My Salt Water Aquarium...

[Magnus]

Well, it's been up running for about a month and a half. It's a bit of a challenge...one must keep an eye on nitrite, nitrate, ammonia and ph levels, and not do anything drastic to the eco-system once it's starting to establish.

It's a 55 galon tank (about 3 feet long, 18 inches high, 12 inches wide). It currently has 50 lbs of base rock (the whiter rock), and about 5 lbs of live rock. Live rock has all the organisms on it that will act as a natural filter for everything in the water. You can also get some pretty cool things growing on the tank. The organisms will also spread from the live rock onto the base rock as well, which will increase the filtration.

Right now I have some green and purple algae in the tank, as well as my first inhabitants. 2 emerald crabs, and 5 blue legged hermit crabs. If my ammonia levels are ok in about 5 days, I'll be adding a clown fish (Nemo). I also bought a 3rd piece of live rock with what I've been told has some kind of clear marine sponge on it! Which is cool...with live rock you never know what kind of cool stuff you're going to get.

First set up:
[url:33pxacjs]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/TlantMagnus/Fulltankshot.jpg[/url]

The emerald crab's names are David and Goliath...you'll see why:

Goliath (about 2.5 inches across, including his legs): [url:33pxacjs]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/TlantMagnus/EmeraldCrab1.jpg[/url]

David - hiding in this pic (maybe 0.75" across): [url:33pxacjs]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/TlantMagnus/EmeraldCrab2.jpg[/url]

Biggest Hermit Crab: [url:33pxacjs]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/TlantMagnus/HermitCrab1.jpg[/url]

Sponge: [url:33pxacjs]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/TlantMagnus/NewLiveRock2.jpg[/url]

[Libitina]

I don't know much about salt water but we did have a freshwater tank for a while (still do but have run it down). I'd get too angry when the male fish would constantly pick on all the females and it became a "girls only" tank

[Amalric]

Sounds nice! Live rock has always fascinated me. Growing up with a marine biologist for a father, we had a whole room lined with aquariums. He even made a foam fractionator out of glass and silicone caulking. It was quite impressive. I hope to one day have a nice saltwater aquarium. When I do, it will definitely be stocked with live rock. Good luck with it!!

[Peroni]

Has the sponge been given the name 'Bob'???

[Magnus]

LOL...he has now!

[Robbie Phillips]

Nice tank and critters! Have you ever heard of a Mantis Shrimp? I kept one for a few years in my salt water tank and it would put on quite a show.

[Magnus]

Oh yeah...they have a couple at one of the pet stores I go to. Have to set up a special tank for one of those though, otherwise your other critters can go bye-bye lol.

[Lepidina]

Oh how cool!! Can you get a little stingray or an octopus?

[Hibernicus]

Love it! Very nice! Wish I had the space. Content with a pond for now with a sunken Greek city....

Had an aquarium/terarium wall in my room when I was in Jr and Sr high scrool

Favorite was a shallow rectangular terrarium I made... my own indoor "tidelands" .. about 2' wide, 4' long and 12" tall... hermit crabs, snails, turtles, some fishies, tried clams .. tossed on some polliwogs one year... but when me mother found a frog in the bathroom one night... sigh

Funded it all by raising feeder goldfish for a friend's "oscars" and another's turtles.

Always admired salt though! The water clarity, colors...

HIB

[Magnus]

Well, the tank has now expanded. Though I took the emerald crabs back since they were literally eating EVERYTHING, so i got a credit for them.

Currently I have in there a clown fish, the 5 blue legged hermit crabs, 8 nassarius snails, 2 cerith snails, a brittle star fish and a peppermint shrimp.

I'll try and get some pics later.