Fresh or Sal****er? Glass or Acrylic?

[Muuurgh]

Okay, I am at a crossroads. I need some wisdom and info from some in here.
I am about to get into Mpimbwe Fronts. I really think that they are
beautiful and would like to think about breeding them. I want to but a
large tank to house about 10. 150 gal? I think if I stay with freshwater
this is the route for me. I really think Fronts are gorgeous.

BUT, I'm also thinking about going the sal****er route. I love coral,
anemones and sal****er fish can be soo bizarre. The problem here would be
money I think. I can get obsessive and I am still in school. My wife and I
are going to buy our first house in Tallahassee and I have some really neat
connections in the FL Keys for sal****er fish.

What are the primary differences between a salt and freshwater set-up? What
are the filtration needs for such a large tank? Where can I look for a
guide to this as well as pricing?

Glass or acrylic? Doesn't acrylic scratch easily?

Thanks,
-Muuurgh

--
"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes
wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it."
-Douglas Adams

[~Roy~]

I fool with both, and my preference is...both. Sl****er is more work
in some respect, and depending on what type of sal****er setup it
makes a difference in filtration. I run mainly sumps, and lots of live
rock. The live rock is the main filter. ON others without sumps I run
lots of live rock, and a hang on type filter for coarse mechanical
filtration only. The rock is the heart and soul of a sal****er tank.

Florida has a lot of rules on harvesting of sw fish and critters, so
yu really need to check the laws and seasons in regards to collecting
specimens from Floridas waters. Its against the law to collect rock or
corals for the most part and there is a very small list of fish
legally able to be harvested, and there is also a rule / reg where the
person in possession also has to have the proper permit, so that would
preclude yur friend from having a liscense and then giving you a
native waters fish to keep.....even if yu can buy that same fish at a
LFS. To harvest and sell or giveaway fish you have another type permit
thats necessary.......So check out the legality as fines are pretty
darn hefty.

IMHO Glass is the only way to go, as it is much more durable and
easier to keep care of and does not scratch or discolor like acrylic
does. Acrylic is actually clearer than glass and can be made with less
seams, however it doe snot take much abuse when it comes to scraping
coraline algae or other algae off to make it a mass of scratches



On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:29:35 -0600, "Muuurgh" >
wrote:
>><>Okay, I am at a crossroads. I need some wisdom and info from some in here.
>><>I am about to get into Mpimbwe Fronts. I really think that they are
>><>beautiful and would like to think about breeding them. I want to but a
>><>large tank to house about 10. 150 gal? I think if I stay with freshwater
>><>this is the route for me. I really think Fronts are gorgeous.
>><>
>><>BUT, I'm also thinking about going the sal****er route. I love coral,
>><>anemones and sal****er fish can be soo bizarre. The problem here would be
>><>money I think. I can get obsessive and I am still in school. My wife and I
>><>are going to buy our first house in Tallahassee and I have some really neat
>><>connections in the FL Keys for sal****er fish.
>><>
>><>What are the primary differences between a salt and freshwater set-up? What
>><>are the filtration needs for such a large tank? Where can I look for a
>><>guide to this as well as pricing?
>><>
>><>Glass or acrylic? Doesn't acrylic scratch easily?
>><>
>><>Thanks,
>><>-Muuurgh

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[NetMax]

"Muuurgh" > wrote in message
reenews.net...
> Okay, I am at a crossroads. I need some wisdom and info from some in
> here.
> I am about to get into Mpimbwe Fronts. I really think that they are
> beautiful and would like to think about breeding them. I want to but a
> large tank to house about 10. 150 gal? I think if I stay with
> freshwater this is the route for me. I really think Fronts are
> gorgeous.

Then you should know this site (Frontosa Fantasia joined Cichlid-forum)
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/frontosa_corner.php
If you're breeding, then I hope you have patience or deep pockets to buy
adults.

I think 10 breeding-size Fronts in a 150g might be a tight fit. Maybe 8
if you didn't have too much rockwork, which you would want a bit of
(jmo). Statistically 8 will get you your pair (probably 3 pairs, but
only room for one alpha in there, so more tanks would be _very_
practical).

> BUT, I'm also thinking about going the sal****er route. I love coral,
> anemones and sal****er fish can be soo bizarre. The problem here would
> be money I think. I can get obsessive and I am still in school. My
> wife and I are going to buy our first house in Tallahassee and I have
> some really neat connections in the FL Keys for sal****er fish.

Being on the coast has some advantages, but I don't know what it'll help
with. I'd expect the equipment, tanks and supplies to still be similar.
I guess you could collect things along the beach ;~).

> What are the primary differences between a salt and freshwater set-up?
> What are the filtration needs for such a large tank? Where can I look
> for a guide to this as well as pricing?

In a nutshell, higher turbulence, lower fishload, more detailed water
management and alternate nitrate removal methods (water changes are not
going to be your cure-all, like in freshwater), but for details, I should
let more experienced people answer. While you're waiting, you can always
check Melev's site:
http://www.melevsreef.com/

> Glass or acrylic? Doesn't acrylic scratch easily?

Easier to scratch, easier to repair.
--
www.NetMax.tk

> Thanks,
> -Muuurgh
>
> --
> "He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes
> wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it."
> -Douglas Adams
>

[dc]

"Muuurgh" > wrote in
reenews.net:

> What are the primary differences between a salt and freshwater set-up?
> What are the filtration needs for such a large tank?

If you are planning to set-up a just fish marine tank than the differences
are minimal. The current filtration system you use for fresh water would
probably be adequate provided it moves enough water (02 exchange is very
important for marines). The addition of a protein skimmer would be highly
beneficial. You'll have to do plenty of water changing this way, so get
yourself a good amount of salt mix.

If you want to set-up a reef tank (which it sounds like you do) than the
differences can be extensive and expensive. In this circumstance you
should consider using live rock and sand as your primary filter. You'll
need at least a pound of rock per gallon and a minimum of a three inch
aragonite sand bed plus a fair amount of current for it to be effective,
but once established it will far surpass any other kind of filtering. The
live rock/sand will be processing your nitrates and providing food to your
fish and coral. This kind of setup will help stabilize your water
chemistry minimize the amount of water changing you have to do.

Add a skimmer, overflow sump, and refugem and you'll have an extremely
stable reef tank.

You'll also need a very good lighting system, providing at LEAST three
watts per gallon. Using a power compact/metal halide combo will give your
coral and live rock all the light it needs.

There is a lot more equipment you can tack on to a reef setup (calcium
reactor, etc.) but this is the basic starting setup for an effective reef
tank.