A
Anonymous
Guest
Well I finally got my cheapie camera working so here will be some pictures of my 55g. Sorry about the quality of the pictures but it is a very limited camera.
Just a reminder for new people, my basic philosophy of maintaining all aquariums it to simply take care of the plant life and the plant life will take care of the aquarium. Just as happens in the wild.
I have maintained FW and FO tanks since the late 70's with that philosophy because the dramatic results I obtained after I switched from the usual, water change, filtration, and plant less Fw tanks I started with. Following those "usual" methods I had trouble keeping fish longer than three months and when I tried to get plants going, the did not establish themselves.
So I tried a tank by first starting the plants for a week so the plants were in control right from the start. I found I had no algae to clean, and descendants from the original two red wag platys were in the same tank 8 years later. Six years in one city. With no water changes, no filter, no circulation, and minimal lighting. Just fed the fish and replaced water that evaporated.
I also applied the same philosophy to a FO salt tank, under gravel filter, dolomite substrate. For plants I just let the algae grow but cleaned the front glass for viewing. Again no water changes, just replaced evaporative water. And 8 years later the tank was still functions, fish had lived for up to 4 years, and three strip damsels, spawned numerous times.
I set up numerous FW tank in about ½ dozen cities in the US while in the Air Force. With the same results. So it was not unusual water quality where those two original tanks were located.
About two years ago I started this 55g. No one in Huntsville mentioned anything about saltwater plant life even though I made several requests. And the initial results were so disastrous, my wife and I were seriously considering switching to a ciclid tank. Basically, any nicer fish like a tang would slowly deteriorate develop white spots, start breathing heave and die (in about three weeks. I tested Ph and found the just before lights out ph was down to 7.4 or lower (very light brown to yellow on the aquarium phar**** test kit). I then discovered macro algae and saltwater plants. One week after adding 8 gracillaria bushes, just before lights out ph was 8.4 and has stayed there for 1 ½ years. And a yellow tang with white spots recovered, is still in the tank, and is about 3 times the size.
Nitrates have finally come down to and stayed at 0.0 with the addition of the in tank back wall refug and the back lighting. Cyano bloomed then disappeared as nitrates lowered below 5 ppm. I have and external sump/refug with a diy filter box. Powered be a mag 5 pump circulating all the water through crushed oyster shells. Calcium went from 250-300 ppm to 400ppm in 4 weeks and have stayed there for months after adding the oyster shells. As usual no water changes and the tank has seen only straight tap water.
I do not recommend external sumps/refuges to newbies. They can and will flood. While they are useful for very very large system or those with numerous tanks, they do not make sense to me for a hobbiest with a single tank.
I am still learning especially with the corals, so any help on ID or possible problems will be appreciated.
Finally, The only filtration is the diy filter box and the macros. No skimmer. lighting is 2 4' 2 tube utility fixtures behind the tank pointing forward and two 4' 2 tube fixtures 2x overdriven on top. all tubes are 4100K 3300 lumen utility tubes. Glass top is installed.
parameters. just before lights out ph 8.4, ammonia, nitrItes, nitrate 0.0, calcium 400ppm, alk 2 leg/l, mag 1200ppm, iron unmeasureable. I suspect phosphates ar low or 0.0 as cyano has bloomed then gone away.
Just a reminder for new people, my basic philosophy of maintaining all aquariums it to simply take care of the plant life and the plant life will take care of the aquarium. Just as happens in the wild.
I have maintained FW and FO tanks since the late 70's with that philosophy because the dramatic results I obtained after I switched from the usual, water change, filtration, and plant less Fw tanks I started with. Following those "usual" methods I had trouble keeping fish longer than three months and when I tried to get plants going, the did not establish themselves.
So I tried a tank by first starting the plants for a week so the plants were in control right from the start. I found I had no algae to clean, and descendants from the original two red wag platys were in the same tank 8 years later. Six years in one city. With no water changes, no filter, no circulation, and minimal lighting. Just fed the fish and replaced water that evaporated.
I also applied the same philosophy to a FO salt tank, under gravel filter, dolomite substrate. For plants I just let the algae grow but cleaned the front glass for viewing. Again no water changes, just replaced evaporative water. And 8 years later the tank was still functions, fish had lived for up to 4 years, and three strip damsels, spawned numerous times.
I set up numerous FW tank in about ½ dozen cities in the US while in the Air Force. With the same results. So it was not unusual water quality where those two original tanks were located.
About two years ago I started this 55g. No one in Huntsville mentioned anything about saltwater plant life even though I made several requests. And the initial results were so disastrous, my wife and I were seriously considering switching to a ciclid tank. Basically, any nicer fish like a tang would slowly deteriorate develop white spots, start breathing heave and die (in about three weeks. I tested Ph and found the just before lights out ph was down to 7.4 or lower (very light brown to yellow on the aquarium phar**** test kit). I then discovered macro algae and saltwater plants. One week after adding 8 gracillaria bushes, just before lights out ph was 8.4 and has stayed there for 1 ½ years. And a yellow tang with white spots recovered, is still in the tank, and is about 3 times the size.
Nitrates have finally come down to and stayed at 0.0 with the addition of the in tank back wall refug and the back lighting. Cyano bloomed then disappeared as nitrates lowered below 5 ppm. I have and external sump/refug with a diy filter box. Powered be a mag 5 pump circulating all the water through crushed oyster shells. Calcium went from 250-300 ppm to 400ppm in 4 weeks and have stayed there for months after adding the oyster shells. As usual no water changes and the tank has seen only straight tap water.
I do not recommend external sumps/refuges to newbies. They can and will flood. While they are useful for very very large system or those with numerous tanks, they do not make sense to me for a hobbiest with a single tank.
I am still learning especially with the corals, so any help on ID or possible problems will be appreciated.
Finally, The only filtration is the diy filter box and the macros. No skimmer. lighting is 2 4' 2 tube utility fixtures behind the tank pointing forward and two 4' 2 tube fixtures 2x overdriven on top. all tubes are 4100K 3300 lumen utility tubes. Glass top is installed.
parameters. just before lights out ph 8.4, ammonia, nitrItes, nitrate 0.0, calcium 400ppm, alk 2 leg/l, mag 1200ppm, iron unmeasureable. I suspect phosphates ar low or 0.0 as cyano has bloomed then gone away.
