College will never keep me from my hobby:) The fun begins....

katiebug545

katiebug545

Member
Hi! My name is Katie. I have been a "Saltwater Aquarium Junkie" for 6 years now. I fell in love with the hobby when i was just 14 years old when i convinced my father that i could do it "All by myself
" I, like everyone who has found love in this hobby, have had many trials and error. But i have also had many GORGEOUS tanks :) I started with a 55 gallon reef, i upgraded to a 75 gallon reef with a 40 gallon sump and the last tank i had was a 20 gallon tank in which i kept 4 gorgeous seahorses, very successfully if i might brag:) I was very proud of my tanks. UNTIL i grew up, and it was time for me to go off to college. I knew my parents wouldnt be able to maintain my tanks SO i sold allllll of their contents. (broke my heart.. but had no other choice) Now i have 3 empty tanks.... and a plan :) ......
I am Starting over :) I am still in college but, i am living in my own house and am finally financially ready to bring my tanks down here and start again. I am extremely excited because i have missed my tanks so much! I have been "surfing" the forums, seeing where people are starting their very first tanks, and seeing pictures of all of your gorgeous well established tanks, and reading all the good advice goin around. UGH i can honestly say that i am jealous, and i am entirely ready for mine to be back up :)
SOOO Enough about me,,, Lets talk tanks :) The first tank i am starting is my 20 gallon reef tank. Here is the equipment i have..
1x 20 gallon aquarium and stand.
1x marineland eclipse hood ( i have actually modified this hood slightly. I dont know if any of you are familiar with these hoods but here is what they look like...
http://madhunag.tripod.com/lighthood3.jpg
They have two lids. The back lid is where the filter is and the front holds the lights. I actually took the lights out of it, cut the lid and rigged some t5s in there. so back to the list
1x T5 Lighting
20lbs of live sand
30lbs of dry rock (from my old tank.. use to be live, but not anymore :( )
oceanic 29 and 14 gallon biocube protien skimmer ( once again, Rigged in there :)
2x hydor koralia nano powerheads
jbj in tank 5 watt UV sterilizer..
none of which i actually have set up yet, bc i am waiting on my intake tubing to come in. (got lost in moving somewhere, so i just ordered a new one)
I will post pictures as soooon as i have water in it, (Within the next few days)
My plan for this tank is to have a gorgeous reef. I want to focus more on corals, and have cheaper flashy eye catching fish..
Any ideas? Suggestions?
 
katiebug545

katiebug545

Member
I am really leaning towards a reef. I want lots of color. I just need some help coming up with some ideas!
Dont get me wrong i love clown fish, and i am happy that you are giving suggestions, I just think i want something not so, "Finding nemo" haha
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Welcome back to the hobby.....for the 20G you won;t have a lot of choices BUT look into the green banded gobies....they are small...and flashy....2 of them, and maybe
the blue reef chromis are really nice too...
 
oneradtek

oneradtek

Active Member
exactly. ok
heres what i would do if starting over.
blackish sand/maybe mixed with some white aragonite. two seperate rock piles with space inbetween. now a days less is more i think the trend is leaning towards. make sure there is swimming space on all sides of teh piles, front, back and sides. do mainly softies like zoas and acans, brains. some blue clove poyps would look nice too.
as for fish, i would go for a nice goby/pistol combo and i once saw a COOL wrasse. a possum wrasse, what a cool little addition! ummm what else.....probably 2 black clowns (not so nemo lookin) to go with the black sand.
theres some ideas to get u going, no google that wrasse, hes really cool! and so inquisitive
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
If you want flashy, get a helfrichi firefish goby. Sure they're only $65, but it will definitely make your tank stand out! Other firefish gobies are really nice to have in a small tank. neon gobys dart around the tank and clean the other fish, and they are small which is a +1. Also, getting a cleaner shrimp would add a flash red movement throughout the tank and would be cool to show friends. Yellow watchmans are cool, and I also like green clown gobies, they both stay pretty small.
I understand wanting more corals than fish, I'm the same way. Low bioloads and a lot of rock mean less maintenance and water changes.

Need coral suggestions?
 
katiebug545

katiebug545

Member
Thanks so much for all your ideas! i will keep all of you posted with my developments with my tank :) i am so happy to be back!
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Aquascape the way YOU want to and the way YOU like it.
The best thing about this hobby is the freedom to choose what you like and can adequately take care of.
zoas, mushrooms, a leather maybe, protopalythoa, all sound pretty good to me. I like SPS corals, personally, but there are many stunning softie displays out there. Do a search to get some ideas. :D
 
katiebug545

katiebug545

Member
Thank you :) Here is an idea that i have been contimplating ... tell me your thoughts.
I want to find some pieces of black slate rock. Stack the up high on each side, getting shorter pieces with every layer. after i get halfway up the tank i want one long piece that goes all the way across the tank. and continuing with long pieces all the way up, again getting shorter pieces with every layer. Giving it a stacked look and a nice cave in the middle on the bottom. and on top of the slate rock i want to sit small pieces of live rock. I feel that it would look like there was live rock all the way through, giving it a smooth stacked look. and easier to grab pieces to attach corals.
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1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
I knew i shoulda went to college

oneratek u totally discribed my 20L! Its got that oreo sand by mixing the black LS and white sugar grain aragonite....also the rock work is two seperate structures with a gap in between! Awsome lil tank imo...
Ive got my trachy brain in between the aquascaping and acans on the sand bed....other than that its mostly zoos and some shrooms, sps....
Katie u should get a purple firefish and maybe 3 SMALL chromis...that would be ur flashy/cheaper fish for ur tank! The purple firefish around here runs a lil more than $30 i thinks, way cheaper than the helchri firefish which can go as high as $149! Well those are prices around me so idk bout u!
Good luck and welcome to the site

keep us posted!
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
The slate rock would look pretty cool. Kind of like a forgotten underwater structure from the Mayans or some other culture. Just be careful with your stacking and choose wisely. I know slate is great for freshwater tanks, but I've rarely ever seen it done in a saltwater tank. slate is just not as porous as live rock - but I am anxious to find out if it works for you.
What kind of filtration method are you looking into, just filter and skimmer and water changes?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///t/388176/college-will-never-keep-me-from-my-hobby-the-fun-begins#post_3421581
I knew i shoulda went to college

I'm tellin' yah man, you ALWAYS have the opportunity to go. ANYONE can get a college education. It's not just for rich white people.
The sad thing though is that in Louisiana if you have a 2 year degree you are 75% more likely to find gainful employment than if you have a 4 year bachelors degree.
Sorry for the hijack, I've just been trying to convince my buddy here to get a college education and go into marine biology like me. lol.
 
kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/388176/college-will-never-keep-me-from-my-hobby-the-fun-begins#post_3421587
The slate rock would look pretty cool. Kind of like a forgotten underwater structure from the Mayans or some other culture. Just be careful with your stacking and choose wisely. I know slate is great for freshwater tanks, but I've rarely ever seen it done in a saltwater tank. slate is just not as porous as live rock - but I am anxious to find out if it works for you.
What kind of filtration method are you looking into, just filter and skimmer and water changes?
I am keeping this post in the saved box........BWAHAHA
(sorry Katie, you had to be there.)
As far as the aquascaping...... I love to aqauascape, frustrating and yet satisfying once you get it looking cool
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member

Kind of like a forgotten underwater structure from the Mayans or some other culture. Just be careful with your stacking and choose wisely.
I guess someone else used to watch Legends of the Hidden Temple on Nickelodeon? :))):
 
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