yveterinarian
Super Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2012
- Location
- Innerkip, Ontario
Over the years, we have come a long way with our tanks and our knowledge of saltwater. Our very first tank was a 25 gallon freshwater which we then upgraded to a 65 gallon bowfront freshwater.
Our first foray into saltwater was a 35 gallon tall hexagon tank which I purchased exclusively for seahorses. I had always wanted seahorses and decided that the only saltwater tank I would have is my seahorse tank because I wasn't interested in anything else. My first seahorses were H. Kuda. Here is a pic of the tank with the H. Kuda in it. (very tiny seahorses located near the bottom of the tank)
After poor luck with these little seahorses, I purchased a 90 gallon corner tank to house the various corals and saltwater fish I had become interested in while waiting for new seahorses. (Little did I know that this would be the first extra tank and upgrade!) I had by then learned not to keep seahorses with any other fish so I decided to dismantle the 35 gallon, sterilize it and begin again with True captive bred seahorses. Here is the 90 gallon we purchased and the setup in the basement where I relocated everything. I won't go into the building of these bases and tanks as it is in my previous thread. I changed the décor in the Hex as I found that it was much easier to keep clean if it was a bare bottom tank.
This lasted me quite well and I was able to develop a love of coral and other marine fish but my seahorses were still my favorites. I managed to find some H. Erectus that were True Captive Bred and they were very healthy and began to breed. I then decided that the seahorses were cramped in the 35 gallon tall hex and purchased a 60 gallon cube for them. I built a stand for the cube and put it where the hex used to be. The seahorses loved the new décor in the 60 gallon.
I then built a fry system to raise the numerous fry that Jack (my seahorse) had like clockwork. Unfortunately, ever since I put the seahorses into the 60 gallon, which was 6" shorter than the hex, Jack stopped having babies. The girls produced eggs faithfully every 2 weeks but they weren't able to complete a proper transfer which they do in a vertical swim. So there my fry tanks sit with nothing in it.
Enter Dave - He decides that after watching me enjoy my reef tank and the seahorses, he would have a tank with a Snowflake Eel. Now for a new tank, a 75 gallon tank with 10 gallon refugium.
Meanwhile my reef tank was beginning to look good with some nice corals filling in.
You'd think we'd be satisfied with all of these tanks, but no....I saw a deal on Kijiji which sparked a whole flurry of purchases. I decided to purchase a 160 gallon tall tank for my seahorses and rearrange my other tanks. The Hex would be brought back into service as my freshwater tank, the Reef system would move upstairs into the 65 gallon Bowfront tank and the 160 gallon would move into the spot where my two tanks used to be in the basement. First, I started with the freshwater tank. I built a raised platform for the castle so that more of the vertical space was used in the tank. I then fitted my canister filter to the hex tank with a few extra fittings. Here is the new freshwater tank.
Then I turned my attention to the Reef tank. I had to thoroughly clean and sterilize the bowfront tank before starting it as a saltwater tank. I drilled two 1" holes through the wall into the front hall where the refugium/sump would sit and I had to change the plumbing to accommodate the refugium/sump and the return pump. I purchased new sand and made fresh saltwater for the tank. Once the sand settled, I began to move everything. First the sump came upstairs and was placed in position with the live rock. The coral encrusted rock took two days to move and "glue" into position. The fish made the move on day three. It was quite the gruelling work but OH, so satisfying. I began to build a stand to go around the sump/refugium that will eventually be covered in Oak and finished to match other furniture upstairs.
Everything made the move well and I have been testing the water parameters daily for signs of a cycle. I also added some bacteria culture daily in case a cycle starts and to hopefully minimize a cycle. So far Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 10. It has been just over a week since the move.
Next came the seahorses. I moved them into a 55 gallon tank that I am going to use for their sump and emptied their tank. I moved both the 90 gallon corner tank and the 60 gallon cube out of the way (thank heaven I put felt sliders on them!), and moved the 160 gallon into place. I cleaned each of the previous tanks and began to fill the 160. Tonight I finished filling the tank and hooked up the plumbing. Tomorrow, after the saltwater has finished equalizing to the same temperature the seahorses are at, I will move them into their new home. This is them enjoying their section of the sump, then a pic of the new tank.
I will also build an oak skin for the new tank. Today I started working on finishing the stand for the front hall and learned how to drill a tank. I put a top on the stand and glued on tile to be where the 20 gallon Pipe fish tank will sit. After practising on a broken tank, I started to drill my new 20 gallon...
Practice hole #1: Cracked the glass upwards right at the end of drilling and etched the glass
Practice hole #2: Drilled great but had chip on inside of tank
Practice hole #3: Success! ;D
2 hours and 1 beer later I have two beautiful, smooth holes drilled in my tank. ;D
That's it for now. I will keep you posted as we continue with the tank renovations and will introduce Dave's new 220 gallon tank for his Eel and other fish soon. So far, it has been quite a journey that started with one seahorse tank and has blossomed into multiple tanks, each larger than the last. Does it ever end? I hope so because I just can't see getting anything bigger than our new tanks. I am hoping that now the seahorses have a tall tank back again, I will see babies once again and a whole new learning curve begins. ;D
Our first foray into saltwater was a 35 gallon tall hexagon tank which I purchased exclusively for seahorses. I had always wanted seahorses and decided that the only saltwater tank I would have is my seahorse tank because I wasn't interested in anything else. My first seahorses were H. Kuda. Here is a pic of the tank with the H. Kuda in it. (very tiny seahorses located near the bottom of the tank)
After poor luck with these little seahorses, I purchased a 90 gallon corner tank to house the various corals and saltwater fish I had become interested in while waiting for new seahorses. (Little did I know that this would be the first extra tank and upgrade!) I had by then learned not to keep seahorses with any other fish so I decided to dismantle the 35 gallon, sterilize it and begin again with True captive bred seahorses. Here is the 90 gallon we purchased and the setup in the basement where I relocated everything. I won't go into the building of these bases and tanks as it is in my previous thread. I changed the décor in the Hex as I found that it was much easier to keep clean if it was a bare bottom tank.
This lasted me quite well and I was able to develop a love of coral and other marine fish but my seahorses were still my favorites. I managed to find some H. Erectus that were True Captive Bred and they were very healthy and began to breed. I then decided that the seahorses were cramped in the 35 gallon tall hex and purchased a 60 gallon cube for them. I built a stand for the cube and put it where the hex used to be. The seahorses loved the new décor in the 60 gallon.
I then built a fry system to raise the numerous fry that Jack (my seahorse) had like clockwork. Unfortunately, ever since I put the seahorses into the 60 gallon, which was 6" shorter than the hex, Jack stopped having babies. The girls produced eggs faithfully every 2 weeks but they weren't able to complete a proper transfer which they do in a vertical swim. So there my fry tanks sit with nothing in it.
Enter Dave - He decides that after watching me enjoy my reef tank and the seahorses, he would have a tank with a Snowflake Eel. Now for a new tank, a 75 gallon tank with 10 gallon refugium.
Meanwhile my reef tank was beginning to look good with some nice corals filling in.
You'd think we'd be satisfied with all of these tanks, but no....I saw a deal on Kijiji which sparked a whole flurry of purchases. I decided to purchase a 160 gallon tall tank for my seahorses and rearrange my other tanks. The Hex would be brought back into service as my freshwater tank, the Reef system would move upstairs into the 65 gallon Bowfront tank and the 160 gallon would move into the spot where my two tanks used to be in the basement. First, I started with the freshwater tank. I built a raised platform for the castle so that more of the vertical space was used in the tank. I then fitted my canister filter to the hex tank with a few extra fittings. Here is the new freshwater tank.
Then I turned my attention to the Reef tank. I had to thoroughly clean and sterilize the bowfront tank before starting it as a saltwater tank. I drilled two 1" holes through the wall into the front hall where the refugium/sump would sit and I had to change the plumbing to accommodate the refugium/sump and the return pump. I purchased new sand and made fresh saltwater for the tank. Once the sand settled, I began to move everything. First the sump came upstairs and was placed in position with the live rock. The coral encrusted rock took two days to move and "glue" into position. The fish made the move on day three. It was quite the gruelling work but OH, so satisfying.
I began to build a stand to go around the sump/refugium that will eventually be covered in Oak and finished to match other furniture upstairs.
Everything made the move well and I have been testing the water parameters daily for signs of a cycle. I also added some bacteria culture daily in case a cycle starts and to hopefully minimize a cycle. So far Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 10. It has been just over a week since the move.
Next came the seahorses. I moved them into a 55 gallon tank that I am going to use for their sump and emptied their tank. I moved both the 90 gallon corner tank and the 60 gallon cube out of the way (thank heaven I put felt sliders on them!), and moved the 160 gallon into place. I cleaned each of the previous tanks and began to fill the 160. Tonight I finished filling the tank and hooked up the plumbing. Tomorrow, after the saltwater has finished equalizing to the same temperature the seahorses are at, I will move them into their new home. This is them enjoying their section of the sump, then a pic of the new tank.
I will also build an oak skin for the new tank. Today I started working on finishing the stand for the front hall and learned how to drill a tank. I put a top on the stand and glued on tile to be where the 20 gallon Pipe fish tank will sit. After practising on a broken tank, I started to drill my new 20 gallon...
Practice hole #1: Cracked the glass upwards right at the end of drilling and etched the glass
Practice hole #2: Drilled great but had chip on inside of tank
Practice hole #3: Success! ;D
2 hours and 1 beer later I have two beautiful, smooth holes drilled in my tank. ;D
That's it for now. I will keep you posted as we continue with the tank renovations and will introduce Dave's new 220 gallon tank for his Eel and other fish soon. So far, it has been quite a journey that started with one seahorse tank and has blossomed into multiple tanks, each larger than the last. Does it ever end? I hope so because I just can't see getting anything bigger than our new tanks. I am hoping that now the seahorses have a tall tank back again, I will see babies once again and a whole new learning curve begins. ;D
