6 month update!

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

Hey guys just a quick 6 month update and maybe a few pics from in between basically just a before of the first set of corals then a after! 60 gallon cube! 2x2x2

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

Now for some current pics!

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

Few more

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

One more of the rastas now

mmw64 · Jan 22, 2019

ItouchedThebutt said:
Now for some current pics!

Looks Great!

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

Thank you! Kinda getting to the point of figuring out what likes and dislikes my tank. Trying for a mixed reef tank.but the only sps that flourish are monti caps. Then I have a duncan bigger then a soft ball growing rapidly. Way quicker then my frog spawn.

Philipgonzales3 · Jan 22, 2019

Sweet! One day I may have a few corals of my own!

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

I've been in fresh water all through my child good even to late teens, then one day I decided to plunge into saltwater with my 10 gallon nuvo and dont regret going back. Thought it would be so hard but man it was no where near as hard as I thought and the pay off and enjoyment is so much worth it.

Philipgonzales3 · Jan 22, 2019

ItouchedThebutt said:
I've been in fresh water all through my child good even to late teens, then one day I decided to plunge into saltwater with my 10 gallon nuvo and dont regret going back. Thought it would be so hard but man it was no where near as hard as I thought and the pay off and enjoyment is so much worth it.

I've always heard the same about saltwater. I started watching a few videos on basic saltwater concepts and said...that doesn't sound so hard. It's expensive for sure to get all the equipment. I started with a FOWLR as I like fish more than anything, but eventually I'll make my way around to some more of the advanced stuff (corals, nems, inverts) etc.

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

Honestly that is the best way to go about it! It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be honestly. But if you like simplicity and the cool tech itll be expensive. I'm in between simplicity is key for me. The heart and savior for my 10 gal was the ATO. My first coral was a hammer, still have it to this day.
Well correction that's the first coral I bought I had zoas grow from my live rock during cycle that I still have to this day of a colony over 100 heads 2 years later. But I still started with a clown and swales swissgaurd basslet for about 3 months before adding a coral. (Not counting the zoas that sprouted on there own)
But then nice thing with reefing is it can be as hard or easy as you want it.

Philipgonzales3 · Jan 22, 2019

ItouchedThebutt said:
Honestly that is the best way to go about it! It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be honestly. But if you like simplicity and the cool tech itll be expensive. I'm in between simplicity is key for me. The heart and savior for my 10 gal was the ATO. My first coral was a hammer, still have it to this day.
Well correction that's the first coral I bought I had zoas grow from my live rock during cycle that I still have to this day of a colony over 100 heads 2 years later. But I still started with a clown and swales swissgaurd basslet for about 3 months before adding a coral. (Not counting the zoas that sprouted on there own)
But then nice thing with reefing is it can be as hard or easy as you want it.

I started with a pair of red ear sliders about the size of a quarter and a plastic small death container. My girlfriend , now fiancee, loves turtles. Or rather she loves the idea of turtles. I started reading and within a day or two bought a 20 gallon long, then a 40 breeder with the light and floating dock and what not. Two canister Rena filstar XL canister filters. I then used my turtles to cycle my 55 gallon Long. I got African cichlids, even created a make shift egg tumbler and raised a few fry.

The turtles were neat, but I just loved the fish.

0530 by philipgonzales3, on Flickr

DSC_0319 by philipgonzales3, on Flickr

DSC_0295 by philipgonzales3, on Flickr

Untitled by philipgonzales3, on Flickr

DSC_0290 by philipgonzales3, on Flickr

At the time I was living with my mom and I was going to college. Had the tanks for a couple of years and after I got my associates degree I got my first "real career type job". My girlfriend said we couldn't bring any of the livestock with is. I agreed as we were just starting off on our own. I kept a couple of the tanks and equipment and gave away the livestock I had to sell my DSLR to buy a washer and dryer.

It's been about 5 years, and I now have my bachelor's degree and what I thought was a stable job (government) lol. So I decided to have a go at it. I like buying "the best" or pretty close to it. So I can easily spend a few K on something I really enjoy.

I started off FOWLR for now and also decided to set up my son a 15 gallon freshwater tank.

I went with a SC aquariums 50 PNP and decided to just add one more parameter to my list for now, that being salinity. I care mostly about fish so calcium, magnesium, phosphate, etc is not really important to the fish. So I'm at the easier end but want to progress to at least some easy corals in the future.

A few pics of our tanks. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread. I just like sharing my story with others and finding comparisons and what not. I like to share my progress and where I am at.

P.S. out of 13 fish that we bought that day, we had one freshwater BN algea eater pass away on the 6th day.

0 ammonia
0 nitrite
Temp 77
PH: 8.25

Never found out why. Suppose he was just sick.

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 22, 2019

Your not highjacking anything man! That's what the hobby is about! Why and how we got started in it is all the more wholesome! Honestly brs made a great video stating FOWLR is the way to go for 6-7 months until you see coraline algea grow in the tank, shows its stable and can grow a calcium shell. That and you get all the ugly phrases out of the way and they are much more easy to deal with while only having fish. I'm at my 6 month mark and coraline is just now starting to take hold. I'm one of the people that you do as they say but not as I do kinda guy but after having my 10 for a year and half I upgraded to a 60 gallon and honestly from here I only plan to up scale pretty sure every one does it's a rabbit hole I swear. I remember my first tank was a 20 gallon stocked with who knows what tropical fish when I was 13, but I do remember I had a figure 8 puffer fish. Funny story with that I spent a whole 2 hours catching tadpoles I found in a creek because why not? 13 yr old me thought it would be so cool to put them in my tank and watch them grow out! Well after me and friend caught a dozen of them in a puddle in the woods we threw them in the tank! Just to watch the puffer fish tear each one apart and make a buffet of them.... did not plan that out what so ever. I was so devastated to hahah. But I've done planted tanks, having the plants grow from the tank all the way out of it and down the stand to ciclid and nano tanks to a nano saltwater and now my only tank the 60 gallon reef. But I hear what you mean on the wanting the best part . Biggest thing is finding out exactly what you do and do not need first.

Philipgonzales3 · Jan 22, 2019

ItouchedThebutt said:
Your not highjacking anything man! That's what the hobby is about! Why and how we got started in it is all the more wholesome! Honestly brs made a great video stating FOWLR is the way to go for 6-7 months until you see coraline algea grow in the tank, shows its stable and can grow a calcium shell. That and you get all the ugly phrases out of the way and they are much more easy to deal with while only having fish. I'm at my 6 month mark and coraline is just now starting to take hold. I'm one of the people that you do as they say but not as I do kinda guy but after having my 10 for a year and half I upgraded to a 60 gallon and honestly from here I only plan to up scale pretty sure every one does it's a rabbit hole I swear. I remember my first tank was a 20 gallon stocked with who knows what tropical fish when I was 13, but I do remember I had a figure 8 puffer fish. Funny story with that I spent a whole 2 hours catching tadpoles I found in a creek because why not? 13 yr old me thought it would be so cool to put them in my tank and watch them grow out! Well after me and friend caught a dozen of them in a puddle in the woods we threw them in the tank! Just to watch the puffer fish tear each one apart and make a buffet of them.... did not plan that out what so ever. I was so devastated to hahah. But I've done planted tanks, having the plants grow from the tank all the way out of it and down the stand to ciclid and nano tanks to a nano saltwater and now my only tank the 60 gallon reef. But I hear what you mean on the wanting the best part . Biggest thing is finding out exactly what you do and do not need first.

Very nice...I never did much with planting. I mean I bought some plants, threw then in the sand and they grewish. I dosed root tabs a time or two but didn't get too into planted tanks. Seemed pretty hard from my point of view.

Very interesting story about the tadpoles. Wish I would have done that as a kid. My mom wasn't into pets very much. I was the youngest of 3, so my mom already had a no dog rule when I growing up.

When I got the tanks she initially said no but eventually said yes. Let's just say I was super careful every time a did a water change. She kept her house like a museum. If I got water on the carpet I would be dead.

I've always been a big believer in pets (dogs and cats especially) belong outside. That is until I get my first dog...his name is Rocky. He is a minature Austraillian Sheppard. We got my son a cat two. She cleans him off like if he were a cat. You better believe that I spoil my dog, and take him everywhere I can with me. Especially out in the country.

Eventually I was a larger aquarium 160-300 gallons. Just have a rough idea now. My 50 gallon will then be my office tank and the larger aquarium in the living roo. Possibly in the wall. This is my "trial" run on if I would be willing and able to do it long term. I think I can and I think I would want to but we shall see.

I'm in IT and I love learning about new concepts and tinkering. I already want a new return pump, wavemaker pumps a new skimmer, new lighting, controller haha eventually I will get all of these things and try them out. ATO is next for sure though. Right now I am filling 2 times a day.

ItouchedThebutt · Jan 23, 2019

The planted tank I had was the simplest thing ever. No co2 or anything, just fertilizer as substrate and easy to care low light plants and left it alone in 6 months it was a jungle haha.. but the ATO, yeah that thing is a savior I love it. I run mine straight into a 5 gallon top off container of fresh water.