Are you a salty person?

[Robert]

Just curious who all here on the forum keep marine tanks. Can be FOWLR or Reef. Pico to large tanks. I have been keeping marine for the past 20 years with back and forth interest. Recently just redid my 29 gallon aquarium to become marine (don't worry I still run freshwater tanks in my home, wife even wanted one in our newborns room). Running this marine build a little bit old school. Please show your builds if you can 🙂

[lefty o]

i might be salty, but my tanks arent!😈

[Ram man]

I have 3 marine tanks and 1 reef tank. The reef tank I've just started about a month ago so it's not very impressive. 

[GameCzar]

I'm with @lefty o, I don't keep marine fish...but I'm a card carrying curmudgeon. 

[Jeff]

I kept a 29g Biocube reef many moons ago. Bought my pre-made salt and RODI water from my LFS always. Was fairly easy. Sold it, and bought a 75g reef ready tank with sump. Kept buying gear for it, and it felt like there was no end in sight for gear to ever get it up and running. 

I enjoy watching FW videos about how to keep certain fish, plants, inverts instead of seeing reef videos about tech all the time. 

Turned in all my gear for store credit: RODI unit, tank, stand, refractometer, skimmer, heater, and a bunch of other things for a brand new 90g Marineland tank/stand combo at my LFS to set up a discus tank.

Some day I'll get an all-in-one reef tank set up again. But DIY reefs require too much tech. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Jeff

[Streetwise]

I miss running marine tanks.

@Brymac1 gave us an update on saltwater lighting:

 

[Brymac1]

Reef tanks are my main focus in this hobby, although I still love and keep planted aquariums.

Here are some pics of my previous and current reef systems:

 

You can check out my tank journal to see how I run my system. I also have a lighting guide like @Streetwisementioned.

[Patrick_G]

I’m currently working on setting up my first salty tank for a Green Spotted Puffer.

On 10/8/2021 at 4:01 PM, Robert said:

Recently just redid my 29 gallon aquarium to become marine (don't worry I still run freshwater tanks in my home, wife even wanted one in our newborns room). Running this marine build a little bit old school. Please show your builds if you can 🙂

We’d love to see some pics! 

[Robert]

Still building it out. ATM running a finnex 30" stingray but that will swapped to something else most likely.

[Biotope Biologist]

I live vicariously through @eatyourpeas so I guess I have a pretty nice Puget Sound biotope going😋

 

I will be making a mid-brackish mangrove setup here in the next year or so, but before this I had no real desire to run saltwater since I already live it. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Biotope Biologist

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 10/9/2021 at 2:17 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

I live vicariously through @eatyourpeas so I guess I have a pretty nice Puget Sound biotope going😋

I'll second that!

[Isaac M]

I recently got back into reef keeping a few months ago. I need to take an updated picture but here it is a couple months in:

This is only my second reef tank ever though, my first one was a 10 gallon that I had 10 years ago (I was only 15 years old at the time and I know better now, fish selection was not great haha):

[Lemon]

I am working on a 10 gallon reef. I need to cycle it and find a lid that fits 

[GameCzar]

Nope, not going to do it.  You guys aren't going to make me get into saltwater.   No sir, you can't make me!

[Patrick_G]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:00 AM, GameCzar said:

Nope, not going to do it.  You guys aren't going to make me get into saltwater.   No sir, you can't make me!

 Guppies thrive in the salt! 

[eatyourpeas]

My SW tank is definitely not a reef. No offense, but reefs are like screen savers to me, so I do not find them interesting.

My Puget Sound Biotope build is in my signature, but here is a summary:

- Built the tank from scratch in order to accommodate temperate requirements, used 1" think acrylic on sides, 3/4" on top, 3/8" on bottom. Lids slide out of the way without needing to disturb light. Tank is 47 x 15 x 15 inches. There is an internal skimmer powered by a nano air pump. No powerheads as they add heat, so filter is providing the water current.

- Designed and built a vertical sump for filtration due to space limitations.

- Filtered water goes through a chiller before reaching the tank.

- All critters were collected locally.

Water changes once a month, 20% using ocean water (I have yet to mix my own saltwater 🙄)

I do not clean algae as they provide food for the critters, but there isn't much anyway. Limpets do a great job at keeping the glass clean.

Edited December 4, 2021 by eatyourpeas

[Isaac M]

@quirkylemon103 I made the lid for my 40 breeder reef out of a polycarbonate greenhouse panel. It works great, there is hardly any evaporation so my salinity stays consistent(I don't have an auto top-off). I would highly recommend it if you need a special size or shape aquarium lid. 

[Lemon]

On 10/9/2021 at 11:43 AM, Isaac M said:

@quirkylemon103 I made the lid for my 40 breeder reef out of a polycarbonate greenhouse panel. It works great, there is hardly any evaporation so my salinity stays consistent(I don't have an auto top-off). I would highly recommend it if you need a special size or shape aquarium lid. 

something like this?

 

[Robert]

I originally had plans for my tank to be FOWLR but debating on maybe doing some softies but not get to crazy on them. I love GSP and yes I know its a weed but its always been my favorite. That and zoanthids..

[Isaac M]

@quirkylemon103 yes exactly like that. I am not home right now but this is the best picture I have on my phone of it:

@Robert a zoa garden is always cool and you can always do GSP encrusted on the back wall. All I do is softies because I love the color, movement and ease of care. For me, I do not think I could ever do a FOWLR (unless it is some sort of predator aquarium). It would be like doing a freshwater aquarium without plants, it just does not feel right to me haha 

[Patrick_G]

On 10/9/2021 at 10:57 AM, Robert said:

I originally had plans for my tank to be FOWLR but debating on maybe doing some softies but not get to crazy on them. I love GSP and yes I know its a weed but its always been my favorite. That and zoanthids..

I think GSP and some nice macro algae would make a nice “nature aquarium” aquascape look.

 

[Robert]

I have done a "planted saltwater aquarium" full of different types of macro some years back. If fowlr I must say Fuzzy Dwarf Lion would be on my list.

[Robert]

Update on how my build is going. Swapped out the 30 inch stingray with a Fluval Marine 3.0 24 inch. Still tweaking the color spectrum a little bit. 

[Tinyfellows]

This thread is  making me want to dive in and become a salty person

[Andy's Fish Den]

I've kept marine tanks for the last 15 years or so. I had a nice 75 gallon reef that I started back then, full of nice SPS and LPS corals, but an unfortunate dosing accident while on vacation left 95% of it dead, and since then I have had other tanks, but I haven't kept many corals since, just some zoas and aptasia LOL. Right now I have a FOWLR 20 gallon that only has a pair of frostbite clowns and some shrimp and hermit crabs. Maybe one day I will set up another reef tank.