You've Got Your Tank....what's Next?

[brewyn]

aquascaper, I feel your comments towards me a little on the blunt side and I appologise if my knowledge of marine is not up to yours. I have plenty of patience, and you only have to browse through my 600 uk gallons of setups to see this. I keep happs, which sadly take more patience than keeping most other tropical fish including marine or even living reefs as it can take 5 years or so before the fish reach maturity. your tank is nice I admit, but its a bit on the borring side considering you have been keeping them for years and you have had so many different tanks, but theres no harm in trying to find alternatives and theres always different ways of doing things, but a bit of friendly advise would not go a miss. thanks.

 

[Mr Miagi]

I keep happs, which sadly take more patience than keeping most other tropical fish including marine or even living reefs as it can take 5 years or so before the fish reach maturity.

5 years is nothing. Members on other boards have fish 30+ years old. That tank, to show any massive change in growth forms, would take atleast 2-3 years, and thats just for the coral, and thats just shor term.

your tank is nice I admit, but its a bit on the borring side

Dude, its all about personal taste, especially reefs/marine. Id be shocked if anyone didnt call or think keeping a fish that takes 5 years to reach maturity "boring" on this forum, so I dont think you should call anyone elses set-up boring. (Not that im of that opinion about your fish).

 

[Aquascaper]

its a bit on the borring side considering you have been keeping them for years and you have had so many different tanks

I take it then you've seen the 4 other tanks that i've had running in the past
You don't seem to have any concept of how long it takes for a reef to mature and look like the pictues you've seen. My longest running tank was only 18 months old and was just starting to settle before I had to break it down to a smaller one (this one) a few months back so i've never been able to achieve the reef tank that we all see in those pictures. Hopefully when I move house later this year i'll make a start on the big reef as we won't be moving from there for at least 10 years.

All I would say is: If you walk round a building site you don't judge the finished house by the concrete foundations

 

[brewyn]

yes mr miagi and aquascaper, you are both correct,I dont understand how long it takes, and that is why I am here on the marine section, to try learn. my comment was aimed at aquascaper so if everyone else wants to join in and hold his hand, then fine. you are very quick to send a sarcastiic reply but you dont seem to willing to want to explain,one example is this remark!

A marine tank is a natural, living thing. It will never adhere to rules or do exactly what you want it to, that's the beauty of it. A marine tank is not some artificial, plastic ornament filled replica of the real thing, it is the real thing, it is a small piece of the ocean and the creatures in it will go where they damn well please, grow where they damn well please and do what they damn well please.

This may very well be the case, but cant you be a little on the polite side.
ITS VERY RUDE AND UN POLITE.


another remark is about me needing to have copius amounts of LR and also of copius amounts of pacience.

Thank you ski, as you have taken on board that I am a begginer, you have been polite and also very willing to share your knowledge, even with us Irritable underdogs!!!!! UNLIKE THOSE WHO CANT BE BOTHERED.

 

[crazyelece]

While I try not to respond to the threads that get too personal, you really need to realise that you started all of this in another member's thread on his tank start up. If you would have started your own thread on getting ready to start a tank or tank preperation, or actually bothered to read the pinned topics or do a search, members here might treat you with some more curtosy. Frankly being blunt seems to be the most effective method to get the idea across so don't take the bluntness personnaly. If I was aquascaper I'd have already asked a mod to clean up my thread so it could continue on topic. Be a responsable member and take your situation to its own thread so this one can continue on topic.

 

[brewyn]

I think you may already find my dumb nut friend that I already apologised for hijacking his thread, and I did take it somewhere else without even being asked to, get off your high horse and come down to reality with the majority of us. I intruded with only sensible questions as you were already on the topic, I was not rude to anybody and I only pointed out how rude I felt some of the answers were. if alls you marine lot can say is *see the pinned threads* then why continue to have an open forum as such as this one. I sincerely appologise to ski as he has been so helpful and friendly towards myself, thank you ski. If aquascope cannot accept feed back, then maybe he and some others should not post, what! are you only looking for some compliments? do you not believe in making friends via a forum. do me a favour you lot!!!!!!!

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Not to take sides or get involved in a girly fight behind keyboards BUT:

While i agree with you that people should accept feedback given whether negative or positive, i think you could have given some more constructive critiscm than 'a bit boring'.

If you think they are boring could you give reasons why you think they are and perhaps offer advice on how YOU feel they could be improved

I think constructive critiscm can help a tank A LOT but negative comments like that don't help anyone.....

 

[brewyn]

I came on here in the hope that I could recieve some good value information, I stated clearly that I was a begginner, fair enough its good to read the pinned posts, some people seem to think I haven't already done so, but if you dont understand something then on a post like this one you can ASK whats this, and what does that means. I made a statement with regards to the answers, and the way that they have been written, I have even gone as far as to quote those answers, as I felt that I was being treated like an idiot, whats wrong with that, you would only complain if I went behind his back and said how rude I thought he was, which by the way I have also done. with regards to his tank being boring, well this has something to do with the live rock, a question I first asked about, and felt I got a somewhat blunt and sarcastic answer. his tank is boring compared to some of the links that have been put up for show reasons, if he had answered my original question with regards to the live rock then I probably would have known better than to make this comment, plus I have mbuna tanks which shows more character. maybe if you read the parts by written by myself you will see I was trying to establish why I would buy live rock, for it just to look the same as a normal piece of rock, and also some of the things I had heard were that it contained such things as bristle worms etc, which could in turn harm your occupant. I personaly dont feel that I have done anything un toward on this post, I was friendly, I appologised for the hijacking without anyone even complaining about it, my questions were of the norm, and for someone to say if I read the pinned posts then I may have been treated a bit better * HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT I HAVE AND HAVENT READ*. well alls i can say is, that if this is how you treat newbys, then good luck to you!!! hope you enjoyed this little dispute as it seems to me that you were looking for it, and maybe even needed it.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Aquascaper, I like your tank, I have in the last week decided to take the plunge and set up a marine tank myself, I have gone as far as getting a 48x18x18 tank, a high powered external filter, a protein skimmer and a T5 and tubes, 2 white and 1 blue. MY question is, could I just use tufa rock in my tank and then introduce the inverts as I go along, surely over time the tufa will become living rock. the reason I am thinking against living rock is that you are not sure what is growing on it, or in it, and It may grow in a way that I dont want it to. I have found after some searching the setup I would like to achieve. surely If I save on such expensive rock, I have more to spend on more established bits to cover the tufa. what are your thoughts on this, cheers.

tony


http/www.guppiesforyuppies.co.za/uploads/BFA_Dsc03233.jpg

Okay, LR containts Denitryfying bacteria that break down: Ammonia, Nitrite and to some extent Nitrates. This sort of filtration is known as the berlin method as LR is the only soruce of filtration along with water changes. The problem with tufa is that it doesn't contain these bacterias which can break down the nasties which can be lethal to your livestock.

In larger systems like the one you plan to setup, some people buy an amount of tufa rock to use as base rock and then fill the rest of the tank with LR. This will seed the base rock and overtime (Usually 6months+) and become LR. This can save alot of money in the long run

thats it ski fletch, thats what I want, when I say creatures on the live rock, thats what I mean. am I buying live rock purely as a biological filter, or because it has all these corels etc adhered to it, or even both. I have my lfs saying I dont need LR, that once I start to introduce inverts etc the rock would over time become live rock? I do know why I put off keeping marines but this time I'm taking the leap.

sorry I feel i'm hijacking aquascapers thread here, will start another as I do appreciate the info. the more help the better, never been a theory person, only practical, so I think Its going to be the hard way!!!!!!

I don't agree with your LFS either. I guess his shop doesn't sell LR? That's why he's talked you into the external filter....so he makes a bit out of you. If he did sell LR he'd be telling you how great it is and you need lots of the stuff.

hope you enjoyed this little dispute as it seems to me that you were looking for it, and maybe even needed it.

If this is aimed at me, can you explain to me wtf this statement is going on about...?

 

[brewyn]

although I am appreciative of the information that you have just given to me, and it has answered my initial question, I wonder what makes you think my last statement was aimed at you

I am pleased that you sought out the questions I asked, as it only goes to show what I was trying to achieve by asking. they werent stupid questions for a begginer where they? but I do believe that the answer * they will damn well do this, and damn well do that, was a little on the inconsiderate side.

as it happens I went onto another forum, to whom I asked the same questions, and got some interesting answers, as you have given. and I have ordered 26 kilos of the stuff. so thanks for all the help you guys!!!

oh, and also as you can see I was nothing but polite, friendly, and appreciative.

 

[Navarre]

Brewyn you boviously have lots of questions. Im keen to answer many of these but i am also aware this is a post on the diary of Aquas tank (which by the way Mate looks awsome!).

If you would care to post your questions in the relevant sections I (and i am sure many othes will be glad to give you their answers in great detail).

Welcome to the Marine forum of TFF BTW

 

[PaulEbs]

hey..

can we get back to that lovely marine tank that this topic was all about in the first place please?
... i was rather enjoying watching what aquascaper has done with his beautiful marine tank...

rarr!

 

[Aquascaper]

I dunno, i go away on holiday and take some time away from this forum and look what happens..............

Same s**t, different day!

Anyway................i'm selling this tank and all its contents (details in the Chit Chat section) and hopefully when I return with a bigger and better tank the friendly faces will still be here.

Bye for now guys & thanks for all the help

 

[SkiFletch]

Nah, thank you for all your help Aqua. This thread was one of my earliest inspirations to create my own reef and I owe much of my own knowledge and success to the teachings in this journal. You should be proud of what you've accomplished and I for one cant wait to see your new tank once you get situated in your new home. I'm sure it will look even bigger and better than the original

 

[Mr Miagi]

Ive always enjoyed reading this journal until the later pages! Ohwell. It was an awsome tank and had some useful info for newbs and experienced SW keepers alike. Hope to see you back in the game shortly, and back here to us friendly faces!