*** Tank Talk with Top Lids & Avast Marine Giveaway!! WIN a Plank Autofeeder and Custom Lid for Your Tank!! ***

[ESABOE]

Yikes you caught us

Never even thought of a camera on the feeder...perhaps since the Avast Feeder has a tube that inserts into the water, it could have a slot for a waterproof camera to slide into at different angles on the tube.

We could technically do this on our Regulator Cups too. If you like this idea give it a thumbs up.

Probably one of the most needed items! Most of us can’t take a decent picture, even if we had good equipment- something like this that takes photos during a very active time would be the coolest. All my pictures are dark blue, no matter what I do. I bought those colorvue clip on filters for iPhone and my pics are still laughable.

Go Top Lids R&D, Go!
Go Avast R$D, Go!

 

[Dburr1014]

TANK TALK: What’s the furthest you’ve travelled for a reef related experience or acquisition?

Not far unless you consider vacation.
I did go about 100 miles to a reef show once.
1200 miles to an aquarium on vacation.

 

[RJT]

Coolest surprise is finding a fish that I thought was dead and finding it alive weeks to months later. A yellow assessor is a good example of that happening. I didn't see that fish for over a year when I took that tank down.

 

[ESABOE]

TANK TALK: Reflect on your most significant reefing achievement or milestone. Whether it's successfully keeping a challenging coral or achieving a stable and thriving reef, share the moment that made you most proud as a reefer.

My first tank 3 yrs ago. I was 8 months in, had every ugly there was, hit that tank with every hammer solution; I had no clue what I was doing even though I watched the BRS videos diligently. Finally, Ryan was talking to another key member of the industry (don’t remember who at the moment), and they discussed the idea of patience and letting the tank work things out. I was like, Whaaaaat! In my enthusiasm and also not really understanding most of the content I was consuming, I had never given anything time.

Once I did that, my tank turned around quickly and when my brother stopped by and saw my tank he was sooo impressed, because he understood how difficult it was and my tank was only 8 months old. Well, you could have pushed me over with a feather, I was so proud. My brother has had freshwater tanks for 20 years, so his compliment was extra meaningful.

FYI.. I have spent the last 3 years learning, rewatching and watching new content from BRS, WWC, Tidal Gardens, Marine Collecors, and am now applying what I learned and now actually understand (still at a freshman lvl), to my new tank that’s 2 months old. And yes, patience. If you read the intro to my build thread you will see my journey.

 

[Reef Wizard]

TANK TALK: What’s the coolest surprise you’ve discovered in or about your aquarium?

I was really surprised how we were able to get my 190.5 in the house with some of the suction cups and two people. We came straight in set it down on two flat dollys and turned it in the entry way and carried it once more into the living room. I was so dreading it but was easy enough

 

[GuppyHJD]

TANK TALK: What’s the coolest surprise you’ve discovered in or about your aquarium?

That with an auto feeder, ATO and a few dosing pumps run by an ardino, I can travel and my tank will survive for over three weeks.

 

[GuppyHJD]

TANK TALK: What’s the furthest you’ve travelled for a reef related experience or acquisition?

According to google, I traveled 1,092.5 miles. My house in Florida to That Fish Place in Lancaster PA. I went to visit family but had to visit the pet store that I got my last saltwater tank at. I was in the process of setting up my current tank, so I had to buy some dry rock for my tank. They had a really big flat piece that worked perfect. Unfortunately when I left the store, on the way back to the relative's house, I hit a deer. My wife still comments on the cost of that rock.

 

[rmorris_14]

According to google, I traveled 1,092.5 miles. My house in Florida to That Fish Place in Lancaster PA. I went to visit family but had to visit the pet store that I got my last saltwater tank at. I was in the process of setting up my current tank, so I had to buy some dry rock for my tank. They had a really big flat piece that worked perfect. Unfortunately when I left the store, on the way back to the relative's house, I hit a deer. My wife still comments on the cost of that rock.

laughing at the the wife part... not that you hit a deer

 

[LeDart]

TANK TALK: What’s the coolest surprise you’ve discovered in or about your aquarium?

Not super cool, but my tank has a very high biodiversity, without me ever putting in ocean live rock, or ocean live sand.

 

[SpyC]

TANK TALK: What’s the coolest surprise you’ve discovered in or about your aquarium?

Coolest think I descovered would be elephant slugs. They are just so cool and no one seems to sell, import, breed them.

 

[Brisk]

TANK TALK: What’s the coolest surprise you’ve discovered in or about your aquarium?

While I'm still waiting for the new tank setup, doing researches about starting up an aquarium for both freshwater and saltwater, I'm surprised by how many saltwater aquarium hobbyist there are and that it doesn't have to be difficult starting one.

 

[Top_Lids]

BONUS TANK TALK: Our hobby can be very technically challenging for many. How do you approach the technical side of the hobby? Is it something to be feared or reveled in?

 

[rmorris_14]

BONUS TANK TALK: Our hobby can be very technically challenging for many. How do you approach the technical side of the hobby? Is it something to be feared or reveled in?

Technically, I'm waiting for others to answer because I don't know that I completely understand the question. That's pretty much my approach to reefing. I've got a close circle of reefing friends on R2R and I reach out to them if I need guidance. I don't know if I would still be in the hobby, if I didn't have that kind of support.

 

[helio5000]

InstagramOfficial Entry: I have a brand new tank that has finished cycling, including the biome cycle. Fish have been ordered and I do have some known “jumpers” on my stock list so a super high-quality lid like @Top_Lids is a must. I didn’t really think about an auto-feeder since I’m retired and am home to feed the fish, but I will be getting those high-energy Anthias so an auto-feeder like Plank @Avast Justin seems prudent!

I got a Red Sea desktop peninsula tank (24gal). I filled up one month ago and I have just a clown fish till now, but I'll get anothe two fishes and some corals. Also I need the top lid and the autofeeder.

 

[ctenophore]

Official entry! Good to see avast still around after all these years! I remember the diy projects they offered back in the day for people wanting to learn! And good ole craftics 33 glue haha!

We're still here and still got the DIY kits!

 

[ctenophore]

Coolest think I descovered would be elephant slugs. They are just so cool and no one seems to sell, import, breed them.

Ok I think a pic is warranted here!

 

[ctenophore]

BONUS TANK TALK: Our hobby can be very technically challenging for many. How do you approach the technical side of the hobby? Is it something to be feared or reveled in?

Technical doesn't just mean "how do I install this aquarium controller" or "how to program an autofeeder". I suppose it could read: do you enjoy understanding the "whys" of the hobby or just the results? A weakness of mine is "better is the enemy of good". I'm typically not content to just let something be even if it's working well enough. Enjoying figuring out why things work (or more often, don't work lol) is a lot of the fun, along with having a pretty glass box in the house.

 

[Troylee]

BONUS TANK TALK: Our hobby can be very technically challenging for many. How do you approach the technical side of the hobby? Is it something to be feared or reveled in?

I hate controllers and apps lol… I have a reef guru who’s a IT guy help me or do that side for me… now building and figuring out any problem I have or others I come up with a way to build it or fix it!

 

[ctenophore]

My crazy fish jumping story: My powder blue tang, ("Kyle" according to my now college age daughter), once disappeared from the tank, this was about 7 or 8 years ago. A week or two went by, and I was thinking, huh, I wonder where the king of the tank went? He was in perfect health, full of zip. It's a pretty big tank so I assumed he got into trouble somehow and was dead in the rockwork or something. A few days later, I was messing around in the overflow, which is a coast-to-coast tray that's about 5" wide and holds about 2.5" of water. It was packed with rock, basically completely full. I noticed a swish of a fin, and sure enough, Kyle is wedged in a tiny space between two pieces, swimming in place and mostly upright against the current that flows down the tray (2500gph flow down a 2.5" x 5" area full of rock). Poor dude had jumped from the tank into the overflow (which was about a 4" high wall to clear) and landed in that tray full of rock, managed to flap about until he found that little slot, where he then swam in place for over a week, in the dark, with no food. oof. Scooped him back into the tank, no worse for wear. Still looked perfect, and went back to normal behavior of owning the place within minutes.

 

[rmorris_14]

My crazy fish jumping story: My powder blue tang, ("Kyle" according to my now college age daughter), once disappeared from the tank, this was about 7 or 8 years ago. A week or two went by, and I was thinking, huh, I wonder where the king of the tank went? He was in perfect health, full of zip. It's a pretty big tank so I assumed he got into trouble somehow and was dead in the rockwork or something. A few days later, I was messing around in the overflow, which is a coast-to-coast tray that's about 5" wide and holds about 2.5" of water. It was packed with rock, basically completely full. I noticed a swish of a fin, and sure enough, Kyle is wedged in a tiny space between two pieces, swimming in place and mostly upright against the current that flows down the tray (2500gph flow down a 2.5" x 5" area full of rock). Poor dude had jumped from the tank into the overflow (which was about a 4" high wall to clear) and landed in that tray full of rock, managed to flap about until he found that little slot, where he then swam in place for over a week, in the dark, with no food. oof. Scooped him back into the tank, no worse for wear. Still looked perfect, and went back to normal behavior of owning the place within minutes.

Nice that that one has a happy ending though