better, catching your own, you will see the light, Island Girl....

MotoXcowboy · 08-19-2006, 04:02 PM

those sw setups you guys have sound cool. i didnt know it was that easy. everyone ive talked to made sw setups sound like hell. how do you add seawater in the winter? that must take a while to heat.. ive got to research more on the sw setups. ive got time..i wonder how long this convict will live.

teaser · 08-20-2006, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotoXcowboy

those sw setups you guys have sound cool. i didnt know it was that easy. everyone ive talked to made sw setups sound like hell. how do you add seawater in the winter? that must take a while to heat.. ive got to research more on the sw setups. ive got time..i wonder how long this convict will live.

Convicts can and do live up to 10 years if the proper care is given to them, but they average about 5 in most cases.
I usually go down to the water and get 5 gallons in a bucket and let it sit at room temp for about 2 hours, but I do put an airstone in the bucket to keep the sealife alive and kicking so I don't poison the tank.
Go for it with the saltwater setup, you'll be amazed at the difference.I started with tropical fish, had every species I could get my hands on ...cheap money compared to saltwater fish ... after a few years I got bored with tropical and switched. My 55 became salt, haven't regretted it since.
I did regret doing a reef tank once though, way toooooooo much work, lost $3,000.00 worth of fish putting in a bad piece of live rock right from Florida, turns out the shipment came in that day dead and the dealer didn't know and I bought $300.00 worth of dead rock and poisoned my tank. That did it for me ...fish only!

MotoXcowboy · 08-21-2006, 08:59 AM

wow thats crazy teaser.. $3,000 of fish holy ....! Okay, So I am assuming the saltwater we have here (New England) will support other saltwater species (not common to our water) Say like clowns ect.

In the meantime I am looking to add rocks to my FW tank. Im wondering if anyone can give me good advice about finding my own. I heard you supposed to find hard rocks like slate, granite, ect..river rocks? boil them and test the PH levels. I really dont wanna buy rocks from the LFS, the closest locals are petsmart and petco and they dont have real rocks anyway. I've got to get rid of the kiddie set-up ive got goin on here...

Going to put pool filter sand in my tank this week...It can go right over the gravel right? or should I get the egg crate stuff? sorry tons of questions.

likwid · 08-19-2006, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teaser

Likwid, not that much to do for start up. just get crushed coral 2-3" for the bottom. Get a decent pump - I use a Fluval 300, add uplift tubes, rocks, heater, fill with sea water, toss in about 10 mumpers to cycle the tank and after 6-8 weeks ... you're done! Get the fish you like and they're happy campers in the tank. After the water level goes down about 5 gallons just get some more sea water and toss it in, after the tank cycles it takes alot to kill it. If you do start a tank for fish, don't try anything under 50 gallons because you'll be limited on how many fish you can put in there. Go for it! My new grand daughter just loves mine, it's the best babysitter in the world.

Thanks for the advice, I've always heard to go BIG on saltwater tanks as not only can you keep a good number of fish but you don't get any rapid salinity/temp changes that aren't manageable.

Team Rock On · 08-19-2006, 05:19 AM

"After the water level goes down about 5 gallons just get some more sea water and toss it in"

You need to replace evaporated water with fresh water. The salt doesn't evaporate.

LT. DAN 2 · 08-19-2006, 06:18 AM

I will usually take 5 gallons out and add 5 new with about a cup of well water (no chemicals) to allow for evaporation and rainfall.

danno1 · 08-19-2006, 08:00 AM

Don`t you have trouble keeping the tank cold ? Even with "air" in the house, the tank temps are warmer than in the house, because of the motor and lights.

teaser · 08-20-2006, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danno1

Don`t you have trouble keeping the tank cold ? Even with "air" in the house, the tank temps are warmer than in the house, because of the motor and lights.

I only use lights at night or when company "must see" the tank, but I do occasionally leave a light on while it's a dark day outside. I only light the attinic light on those occasions though ...no white lights. The pump I use stores under the fish tanks stand inside the cabinet so there is no heat problem from that, I used to use a trickle filter but they were just too distractiong on those "quiet" nights.

teaser · 08-20-2006, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Team Rock On

"After the water level goes down about 5 gallons just get some more sea water and toss it in"

You need to replace evaporated water with fresh water. The salt doesn't evaporate.

The amount of salt you lose with the water evaporation is just about equal in ppm (parts per million) so there really is no need to add fresh water, been working for me like this for over 15 years with no problem.