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Adventures in Reef Keeping
Page - 2 First, before we get into "How Two" you must learn "What Not to Do"!!! There are some classic beginner mistakes that you want to avoid. They will cost you dearly if you make them and save you bundles of money and heart ach if you avoid them. You will question some of them because they fly smack in the face of reason, like the first one. Number one mistake! Getting advice from your local fish store (LFS)!!! Sad but, true!!! Surely, you are wondering if I have marbles in my head instead of brains. Or, this guy must hate LFS owners. No, none of the above. My experience, in fact most everyone's experience, with most LFSs has been negative. Granted, there are a few scattered across the USA that are
It really does comes down to your
level of patience. Successful reefers either have it in the
beginning or develop patience along the way. Reef aquariums
are an extremely expensive hobby to get involved with. Those
reefers who developed patience along the way paid dearly for their
education. I know, I was one of them. Of course in my
day there wasn't the knowledge base we are so fortunate to have
today. We know most of the "secrets" in setting up and
maintaining a healthy reef tank. I should point out no one is
keeping the "secret" of success in reefing, it's published
everywhere. It's your obligation to educate yourself and find
the "secrets". If you've gotten this far and are
still interested,
the "secrets" are about to be revealed. Are you ready?
Okay, lets begin. Setting up a successful reef aquarium isn't difficult IF you follow established guidelines. A marine aquarium, whether fish only, reef only or a reef with fish, while different than it's freshwater counterpart is no more difficult. Being successful with your first marine aquarium all depends on your level of interest, commitment, finances, willingness to educate yourself and attitude. A marine set-up requires a different level of commitment than most other types aquariums. Let's look at those differences. Cost: The cost of setting up a successful marine aquarium can be considerable. Obviously, the larger the aquarium the larger the investment in equipment, time and money. Determine ahead of time how much money you have or are willing to commit to your "piece of the reef". Only you know that figure but, if your thinking hundreds instead of thousands of dollars, you are going to have to think "small" reef. You could easily have one thousand dollars tied up in a 20 gallon reef aquarium. If this staggers you, don't proceed any further. There are ways to do it for less but, you have to be careful where you cut corners. Leave out a vital piece of equipment and you will likely fail. Along with the cost of equipment, inhabitants, live rock, live sand is the monthly electric bill. On a medium size reef tank, let's say 100 gallons, it can reach $100 per month easily. Placement: You will want to place the aquarium where it is convenient to look at, close to a water source and drain, out of direct sunlight and where it is easily serviced. The options are as endless as your imagination. Some direct sun light can be a benefit to the corals even if you are using the correct lighting for a reef aquarium. However, too much sunlight along with your aquarium lights can cause problems. Since corals need intense light compared to a fish only aquarium, it is best to avoid direct sun light. Size:
In considering the size reef aquarium you want, remember, the bigger the
aquarium the higher the cost of every piece of equipment and the
more inhabitants you can keep. If you have unlimited funds the
sky is the limit. Here is a picture of one example of a
hobbyist gone to the extreme. The cost of such a set-up?
Your guess is as good as mine. My guesstimate, $100,000? The tank alone
could easily reach $40,000. I have no idea as to the number (This picture was
e-mailed to me by a friend. I don't have a clue as to I can
determine from the picture, he has accomplished a successful reef First, think big instead of small. Here's why. Let's say you are a bit nervous about this venture and you don't want to lose too much money if you fail. That's common thinking but let's examine it closer. You've decided to go small, say 29 gallons. My first caution would be, the smaller the size the quicker a change in water conditions can happen. The oceans have been stable for millions of years. Reef fish and corals are used to this stability. They do not take to changes in stability easily. Any change in PH, salinity, temperature or chemical make up of the water can cause stress in your inhabitants. Stress is the major cause of failure and death in a marine aquarium. Stability is one key to success. So, with that in mind a 50 gal is better than the 29 we mentioned. A 70 gal is better than the 50, etc. You have to determine what size you can afford or want. There is a craze going on today that I don't recommend a beginner start with, it's the Nano tank. Nano, referring to small, could be as many as 20 gallons or as few as one gallon. Surprisingly, these Nano tanks can be quite successful but, I recommend you not attempt one as your first reef tank. Again, only you can determine that choice. My personal feelings on Nano tanks is, I'm against them. Why? It's a moral issue with me. How would you feel living a captive life in a 4' x 4' cell??? Think about that. Now, let's add some room mates, say, a dog, a cat and a snake. Living my life alone in a 4 x 4 closet would be horrendous enough, with the best of room mates, it would be intolerable. Yet, aquarists cram all sorts of critters together in their Nano tanks, with what seems to be success. But, I personally would not put an animal through the stress. Just my humble opinion on Nano tanks. Aquarium Materials: Here is a subject sure to create heated discussions where ever the subject is brought up among hobbyists. The choices, in no particular order are, glass, Acrylic, fiberglass and wood with a glass or Acrylic viewing window. It's a matter of choice. Each has it's merits and draw backs. I've used all four over the years with varying degrees of success. I have my preference which will be evident as we cover all four. Wood: In smaller sizes wood is not even a choice. Wood comes into play on large aquariums. A single 4' x 8' sheet of plywood can be built into a 100 gallon plus aquarium for the cost of plywood, 2 x 4s, screws, glue, Acrylic paint, glass panel, a few tools and your labor. You can probably save a few hundred dollars over a new 100 gallon aquarium. The draw back of wood is it's life expectancy is shortest of the three choices. Maybe three to four years before the paint begins to fail or the effects of water getting into the plywood edges and separating the plies causing the failure of the integrity of the tank. Enough said, wood's usefulness in aquariums is limited. With some of the newer plastic laminated plywood, consideration of the material could be expanded. I've seen 1 1/2" plastic laminated plywood used in making concrete forms that would be useful in making really large aquariums. The cost was pretty high though. Glass: The venerable material for making aquariums. Millions of aquariums have been made of glass. It's the first material one thinks of at the sound of the word aquarium. From pressed glass goldfish bowls, to the old steel framed and then stainless steel framed, right up to the modern "All Glass" aquarium with it's silicone sealed edges. Glass is the quintessential material for aquariums or so it would seem. Let's take a closer look at the material. When you think of glass, you think "clear" but glass actually has a natural green tint to it. To see this tint look through the edges from one side to the other. The green tint becomes quite evident. Glass loses heat at a rather rapid rate causing a slightly higher demand on the heating and cooling system of the aquarium, raising your energy bill slightly. If you are not careful while cleaning the tank you could scratch the glass resulting in a weakening of the unit and lessening the overall beauty of the unit. If struck with a heavy object glass is prone to cracking, leaking and breaking causing a disaster. Finally, glass aquariums are glued together using silicone which has been known to come apart, leak, deteriorate over time and fail. In there favor, glass aquariums generally last a long time. Since they have a favorable track record, it puzzles me as to why glass manufacturers warrantee their products for such a short time against leakage. The usual warrantee is 90 days from date of purchase. If glass aquariums have such a long record of being relatively trouble free, why then such a short warrantee period? Something you should consider before making your decision as to material. What's the alternative? Acrylic: A material for fabricating aquariums that continues to make inroads into glass' hold as the aquarium industry's favorite material. By the way, Acrylic and Plexiglas are the same material made and named by different manufacturers. There names are synonymous. Acrylic has many advantages over glass. It's the material I prefer to work with for the following reasons. Acrylic is clearer and allows 96% of light to pass through, while glass allows 86% of light to pass. The more light reflected through the tank the clearer and more brilliant the colors you'll see. Remember the green tint of glass? Set an Acrylic and a glass tank side by side and the difference is dramatic. Reef aquariums in Acrylic are strikingly more colorful. Acrylic is a better insulator than glass. A more stable temperature means less stress on the inhabitants. It will make a small difference in your energy consumption.
This article is a work in progress.
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