reef tank or saltwater aquarium

[tunatamer4]

Yeah,
I didn't even want to get into keeping track of TDS from the RO unit, adding Kalk daily (sometimes even with a calcium reactor).
Fish only with live rock still requires excellent filtration, especially if you like to feed the fish other live fish. A high quality protien skimmer is a MUST, and since hang-on skimmers suck, you need a sump...and now you're in a whole new ballpark.

Don't forget! Even if you are very successful...you'll then have to get into the world of high mega-pixel cameras to show off your tank! No Joke!.....and once you have the camera, you gotta get yourself a macro lense for it. Just be prepared to invest this extra $900 easy if you can keep up with the daily maintenence of your fish tank(but $900 probably nothing to you all spending $500-$1000 on gas in a single weekend).

I love 'em. BUT DON'T DO IT!! lol

This is not absolutely true. I have been running tanks with fish and live rock for over ten years and have only had two crashes with my first. One was when I first started and overloaded it because I wanted everything. Ammonia peaked and wiped out just about everything.
The other was from loss of power due to a hurricane and that may have been avoided if I was allowed to return to my home earlier than five days after.
With good water circulation, enough rock and not overstocking or overfeeding the tank, it can basically run itself with minimal filtration.
I currently have a 90gal that houses a percula clown, coral beauty, neon dottyback, two skunk cleaner shrimp, a hippo tang, a green mandarin dragonet, a spiny urchin, about a dozen assorted sized hermit crabs and four turbo snails along with approx. 80-90 pounds of rock. Filter is a hang on biowheel, prizm skimmer(which does an ok job) two opposing powerheads and a 48 inch h-o light.
My wife is running a 44 gal with about 50 pounds of rock, A stars and stripes puffer, yellowhead jawfish, royal gramma, two green chromis, a brittle star, six hermit crabs, three turbo snails and a skilletfish. Her filtration is the same type as mine but no skimmer, and of course a smaller light.
The only maintenance we do is a monthly 20-25% water change and check the perameters weekly and clean the front glass.
Feeding is every three days at which time we top off the tanks with R-O water and add iodine for the shellfish.
The only "problem" I have is some caulerpa that was introduced to the tank in some rock I got from a friend that I must harvest at the water change or it overuns the tank.
So timewise we look at about 2-3 hours a month to enjoy our little piece of the ocean in our home.

[Glenn W]

If anyone thought offshore fisherman had srong opinions regarding what is right and wrong, they can't hold a candle to marine aquarists' differing opinions (often 180 degrees apart).

It's all what works for you, I concluded. I was very successful in "MY" recipe for success and it followed Tunatamer's approach. I spent litterally thousands of dollars in overpriced toys and gadgets before I figured out what worked best for me. In my reef tank (which was incredibly overloaded with corals and fish), I became a firm believer in letting nature do it's thing. Deep sand bottom in tank and sump ( 6 inches), about 100 lbs of good quality live rock, very large sump (40 -45 gals of sump water for 120 tank), no mechanical filtration, and I ran the hell out of my protein skimmers to get as much organic matter out before it turned to nitrites/nitrates. The sand bed held enough anaerobic bacteria to keep the Nitrate levels very low ( I found the SPS were very sensitive to nitrate levels and flourished with low levels).
I worked with every known formula and technique for Kalkwaser and IMO does a pittyful job in a heavy loaded system. By far, hands down, no question about it--- B-Ionic calcium worked the best for my system. Expensive yes, but it did the trick.
R/O and DI watr?--- I went to extremes at first, but found it really didn't help--- yep, I used my well water with better success. The key?--- 25% water change once a month. Some claimed this was to much--- too much?--- hell I wanted to make a change, that 5%-10% once a week was a hassle and a waste of time.
I fed the fish ONCE a week--- honest to Pete, the fish found enough to feed on by them selves-- ( but this was a very mature tank). During my monthly water change I would vacum 1/3 of the sand and alternate.
All in all, it was pretty self sustaining with a hour once a month and a few minutes work weekly.
Oh, and to you SPS growers, I'll offer my experience with water temp.--- 80- 83 degrees ( I ran 2- 250w metal halides and 4- 48" VHO's). What do you think the water is a cool 75 degrees on the equator?---- yea, the water cooled down each night to the upper 70's--- so what, don't natural reefs do the same?--- worked well form me and the SPS grew like weeds. With these high temps you must have alot of air mixing with the water to keep adequate oxegen levels.

Shit, I might just pull out an old 52 gal (high) tank from the attic and start up a little reef again------ wait a minute, that's how it all started the last time---

Nonetheless, I will admit, it is very beautiful and tranquil to watch each evening.

[Squidnation]

Shit, I might just pull out an old 52 gal (high) tank from the attic and start up a little reef again------ wait a minute, that's how it all started the last time---

Nonetheless, I will admit, it is very beautiful and tranquil to watch each evening.

I owned a tropical fish and reptile store in White Oak, MD for 5 years. 114 freshwater, 40 saltwater and 30 reptile tanks. If I never do another water change again, it will be too soon.

[brokensheer]

I owned a tropical fish and reptile store in White Oak, MD for 5 years. 114 freshwater, 40 saltwater and 30 reptile tanks. If I never do another water change again, it will be too soon.

White Oak Hmm I was raised not far from there, (Oak View) new hampshire and the beltway, I rolled through Langley park last week, People laugh about Mexifornia hell its already here in Maryland, most of the business signs are not in english

[Tsukiji]

Here is an older picture of my 29. This is one of the new all in one tanks. I thought it would be easier and cheaper having a smaller all in one tank. Wrong You have to stay on top of it and even with this small of tank I still have close to $2000. Make that $3000 I just bought a generator last Thursday. If my tank does crash I'm going to do a Chesapeake Bio Type tank. Here is a good site for nano reefers.http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...ogin&fromreg=1

[tunatamer4]

Here is an older picture of my 29. This is one of the new all in one tanks. I thought it would be easier and cheaper having a smaller all in one tank. Wrong You have to stay on top of it and even with this small of tank I still have close to $2000. Make that $3000 I just bought a generator last Thursday. If my tank does crash I'm going to do a Chesapeake Bio Type tank. Here is a good site for nano reefers.http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...ogin&fromreg=1

So true about the smaller tanks being more trouble. A large tank has "some room for error" but in a small tank an insignifcant deviation in parameters can be catastrofic.