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  1. #11
    Senior Dog JackK's Avatar
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    I kept a 100 gallon reef tank for about 20 years. It finally developed a tiny leak and I just was at the point of not having the time needed to keep it pristine. I dismantled everything and gave a friend all of the inhabitants. Its been about 10 years and I still miss that tank! There is something very satisfying and peaceful with keeping a saltwater tank. I spent more time with all of the lights in my living room off and the stereo system playing, watching the fish than I do watching the boob tube. My father spent many hours after chemo treatments in the dark watching the fish. It was therapy for him!

    Salt water fish develop personalities. I had a coral banded shrimp that loved to crawl onto my hand and pick away at my skin. I also had a Tomato Clown that used to think it was funny to strike my hand every time I tried to wipe the inside of the glass. I splashed more water onto the floor because that darn fish would bite onto the back of my hand and shake his head. It was comical.

    During the April Fool's storm of 1997, I lost power to my tank and couldn't get an answer from the power company as to when it would be back. My friends lived in a house behind mine on a different road and fed by a different section of the power grid. We ran 400' of extension cords through 24" of snow to keep my tank alive. I didn't lose a single fish but lived on sandwiches for the week it was out.

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  3. #12
    Senior Dog katALlabs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JackK View Post

    Salt water fish develop personalities. I had a coral banded shrimp that loved to crawl onto my hand and pick away at my skin. I also had a Tomato Clown that used to think it was funny to strike my hand every time I tried to wipe the inside of the glass. I splashed more water onto the floor because that darn fish would bite onto the back of my hand and shake his head. It was comical.

    During the April Fool's storm of 1997, I lost power to my tank and couldn't get an answer from the power company as to when it would be back. My friends lived in a house behind mine on a different road and fed by a different section of the power grid. We ran 400' of extension cords through 24" of snow to keep my tank alive. I didn't lose a single fish but lived on sandwiches for the week it was out.
    Jack, living in South Florida made it easy to get into the saltwater tanks and two of my boys caught the bug as well. In 2008 we moved to South Alabama and took the 60 gal tank I had with us. From there I've kind a tradde up to bigger tanks but with used tanks you are playing on borrowed time not knowing how old some of them are as they do have a "useable" life spand. Some of the fish we had were characters in deed.
    At the Bridge
    Pinks - Black Lab/Mix - Got ya 12/30/10 - 5/12/23
    Maddie - Chessie - 3/6/10 - 6/25/22
    Purps (Pinks sister) - Black Lab/mix -(Back with us 1/1/18) 12/30/10 - 4/7/21
    Gracie - Yellow Lab - 10/23/05 - 9/6/18
    Nozomi (Zoe) - BC/Lab - Got ya 9/5/09 - 3/19/15
    Abbey - Yellow Lab - Got ya - 5/8/09 - 4/22/11
    Cheanna - Black Lab/Mix - Got ya 5/99 - 9/21/10
    Buddy (Bubba) - Black Lab/Mix - Got ya 11/2/02 - 3/28/10
    Amber - Yellow Lab/Dobi - Got ya 8/1989 - 5/15/01

  4. #13
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    That’s beautiful. I can’t imagine the work that is involved in keeping one running and a healthy environment.



    Hidden Content
    I'm in
    the zone!

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  6. #14
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Wow, that's big. And heavy.
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    Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
    Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
    Oxtongue Rapids Park. Oct. 2019 Hidden Content

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  8. #15
    Senior Dog katALlabs's Avatar
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    Kelb - its just like anything else it depends on just how involved you want to make it. Just like a vegetable garden, there's a lot of work up front to get it up and running correctly and basic maintenance to keep it that way.

    Snowshoe - Seawater weighs about 64 pounds per cubic foot—on average. "Average" fresh water weighs about 62.2 pounds per cubic foot. A gallon of seawater weighs approximately 8.556 or rounded to 8.6 pounds—on average.
    I'd have to say there's probably over 200lbs of rock in there itself, about 50lbs of sand. The tank is over 350lbs plus the stand is about 60lbs.
    Thankfully we are on a concrete slab so no worries about falling through to the basement.
    At the Bridge
    Pinks - Black Lab/Mix - Got ya 12/30/10 - 5/12/23
    Maddie - Chessie - 3/6/10 - 6/25/22
    Purps (Pinks sister) - Black Lab/mix -(Back with us 1/1/18) 12/30/10 - 4/7/21
    Gracie - Yellow Lab - 10/23/05 - 9/6/18
    Nozomi (Zoe) - BC/Lab - Got ya 9/5/09 - 3/19/15
    Abbey - Yellow Lab - Got ya - 5/8/09 - 4/22/11
    Cheanna - Black Lab/Mix - Got ya 5/99 - 9/21/10
    Buddy (Bubba) - Black Lab/Mix - Got ya 11/2/02 - 3/28/10
    Amber - Yellow Lab/Dobi - Got ya 8/1989 - 5/15/01

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  10. #16
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    So much work and dedication. Good for you!

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  12. #17
    Senior Dog JackK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by katALlabs View Post
    Jack, living in South Florida made it easy to get into the saltwater tanks and two of my boys caught the bug as well. In 2008 we moved to South Alabama and took the 60 gal tank I had with us. From there I've kind a tradde up to bigger tanks but with used tanks you are playing on borrowed time not knowing how old some of them are as they do have a "useable" life spand. Some of the fish we had were characters in deed.
    Small world. I attended college in Mobile, AL being one of very few Yankees there at the time. We had a club named "SHORES" (Spring Hill Oceanographic Research and Exploration Society). Although a good excuse for partying at the beach, we had a great mentor who was passionate about sea life. I got the saltwater fish tank bug then but it was probably 10 years later before I started out with a 40 gallon reef and rapidly grew to the 100 gallon tank. I built a wet-dry filtration system before they became commercially available and was constantly trying new and improved lighting.

    Keeping live rock "LIVE" is no small feat. Your tank is beautiful.

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    katALlabs (04-09-2019)

 



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