Alrighty then! So here's the deal. I have THE BEST FIANCE IN THE WORLD!
I've been off and on in the fishkeeping hobby as far back as I remember, since getting a nice 20g for Christmas when I was in about 4th or 5th grade. In the 90s I got back into it with a 60g freshwater and then the saltwater bug hit me and got a nice little 30g up in running.
Well a divorce, moving away to finish college and a bunch of moves locally left me with nothing but fond memories and some various equipment not including a tank.
Last Christmas after bluffing me out BIG TIME with comments like, i think fish tanks are a waste of money, my fiance surprised me with a 75g tank and a bunch of little supplies to start a saltwater tank telling me to follow my dream!
I was ready to slam a stand together and get water and fish in there ASAP! Well last time I was in the hobby, the internet really wasn't too available for the beginner you relied on the
LFS staff and the occasional hobbiest you'd run into on fish shipment days.
Once I started reading some forums and posts, I learned a few big things:
- It ain't cheap
- You gotta go slow
- Do your homework and get lots of advice!
Well after 1 year and about 3 weeks, my stand is practically built (time and money slowed it down) and I've been able to stockpile some things and am about 3 weeks away from getting it "wet"!
My basic plan is for a 75g
FOWLR to start and then maybe a reef down the road. I will be running
T5 lighting, an 18g
sump under the tank in the stand,
DIY external overflow, and a
DIY recirc
skimmer modeled after the Deltec AP600. I am going to have about 75-100 lbs of rock (mostly base rock with a little
LR) and a
SSB of about 2 inches.
I know I'm crazy for going heavy in the
DIY, but it looks fun and will save a lot of bucks for the critters!
Will keep you posted with pics soon!
Brian
