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[nickm]

TANK TALK: If there was one thing/product you wish existed in the hobby but doesn't right now, what would it be and why?

I’m new to the hobby so everything is pretty good to me. Just trying to get my tank to catch its stride. So can’t give much info for this question.

 

[JoJosReef]

H-Mart, especially the one on Alton at Jamboree. Walk in there and the fishy smell hits you like a brick wall but they have anything you could imagine including live clams and oysters, but I think they are more of a cool water species. @Dr. Dendrostein uses them and has some post about it.

Good reference. Just read his post about clams/oysters. Looks like I'll need the Baja clams to keep in a reef tank at higher temps. Probably increase feeding, too!

 

[Nate Chalk]

TANK TALK: For those of you who have had both DIY screen lids and professional polycarbonate Top Lids, what have been the biggest differences for you?

Diy screen window kit. Wobbly over 6 ft. Rusting and peeling after 2 years.

 

[Nate Chalk]

TANK TALK: If there was one thing/product you wish existed in the hobby but doesn't right now, what would it be and why?

An automatic nori roller for the tangs lol

 

[Nate Chalk]

TANK TALK: Manual feeding is an important activity by which to observe and evaluate all the animals in your care. Tell us about your feeding routine. Did you know the Plank mixing chamber is a convenient means to manually feed frozen food? What are your thoughts or questions concerning the balance between manual and automatic feeding?

I didn't think about that. It is the best opportunity for us to see everyone out and about. Manual feeding trains the fish to greet us too.

 

[Nate Chalk]

TANK TALK: This hobby is hard sometimes. If you could boil it down to 1-2 sentences, why do you Reef? What keeps you in the hobby for years on end?

I don't like to lose or fail. I'm also obsessed with learning and tinkering so if it wasn't reefing it would be.... Idk coding or programming things

 

[Nate Chalk]

TANK TALK: Tell us about your reef setup's evolution. What gear did you start out with? What does it look like now? What led to the changes?

12 gallon Mr aqua long with 2 clowns eheim canister

90 gallon donated to me with an fx6 canister same clowns

Then.


This big monstrosity I diy built... 180 gallon. Then added a diy sump. Packed with corals.

The Mr aqua is now my display refugium

 

[Nate Chalk]

TANK TALK: Regarding aquarium equipment, what is one piece of advice you would give to another aquarist?

Buy it all and go crazy like me look at all them cords.

Honestly going simple would be better but I like chaos.

 

[SpyC]

I

TANK TALK: Let's talk about tank mates. Which fish and coral combinations have surprised you with unexpected harmony in your reef? Share your success stories and photos for your entry today.

Don't have any unexpected harmony, but my yellowtang and tailspot goby are best buds. This could be due to going in the tank at the same time.

 

[SpyC]

TANK TALK: Manual feeding is an important activity by which to observe and evaluate all the animals in your care. Tell us about your feeding routine. Did you know the Plank mixing chamber is a convenient means to manually feed frozen food? What are your thoughts or questions concerning the balance between manual and automatic feeding?

I have a question about the automatic feeding of frozen foods. How do you complete this? Do you put the day's worth of food in each morning and then it feeds it at select intervals? Does the food go bad due to heat?

 

[RJT]

I have a question about the automatic feeding of frozen foods. How do you complete this? Do you put the day's worth of food in each morning and then it feeds it at select intervals? Does the food go bad due to heat?

The frozen food goes into the dispersing chamber not where the food is stored in the auto feeder. In the dispersing chamber is a pump that breaks the food up some and disperses it downward into the tank. You only put in the amount your fish will eat at one meal, all of it will be dispersed in less than a minute or two piece by piece instead of clumps

 

[slythy]

TANK TALK: If there was one thing/product you wish existed in the hobby but doesn't right now, what would it be and why?

2 products

instant quarantine and Instant invasive algae remover.

I am battling a huge algae outbreak from dosing h202 for ich... while it worked for the ich my tanks biome crashed. Not sure I would recommend it for a reef tank. FOWLR I would do h202 dosing all the time.

 

[slythy]

I have a question about the automatic feeding of frozen foods. How do you complete this? Do you put the day's worth of food in each morning and then it feeds it at select intervals? Does the food go bad due to heat?

not sure there is a frozen auto feeder. There are defrosters from a few manufacturers but no commercial frozen feeder.

 

[Top_Lids]

TANK TALK: Share a brief written or video story of your most active and acrobatic fish, and the character they bring to your tank!

 

[GuppyHJD]

TANK TALK: Manual feeding is an important activity by which to observe and evaluate all the animals in your care. Tell us about your feeding routine. Did you know the Plank mixing chamber is a convenient means to manually feed frozen food? What are your thoughts or questions concerning the balance between manual and automatic feeding?

I use both - my autofeeder runs in the morning and afternoon and then I feed frozen after dinner. I have several fish that need to eat more often so the autofeeder keeps them happy.

 

[rmorris_14]

An automatic nori roller for the tangs lol

this is genius

 

[tbrown]

2 products

instant quarantine and Instant invasive algae remover.

I am battling a huge algae outbreak from dosing h202 for ich... while it worked for the ich my tanks biome crashed. Not sure I would recommend it for a reef tank. FOWLR I would do h202 dosing all the time.

I like this but I don't... Instant Invasive Algae remover would be awesome except it would potentially sky rocket our nutrients with the immediate removal of a source that would utilize them. That could have a domino effect on our coral...

 

[Brisk]

TANK TALK: Share a brief written or video story of your most active and acrobatic fish, and the character they bring to your tank!

I used to have a goldfish that stood out of the rest. Its one of those goldfishes with the big bulging eyes and was also the same culprit that jumped out of the tank once. This one stood out because it had a brighter orange color and would often swim from one end of the tank to the other fast. It was always a joy watching it swim.

 

[tbrown]

TANK TALK: Share a brief written or video story of your most active and acrobatic fish, and the character they bring to your tank!

My fish are boring. But it's basically a circus in my tank. First, my Cleaner Gobies swim around and latch onto other fish like a bunch of clowns making a pyramid (except in mid air if th water was air), then my Foxface flares and shows off his colors and swims on his side enticing the same Cleaner Gobies to come to him instead, but the Tomini sees this and takes it as HIS invitation so he darts from the rock cave where he was hiding in wait and swims quickly under the Foxface to begin a game of chase. Then the Starry Blenny pops out of the rock he was perched within and hops up to a higher perch to view the entire spectacle which of course immediately ends the game of chase as the Tomini now has a new rival arrival. Meanwhile, the Melanurus continues swimming in circles up and down, up and down like a dog watching his reflection in the mirror trying to play....

 

[Mschmidt]

TANK TALK: Share a brief written or video story of your most active and acrobatic fish, and the character they bring to your tank!

That would have to be my powder brown tang. He's so much fun to watch, weaving in and out of the rocks, pecking the glass, diving sideways to fit through horizontal holes. Sometimes chasing the others, but only when food is scarce.