Getting back into the hobby

insaneglitchx

New Member
Hi everyone. My name is Justin. I kept a 37g saltwater tank and a 75g tank with 40gal sump/refugium growing up, but I've been out of the hobby for more than a decade. I was a very active member back in the early 2000's as Xabxam. I've had a few small basic freshwater tanks and a kept crested geckos in very elaborate live planted terrariums, but kept it simple, as I was a student and frequently moving. I'm now an Emergency Medicine resident physician living with my girlfriend, who's a family medicine resident physician. (think Scrubs, but a lot less singing) I'll be helping her set up her old 55g freshwater tank this weekend. She's more into the simple 'beginner' style with plecos and goldfish... boring. I couldn't talk her into a planted freshwater tank. Anyway, my girlfriend setting up her 55g is really relighting my love for the hobby. There's just something special about having fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, starfish, fish, coral, etc. that you just can't get with a freshwater tank. I live about 30 minutes east of Ann Arbor, and I visited a huge pet store in Lansing (I assume we still can't mention specific company names) that really got me excited.

As residents, we don't make gobs of money, so I'd like to keep things relatively affordable... which I know is not really a thing in this hobby. I know the general thought is that smaller bodies of water can have much more drastic parameter fluctuations, and therefore smaller tanks can be much more work. However, I also don't want to go too big. After some cursory research, it's clear that technology has really advanced in this hobby while I've been absent. Are the new 'all inclusive' designs by marineland, innovative marine, fluval, etc. really worth it? Is there any advantage with that arrangement, compared to a typical HOB set up, other than aesthetic? I remember being frustrated with the geometry of my old 37g, as it was really tall, but had little depth. I'm worried that a 20g would be a difficult starting point after so much time outside of the hobby. Would a 40g breeder be a decent starting tank? A HOB filter and skimmer works well even at that size, right?
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
A 40B is a far better option then a 20. The all in one tanks are very nice due to lay out. Are they worth it? Personal choice, personally i like the red sea models but no way in hell would i pay what they go for.
Start up is your most expensive, then its just maintenance. A 40 will limit your fish but not terribly so
 

insaneglitchx

New Member
I'll be miving in just over 2 years. From MI, likely out west. Is it all feesible to transport a tank long distance? Obviously, everything would have to be taken down.

I went to one of my LFS today, and saw a 53g. Really liked the dimensions. Same footprint as a 40g, but mire height.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Possibly yes but not necessarily worth it. Most folks will sell there stuff off and start new
The 53 is a unique size, it would work
 

insaneglitchx

New Member
Yeah. That's why I've had to stay away from the hobby for so long. I've moved almost once per year through college, med school, and now residency. It's just not a hobby that's very manageable unless you're rooted in place.

I'd get really attached to all of the inhabitants of the tank. I don't think i could just sell them off when i move. Maybe that leaves me with a tiny nano? 20g or less would sure be easier to move. Probably sounds ridiculous, but would a sump/refusgium on a 20g make sense? It would increase overall water volume. Would it help limit the parameter changes?
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
A sump certainly would help. It could even be bigger than the tank. Doesn’t need to be fancy either I’ve seen Rubbermaid tubs used.
In my opinion you could move a tank in the 40 gallon range across country. It would take some planning but it could be done. Even the fish could be moved.
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
I recommend you do the marine equivalent of a FW planted setup. Using macro algaes in a refugium vrs the FW plants.

but that's just me and my .02
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Yeah. That's why I've had to stay away from the hobby for so long. I've moved almost once per year through college, med school, and now residency. It's just not a hobby that's very manageable unless you're rooted in place.

I'd get really attached to all of the inhabitants of the tank. I don't think i could just sell them off when i move. Maybe that leaves me with a tiny nano? 20g or less would sure be easier to move. Probably sounds ridiculous, but would a sump/refusgium on a 20g make sense? It would increase overall water volume. Would it help limit the parameter Not?
A sump definitely helps w alot of stuff. I agree w getting attached to the critters. Its why i waited to upgrade my collection until i got married.
You can definitely move it but as stated above it has to be well planned out
 

insaneglitchx

New Member
I recommend you do the marine equivalent of a FW planted setup. Using macro algaes in a refugium vrs the FW plants.

but that's just me and my .02
Could you explain that more? Not sure I understand. Do you mean keeping the macroalgae in the display tank?


I live in apartment building. Growing up, I had a high capacity RODI unit plumbed into a huge water reservoir, that I used for water changes/top offs. I checked all of my faucets, and they're all the new fancy ones that lack the screw in threads. So a faucet adapter for an RO unit wouldn't work. I doubt that my apartment complex would allow me to plumb a unit directly into the kitchen. An LFS near my work sells RO fresh and RO saltwater. So, that's an option as well I guess. Does anyone have experience buying their water from an LFS?

The GF gave her approval for me to set up a tank, so at least I've gotten that part taken care of. I was reading a thread here about moving a large tank about 30 min away. I'm wondering how to move a tank like 1,500 miles away. I understand that the sand, LR, corals, inverts, and fish would all need to be removed from the tank and transported in tubs. How do you maintain water temperature and oxygenation during transport? Let's say I'd move from Michigan to maybe Utah. That's like a 3 day drive. I guess I'd have to transport the remaining tank water in a separate container, and then fill up the tank once I get there? I mean I have more than 2 years to plan it out. Just wanting to know if it's actually possible before I dive in.
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
moving 1500 miles would require a few days vrs a few hours. You would have to setup several containers (like coolers) to store things. Insulated (foam) is best with access to air. I would also use macro algae or even turf algae to balance out the containers, lower ammonia, nitrates, co2 and return oxygen and fish food.
 

insaneglitchx

New Member
Heck, if they make battery operated bubblers or heaters that would at least agitate the water to give some oxygen and help maintain temp.
 
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silverado61

Well-Known Member
You could run an inverter directly off your car battery large enough to power a couple of heaters and bubblers. I used to have one when I drove semi over the road that powered a microwave, a small refrigerator and a TV. But you wouldn't need one that large.
 

insaneglitchx

New Member
So after a lot of thinking, I decided against saltwater. I wanted to thank everyone for their advice and suggestions. I decided to eliminate the possibility of losing 2 years worth of time, money, coral, live rock, fish, amd inverts in a move gone bad.

I instead set up a 29g freshwater with live plants. Bought and set everuthing up yesterday. I plan to keep a few small decorative fish and snails. But, the tank will mostly focus on shrimp. Freshwater shrimp may not be as interactive as skarlet, peppermint, or fire shrimp. They sure do come in a lot of colors now, and some have stripes and spots. So, should be something fun and new to enjoy. I'll get back to salwater one day. Once I finish residnecy and can be sure I won't be moving a for a long, I'll be back in the game. I'll still post a few pictures, if that's ok, to show what a freshwater tank can do.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
The fw shrimp are crazy now. I know a guy that breeds them. Blues,reds, ect very nice. I keep a fw tank even tho i keep sw too. Its all good
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Could you explain that more? Not sure I understand. Do you mean keeping the macroalgae in the display tank?

...
Most livestock will eat macro algaes so you probably need some kind of refugium.

But that can be just a simple 1/4" plastic grid (egg crate) used as a partition.

On my old 55g I used egg crate 3" in front of the back glass and added 2 2 tube utility fixtures behind the tank point forward. So the back 3" was a protected area to grow the macros with. Nitrates dropped to unmeasurable in 3 weeks. the fish loved the macro the poked through and small fish slipped through the grid to get pods.

my .02
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
So after a lot of thinking, I decided against saltwater. I wanted to thank everyone for their advice and suggestions. I decided to eliminate the possibility of losing 2 years worth of time, money, coral, live rock, fish, amd inverts in a move gone bad.

I instead set up a 29g freshwater with live plants. Bought and set everuthing up yesterday. I plan to keep a few small decorative fish and snails. But, the tank will mostly focus on shrimp. Freshwater shrimp may not be as interactive as skarlet, peppermint, or fire shrimp. They sure do come in a lot of colors now, and some have stripes and spots. So, should be something fun and new to enjoy. I'll get back to salwater one day. Once I finish residnecy and can be sure I won't be moving a for a long, I'll be back in the game. I'll still post a few pictures, if that's ok, to show what a freshwater tank can do.
OH LOL

look up the beaslbob build in the internet. LOL
 
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