De-reefing my tank

[bellis]

I setup a 38 gallon a few months ago, thinking it was about time I got into a saltwater setup. I'm starting to think this was a bad spur of the moment decision.

I'm 21 years old, I have work and class up to 16 hours some days, and I just don't have the time for a reef tank, let alone the money. Unfortunately, it took me this long to realize it. I forget who it was, but somebody on either R.O or RC had a sig that read "I'm a poor man stuck in a rich man's hobby."

I'm seriously considering selling the liverock, fish, and saltwater supplies at a huge discount locally, and converting the 38 gallon to another planted tank. Planted tanks are much more my speed. Should I just remain calm, wait for this phase to pass, or go with the compulsive urge to go bck to freshwater?

And if I do decide to sell, is there anybody in the central PA area willing to buy my stufF?

~63lbs liverock, 1 Royal Gramma basslet, 1 Perc clown, 2 green reef chromis, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 astraea snail.

 

[Anonymous]

If you have come this far, you might as well just let things chug along for awhile. Apart from electricity, water changes and food, you don't really have to put a lot of money or time into it just to keep a couple of fish and live rock.

 

[bellis]

The tank is almost an eyesore. There's no real lighting over it, just the 20W bulb and hood that came with the tank. I'd like to put some MH or even PC light over it, but I can't justify the cost. All I can manage to grow under such inadequate lighting is cyano. It's cleared up now, since I've been leaving the light off for a while.

Everytime I walk through the livingroom, it sits there and stares me in the face screaming "I AM A HORRIBLE EXCUSE FOR A REEF TANK!"

 

[mokujin22]

i've been into planted tanks for almost 10 years now and have only recently got into the reef world. i always wanted a reef setup, but stuck with African cichlids and low-tech planted setups because of fear of the cost. what got me to flip was the final cost of my latest 45g planted setup. after it was all said and done, my $500 project cost me over a grand.

i said to myself, i could have a really nice reef setup for this much money (welp... not really, but close) anyway, totally babbling, but the moral of the story is that planted tanks require *almost* as much high-tech hardware as reef tanks do (lighting, co2, controllers, canister filters, undergravel heater, supplements and fertilizers, etc.) the livestock is a different story though...

i say, stick with what you already have. either way, you will have to purchase lighting (you can get *fair* planted results without co2 if you stick with some of the easier plants). the light is typically the highest (hardware) cost of most setups.

good luck,
tony,

 

[bellis]

The difference for me is that I can justify the cost of lighting for a planted tank, because plants will grow and multiply much faster than corals. Fish are a lot cheaper as well. CO2 isn't an issue, since I've always used fermentation with 2 liter bottles. The cost of a CO2 setup for any of my planted tanks rarely exceeds $10 in initial cost.

I've found that my established 10 gallon planted tank requires little care, other than a couple feedings a week, and a clipping every 2-3 weeks. I keep the lights on a timer and rotate my CO2 on a regular schedule. The plants assist in filtration, and once the right conditions are present, they grow like weeds. I don't think I've done a water change (other than top-offs) for almost 3 months, and the fish are schooling happliy. It seems to me that corals and saltwater creatures in general require much more care, and are a lot more critical of water parameters. For the price of a few frags I can get enough plants to start a nice tank, and eventually they'll grow in to fill the tank nicely.

Maybe I just don't have enough time in with saltwater, and I'm overestimating the amount of complication involved.

 

[mokujin22]

dude,

i can't say i disagree with you all that much. you are right about the cost of the livestock. shoot... if you wanted to splurge and get a huge showpiece anubias, it would only cost you $40 or so. this would buy you a frag barely the size of your index finger in the reef world.

sounds like you know what you're doing with the planted tank. i say, heck with it, if you like it, stick with it. down the road, i would reccomenend checking out bottled co2. i was doing the yeast setup and since i've upgraded, the results are dramatic.

i tried posting a picture of my 45 gallon setup, but wasn't able to. (i'm also new to this forum). the thing about it is that i feel like it's done. other than pruning the plants and weekly fertilizer dosings, i really don't do all that much. not to say that i'm bored of the planted tanks, just was looking for a bit more of a challenge. (and it definately is... at least for beginners like us).

tony.

 

[bellis]

I think a lot of it has to do with my past experience with freshwater. I think it's a lot easier to maintain equilibrium with a planted freshwater tank than a reef tank. Freshwater setups don't require sumps, refugiums, skimmers, etc. Hell, I'm pretty sure the filter on my planted tank stopped working effectively months ago. :lol:

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of saltwater tanks, and some of the exotic livestock can't be beat for aesthetics. I've looked around at a lot of pictures of some of the larger reefs both here and on RC, and I think they are excellent examples of contained ecosystems. I've been telling the girlfriend that she's going to have to deal with me getting a 200 gallon reef setup one day, but right now just doesn't feel like the time to be anywhere near salt.

Maybe I should throw some bacopa clippings into the reef tank to make myself feel better... :wink: