Tag Archives: get into it

10.08.12

Have you always wanted a piece of the ocean but weren’t sure how to start?

We went over how we got into the saltwater hobby in this post.
But what if you want to get into it…and find Nemo.

My first suggestion is to Google.  Learn as much as you can about saltwater aquariums.
This will help you determine what kind of tank setup you would like. For beginners, we always recommend a Biocube or Nanocube.  All of your filtration and lighting are built in, so the maintenance is lower and there is less guess work.  These tanks let you get a taste of the commitment that goes into this hobby without getting in over your head.

If you are ready for something bigger we recommend going into a fish store and talking with an expert.  There are a lot of things you have to consider, like the weight of a tank.  How to care for the tank, and what lighting you will need.  Even what fish get along together and how to care for corals.  Research can help with all of this, but sometimes you just want to ask someone what would work best for you.

To find a fish store…you guessed it. Once you have done all your research and know what tank set up you are wanting.  You can sometimes find deals on full set-ups, tanks, lights, sumps, and even live rock on Mr. Craig and his list.  We personally bought our tank from a store and bought everything else online.  EIther through retail websites or Craiglist.

Now comes the important part…you wait.

Once you get your tank setup, full of saltwater and live rock…you wait.  We will tell you more about the nitrogen cycle later this week, but you generally have to wait 3 to 6 weeks before you can start adding corals and fish to your tank.  Bummer.

Once you have your water perameters in check, you can add fish and corals.
There are a lot of great resources and forums for any tank or livestock problems that you will inevitably face.

One thing to remember is that in this hobby everyone has an opinion.  You will hear many things that work for one person that don’t work for someone else, and there is always going to be something new and exciting that you have to try.  Just do your research and know what works for you.

If you ever have any questions you can always ask us!

Written by Christina and Tim
09.04.12

How we got addicted....

Posted by Christina // 5 Replies

We like to think of saltwater tanks as our healthy addiction.

Some of you have wondered how the heck we got into this hobby, well here is your answer.

We have both had fishies in our lives since we were knee-high to a grasshopper.  In fact, I once had a Goldfish…yes a Goldfish….that lived for four years.  Which is a peculiarly long lifespan for a Goldfish, just call me the fish-whisperer.  We both had our share of Betas, and we both had freshwater fish tanks that we were mesmerized by as kiddos.

When I met T, he had a 125 gallon freshwater tank.

Once we started dating, Tim started mentioning that he wanted to get into saltwater aquariums.  Me, wanting to be the supportive gal that he would want to marry eventually, told him that was a great idea.  In fact, it became a huge conversation piece.

I talked him into DIY’ing a stand…

…and he called me yelling about the live rock that “was dying” as we spoke because it got delivered while he wasn’t home.

It didn’t die…drama queen…so then he sent me pictures of all the critters he found in the rock.

The first tank was basically our bonding.  On our first real date, he showed me his beautiful empty tank.

Then I helped him fill it.  One of our first dates happened to be to a fish store!

That is the first set of goodies we took home.  It was super exciting.

The tank was a sixty gallon, glass beauty with old metal halides and a canister filter. For our non-tank friends, that means it was pretty basic and not exactly easy to take care of.  However, saying we were obsessed is an understatement.

It doesn’t look like much to us now, but we used to stare at that tank for hours upon hours.

This is the first video I ever took of the tank, and even though today it looks sad and empty to us….at the time I thought it looked amazing with the five corals and few fish we had.

 
We learned so much with that tank, but the main lesson….we needed a bigger tank!
 
We started the 60 gallon in July of 2011 and bought the 210 gallon in December 2011.  Yea, fast movers fo’ sho. 
 
After we got the big tank, the little one didn’t get as much attention.  Mainly because it was a lot more work to take care of, so in the Spring of 2012 we actually bid our first saltwater tank farewell.  She was a good first tank and we will remember her fondly.
 
So it wasn’t exactly a show tank, but it spawned our crazy addiction so we have to be thankful for that little skunk of a tank.

Written by Christina and Tim