View Full Version : MY other hobby just blew up
Aside from shooting I have always enjoyed saltwater fish. I went quite awhile without a tank setup but when my daughter turned four I thought it would be a good learning experience for her to learn about marine life so I set a tank up again. Well tonight that all went out the window when I heard a loud crack and water flowing because the tank cracked and 40 gallons of water came pouring out. I think I salvaged enough water to save some of the fish but my corals are toast and my daughter was pretty distraught. It is still a learning experience because sometimes things just do not work out the way you want, especially in the fish hobby. Just thought I would vent a little because I will miss my tank and it was a pain cleaning up but it is what it is.
What happened to the tank? Was it a pre-existing flaw (old tank, or damaged in a move?) or were there other factors contributing to this? My wife is enamored with a salt water tank at a local restaurant...I told her it is not like keeping goldfish...
brand new when I got it. It was a JBJ 45 rimless and from what I can find online there seems to be a weak point with the curved glass in the front. I found one case of a crack with the early models when I first researched it before I got it but now I find several more. I traded my used 150 gallon because I didn't have room for it and thought it would be a good deal but I guess not. I have kept tanks for ten years but this is the first cracked tank I have had.
While it is not like keeping goldfish if you go slow and do it right it is not as bad as some people make it out to be. It can get expensive depending on the tank size and things can happen that kill everything pretty quick but in the ten years I have been doing it this was my first and I will do it again because it is enjoyable.
I'm sorry to hear about the loss...it is difficult to watch something you love just get ruined in a flash. In any event, I appreciate the input. A saltwater set up has been on my mind forma while, and like you, I have a child who can learn from this. That, and I think watching the fish and other animals beats watching TV.
gunrunner505
05-10-16, 08:48
That sucks. What a mess. I had a freshwater tank years ago and I always enjoyed relaxing while watching the fish. Way better than TV.
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Big aquariums are a money pit hobby as bad as shooting. I've got coworkers who've told me their setups cost many thousands of dollars and they're never really done with them...
Averageman
05-10-16, 09:08
Big aquariums are a money pit hobby as bad as shooting. I've got coworkers who've told me their setups cost many thousands of dollars and they're never really done with them...
My Dad had a close friend who had probably 30 Aquariums in his home.
I would say it was a money pit, but he seemed very successful at breeding some rather rare fish. I would guess it takes that many set-ups just to separate them to keep your numbers of successful fry growing without the Mommy or Daddy fish deciding Junior is looking rather tasty.
Dad had a 70 gallon set up in the living room and it was very entertaining and relaxing.
Whiskey_Bravo
05-10-16, 10:40
I used to have a 150 gallon salt water years ago. I keep saying I would love to get back into it but I never pull the trigger. I had more time on my hands back then so doing water changes with salt water didn't bother me, but not sure I really want to deal with that now days. I had some bad ass fish though.
Big aquariums are a money pit hobby as bad as shooting. I've got coworkers who've told me their setups cost many thousands of dollars and they're never really done with them...
It just depends on what you want to do with it. You can keep fish only relatively cheap as they do not need strong lights and perfect water conditions.(most of them anyway) If you get in to the difficult corals and have a bigger tank the lights and things like that get pretty pricey.
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I used to have a 150 gallon salt water years ago. I keep saying I would love to get back into it but I never pull the trigger. I had more time on my hands back then so doing water changes with salt water didn't bother me, but not sure I really want to deal with that now days. I had some bad ass fish though.
300 was my big one and was stocked with some pretty nice fish. I sold it years ago but I may have one again. When I just had fish I would only do a water change once a month so it wasn't too bad. Corals are another story and i never had any in my big tanks due to the maintenance.
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one of my buddies I taught to dive was a VP of a huge medical company super cool down to earth guy though
totally into aquarium fish and mainly salt water south pacific varieties and giant clams etc..
he had 3 5000+ gallon tanks :) basically built a building to house them and built a system that would mimic sunrise and sunset and the sun would go across the sky etc.. he put a hot tub in the room to !
special built surge system for the tanks and a few other things he built himself
place was awesome all my years of diving all over the world his tanks were the most true to life tanks I have ever seen they totally looked like a piece of reef was taken and put into a giant tank :)
Sorry to hear about your disaster CW.
I'm a fish keeper too. Been doing it since the early 80's. My Dad had fish when I was born. He got rid of the piranhas when I got tall enough to reach the top of the tank.
I've kept lots of salt and fresh over the years. I liked my fish only salt tanks the best. I kept the big stuff. Angels, triggers, groupers, morays, puffers, and a few sharks too. I always come back the the fresh water cichlids though. I did Tanganyikans for a long time. My current 135 is full of South Americans. Plain old Jack Dempsys, salvinis, a bunch of leporinus and some chalceus. Super easy maintenance.
sevenhelmet
05-11-16, 09:35
I kept a few freshwater tanks with various tropical species, including Cichlids when I was a kid. Right now all we have is a lone male betta that sits in a 1g tank next to the TV. Eventually, I'd like to get a big (100-200g) saltwater tank when I quit having to move every 2-3 years and buy a house.
Are you going to get a new tank, CW?
At some point I will because the kids really like it. After having this small on and being limited to only certain fish I may wait until I can afford a big one again. Hopefully I can get a nice job when I graduate next year and get a larger tank to get some tangs and bigger fish that I like.
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turnburglar
05-12-16, 11:44
I was gonna post a picture of my freshwater 55 gallon, but then looking through my phone i was like: "aww all these pictures are old! my Java moss has exploded since then!"
Yea its a weird hobby. I barely have what it takes to do freshwater decently; I couldn't imagine doing salt water. I just don't have the time to check the water and balance it regularly. I do try and aquascape for the most colorful freshwater fish though that replicate salt water fish. Viel angels, school of cardinal tetra, and some unique looking guppies.
I was gonna post a picture of my freshwater 55 gallon, but then looking through my phone i was like: "aww all these pictures are old! my Java moss has exploded since then!"
Yea its a weird hobby. I barely have what it takes to do freshwater decently; I couldn't imagine doing salt water. I just don't have the time to check the water and balance it regularly. I do try and aquascape for the most colorful freshwater fish though that replicate salt water fish. Viel angels, school of cardinal tetra, and some unique looking guppies.
If you have a 55 gal and want some good color, try adding a school (at least 3) of clown loaches.
What kind of water levels need to be monitored in a fresh water tank? Other than a beta I have never tried one.
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Ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, and pH. Source: the wife.
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