How many members have Saltwater aquariums?

Left side of my marine aquarium - My ten gallon marine aquarium. Pictured are the corals xenia, green star polyps, palythoa and a mushroom coral. These corals photosynthesize using the light over the tank, but the palythoas and mushroom coral can occasionally be fed large foods such as shredded uncooked shrimp. Corals are actually invertebrates that grow colonially and have a symbiotic relationship with a type of algae. The entire tank has been setup for more than a year, but this picture was taken shortly after a tank move, so the corals were not out in full glory. This was before i added my mantis shrimp, Cindy. You may also notice shaving brush plants and halimeda in there, 2 types of macro algae.

Dan
@irdsm1 (288)
United States
April 17, 2008 5:48pm CST
Topic says it all:D. I'm curious how many members have saltwater aquariums. State how many you have, their sizes, your livestock, how long they have been setup, whatever! I have 2 saltwater aquariums. The first is system of 3 ten gallon tanks hooked together with a 300 GPH pump and HOB overflows. In it is one of my mantis shrimps, Cindy a female 2.5" Pseudosquilla ciliata. She is a spearer type, but unlike most doesn't need an extremely deep sand bed, is active only gets about 4" max. Also in the tank are green star polyps, some palythoa, some zooanthids, a xenia coral and a mushroom coral. Also several macro algaes, some snails and 2 red legged hermits. The second of the 3 tanks is basically bare of anything but some caulerpa and my other mantis shrimp. She is a female O. scyllarus named Rachael. Extremely active and about 4" long. She will be moved to a acrylic 30 gallon when I get around to it. She has constructed a beautiful burrow out of rocks and PVC. She is a smasher type and has killed every single snail in the tank. The third tank is just a sump where I keep my heater and some chaeto on a reverse light cycle. The first tank was setup for about 6 months before the system was setup, so its been running for 1 1/2 years including the time that the first tank was up. The second system is a 65 gallon hex tank. It has a skimmer and heater in the sump. I am still setting it up, but it has 20 pounds of live rock in it and is running and cycling right now. It will be a seahorse/pipefish tank when I get it setup with 2-4 H. erectus pairs and a pair of bluestripe pipefish, and maybe a pair of dragonface pipes (how many pairs of seahorses I get depends on stocking levels. No set numbers yet). I know the dangers of mixing syganthid species and am planning a lengthy and thorough quarentine. So how about you guy?Dan
1 person likes this
3 responses
@eichs1 (1934)
• Philippines
6 May 09
I have a salt-water aquarium tank at home for 2 years now. It's a 50-gallon glass tank. I only use ordinary fluorescent lamps for lighting. I don't have a protein skimmer and a temperature controller so I let go of corals and other reef plants. (Besides, it's illegal to possess any corals in out country.) I am lucky to have my set-up stabled. My pufferfish, tang.surgeonfish, lizardfish and african clownfish seems happy too in the tank. It may not be the best place for them but they know that I care for them and trying to make the aquarium a healthy abode as much as possible.
• Indonesia
17 Apr 09
i has around 40-50 gal aqua... and i use algae turf scrubber system... no DSB, NO SKIMMER, and no water changes in 3 - 6 months.. i forgot the last time i changes the water....all my equipment are my OWN DIY.... so i can press the cost of my aqua
• United States
24 May 08
just a little 30 cube setup as a mixed reef. I swear i have one of everything crammed in there. 6500k - 250 watt metal halide, An oceans motions 4 way unit, some iwaski pump (it does the job) and a euro reef protein skimmer. As for my next tank im think 125 gal