Leaving Saltwater !

[ilovemytank]

Well its been great but it's time for a change. Due to recently loosing all my corals I have made the decision to try my hand at a planted fresh water aqaurium. I have all of the top line equipment already and I'm doing all the studying needed now. The only problem is I have about 290 lbs. of really nice live rock, Three clown fish of which two lay eggs constintly, two scooter blennies that actually mate all the time but I have never seen eggs or babies ( not sure if they are egg layers or live bearers, a 8 or 9 inch Blue hippo tang ( very fat and healthy ), and a 5 or 6 inch threadfin butterfly which I haven't found a home for yet. Any suggestions reply or send me a PM.

 

[ibanez]

Originally Posted by Ilovemytank
http:///forum/post/3287419
Well its been great but it's time for a change. Due to recently loosing all my corals I have made the decision to try my hand at a planted fresh water aqaurium. I have all of the top line equipment already and I'm doing all the studying needed now. The only problem is I have about 290 lbs. of really nice live rock, Three clown fish of which two lay eggs constintly, two scooter blennies that actually mate all the time but I have never seen eggs or babies ( not sure if they are egg layers or live bearers, a 8 or 9 inch Blue hippo tang ( very fat and healthy ), and a 5 or 6 inch threadfin butterfly which I haven't found a home for yet. Any suggestions reply or send me a PM.
Good luck with that, I have done that for years before saltwater and it is way harder. I now have a 29 gallon planted tank in a good balance but it it was not easy. I hope you like algae. It grows way easier than plants.

 

[meowzer]

Good luck, sorry to see you go, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do
I hope you plan on visiting the forum periodically

 

[ilovemytank]

Originally Posted by IbanEz
http:///forum/post/3287420
Good luck with that, I have done that for years before saltwater and it is way harder. I now have a 29 gallon planted tank in a good balance but it it was not easy. I hope you like algae. It grows way easier than plants.
I'm sure I'll have fun with algea. Especially with metal halides. I've had a bunch of freshwater tanks before just not with plants. Once I'm comfortable with my learned knowledge I'm actually going to have a consultant work with me and draw up the blue print of my goal and plant it all at once. I love saltwater but the amount of money to get it back to the way I had it or want it isn't the way I want to go. I only wonder how to use my large refugium and wet/dry system. I think they still can be run on the tank and take off my skimmer and swap it with a Co2 dispenser. I hope I find a good home for my fish and live rock though.

 

[ilovemytank]

Thanks meowzer. I'll always watch in because I may buy a bio cube or something smallto have a saltwater tank still. I just want to try the planted route. I won't be satisfied until I find a home for my babies though. The Blue Tang is a prize fish for me. I recently went to the Atlanta Aquarium and saw some beautiful fish but I didn't see a blu hippo as large and fat as mine. you know anyone interested let me know.

 

[flower]

I have had the freshwater planted tank..the fish eat up the plants and dislodge them constantly...so don't get rid of your rock, I have a feeling you will be back...if not, you will be missed, so drop in from time to time and bring us pictures of the new set up.

 

[ibanez]

Originally Posted by Ilovemytank
http:///forum/post/3287473
I'm sure I'll have fun with algea. Especially with metal halides. I've had a bunch of freshwater tanks before just not with plants. Once I'm comfortable with my learned knowledge I'm actually going to have a consultant work with me and draw up the blue print of my goal and plant it all at once. I love saltwater but the amount of money to get it back to the way I had it or want it isn't the way I want to go. I only wonder how to use my large refugium and wet/dry system. I think they still can be run on the tank and take off my skimmer and swap it with a Co2 dispenser. I hope I find a good home for my fish and live rock though.
Get a real good co2 setup because fluctuating levels of co2 cause many of the algae problems. If and when you end up with algae problems, over dosing with flourish excel is the trick, only some plants will die from that, like anacharis and pelia, and I forget the others. Also, if you have low light plants like anubias, and they are in high light, not shaded by other plants, the leaves will become covered in green spot algae and it looks terrible, so if you want high light high tech, stick with high light plants, high light high tech is extremely hard, the experts that you see doing this on youtube, I am sure don't keep the tanks looking like that for long periods of time, definitely start low light low tech IMO if you don't want to get frustrated out of the hobby. aquaticplantcentral is a great place.

 

[ibanez]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3287478

I have had the freshwater planted tank..the fish eat up the plants and dislodge them constantly...so don't get rid of your rock, I have a feeling you will be back...if not, you will be missed, so drop in from time to time and bring us pictures of the new set up.
Pleco's and cichlids will, but tetras and otto's won't, also amano shrimp are a must.

 

[gc1962]

I sent you a pm on the Blue hippo.

 

[ilovemytank]

Thanks. I plan on buying top of the line CO2 dispenser. I have a RO/DO unit so I trust in my quality of water. I have three 175 watt metal halides and four 96 watt blue light flouresents and moon lights in my lighting unit so I did plan on high light plants. I'm studying it up and have bought really good books that specify all the details on plants but I'm gonna pay to use a consultant for the initial set up, blue prints, and all plants will be purchased and put in from the start. I would like a school of neon tetras, and then other small peaceful fish undecidedat this point. maybe I will keep my rocks in case I have to get a second tank. You all knows where this goes. haha

 

[ibanez]

Certain plants need certain ph and they also need trace elements which in saltwater, comes in the salt mix, but in fresh water wouldn't be coming from anywhere accept tap water. If you use ro/di you will have to buffer and add all trace minerals to your water. co2 lowers ph. ...... I am just saying, do your research, it's a way newer hobby than saltwater which makes it way more difficult because the there are a lot of bs lines out there.