I'm going to document the progression of my tank on this thread, the good and the bad.
You've already seen this picture on my "Welcome mat" post but I'm putting it here too for a one-thread history of the tank.
The condy in this pic died and went into my refuge. So while his passing is sad, he lives on as a permanent part of the cycle of this tank. (What's even sadder to me, is that there's now an even larger one at my LFS that I know I can't have and unless someone with a great tank buys it, I know it will die slowly at the store. [I've seen their livestock deteriorate over the time that I have now started spending more and more time there and have been learning more and more about tank care.])
Jan 14, 2014 - 10 Days Old
I picked this corner tank up from a dentist office that a friend of mine worked at for $50. They said it had been there for like 14 years. It has a built-in wet and dry filter that basically covers both back sides, so it's kind of like two wet and dry filters (one on each side) with a common return pump in the very back corner.
As I studied more and more about reef tanks, I found that this is "old technology" and refugiums are the better way to go.
The following drawing is my initial idea on how to convert the filter. What was practical was a little different but this should give you an idea of what I'm trying to accomplish. I would say that the area of the built-in filter takes up about 25 gallons of the complete 100 gallons. So, maybe some might consider this a 75 gallon tank.
The more I study about aquascaping, the more I hate the decor of my tank. I hope to design something much more pleasing in the future. I think I will stick with the big cave in the back corner though. I just might make a wider opening in the back of it so there would be more traffic through it rather than having all my fish just hide all day/night in it.
Also note that this tank is VERY scratched up and not quite level. These are things I plan on fixing at a much later time. I'm more interested in the parameters for life than how it looks (despite my statements above). In time, I hope to achieve a great balance for both.
I'm also of the mindset that I don't have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to have a nice tank. I think there are those who can and love to and there are those who can't or won't and who can still have an enjoyable hobby. Now, while I came into this with the idea of "wow a $50 tank", it soon became apparent that there would be some blood, sweat and tears and a lot more dollars to go to get to where I wanted to go with the tank. I just hope I can get away with a proper environment without my electric bill getting too far out of control!
You've already seen this picture on my "Welcome mat" post but I'm putting it here too for a one-thread history of the tank.
The condy in this pic died and went into my refuge. So while his passing is sad, he lives on as a permanent part of the cycle of this tank. (What's even sadder to me, is that there's now an even larger one at my LFS that I know I can't have and unless someone with a great tank buys it, I know it will die slowly at the store. [I've seen their livestock deteriorate over the time that I have now started spending more and more time there and have been learning more and more about tank care.])
Jan 14, 2014 - 10 Days Old
I picked this corner tank up from a dentist office that a friend of mine worked at for $50. They said it had been there for like 14 years. It has a built-in wet and dry filter that basically covers both back sides, so it's kind of like two wet and dry filters (one on each side) with a common return pump in the very back corner.
As I studied more and more about reef tanks, I found that this is "old technology" and refugiums are the better way to go.
The following drawing is my initial idea on how to convert the filter. What was practical was a little different but this should give you an idea of what I'm trying to accomplish. I would say that the area of the built-in filter takes up about 25 gallons of the complete 100 gallons. So, maybe some might consider this a 75 gallon tank.
The more I study about aquascaping, the more I hate the decor of my tank. I hope to design something much more pleasing in the future. I think I will stick with the big cave in the back corner though. I just might make a wider opening in the back of it so there would be more traffic through it rather than having all my fish just hide all day/night in it.
Also note that this tank is VERY scratched up and not quite level. These are things I plan on fixing at a much later time. I'm more interested in the parameters for life than how it looks (despite my statements above). In time, I hope to achieve a great balance for both.
I'm also of the mindset that I don't have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to have a nice tank. I think there are those who can and love to and there are those who can't or won't and who can still have an enjoyable hobby. Now, while I came into this with the idea of "wow a $50 tank", it soon became apparent that there would be some blood, sweat and tears and a lot more dollars to go to get to where I wanted to go with the tank. I just hope I can get away with a proper environment without my electric bill getting too far out of control!
.JPG)
