Since the fish was dead again, and I needed to replace the filtration, anyway, I decided to try saltwater again after the forum voted for it. I needed a new filter, so even if I didn't want to stick with a marine aquarium, this is a GREAT filter. I needed something better anyway, because I HATE changing filter pads, and you don't have to with this.
This blue thing has to be rinsed out from time to time, but that's it. No other maintainance.
It's almost all under the tank, and keeps the tank clean by growing special bacteria that eat poop.
But you have to put "live gravel" in there, which is some sand and some crushed dead coral from the sea, complete with some sea water and a lot of crap in it, then let it run for a week or so to build up bacteria on the filter, fed by the decaying crap in the substrate.
Then, after that stabalizes, you make the next step in building an ecosystem. "Live rock". That's also dead coral skeletons, but they're not crushed. This is what a great reef is made out of, and it comes full of bacteria and a special algae called coraline algae that helps to keep things clean. The poop decays into amonia, which the nitrifying bacteria eat, then they crap out nitrite, which is also deadly, but the denitrifying bacteria eat that, and crap out nitrite, which isn't as deadly, but the coralline algae eat that, or photosynthesize it, and release pure nitrogen, which evaporates. Hooray!
It's $8/pound here, but they get it from a place online, so I ordered it direct for under $4 a pound.
It's nasty though. I rinsed it once
Then again
Then let it wash around for a day
Then for a week while I was in St. Thomas
Then built cool decorative caves out of it.
Then left it for a week before I put a couple of starter fish in it. That all is part of building up the ecosystem, letting the stuff on it die, detiroate, build nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, then algae. WOW. This is way more complicated than just filling it up with water and throwing a fish in it like I used to do. It's more like a geeky hobby and less like a decoration.
Started with a firefish, because it's cheap but cool looking, then after a week put two more in.
Then, after a week or so, once the whole thing was stable again, I took a risk and filled it with livestock. I ordered it again from the place my store orders it from, and saved a ton. The problem is that you're not supposed to put that many in at once, or you can create an ecosystem shock and kill everything. Well, if I only kill half, I'll break even, but hopefully they'll all live. I got a box full of live fish in the mail.
I'm still afriad they'll die from an ecosystem shock.
I got a basslet, a goby, a dwarf angelfish, two shrimp, but could only get pictures of one, the other's too shy, a couple of clownfish, some snails, and some live coral.
Starting coral colonies
If they don't die, they should grow around the tank.
Final product
