Aimiel

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I'm an aquariast from way back. I've been keeping tanks over 25 years, and had a marine tank over 20 years ago (first marriage) and loved it. My ex-wife gave it away, after the fish died, to one of her boyfriends, who kept a snake in it. My oldest son took my 29 gallon freshwater tank to college with him, and set it up in his fraternity's living room. He now has it in his living room at home. I got a 90 gallon tank just over two years ago and started up a marine tank, with a deep sand bed (about 3" - 4") and about 100 lbs. of live rock. The fish survived, and are doing quite well. I have an under-tank sump and one power head (Koralia). I have CF lights, with lunar LED's. The tank seemed to be doing great, when one day I noticed a hitchhiker on a piece of live rock: a soft coral. He spread his kind around the tank, and I got excited. I got a few frags from our local fish club, Cincy Reef, from a guy known as Trish&Dave on the club website, and they're doing fine. I'm going to get a DSB running soon, per the instructons from Anthony Calfo, who spoke at our last club meeting. We're headed to an LFS on Saturday for a power-buy, with an emphasis on clean-up crew, and I'm stoked. One member of our club has a 700 gallon tank in his office with a live webcam you can aim or zoom at will, to check out the setup. He was our webmaster, but recently got himself elected club president... good luck with that. I've had my fill of official duties such as that in an enthusiast club, being the newsletter editor of our computer enthusiast club, years ago, and won't go down that cul-de-sac again. LOL

I'm hopeful that I can keep a decent reef without too much expense, since I have almost NO disposable income right now. I just came within a hair's breadth of losing my home to foreclosure. I'll try anything I can afford, but can't afford much right now. I attribute my good fortune in the tank with using an RO/DI unit for frequent water changes (ten gallons a week) and very small but frequent feedings.

I'm also teaching my daughter about fish, she has a ten-gallon aquarium with just two goldfish right now: Bubbles and Jack.

Tank Stats
90 gallon mixed reef (AGA)
Oak stand and hood.

Fish (length of time in tank)
Powder Blue Tang (one month)
Coral Beauty Angelfish (one month)
Two Percula Clowns (two years)
Three Blue Damsels (two years, BUT... Jason is supposed to come over tonight to pick them up, they're just too aggressive for my taste)

Note: I've been guilty of overfeeding since I got my corals and my Powder Blue Tang, who I think is the prettiest fish in the tank; and the result has been that the Blue Damsels have laid eggs, and the male protecting his brood has the whole tank in an uproar, and I think I'm seeing my tank's first outbreak of Ich on the pectorals of the tang, so I sought out someone who wanted damsels.

About twelve Hermit Crabs (two years)
Three Turbo Snails (two years)
Three Narcissus Snails (six months)
Coral Banded Shrimp (two years)
Assorted SPS and soft coral frags (two months)


(click on photo for a closer view)