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08-06-2002, 01:08 PM
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#1
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: West Bloomfield, Michigan
Posts: 231
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Wife's a pain, can I do this nano?
Ok, my wife wouldn't even read the thread about a tank not smelling ( http://www.thereeftank.com/forum/sho...threadid=10801) she said there's no way it wouldn't and I have to take care of her two ****ed cats. So I want to show her how great a tank can/could be. I will eventually have a sump for a bigger system, so what I'll propose here would turn into the sump for that system.
What I want:
29 gallon with some live rock, mushrooms, and a small clean-up crew.
Hardware:
29 gallon (duh)
Heater
NO lights (possibly from cheap-o hood)
Hang-on whisper power filter (won't be used when I turn it into a sump).
1 good power head.
Livestock (with time frames):
Sand and a couple pounds of LR day 1
Some snails and pep. shrimp when cycled
Mushrooms a month or so after the cycle
Will this work? I want to do this real cheap just to show here that the tank won't smell and try to show her some of the joy. I can keep this tank in my office at home.
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3/14: 75 started cycling. 100 lbs of LR (75 cured, 25 un-cured).
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08-06-2002, 01:18 PM
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#2
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Seattle, Washington
Posts: 441
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Stubborn Wife ya got there Sylock (No offense  Wont even read the thread ? Sheesh.
I wouldnt put a time frame on the cycle though. Keep doing parameter tests and when they hit zero, start having some fun.
Also Concider a Deepsandbed of 4 to 5 inches for that tank. Since it will be a sump for your larger tank You will have a already established DSB to help with your new Tank not to mention YOu could most likely ditch the Whisper with some LIve rock and your DSB to save some expense. Im not much of a small tank expert or tank expert at all, so please someone else comment on the HOB Whisper even for start up purposes.
Concider maybe a small but Pretty Fish to live single in your new Tank? Fish are always impressive! Especially colorfull ones. Maybe some of hte others can offer some good suggestions for that size of a tank.
We have 2 cats at home. What do they need? Water and Food! Hmph. I got lucky, my Girlfriend loves the tank
Good Luck to ya man.
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90 Gallon
(2)96W Actinic 03 PC
(2)250W 10k Metal Halide
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08-06-2002, 01:19 PM
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#3
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Middle California
Posts: 39
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Why do you need her permission? Why do you have to take care of her two ****ed cats? Just do it--if she won't even read the thread then she is obviously just dead set against it for no real reason, so I would just do it. What does she ask you permission for? Anything?
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08-06-2002, 01:23 PM
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#4
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Seattle, Washington
Posts: 441
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Quote:
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Why do you need her permission?
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The woes of Marriage! I think Sylock likes his nice comfy bed, they dont make very comfy couches anymore!  
Gotta remember its her home to
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90 Gallon
(2)96W Actinic 03 PC
(2)250W 10k Metal Halide
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08-06-2002, 01:29 PM
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#5
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Hail to the Redskins!!
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Gresham, OR
Posts: 1,133
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Guess I got lucky with my wife too! She gets more into the tank every week! She even picks out where she wants her favorite corals to placed in the tank - front and center of course!
Hey Sylock - I guess you never read my tag line at the bottom of my post.... words to live by!!!
-Big Dave
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There's nothing like feeding your starfish for your party guests!! 
120 Reef
SDSBBNR (sorta deep sand bed but not really)
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08-06-2002, 01:32 PM
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#6
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: West Bloomfield, Michigan
Posts: 231
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Big Dave,
I go by that for work and the rest of my life. But man she can make my life hell so I don't do it with her.
Just looking to see if the set up I explained above would be ok for a display ... what do you think?
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3/14: 75 started cycling. 100 lbs of LR (75 cured, 25 un-cured).
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08-06-2002, 01:34 PM
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#7
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Middle California
Posts: 39
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Quote:
Originally posted by balakoth
Gotta remember its her home to
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Exactly my point--it is his home too. I had bigger tanks than 29 gallons when I lived with my parents. I don't want to sound harsh but it is simply unreasonable and such a minor thing to cause such a stir.
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08-06-2002, 01:55 PM
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#8
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Portland CT
Posts: 235
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Two points
29 Tank I have a 29 gal in my office (in addition to my 150 at home). I have been pleasently surprised by how good it came out.
Spouse I am very lucky that my wife shares the hobby with me both in enjoyment and the never ending $$'s. However I do most of the manual labor. |
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08-06-2002, 01:57 PM
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#9
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: West Bloomfield, Michigan
Posts: 231
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GaryG, what equipment is the 29 gallon running? Thanks.
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3/14: 75 started cycling. 100 lbs of LR (75 cured, 25 un-cured).
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08-06-2002, 02:15 PM
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#10
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Jesus freak!
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Valley Springs, CA
Posts: 119
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Nanos can be a piece of cake if you're patient and keep diligent with care. Personally I'm neither but my nano works great. I'm doing a 15g tall and have it as simple as possible. 15 lbs sand, 15lbs LR, 2 rio 50 PHs, 100w heater, and a DIY canopy. The important part is the light. You can really boost the lights for a little cash if you check out the deal at:
http://www.petsupplyliquidator.com/
Look under aquarium specials for the 2x36w pc w/free ballast for $40. I bought this and put it in my system. I absolutely love it, and it is SO much brighter than the NO you would have used. $40 is not a lot of cash, but it is a lot of looks!
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Hroooom Hrooom...That is hasty for an Ent.
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08-06-2002, 02:15 PM
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#11
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Middle California
Posts: 39
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GaryG:
I like the little clown trigger--how aggressive is he towards the other fish, and what do you feed him? |
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08-06-2002, 02:53 PM
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#12
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Portland CT
Posts: 235
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The set up is a standard 29 gallon Eclipse unit. I'm using the filter and bio wheel that came with the hood. I'm using the lighting unit that came with it, I just replaced one of the bulbs with an actinic. I added an in-tank protein skimmer (Visi-Jet) and one small power head for better circulation. And a heater of course. The nice thing about the Eclipse is that all of the equipment and wiring is hidden. Perfect for an office display.
It has about a 2" sand bed and about 50 lbs of live rock. One brown star fish, about 4 hermit crabs, and 10 snails.
It started out as a FOWLR (and it was my intention to keep it that way), but after a few months I added some mushrooms and xenia. I have no intention of putting any hard coral in.
Last edited by GaryG; 08-06-2002 at 02:57 PM.
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08-06-2002, 05:01 PM
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#13
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Plankton
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Woodstock, GA.
Posts: 46
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Set the tank up and cycle it with the cats!  JK. Try taking it one step at a time. Set the tank up and start the cycling. Let your wife know that you are very interested in trying and that you agree that you do not want a smelly tank either. Ask her to just play it by ear. If it is bad, out it goes, if not -- next step. Just make sure she is out of the house when you add live rock, it could be bad.
Just my married for way to long opinion. |
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08-06-2002, 05:21 PM
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#14
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bone shaker
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: so cal
Posts: 340
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29 G nano
sylock,
Looks like you've gotten some good advice so far. I set my brother up with my 29G eclipse when I upgraded to 60G (of course I want 120 already ), and his tank seems to be doing very well with about 20lbs tonga rock, cleanup crew of hermits and snails, a few peppermint shrimp tons of caulerpa and some extra mushrooms I received.
Too bad your wife seems to be being so unreasonable (won't even read the thread). My wife loves the tank and the only thing she is unreasonable about is $$$ (well she's smarter than me when it comes to bank accounts - I'd forget to pay the mortgage just to upgrade...). FWIW, I have to take care of our two cats as well and litter boxes smell a whole heck of a lot worse than any tank I've ever had!
Good luck and keep us posted! |
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08-06-2002, 06:59 PM
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#15
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Big Fishy
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Eugene
Posts: 550
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good luck with it, I'm lucky, the more I do with my tank the more my wife likes it and the more she gets interested. Now she's reading CMA on her own. 
for fish, I'd get true or false percs. skip any thoughts of anenomes, get some nice bright PC's and some xenia. the clowns are pretty and the xenia are interesting to watch pulse. worked with my wife, course she thinks mantis's are cute
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avatar courtesy of: TAKATA Mitsuaki
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