Just joined - saying high

Hi all - I ran salt water and reef tanks years ago when I was in upstate NY. I moved to Florida on the Gulf side 6 years ago about 3 blocks from the beach. I sold everything when I moved and said I wasn't going to run aquariums anymore so I could travel at my leisure. Funny thing is, when you live at the beach you don't really travel much.

In November of 2009, I set up a 65 gallon saltwater aquarium and stocked it with everything from the Gulf; live rocks, sand, shells, water, and I netted fish from the shore to cycle my tank. I sold the idea to my wife as "it will be cheap as every thing can come from the Gulf".

Going against everything I read recently and the LFS, I chose an undergravel filter with a 320 gph powerhead and a Bio System Power Filter & Oxy Surface Skimmer for a 75 gallon tank. The undergravel system worked great for me in the past and I saw no reason to change.

After the tank was well seasoned, I started to populate my tank from the LFS. I always give my business to them as you can talk to them and find out how long they have had fish in stock and how they are eating.

I was going to do a fish only / live rock setup.

I now have a 4" Picasso trigger, 3 blue Chromis, and 2 Tomato Clownfish in the tank, plus some crabs and snals. I was only going to get 1 Clownfish, but the LFS owner said he had a match pair that got along fine for 6 weeks in his tanks, so I got them both.

That's about it, they are fun to watch and real easy fish to take care of.

I change 5 gallons of water out each week with fresh water from the Gulf and manage to snag a couple of sand fleas for the trigger at the same time.

Water quality is fine and I have good coralline algae starting to cover the rocks.

GulfMan

 

Welcome to 3reef! I too live in florida not near as close to the beach as you though.

 

Welcome to 3reef! Are you anywhere near Sanibel Island?

Ivan

 

Welcome to 3reef!!

 

Keep an eye on your NO3 and PO4's with the Old U/G that was their weakness in the nitrification cycle . Thats why we all had green algae like a wheat fields waving back in the 60's and 70's , Thats some old technology there pardner I tell u what

 

just watch out for red tide warnings, dont want any bad bacteria in your tank and your lungs..

do you test the sea water?

 

welcome to 3 reef GulfMan

Steve

 

welcome would love to see pics

 

Welcome..

 

i wish i could just scoop up some water... stupid Lake Michigan.