- Messages
- 400
- Reaction score
- 0
Ladies, Gentleman, urchins-
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and write a little bit about where I am in the hobby and how I arrived there. Please feel free to respond in kind and know that I welcome any helpful hints or advice.
*ahem* HI. My name is Dave. ::Crowd Responds in uninspired tone:: "Hi Dave". My name is Dave and I'm a salt water Addict.
You know, it's a **** shame that so many idiots and *******s have chosen to plaster that SaltLife sticker on their grocery getters and mom-mobiles. I really love the idea about celebrating a lifestyle that praises our oceans and bays.. but it's been ruined... anyway.. I digress...
All of my life I've been drawn to water. Primarily the ocean, but really any substantial body of water, salt or fresh, will do. My mother often likes to regale friends and family, much to my chagrin, with tales of my first trips to the beach with the family, how I was fearless and as soon as my feet hit the sand, I'd hobble and crawl, diaper and all, straight toward the surf. I like to imagine my father smiling proudly and my mother losing her sh*t. There's something about water, particularly the ocean, that's always called to me and spoken to me in a seductive, calming and luring subconscious tone. I've always felt that it's a part of me, a part of my identity, and gives me thoughts and feelings I hope to never lose. Why am I telling you all of this? Well, for one, it's slow here at work today, it's Friday and apparently I missed the "let's all call out sick" memo, it's storming and I'm feeling nostalgic and solicitous and, well, it's the main reason why I have 10 gallons of salt water sitting on what's supposed to be a bar in my apartment living room. I'm sure my lovely girlfriend would love that space for wine or decorative art, but no. I'm a lucky man.
I'd always wanted a fish tank. I'd always been amazed by the fact that these creatures are able to breathe underwater and move about, weightless, as if flying. Moreover, I was always crazy about the idea that, out there, in the world, unless you have good bait or scuba gear, these creatures are more or less elusive. I can't imagine a scenario where you're walking down the street and you just see a fish hanging out (if so, don't bogart that. share.) So, as a kid, you mean to tell me we can go to a store and buy them, put them in a tank that we get to design ourselves and then watch them whenever the hell we want!? For real?! sign me up!
Except, Dad was a police officer and mom was a nurse. They were rarely both home at the same time and in those days, you didn't really make a killing in either profession. We lived comfortably and I'm extremely lucky for that, but I had a younger sister and their priorities did not include a warm tank of water in their house that took time and money and had things living in it.
It was college before I finally had enough spending money and ability to make my own decisions. I bought a 10 gallon freshwater starter tank at Walmart and smiled, planning every grain of substrate and decoration in my head on the way back to my house. It was a kit, you know, like the tetra or top-fin starter kits you get with the heater and all that. No clue what I was doing, but I couldn't have been happier or more excited. You see, I'm originally from Maryland. I'd lived on the Chesapeake Bay my whole life and nearly every family vacation was on a boat or at the beach. I'm extremely lucky in that sense and believe it shaped who I am.. but when you move to the middle of North Carolina for college, mountains an hour in one direction and the ocean over an hour in the other, where hogs outnumber residents, it's hard to continue to feel that connection, that godly presence of the sea. So to have a small bit of water in my room? Color me thrilled.
Well, looking back on everything I know now versus what I knew then (like everything else in life) they should have not even sold me that tank. It was a deathbox for poor, unsuspecting aquatic life. I was a murder machine. A fish hitler. I probably put the local pet store's kids through college on my own, buying fish, buying decorations, buying fish, buying more fish, then some more, then when those died, because, you know, I overstocked the hell out of it, I bought some more, then some others, then a few more. I didn't know **** and no one told me. Eventually I gave up, falling just short of Fish genocide and I still to this day am not sure what happened to that first 10 gallon. what I wouldn't give to have it now as a sump or just a spare work-tank.
Later in college, I bought a 29 gallon starter when the bug hit me again. Long story short, did MUCH better with this one. In fact, I'm pretty sure it even got me laid a few times. Still freshwater, but I'd done much more research, took my time and I was careful. Then I took a backpacking trip to Alaska for a month, came back, moved to a new place and had girl troubles and left the tank behind... I'm pretty sure my fraternity brother that took over my old place just gave me $50 bucks, said he "made it sparkle" and that's the last I saw or heard of it.
I had another 29 gallon kit a few years after I graduated college and expanded into freshwater cichlids, particularly german blue rams and bolivian rams and even a convict that all survived until the time I moved. I had a lot of fun with that one in my room and although I was a young working professional, I still managed to keep it going. I loved tinkering with it and spending money on it and just generally fooling with things. I even dated a girl at the time who thought it was pretty neat, so she helped too. I'd probably make some more of the experienced aquarists here absolutely sick with my neglect of maintenance, but the residents seemed happy and it didn't smell so.. that was cool.
fast forward and here I am now. My first saltwater. I am thrilled. Absolutely thrilled. I love everything about it. So, look at the pictures, check it out, PM me, reply to this, give me your tips and tricks and any pieces of advice you can. While you do that, I'll be scanning the "Free Stuff" section since this hobby is like taking out a mortgage.
Keep in mind that this is my first tank and it's a nano. I have two damsels, one blue and one gold and they sometimes chase each other a little but otherwise they seem very happy. Hope to add at least one occellaris clown and that's about it for fish, unless anyone has any recommendations. What I'm really excited about is getting into corals.
And yes... before you ask.. despite my back story, I actually know quite a bit now. My tank IS cycled. That IS about 13lbs +/- that you see in the picture with oolite live-sand and my bio-load is relatively light.
Plans in the works: DIY Filtration system (will post about that later)
DIY skimmer
-Dave
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and write a little bit about where I am in the hobby and how I arrived there. Please feel free to respond in kind and know that I welcome any helpful hints or advice.
*ahem* HI. My name is Dave. ::Crowd Responds in uninspired tone:: "Hi Dave". My name is Dave and I'm a salt water Addict.
You know, it's a **** shame that so many idiots and *******s have chosen to plaster that SaltLife sticker on their grocery getters and mom-mobiles. I really love the idea about celebrating a lifestyle that praises our oceans and bays.. but it's been ruined... anyway.. I digress...
All of my life I've been drawn to water. Primarily the ocean, but really any substantial body of water, salt or fresh, will do. My mother often likes to regale friends and family, much to my chagrin, with tales of my first trips to the beach with the family, how I was fearless and as soon as my feet hit the sand, I'd hobble and crawl, diaper and all, straight toward the surf. I like to imagine my father smiling proudly and my mother losing her sh*t. There's something about water, particularly the ocean, that's always called to me and spoken to me in a seductive, calming and luring subconscious tone. I've always felt that it's a part of me, a part of my identity, and gives me thoughts and feelings I hope to never lose. Why am I telling you all of this? Well, for one, it's slow here at work today, it's Friday and apparently I missed the "let's all call out sick" memo, it's storming and I'm feeling nostalgic and solicitous and, well, it's the main reason why I have 10 gallons of salt water sitting on what's supposed to be a bar in my apartment living room. I'm sure my lovely girlfriend would love that space for wine or decorative art, but no. I'm a lucky man.
I'd always wanted a fish tank. I'd always been amazed by the fact that these creatures are able to breathe underwater and move about, weightless, as if flying. Moreover, I was always crazy about the idea that, out there, in the world, unless you have good bait or scuba gear, these creatures are more or less elusive. I can't imagine a scenario where you're walking down the street and you just see a fish hanging out (if so, don't bogart that. share.) So, as a kid, you mean to tell me we can go to a store and buy them, put them in a tank that we get to design ourselves and then watch them whenever the hell we want!? For real?! sign me up!
Except, Dad was a police officer and mom was a nurse. They were rarely both home at the same time and in those days, you didn't really make a killing in either profession. We lived comfortably and I'm extremely lucky for that, but I had a younger sister and their priorities did not include a warm tank of water in their house that took time and money and had things living in it.
It was college before I finally had enough spending money and ability to make my own decisions. I bought a 10 gallon freshwater starter tank at Walmart and smiled, planning every grain of substrate and decoration in my head on the way back to my house. It was a kit, you know, like the tetra or top-fin starter kits you get with the heater and all that. No clue what I was doing, but I couldn't have been happier or more excited. You see, I'm originally from Maryland. I'd lived on the Chesapeake Bay my whole life and nearly every family vacation was on a boat or at the beach. I'm extremely lucky in that sense and believe it shaped who I am.. but when you move to the middle of North Carolina for college, mountains an hour in one direction and the ocean over an hour in the other, where hogs outnumber residents, it's hard to continue to feel that connection, that godly presence of the sea. So to have a small bit of water in my room? Color me thrilled.
Well, looking back on everything I know now versus what I knew then (like everything else in life) they should have not even sold me that tank. It was a deathbox for poor, unsuspecting aquatic life. I was a murder machine. A fish hitler. I probably put the local pet store's kids through college on my own, buying fish, buying decorations, buying fish, buying more fish, then some more, then when those died, because, you know, I overstocked the hell out of it, I bought some more, then some others, then a few more. I didn't know **** and no one told me. Eventually I gave up, falling just short of Fish genocide and I still to this day am not sure what happened to that first 10 gallon. what I wouldn't give to have it now as a sump or just a spare work-tank.
Later in college, I bought a 29 gallon starter when the bug hit me again. Long story short, did MUCH better with this one. In fact, I'm pretty sure it even got me laid a few times. Still freshwater, but I'd done much more research, took my time and I was careful. Then I took a backpacking trip to Alaska for a month, came back, moved to a new place and had girl troubles and left the tank behind... I'm pretty sure my fraternity brother that took over my old place just gave me $50 bucks, said he "made it sparkle" and that's the last I saw or heard of it.
I had another 29 gallon kit a few years after I graduated college and expanded into freshwater cichlids, particularly german blue rams and bolivian rams and even a convict that all survived until the time I moved. I had a lot of fun with that one in my room and although I was a young working professional, I still managed to keep it going. I loved tinkering with it and spending money on it and just generally fooling with things. I even dated a girl at the time who thought it was pretty neat, so she helped too. I'd probably make some more of the experienced aquarists here absolutely sick with my neglect of maintenance, but the residents seemed happy and it didn't smell so.. that was cool.
fast forward and here I am now. My first saltwater. I am thrilled. Absolutely thrilled. I love everything about it. So, look at the pictures, check it out, PM me, reply to this, give me your tips and tricks and any pieces of advice you can. While you do that, I'll be scanning the "Free Stuff" section since this hobby is like taking out a mortgage.
Keep in mind that this is my first tank and it's a nano. I have two damsels, one blue and one gold and they sometimes chase each other a little but otherwise they seem very happy. Hope to add at least one occellaris clown and that's about it for fish, unless anyone has any recommendations. What I'm really excited about is getting into corals.
And yes... before you ask.. despite my back story, I actually know quite a bit now. My tank IS cycled. That IS about 13lbs +/- that you see in the picture with oolite live-sand and my bio-load is relatively light.
Plans in the works: DIY Filtration system (will post about that later)
DIY skimmer
-Dave
