kelsnels92
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Alrighty then! After months of practically giving up on the aquarium hobby (my last attempt broke my spirit after I was misinformed by my local fish store) I have decided to come back... with a bang, even!
An innocent (psh) journey to a new aquarium store was how it all started. "Just to look" I told myself. Of course, perhaps the bane of the whole trip was the fact that I brought my boyfriend along, who has been simply dying for a marine tank, but I in no way fought the darn boy's pleas. Between my own itch to get back into the business and his subdued excitement, I couldn't say no.
Hundreds of dollars and a couple trips to the fish store for water later, we ended up bringing home the following:
- A 34-gallon with a built-in filter system (no need for a sump)
- A stand (in need of some knobs)
- Protein Skimmer
- Two bags live sand
- 1 Live Rock
- Light Fixture
- SW Testing Kit
- 79-gallon heater
- Thermometer
- A plethora of buckets
Meh... At least I can now say I don't have to worry about having water jugs, yes?
Anywho, we got a great deal for everything, including the stand half-off, a free light, and a discount on the protein skimmer. The staff at the store were very helpful and, from what I can tell, I'll be able to ask them questions without getting weird looks like I did at the other store. The light was just kind of an after-thought that my bargain-hungry boyfriend snuck in, so we will probably get a better light (I love them LED lights) eventually but, since we have only sand, rock, and a heater, I think it's more decorative than anything else, lol.
The sand has nearly settled in the tank (my boyfriend got a little... creative with his method of putting the water in while I wasn't looking) so the glass is lightly covered with a film of sand. I'll put a picture up as soon as I can get around to clear it off.
Hopefully I'll be able to get through this thing without much trouble but any helpful hints that you may be able to give me would be most appreciated!
Eventual stocking plans have yet to be discussed, other than the fact that we won't be using any stony corals and that we are going to be good and use beginner/reef safe fish... At least, while we can resist! Soon we will have to go pick out a few more pieces of live rock. While I love the piece we picked out (it has a nice little hole in the middle for fishes to swim in and out of) I'm worried we won't find the perfect pieces!
First water level check will be either later tonight or in the morning. Till then... toodles, and I hope to entertain you all with this!
An innocent (psh) journey to a new aquarium store was how it all started. "Just to look" I told myself. Of course, perhaps the bane of the whole trip was the fact that I brought my boyfriend along, who has been simply dying for a marine tank, but I in no way fought the darn boy's pleas. Between my own itch to get back into the business and his subdued excitement, I couldn't say no.
Hundreds of dollars and a couple trips to the fish store for water later, we ended up bringing home the following:
- A 34-gallon with a built-in filter system (no need for a sump)
- A stand (in need of some knobs)
- Protein Skimmer
- Two bags live sand
- 1 Live Rock
- Light Fixture
- SW Testing Kit
- 79-gallon heater
- Thermometer
- A plethora of buckets
Meh... At least I can now say I don't have to worry about having water jugs, yes?
Anywho, we got a great deal for everything, including the stand half-off, a free light, and a discount on the protein skimmer. The staff at the store were very helpful and, from what I can tell, I'll be able to ask them questions without getting weird looks like I did at the other store. The light was just kind of an after-thought that my bargain-hungry boyfriend snuck in, so we will probably get a better light (I love them LED lights) eventually but, since we have only sand, rock, and a heater, I think it's more decorative than anything else, lol.
The sand has nearly settled in the tank (my boyfriend got a little... creative with his method of putting the water in while I wasn't looking) so the glass is lightly covered with a film of sand. I'll put a picture up as soon as I can get around to clear it off.
Hopefully I'll be able to get through this thing without much trouble but any helpful hints that you may be able to give me would be most appreciated!
Eventual stocking plans have yet to be discussed, other than the fact that we won't be using any stony corals and that we are going to be good and use beginner/reef safe fish... At least, while we can resist! Soon we will have to go pick out a few more pieces of live rock. While I love the piece we picked out (it has a nice little hole in the middle for fishes to swim in and out of) I'm worried we won't find the perfect pieces!
First water level check will be either later tonight or in the morning. Till then... toodles, and I hope to entertain you all with this!
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