When I looked at that picture I was like "That is some fucking crazy ass looking weed... I need to smoke that." Turns out, you didn't mean weed.
Lol, it would look like some crazy weed though. I love getting high and planting my ass in front of the tank and watch the millions of tiny life forms crawling around. I am finding feather dusters and tube worms on my live rock.
I've been keeping freshwater fish for about 10 years (same time I started smoking bud). Always wanted to do saltwater, but knew it was costly and needed much care and time. I'm making enough money, have enough wisdom, and have enough time to spend on it. Plus, it is very rewarding to have a reef tank. Just with the rock in it I'm all estatic. And I don't even have coral yet (except the mushrooms).
I bought the tank, filled it with DISTILLED water (important that you don't use sink water, algae!) and mixed with salt to 1.025. Bought some live sand and live rock (filled with organisms like zooplankton) and let it sit for a few weeks to let all the nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, and ammonia to leave my tank. Once it does, the live rock starts coloring up and life forms start growing where it was once dormant (not dead). Corals are bought at the store or can be ordered online, but I like hand picking all my stuff, so I need to see it before I buy.
nope dead serious. i understand it takes time to build up a reef but i basicly have all the gear from my mj grows and the fish i used to keep. im gonna get everything clean and ready, do some more reading and head to the saltwater fish store for what i dont have, i love taking cre of plants but cant grow anything interesting at the moment, i think a reef tank would be a great new project
Whatever you do, DO NOT TRUST fish stores. They will say ANYTHING to sell products. Go to reefcentral.com, a forum just like this place. You will need actinic light (half white half blue).
I will try to get a picture of the shrimp cleaning my hand, or even picking flake food from my fingers.
Pretty much the same. I understand though, keeping a petshop must be hard. They will sell you a 10 gallon and say it's fine to keep a dolphin if it means food on the table. Your best bet is to visit about 10 stores (like I did) and compare prices. All your info must be researched online (they're not trying to make a buck, there are entusiasts out there). They even have reef clubs with lots of members who might even give you free coral. I found this guy who will give me small pieces of his coral for free, just because his coral is growing out of control. I guess this is just like cloning a plant .
I went with a 10 gallon due to space. It is a bit cheaper, but harder to maintain stable water conditions. That means the temp, salinity, calcium, alk, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and ammonia levels must stay the same all the time. Fluctuations will stress the inhabitants. There is much more room for error in a larger tank.