frank's 46 gal bowfront

[fdcarlin]

i found this tank on craigslist for 75 bucks, came with tank, stand, lid, and light. i couldnt pass it up. water looks cloudy on the photo, but i think that the flash on the camera mixed with the aquarium light just made it look that way. just got this berlin airlift 90 protein skimmer today and its seems to be working well. it is sort of ugly, and i dont have a sump, but i think i did a good job of hiding it with that piece of drift wood.

This is some species of sea robin that i caught. he looks really cool when he is out and moving, it pretty much walks along the bottom with its leg like fins. ill try to get a pic of it when it unburies itself.

pretty weird puffer that i caught.

the new skimmer hidden in the corner.

 

[Altohombre]

get a refractometer instead of that hydrometer. Those things aren't accurate at all!

I can't believe you got a 46g bow for 75! I have one as well.

 

[cthegame]

nice find for $75!

 

[d2mini]

Cool deal. Welcome to the 46g bow front club. ;)

 

[bobby]

Nice find and great buy. I would remove the driftwood. I have read that it can cause problems in a closed saltwater system. Can't say for sure though since I've never actually tried it.

Just need some live rock and it'll look pretty nice.


It's true a refactometer is better than a hydrometer, but hydrometers are not alway off I have one thats about 2 years old and still spot on I also have a refactometer and use it though.

 

[daugherty]

get rid of the drift wood as it can have an effect on the ph i think not shure but i do know it is not good in a sw tank

 

[fdcarlin]

Thanks for the input guys!
i have been testing my waters ph, alk., and nitrite. everything has been stable. if i have any problems then ill remove the drift wood. but right now its the only thing i have to hide that ugly ass skimmer. im looking around right now for the best deal on LR. from what i have been reading, i think if i get enough live rock then i can get rid of this biowheel filter and just get a couple small power heads to move the water right? also what is a refractometer, sounds like something that measures properties of liquid with light? is it something that can take a constant reading of water, or do i have to take a sample out to test. ive never seen a refractometer at the store, i guess ill do a google search and see what i find

 

[fdcarlin]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Salinity-Refractometer-0-10-Aquarium-Salt-Water-b_W0QQitemZ250353003777QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250353003777&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

this one looks good, i like the fact that it has automatic temperature compensation. but maybe ill look for one that doesnt come from hong kong. anyone recommend a certain brand?

 

[dustin_P74]

most refractometers have ATC built in, this is what i have
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12132
but this one should be fine
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9957

 

[fdcarlin]

here is some more stuff that i collected. i need to get some LR, tell me if im wrong but i think that small piece of rock has some coralline algae on it, and on the corner of hermits shell and underneath. it still looks pretty lame, but with some live rock i think i can add some color and fill some empty space. also i ordered 2 maxijet 1200 on ebay, don't know if those are any good but its too late now. does anyone use else use maxi jet powerheads?


i also caught a cool looking shrimp and some snails, but i couldnt find them while the camera was out.

 

[yote]

Could be coralline.Hard to tell.
Most of us have used maxi-jets at one point or another.They are decent little powerheads.

 

[Keaton]

Lookin good.

 

[fdcarlin]

I have recently changed quite a bit in my tank. found some more rock to add. bought one piece of live rock. added two maxijet 1200. gave away the sea robin and puffer, got two clowns and a black and white damsel. my next step will be to get some decent lighting. right now i have a 36'' coral sun actinic 420 and a couple of 18'' daylight bulbs. any suggestions on what kind of lighting i should look for,? keep in mind i eventually want to get an anemone for the clowns or maybe some soft corals,

 

[yote]

Its a looking good.That rocks got some pretty good coralline on it.If you'll use a hard bristled tooth brush and gently scrub the coralline,it'll help it spread.
I'd look into T-5 lights for that tank.
And you'll want to kill that aiptasia anemone in the last pic.Those things can be worse than bad for your tank.

 

[fdcarlin]

Thanks for the info. Yote, ill get a toothbrush for the rock. are you sure it is aiptasia anemone, i actually pulled that out of the sand when i was snorkling. when you touch it, it retracts quickly into its muddy sock-like body. i had to dig like three feet into the sand to get it out. i brought it home because i thought it looked cool, didnt know it would be harmful. here is a better pic of it. if you can confirm that it is aiptasia, then i can easily pull the tube out of the sand and remove it.

 

[yote]

I'm glad you didnt pull it now.Thats a tube anemone.But looks like aiptasia in the other pic.

 

[fdcarlin]

thanks again yote, your right it is a tube anemone. i just did some quick research on them and they seem pretty interesting. i think ill go back to the place where i collected this one and get a couple more small ones, as there were a sh!t load of them out there. maybe ill try to feed their tube through some of the hollow parts of my rocks. pics of tube anemones i see online have cool neon colors, mine is just clear brown and a little red.

 

[Piggy]

The rock with the coralline looks really good. What is the thing growing on it? Is it a zoa or something else?

 

[fdcarlin]

The rock with the coralline looks really good. What is the thing growing on it? Is it a zoa or something else?

its some kind of feather duster. not a zoa

 

[yote]

Make sure your not breaking any fish and game laws before you catch too much.
You dont want to end up with a $1000.00 fine for something you could have bought for $30.