snailpoo

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Just wanted to introduce myself.

I've kept goldfish for decades (had a few that lived into their teens), before discovering that if I didn't keep poo machines that viewed anything remotely resembling a plant as salad, I could have a much easier time maintaining a tank. So the 14 inch koi (how's that for a maintanence job?) went, and I turned my 30 gallon tank into a planted one.

To the tune of my wife taunting me about how a planted tank would be *less* work, I traded by biweekly water changes for 8 fun hours of tweezer planting every tiny little bit of glosso that refused to stay planted. The results, however, were satisfactory.

30Gallon121505.jpg


30 gallons aga, freshwater, under (and here's the fun part) 96w 12k and 96w acitinic lighting. I've since upgraded my craptastic lighting fixture in the picture for and Orbit 2x96.

Life was good. Life was too good. Zero water changes. Zero maintenence. Feed the fish. Trim the plants. ADD Nitrates. Done. I always knew I had a green thumb if I didn't have to remember to water the plants. Poor cactus.


And then my neighbor got his 3 gallon saltwater nano.

ooooooooooooooo........

Long story short, I've had a 10 gallon reef for 6 months now, and am now considering taking down the planted tank and turning it into a reef --I already have the lighting.


And so, I'm here to soak up some wisdom.
 
D

DEEPWATER

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Chiefmcfuz said:
Leave the planted tank alone and go get another tank and set that up. Bigger is better :) How bout a 40 Breeder?

Chief ,say Welcome to MR 1st ,,:screama: LOL


Welcome aboard Snailpoo

Well i think you are going ot love the site ,As Chief said ,40 Breeder ,,is good size tank ,anywho ,ask lots of questions ,youll get lots of wisdom that way too

enjoy the site
Ronen
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
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G.V NYC
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snailpoo welcome to manhattan reefs.

I agree the planted tank is too beautiful to take down.

There is always room for another tank! get creative ;)

As for equipment keep an eye on our for sale section.
People sell stuff here CHEAP, and if you get to know some
often it is GIVEN away :D
 

ming

LE Coral Killer
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Get another tank! You might think you have the light already, but you'll probably need to replace the bulbs. Might as well get another tank. BTW, I see baby tears, can I get a stem? Just 1 stem is enough as they grow fast and nicely.

Where are my manners? WELCOME TO MR! :)
 

LeslieS

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Manhattan
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The planted tank is beautiful, and someone is always selling a tank on this site. Just wait a couple of days and something will pop up!
 

snailpoo

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ARG! Thank-you for all the kind words and welcome, but you guys are making a hard decision harder. I think I need to backup and explain that leading up to this 30, I built two six-gallon eclipses and a half gallon pico, now all completely neglected. That leaves me with 5 tanks... and my shoebox I call home isn't *that* big.

My plan was to play a little bit of Hanoi towers, and move the 30 into a 10(10s always win the AGA aquacaping contests anyway), splitting of the remnants into my neglected eclipses, and then move my 10 gallon reef into the 30.

It's not so much the cost of the tank that bothers me (well, a little), but it's more the cost per square foot of living space. That and the fact that my wife will roll her eyes whenever I mention heading to a freshwater fish store but will physically drag me to a saltwater place whenever I mention "Nemo" (thank-you Pixar!).


That and, planted tanks cycle through their attractiveness. The glosso and the babytears in the foreground, for example, grow too dense, killing off the plants underneath. The lawn effect is then ruined as the tatters grow unevenly. The rotala in the center grows way too fast, and pruning removes the colorful leaves to reveal the light starved stems in the middle.



ming said:
. BTW, I see baby tears, can I get a stem? Just 1 stem is enough as they grow fast and nicely.

YGPM
 
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meschaefer

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Astoria
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Hi-

I did a similar progression. started with freshwater with plastic plants, moved onto a planted freshwater tank, then started a reef tank. (Ended up taking down the freswater when I moved)

Welocme to MR
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
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ANCHIENT MARINER said:
welcome to MR :thrash: this is a great place to learn here

yes it is :D
It's a good thing we get new people with a passion for the hobby that we can help. Otherwise I'm afraid the site would degenerate into reef dorks posting fart jokes and pictures of people in tight pants :lol: (nudibar references)
 

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