Anyone keep marine fish ?

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Howard

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Hi gang ,

I am toying with the idea of keeping a reef tank , and am looking for anyone to help with advice ...

I am a member of ReefsUK forum and Fishkeeping , and have been for a short while, so have got those covered . But I haven't built up any proper friendships yet, like i have on here , and there's nothing like chatting to someone who you actually know rather than a nameless person on a forum ...

Anyone here keep a reef or a marine set-up ?
 
I used to many years ago, until a house move put an end to it.
You need a big tank, and you must let the water mature (develop the filtering bacteria in the sand) before you populate it. Don't be too greedy with the number of fish and provide plenty of hiding places for them. They are much more difficult to keep healthy than freshwater tropical fish, mainly because their natural habitat is very consistent in water quality (salinity, temperature, nitrate and nitrite levels to name but a few), so the fish haven't developed a mechanism for dealing with varying water quality. This means that you must keep the water as near as possible the same as they are used to. If you can't then the fish will become stressed and die. And at £30-£100 each you soon notice it.

Having said that, since I stopped keeping a tank I have looked into the morals/ethics of it, and was horrified. For every fish that makes it to the dealers dozens die on the way. That and the damage done to the reefs by commercial fishing makes me glad I don't keep them any more.
 
Only in the freezer covered in breadcrumbs!!









sorry - I'll get me coat:eek: :eek:
 
Yeah , i've been looking into the ethical side of it .. I would never buy anything that has been caught from the wild ...

My LFS only deals in tank raised fish (as they are ethically correct and hardier )

Also , the live rock they sell is either storm rubble (from a proper reef ) or is cultivated ( basically they put a load of rock on the seabed in the tropics and wait for the organisms to colonise it over a year or so , then lift it out )

Initially, i would be setting up what is called a nano-reef ... my tank would be 24 x 12 x 15 , housing liverock , hard corals , anemones and a pair of common clowns. There would also be the 'clean up crew' of shrimps and snails and crabs and stuff ...

If done correctly , the live rock will act as the filter so no external filter or sump will be needed , but it requires a high water flow, so will have to get some powerheads .... also need to use reverse osmosis water for a reef , tap water just isn't good enough. .

I'm still beginning an haven't actually bought anything yet , just trying to get a feel for costs and what's involved ...

I have some of the kit already ( tank , heater etc ) so think i will be able to do it reasonably cheaply , lights are proving the most difficult to source on a budget ....
 
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Hi Howard, I kept marines for about twenty years and the very best advice i can give you is go to Wetpets in romford. They will tell you everything you need to know. The tank size you are thinking of is not realy big enough even for a decent filter of live rock. You need a stable enviroment and the bigger the tank the better. Have a look here mate. to do it properly is not cheap. Hope this helps.

http://www.romford-reef.co.uk/main1.htm


Mick
 
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Howard,
It's not cheap and your tank is nowhere near big enough. If you do set one up, make sure you have 3 or 4 hours a week to look after it too.
Mine was 72 x 24 x 36 and I was gobsmacked by the small number of fish I could keep. And they are far more delicate than freshwater fish, any variation in salinity, temperature or nitrate/nitrite levels causes problems that can quickly be fatal. I had burglars who removed the heater plug trying to take my hi fi and everything died overnight. I was that devastated I sold up and haven't had one since.
And remember when you do come to stock it, not all fish get along together and a few can be territorial so it is important that you know which can live harmoniously together and which cant. My lion fish ate £270 worth before I realised what was happening and removed it.
That said, something like a few clowns, a couple of lined butterflys and the odd tang which look like they have been hand painted look like nothing else can and if looked after bring a great deal of pleasure.
 
Always do your homework before you buy anything to go in the tank. Take your time otherwise it can be dissapionting and expensive. Get it right and you will be over the moon with the results. Also think about who would keep an eye on your setup if you go away on holiday..Hope you have not been put off already but its not just a case of setting it up and hoping all goes well.
LOL at the Lion fish. I take it no-one told you they like to eat all you fish when you got it.


Mick
 
No, i'm not put off ... thanks for all the advice

Ray , what i am going to be setting up is a nano-reef , it's quite acceptable to do it, and quite possible to do ... people do it in much smaller tanks with great success , i realise that a larger tank = a more stable tank , but i am only looking for a pair of clowns and mabye one other ...

http://www.reefsuk.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=14&sid=5a98e7cf425f0a416f32177ef790f482

I just want to avoid any pitfalls, I am quite an experienced coldwater fishkeeper , i have a 48 inch tank in my lounge already .... I don't mind the spending the time caring for the tank , and I have the patience . That's the one thing i do have a lot of patience with is my fish , i may rant and rave about pretty much everything else , but i always have time for the fish ...

Here is my coldwater tank ... it is populated solely by Mr Fishy , my 10 year old Comet ...

tank.jpg
 
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From reading the way you are going about setting up etc i'm sure you will be successful. Tempted again myself, LOL. Good luck mate and be sure to keep us updated from time to time on how its going. Very nice cold water tank by the way.


Mick.
 
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Mick ...

You know you want to .... :devil:

When Mr Fishy goes to Fishy heaven ( God willing, not for many many years yet ) I am going to convert the big tank to marine and want to get some experience by setting up a smaller tank first ...

I'd like to have another large tank in the lounge which would be marine , but Mrs Toad won't have it ....

I have a few spare tanks in the garage so hence (hopefully) i will be able to keep the costs down ....

I will certainly keep you all updated !
 

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