[ShopVac]

Nice...going small is not a bad thing at all.

I'm still rocking the same tank. Thought about getting a new one and moving it to another room, but don't feel like going through all the work...even prepped a new room in case I decide to do this.

Bast 4 years I've gone through a major GHA bloom...where I've had to pull rocks and put them in a dark tank for 60 days. Now I'm fighting flat worms. Lost all my anemone and majority of the coral (have a few softies and LPS left...but all the SPS is gone). All my fish are still there...haven't lost a single one of those. Clowns are now ~19 years old...yellow tang is probably around 13. I'd need to see on my charts.

I've switched over to new LED lights and a reeflo pump...so maintenance hasn't been too bad. But at this point, I really need to do another major overhaul...have even been tooling with cooking all the rock and going bare bottom.

[lsturbointeg]

I thought about trying this earlier last year but wow couldn't' believe how much it would cost. even for a small one which what's the point when a larger tank looks so much better. very beautiful if done right

[ShopVac]

Cost...

I told the wife I could convert my 29 gallon for $200. I think my first piece of rock ran close to that alone.

I actually have a tally that I keep hidden from the wife (not that she doesn't know, I just dont broadcast to the accountant). From 2000 when I switched, I'm just north of $48k. That's maintenance stuff too though...salt water changes, filters, co2, etc.

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by ShopVac

Nice...going small is not a bad thing at all.

I'm still rocking the same tank. Thought about getting a new one and moving it to another room, but don't feel like going through all the work...even prepped a new room in case I decide to do this.

Bast 4 years I've gone through a major GHA bloom...where I've had to pull rocks and put them in a dark tank for 60 days. Now I'm fighting flat worms. Lost all my anemone and majority of the coral (have a few softies and LPS left...but all the SPS is gone). All my fish are still there...haven't lost a single one of those. Clowns are now ~19 years old...yellow tang is probably around 13. I'd need to see on my charts.

I've switched over to new LED lights and a reeflo pump...so maintenance hasn't been too bad. But at this point, I really need to do another major overhaul...have even been tooling with cooking all the rock and going bare bottom.

Originally Posted by ShopVac

Cost...

I told the wife I could convert my 29 gallon for $200. I think my first piece of rock ran close to that alone.

I actually have a tally that I keep hidden from the wife (not that she doesn't know, I just dont broadcast to the accountant). From 2000 when I switched, I'm just north of $48k. That's maintenance stuff too though...salt water changes, filters, co2, etc.

Yeah, I had a huge problem with GHA and then put some algae fix in. It kind of worked but the coral didn't like it. I dosed with Kalkwasser quite a bit and knocked phosphates out. Fed minimum and now it is all gone. Nothing.

My biggest problem regarding fish has been them getting stuck in pumps--as I use fountain pumps. So, I have wrapped them in mesh bags and that seems to help.

Two days ago I killed an Anthias I had as I was vaccuming and the dumb fish got caught in the suction--I was going under a rock and he was hiding there. Bummer. Guess I will have to be careful with that. Such a learn my mistake after mistake hobby...and cat-ching ca-ching. I could write a book about all the mistakes to avoid.

All in all, in this day and age with busy lives a small tank is the way to go--bigger and more has more flash but once you have been through it, small can be happiness.

[Spedracer81]

I have to disagree, grant it I only had a 55g tank but I found after I hit the 2 1/2 year mark the maintenance wasn't too bad..my only real problem was evaporation from the metal halides. Solved that with an ATO but it would also heat up the water..

After Super storm sandy killed my tank, I did a 12 pico tank, I found that the water parameters changed too quickly. I can only assume its because there wasn't enough water to buffer it out..

Regardless, big or small its and expensive hobby and very time consuming...I'm looking forward to getting back into it this year..

[Aeasley]

My old 210 before I moved South.

[Captain Blood]

Saltwater tanks are nice, but I loved my 55 gallon African rift lake fish. Beautiful fish, seem to cost a lot less than salt water. I hope to have another aquarium like this in the next two or three years.

[Grumpy Old Man]