FishinInTheDark
Well-known member
Hi Guys!
I have been posting around RF a bit, and due to MikeS' nagging and whining, I have decided to introduce myself. My name is Conni, and I have been into saltwater for two years this month. I live in Wyoming. I'm a married mother of two, and besides the kids and reef, I have two large mutts, and two lazy cats. I am a moderator at another marine forum, so I know quite well what picture junkies we all are, so here's my pictorial! (I will apologize in advance for my poor photography skills and even poorer camera.)
I never owned a fish in my life until the summer of 2002, when my MIL gave my daughter a 10G tank full of guppies. My daughter was only two at the time, so I got to take care of the tank, and that was the beginning of my addiction. I would be mainlining before I knew what hit me!
From the guppies, there were bettas, cichlids, African dwarf frogs, and then a planted 80G freshwater community tank. In November 2003, I happened upon a great deal on a 55G tank and stand, and while I really wanted to put a Jack Dempsey in it, my husband talked me into trying saltwater. He said to put it into the 80, but that was my Zen tank. I couldn't uproot it. So rock and water went into the 55G. Here's the only real picture of it, still cycling.
Well, after the cycle was over, and two clownfish went in, I was hooked. I never even looked in the Zen tank anymore! One month after setting up the 55G, we swapped it with the 80G! Over the next couple of months, I sold off all of my freshwater applications, including the 55G tank, so I was down to just the 80G budding reef. Here it was one year ago.
In May of 2005, we moved to a new house. I moved into a new tank at the same time. This one is an AGA reef ready 120G tall. There's something like 130# LR, and a 2" sand layer. I have 2 x 175W 20,000K HQI MH and 2 x 96W actinic PCs. I made a 40G refugium which has a little sand and rock, grape caulerpa and chaeto. The skimmer is an AquaC Remora Pro.
When I made my sump, I actually siliconed my hair in with the baffles! I worked and worked on the thing, and it collapsed 30 seconds after it was plumbed, filled and turned on. It is now a suspension 'fuge, because the baffles are held in place by a system of acrylic supports. The water pressure holds it in place nicely. I tell myself this would be a good thing if I ever wanted to disassemble and clean it, but, honestly, when is that going to happen?
For inhabitants, there are softies, LPS, and two SPS. A mated pair of ocellaris, a magnificent rabbitfish, a lyretail anthias, a royal gramma, a purple tang, and a mandarin. There may be a midas blenny in there, but he likes to hang out in the overflows or sump. Being a jumper, he may have been a kitty snack too.
From the left end.
From the right.
The clowns in their anemone field. Their first clutch of eggs hatched last night, but I missed watching that. Also, I naively bought that RBTA as a completely bleached specimen. It has been nursed back to health, and there are now three.
One of my faves.
My rarest. It's a little misshapen from fragging it.
Well, there you have it! My tank and myself. I hope to see you around the forum, and thanks for looking. Oh, and MikeS, I did it finally. Thanks for the constant, ceaseless, never-ending prodding!
I have been posting around RF a bit, and due to MikeS' nagging and whining, I have decided to introduce myself. My name is Conni, and I have been into saltwater for two years this month. I live in Wyoming. I'm a married mother of two, and besides the kids and reef, I have two large mutts, and two lazy cats. I am a moderator at another marine forum, so I know quite well what picture junkies we all are, so here's my pictorial! (I will apologize in advance for my poor photography skills and even poorer camera.)
I never owned a fish in my life until the summer of 2002, when my MIL gave my daughter a 10G tank full of guppies. My daughter was only two at the time, so I got to take care of the tank, and that was the beginning of my addiction. I would be mainlining before I knew what hit me!
From the guppies, there were bettas, cichlids, African dwarf frogs, and then a planted 80G freshwater community tank. In November 2003, I happened upon a great deal on a 55G tank and stand, and while I really wanted to put a Jack Dempsey in it, my husband talked me into trying saltwater. He said to put it into the 80, but that was my Zen tank. I couldn't uproot it. So rock and water went into the 55G. Here's the only real picture of it, still cycling.
Well, after the cycle was over, and two clownfish went in, I was hooked. I never even looked in the Zen tank anymore! One month after setting up the 55G, we swapped it with the 80G! Over the next couple of months, I sold off all of my freshwater applications, including the 55G tank, so I was down to just the 80G budding reef. Here it was one year ago.
In May of 2005, we moved to a new house. I moved into a new tank at the same time. This one is an AGA reef ready 120G tall. There's something like 130# LR, and a 2" sand layer. I have 2 x 175W 20,000K HQI MH and 2 x 96W actinic PCs. I made a 40G refugium which has a little sand and rock, grape caulerpa and chaeto. The skimmer is an AquaC Remora Pro.
When I made my sump, I actually siliconed my hair in with the baffles! I worked and worked on the thing, and it collapsed 30 seconds after it was plumbed, filled and turned on. It is now a suspension 'fuge, because the baffles are held in place by a system of acrylic supports. The water pressure holds it in place nicely. I tell myself this would be a good thing if I ever wanted to disassemble and clean it, but, honestly, when is that going to happen?
For inhabitants, there are softies, LPS, and two SPS. A mated pair of ocellaris, a magnificent rabbitfish, a lyretail anthias, a royal gramma, a purple tang, and a mandarin. There may be a midas blenny in there, but he likes to hang out in the overflows or sump. Being a jumper, he may have been a kitty snack too.
From the left end.
From the right.
The clowns in their anemone field. Their first clutch of eggs hatched last night, but I missed watching that. Also, I naively bought that RBTA as a completely bleached specimen. It has been nursed back to health, and there are now three.
One of my faves.
My rarest. It's a little misshapen from fragging it.
Well, there you have it! My tank and myself. I hope to see you around the forum, and thanks for looking. Oh, and MikeS, I did it finally. Thanks for the constant, ceaseless, never-ending prodding!
