Activated charcoal

[Sand Rat]

Yes it can.

 

[Modderrhu]

Dear lord, I remember the costs of keeping reef tanks going. Had three... well, I had anemones spawning, so I must\'ve been doing something right, but a fifth of my income was going into those tanks every month. Then I had to buy a RO/DI unit due to copper plumbing being installed... that\'s when I called for a timeout.

I loved \'em, I miss \'em, but never again.

@Bill: You know what you\'re doing.

 

[Sand Rat]

Cost is one of the reasons I stayed freshwater - I couldnt see spending big bucks for one fish when I could spend almost the same amount and fill the aquarium -

 

[NINJAWIZARD]

Originally posted by steelcult
Cost is one of the reasons I stayed freshwater - I couldnt see spending big bucks for one fish when I could spend almost the same amount and fill the aquarium -

Yeppers, then there\'s that. The maroon clown/rose anemone combo at the local shop is $250 for the pair.

Now, what else could I spend $250 on? Lots of things. Lots of things that are more important than a fish and a wiggly plant thing.

Plus, our electric bill is doubled (almost), from $60/mo to $110/mo on average thanks to this tank. I\'ll see what The Reef will offer for trade-in on my clowns, snails, hermits, and most imporantly, the $250 worth of live rock. At over $300 worth of live stuff, even if I got 10%, I\'d still be able to get a freshwater tank just about set up with a couple oscars and maybe some ciclids.

Oh, and sorry for hijacking the thread!

 

[treide]

I don\'t mind that the thread was hijacked to discuss aquariums. It is actually nice to know that mini enthusiasts have other addictions!

I have to agree with steelcult about freshwater being the way to go - unless you live on the coast and can catch your own critters, saltwater tanks are too spendy.

I keep my FW tank very simple - a goldfish, an algae eater, and a bottom feeder to clean up leftover food. These three seem practically invulnerable, whereas \"fancy\" fish seem not to be so durable.

Oscars are great - I had a buddy in college who would catch June bugs and toss them in his tank with a good-sized Oscar. The ensuing spectacle was memorable...

 

[Sand Rat]

I used to live feed mine feeder goldfish - it was amazing to watch the swiming vaccum cleaner eat nine and then chase down the tenth one with the fins from the other nine hanging from its mouth.

 

[NINJAWIZARD]

That\'s what I\'m talkin about! My little brother had two (one of his ciclids freaked and killed one of \'em) and we went to the pet store and got some feeders while we were visiting last fall.

Coolest thing to watch. Big ol\' Oscar swimmin\' around with a goldfish staring out it\'s gaping mouth.

 

[Sand Rat]

Actually one of the freakiest things I ever saw while snorkeling was an Oscar - in the San Marcos River in San Marcos Texas - someone had let the big bastard loose in the river, and he was huge.

 

[NINJAWIZARD]

Yeah, that\'d be a bit freaky. Saw a 4-5 foot long barracuda about 20ft away while snorkeling off Cozumel in Mexico on our honeymoon. I had just snapped the last photo on our disposable waterproof camera, too... was irked.

 

[Sand Rat]

Well, I have to admit the freakiest thing I ever saw in the San Marcos was the 5 fool long Koi - didnt know wtf it was at first.

 

[NINJAWIZARD]

I had no idea they could even get that big. Holy crap that\'d be a sight to see.

 

[Sand Rat]

Especially in 30 feet of water when the damn thing comes out of the weeds at you - oh and a train is going over the bridge above you and it feels like Godzilla is rising from the depths.

 

[NINJAWIZARD]

lol I think I would\'ve added a few logs of my own to the river. I got this thing about aggressive things under water. Sharks being foremost on the list of creatures I never ever want to see in their natural environment. 5ft koi just got added to the list, too

 

[Sand Rat]

Then I wont tell you about the alligator snapping turtle -

 

[demonherald]

I\'ve had more than my fair share of aquariums ..Had 30 at one point.. that was when the pet trade and fish in particular were my income.. 30 tanks at home and over 120 in the shop meant I spent most of my life elbow deep in water of various qualities....

my favourite fish of all time was dingo my 4ft long Red Tail Catfish... I had waht amounted to a tropical pond with a 9ft x 4 ft 3\" thick pice of Acrylic as the front ..when I sold the house it was added as one of the features and the guy still has the tank and I go round occasionally to help him maintain the filter...
dingo was spoilt no feeder fish for him too much risk of parasites he had trout prawns shrimps and all manner of bits ad bobs from the fishmonger....

 

[Sand Rat]

Sweet. Sounds like Bruce the Shark at the pet store I worked for - we had a 10k gallon tank (saltwater) with a 3 foot leopard shark in it.

Made it fun when the boss was diving in the tank to clean it.