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RE: Frog Room Update!
Thank you!
I have a few posts about the dart frogs, some with some specific details about habitat, and even the “poison.”
I’ve always wanted to get into saltwater fish, but I feel like fish tanks are a lot or work...Maybe I’m wrong?
My son loves snakes, but my wife says no. Haha..these are a really good compromise! I’d love to see a post about pet snails. My son would enjoy that too!
Aquariums are not a lot of work. The biggest issue with marine aquariums in the past was with lighting, but metal halide and LED have been game changers in that regard and lighting is now effective and efficient, allowing the keeping of many corals and anemones which only a decade ago were no go.
Filtration has also progressed from undergravel plates to fully automated systems with a trickle sump, refugiums and other features.
The main thing is to do what needs to be done regularly. Avoiding sudden changes is key to success. It is better for the fish to live in attrocious conditions than to be suddenly taken from these into ideal conditions. Swings in temperature, pH, hardness, salinity and chemical composition can have dire effects on a community in an enclosed environment and any changes must be gradual.
Water changes are a necessary evil, but I enjoy doing them as the process allows a good close look at the tank. Gravel vacuuming through suction is a must to get rid of detritus and nitrates that build up in areas there is limited or restricted water flow. This process requires close attention, thus you get to look closely at areas of the tank which might avoid notice at a casual look. Again, regularity is key. 10 - 20% of water is the most you want to change at any given time. This is THE BIG ISSUE with marine tanks as the water is salt water, the chemicals and minerals that make it so must be added, unless you have a source of fresh, clean, unpolluted sea water. It can be expensive.
The most common mistake people make is to think they will get a small tank to keep things easy. The bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep things in balance and to maintain it as there is a larger volume of water to stabalise things.
That's a ton of great info! Much appreciated.
If we do start a saltwater tank, I'd like to wait until I remodel part of the house. That way, I can build it in.
Sounds like you have a lot of experience with saltwater?
My first tank was a very basic marine tank in the Solomon Islands. We collected all the live rock, inverts and fish from the local beaches and used fresh sea water. It was extremely basic with just a flouro light, an undergravel filter and and air pump, but it worked for 3 years without a hitch.
I have kept and bred a few marines (such as the clownfish, unfortunately, Nemo would have gone into the cull tank, with a couple of very big oscars as garbage disposal, due to his gimpy fin. He would not have passed muster.)
I have kept fish from pretty much every family in fresh water, my favourites being the corydoras, South and Central American cichlids and the Labyrinth fish, which have an accessory organ which allows them to breathe atmospheric oxygen. The labyrinth fish include the Betta group which of course includes the fighting fish.
Wow! I know who to ask when I start!!!
My user name came about when I was servicing hire tanks, and one off remedial servicing. All my clients would just call me Fishman, and it stuck. Most people call me that now. Between aquariums and angling, most of my time is spent with the scaly, slimy buggers. And I love every moment.
Awesome!