31 replies to this topic

[splinteredmind]

Hi all,

 

Have been a lurker in these forums for a few years, but finally decided to become a PCS member in the last few days and get a bit more active in the community.

 

I started fish keeping on the marine/reef side of the hobby in about 2004 and made every mistake in the book but persisted with it - had a Red Sea Max 130D, 6x2x2 and finally an Aqua Reef 300. Decided earlier this year to sell up all my marine gear and take a plunge into fresher waters (no pun intended!)... also having salt spray on everything I own isn't fun haha.

 

So I'm currently rocking a Juwel Rio 240 peacock/hap tank and also a Flubal ebi planted (you can see my Cichlid tank in my youtube channel below), I've got a brand new 24x12x14 I'm deciding what to do with... maybe a shelldweller tank or some dwarf south americans.

 

Hope to see you all around!

 

Cheers

Rob

Edited by splinteredmind, 06 August 2014 - 10:51 AM.

[Mattymak]

Welcome mate!

Shellies are amazing haha

[malawiman85]

Welcome Mate. I started off with marine too before I realised that freshwater was more fun and I actually like a lot of the freshwater species more than marine species. I also disliked the life expectancy of wild caught ornamental marine fish in the hobby.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[Androo]

Great to see you sign up, you should throw up some pics of both your marine tanks if you have pics and of your freshwater tanks

[dicky7]

Welcome Rob good to see you have taken up full membership it is worth every cent  

[splinteredmind]

By popular demand, a tour of my tanks... past and present.

 

Past tanks:

First marine tank 72x14x18 (circa 2004)

Tank was way too narrow so sold it and bought the next one

 

Next one 6x2x2

Lost total interest in the hobby and sold about 4months later

 

First brief flirt with fresh water, some Jebo tank.

Sold this and jumped head and feet back into marine

 

Second 6x2x2...

Had this one well over a year, but decided to sell it after losing all my coral and fish in a summer heatwave/chiller failure.

 

Red sea max 130D, nice little tank to get back into the hobby, and probably my fav marine tank.

This ran for well over 2 years, sold it and bought my last marine tank...

 

Aqua Reef 300

Horrid tank, leakey everything... tank got nuked with a bad strain of whitespot and then a dinoflagellete outbreak. Sold this one and the end of last year, and got into fresh water.

 

 

Present tanks:

Fluval Ebi, was briefly a crs tank.

 

 

Now a small planted tank with a few neons in it.

 

Juwel Rio 240, my current pride and joy... Check out my youtube channel for a stocklist and details

 

 

I've got a bunch more pics of each tanks, and a wealth of knowledge, so just ask if you'd like to know more!

Cheers guys/gals.

 

 

 

 

[Mattymak]

Nice mate! they're all nice set ups

[Redevilz]

Nice tanks mate!

[splinteredmind]

Cheers guys, when I look at the old tanks all I see is $$$ down the drain... but its a fun hobby and really enjoying the freshwater stuff so far

[Mattymak]

Haha think of the good side of it!

[malawiman85]

Rob I know what you mean about wasted money... Freshwater is definitely a cheaper hobby. I reckon a planted or semi planted freshwater set up looks better than most marine reefs anyway. Freshwater certainly has its challenges too but its not the pain in the arse that marine can be.

Is there anything you have your sights set on next?

[splinteredmind]

I'm definitely enjoying the overall aesthetics of freshwater tanks - planted and non-planted, only thing I think freshwater cant match is the colour of some marine fish... but I guess this arguable (I'm yet to spend more than $30 on a nicely coloured FW fish... I once spent almost $300 on a marine Sohal Tang). Corals are another thing individual to marine, but they too are a bit challenging (depending on SPS or LPS)... I guess this can be paralleled to some FW plants... though no freshwater plant has cost me $150+

 

Not having to mix and/or collect saltwater has been great, and I certainly agree about FW being much less a pain in ass.

 

As to what I have my sights set on next, my Rio 240 peacock/hap has been running about 5 weeks now, so I'm concentrating on that at the moment and also ramping up my youtube channel - will be doing some reviews, unboxings - all with an Aussie/WA spin (way too much american bias on all youtube FW aquarium stuff). Also I've got this gear sitting around itching to be set up:

 

[MrLeifBeaver]

I'm definitely enjoying the overall aesthetics of freshwater tanks - planted and non-planted, only thing I think freshwater cant match is the colour of some marine fish... but I guess this arguable (I'm yet to spend more than $30 on a nicely coloured FW fish... I once spent almost $300 on a marine Sohal Tang). Corals are another thing individual to marine, but they too are a bit challenging (depending on SPS or LPS)... I guess this can be paralleled to some FW plants... though no freshwater plant has cost me $150+

 

Not having to mix and/or collect saltwater has been great, and I certainly agree about FW being much less a pain in ass.

 

As to what I have my sights set on next, my Rio 240 peacock/hap has been running about 5 weeks now, so I'm concentrating on that at the moment and also ramping up my youtube channel - will be doing some reviews, unboxings - all with an Aussie/WA spin (way too much american bias on all youtube FW aquarium stuff). Also I've got this gear sitting around itching to be set up:

 

Discus have some nice colours

 

Also, would love a great WA FW Youtube Fish thing. Michael the Fish Fanatic is doing a great job, but we want more

[Jules]

Sohal tangs are awesome, I like your taste in marine fish.

Mind my ignorance if you mentioned it already but did you the mod crap out of your red sea Max 130d, I know I did when I had mine!

if you didn't how well did it work, im always contemplating marines and my mate has a RSM sitting in his shed hell off load to me cheap, just not sure if I could control myself again.

[splinteredmind]

@MrLeifBeaver - there certainly are some awesome coloured discus, I'm avoiding looking at them or any american cichlids as I'll want to set up another tank haha. 

 

@Jules Yeah the sohal was a magnificent fish (my second fav marine fish after the imperator angel), mean as anything though! If you've ever seen the marine display at Kambos in canning vale, they've got a Sohal thats a few foot long... it just cruises up and down running the whole tank.

 

The mods for my RSM 130D basically were the addition of the "Stevie T" Media rack (with purigen, rowaphos and filter floss), replacing the awful stock skimmer with a Tunze 9002 and a "Stevie T" collection cup so it all fit neatly in the hood. Also added a ecotech vortech MP10wes for extra circulation. The stock lighting in the hood grew everything I put under it, so never had to mod that. Only shortcomings were needing to syphon out the chamber at the back every so often and without a chiller it would get a bit warm in summer - Red Sea sell a chiller attachment for the back, you dont have to cut/mod anything... Also I'd never put a dwarf angel in there, aggressive little things some of them - and 130L in hindsight was too small.

I've still got the media rack and skimmer around if you ever get around to setting one up

 

Heres a few more pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrLeifBeaver]

Nice Marine Tank!

[Mattymak]

Looks so cool. nice mate

[malawiman85]

Totally agree on the colour of marines, they win hands down!
Best thing about freshwater is creating a little amazon, rift lake or aussie billabong and mangroves in my case these days.
Those pics you put up look fantastic.

[Mattymak]

Yeah but some cichlids have stunning colour. Afra cobue for example

Oh yeah rub it in I miss my jack haha

[malawiman85]

I know there are some great african colours in particular but they really dont stack up to the vibrant colour and vivid patterns of marines... thats the big attraction I guess, well was for me anyway.
Get another jack Matty!