Tropical Fish

[JustMike]

....no this is not a thread about a skate on holiday

I have a tropical fish set up that I want to convert to marine, lots of advice on-line but all seems to contradict each other. Anyone on here done this?

[Colinjb]

Add Salt?

[JustMike]

Add Salt?

lol its not that easy! filter / UV filter and other stuff

[Lighthouse]

They are expensive and need almost daily maintenance. I've thought about doing it too but I just don't have the time and effort to keep the water as good as they need.

If you go for it, the rewards are stunning but be prepared to spend £30 on 1 fish and find it belly up after a week if the water ph/salt/purity/temperature isn't right.

[norwaysaint]

I have never understood the idea of keeping an animal in a cage or a tank and saying it's a pet. these creatures would escape from you as soon as they got the chance, why is it in any way a good thing to capture them and keep them? Possibly not as unpleasant as caging birds, but it's a close thing. They are not your pets.

[dickyhale]

They are expensive and need almost daily maintenance. I've thought about doing it too but I just don't have the time and effort to keep the water as good as they need.

If you go for it, the rewards are stunning but be prepared to spend £30 on 1 fish and find it belly up after a week if the water ph/salt/purity/temperature isn't right.

Spot on harder then looking after a new born baby. Easy too stay with tropical fish

[mack rill]

....no this is not a thread about a skate on holiday

I have a tropical fish set up that I want to convert to marine, lots of advice on-line but all seems to contradict each other. Anyone on here done this?

I have a 4ft reef tank, Have had marine for over 20 years, I have had some of my soft corals for nearly 10 years, A pair of clowns that breed are over 7 years old that i know of. Peeps who say its hard work probably have never tried, For fish only you only need to keep the water parameters stable and have a good skimmer, If you want corals as well then you will need the right lighting, live rock,Best advice DON'T leaping blind all you need to know is on hear www.ultimatereef.com There are hundreds of reefers on there who will gladly help you out with any problem

[Lighthouse]

I have never understood the idea of keeping an animal in a cage or a tank and saying it's a pet. these creatures would escape from you as soon as they got the chance, why is it in any way a good thing to capture them and keep them? Possibly not as unpleasant as caging birds, but it's a close thing. They are not your pets.

You can pretty much guarantee that 99% of pets of any variety have been captive bred. If you look after them correctly, it's much better than living wild.

[JustMike]

I have a 4ft reef tank, Have had marine for over 20 years, I have had some of my soft corals for nearly 10 years, A pair of clowns that breed are over 7 years old that i know of. Peeps who say its hard work probably have never tried, For fish only you only need to keep the water parameters stable and have a good skimmer, If you want corals as well then you will need the right lighting, live rock,Best advice DON'T leaping blind all you need to know is on hear www.ultimatereef.com There are hundreds of reefers on there who will gladly help you out with any problem

Cheers mack with give it a look. I am hoping to have fish and corals

[JustMike]

I have never understood the idea of keeping an animal in a cage or a tank and saying it's a pet. these creatures would escape from you as soon as they got the chance, why is it in any way a good thing to capture them and keep them? Possibly not as unpleasant as caging birds, but it's a close thing. They are not your pets.

better in my tank than the poxy little one in the pet shop!

[sussexsaint]

Have been looking at this for a while - aqua one do some lovely all in tanks with sumps and protein skimmers all in .
Decent live rock and live sand look like musts.

[Turkish]

I have never understood the idea of keeping an animal in a cage or a tank and saying it's a pet. these creatures would escape from you as soon as they got the chance, why is it in any way a good thing to capture them and keep them? Possibly not as unpleasant as caging birds, but it's a close thing. They are not your pets.

I agree and think we should only keep animals in cages that have been unkind to other animals. Like if we see a rabbit forcing itself on another rabbit that is rabbit rape and we should take the guilty rabbit and make him live in a cage as a pet as punishment.

Hates criminal animals.

Regards

Turkish.

[Marsdinho]

I have never understood the idea of keeping an animal in a cage or a tank and saying it's a pet. these creatures would escape from you as soon as they got the chance, why is it in any way a good thing to capture them and keep them? Possibly not as unpleasant as caging birds, but it's a close thing. They are not your pets.

At least the animals wont have to constantly search for food and be the subject of predators. Living in the wild isn't as fun as you think.

[norwaysaint]

I have never heard so many ridiculous reasons for keeping animals in cages and tanks. If you have to keep it imprisoned, it's not a pet. It's very nice for you that you enjoy looking at it in its cage, but it doesn't love you and it doesn't want to be stuck there. Your tank that's bigger than the little ones in the shop is nothing compared to the sea. I've met people who justify having caged birds because they let them fly around the room sometimes. Are they insane?

[Lighthouse]

I have never heard so many ridiculous reasons for keeping animals in cages and tanks. If you have to keep it imprisoned, it's not a pet. It's very nice for you that you enjoy looking at it in its cage, but it doesn't love you and it doesn't want to be stuck there. Your tank that's bigger than the little ones in the shop is nothing compared to the sea. I've met people who justify having caged birds because they let them fly around the room sometimes. Are they insane?

That's where you are wrong.

The simple truth is they don't give a sh*t. They have no concept of boredom, having lots of space means nothing to them other than more oportunities to be eaten. All animals like fish and budgies are programmed to do is eat, sh*t and sh*g each other. They aren't happy because they have no concept of happiness.

There is a reason birds and reptiles lay a clutch of 20 or so eggs every year. Because 19 of them will be killed before they reach adulthood. The great outdoors is great if your in to hill walking in the Lake District but for the rest of animal kingdom it's a daily struggle for survival against starvation, drought, extemes of weather, climate, predators and disease.

[JustMike]

I have never heard so many ridiculous reasons for keeping animals in cages and tanks. If you have to keep it imprisoned, it's not a pet. It's very nice for you that you enjoy looking at it in its cage, but it doesn't love you and it doesn't want to be stuck there. Your tank that's bigger than the little ones in the shop is nothing compared to the sea. I've met people who justify having caged birds because they let them fly around the room sometimes. Are they insane?

Life expectancy of a little clown fish in the sea...not long! Or a budgie in the wild....? So should this also apply to other pets, dogs / cats? Not in a cage as such but confined to my house!

[JustMike]

Have been looking at this for a while - aqua one do some lovely all in tanks with sumps and protein skimmers all in .
Decent live rock and live sand look like musts.

apparently I need a skimmer & UV filter and then just change the current filter media, oh and some salt! Going to give it a bash, what's the worst that could happen! (Norway comes round and frees the captive ones

[buctootim]

I agree with Norway about keeping animals which naturally live in the open in small cages or even trapped in the house like some cats are. However brain size comes into it too. So whilst keeping dolphins and killer whales in small pens and making them perform tricks is abhorrent to me, I have no problem at all with small reef fish being kept in a well maintained tank.

[JustMike]

I agree with Norway about keeping animals which naturally live in the open in small cages or even trapped in the house like some cats are. However brain size comes into it too. So whilst keeping dolphins and killer whales in small pens and making them perform tricks is abhorrent to me, I have no problem at all with small reef fish being kept in a well maintained tank.

hmmm a dolphin you say...

[the stain]

I have never understood the idea of keeping an animal in a cage or a tank and saying it's a pet. these creatures would escape from you as soon as they got the chance, why is it in any way a good thing to capture them and keep them? Possibly not as unpleasant as caging birds, but it's a close thing. They are not your pets.

Someones gone fishing and got a few bites.

[buctootim]

You mmight want to get a plastic cover for the telly if you're going to get Joey the Orca to leap through the hoop of fire in your lounge

[JustMike]

You mmight want to get a plastic cover for the telly if you're going to get Joey the Orca to leap through the hoop of fire in your lounge

hahah yeah good point, not too sure my house insurance covers that!

[Lighthouse]

Have you seen the gnashers on a killer whale?



It's like a ferkin' T-Rex. Make sure you get one with a friendly demeanour.

[The Kraken]

I used to have a tropical tank and made the mistake of adding to it with a couple of (very small) crabs. Unlike the existing fish, who seemed quite happy with their carefree environment and regular feedings, the crabs were a more adventurous sort and obviously on a mission to explore. After realising the full confines of the tank weren't going to live up to their exploratory needs, they bided their time and colluded an ingenious plan. Then, one quiet night, they made their break for freedom; climbing up the water pump and out of the tank through an almost impossibly small crack in the join, and fled as fast as their claws could carry them away from their gaol. "FREEDOM", they must have thought.

Sadly, it was not to last, for these brave crustaceans sadly hadn't counted upon a life without water. Both were to be found the next morning in a perished and dehydrated state, their bold journey having taken them only so far as the back patio door.

Crabs; brave souls, but none too bright.

[norwaysaint]

Life expectancy of a little clown fish in the sea...not long! Or a budgie in the wild....? So should this also apply to other pets, dogs / cats? Not in a cage as such but confined to my house!

Any animal that would escape if it got the chance is not your pet. The point that you can keep it alive for longer than it would live in the wild is a silly one. You could put a human in a cell and keep them alive until they were older than average life expectancy, that doesn't make him your friend or make him prefer captivity. Given the choice, the animal would leave you rather than be with you, so it isn't your pet.

Dogs and cats that would come back to you if you let them out are your pets, it's a mutual relationship.

[the stain]

Any animal that would escape if it got the chance is not your pet. The point that you can keep it alive for longer than it would live in the wild is a silly one. You could put a human in a cell and keep them alive until they were older than average life expectancy, that doesn't make him your friend or make him prefer captivity. Given the choice, the animal would leave you rather than be with you, so it isn't your pet.

Dogs and cats that would come back to you if you let them out are your pets, it's a mutual relationship.

What if the fish was let free and then came back? Would it be a pet then?

[JustMike]

Any animal that would escape if it got the chance is not your pet. The point that you can keep it alive for longer than it would live in the wild is a silly one. You could put a human in a cell and keep them alive until they were older than average life expectancy, that doesn't make him your friend or make him prefer captivity. Given the choice, the animal would leave you rather than be with you, so it isn't your pet.

Dogs and cats that would come back to you if you let them out are your pets, it's a mutual relationship.

so, I buy this "pet" from a pet shop, where it was born, it knows no different. Can I keep it then?

[The Kraken]

I think norwaysaint must have been a tropical fish in a former life.

[JustMike]

I think norwaysaint must have been a tropical fish in a former life.

or in this life

[Lighthouse]

Any animal that would escape if it got the chance is not your pet. The point that you can keep it alive for longer than it would live in the wild is a silly one. You could put a human in a cell and keep them alive until they were older than average life expectancy, that doesn't make him your friend or make him prefer captivity. Given the choice, the animal would leave you rather than be with you, so it isn't your pet.

Dogs and cats that would come back to you if you let them out are your pets, it's a mutual relationship.

Yeah but it's a fish. Not a human. They're completely different, you might as well compare it to a cabbage being locked up in a cage.

[the stain]

Yeah but it's a fish. Not a human. They're completely different, you might as well compare it to a cabbage being locked up in a cage.

Lets leave the delldays out of this.

[tpbury]

I was hoping to retreat to this thread as a calming alternative to loans/staplewood/pts/saveille etc. Possibly with some nice aquarium shots and nerdy filtering techniques. Instead, it's another FRICKIN CLUSTER F*KK

[JustMike]

I was hoping to retreat to this thread as a calming alternative to loans/staplewood/pts/saveille etc. Possibly with some nice aquarium shots and nerdy filtering techniques. Instead, it's another FRICKIN CLUSTER F*KK

I'm working on it, cant put pics up until I work out how to convert

[sussexsaint]

Please let me know how you get on Mike - looks like this is a lot easier now than it used to be a few years ago. My mate says live sand cycles the tank very quickly and its fantastic watching the little beasties emerging from the live rock.

You can't beat marine fish for their stunning colours, think when I go for it I'm going for a Fish only with live rock to start with - even the clean up crews look stunning

[JustMike]

Please let me know how you get on Mike - looks like this is a lot easier now than it used to be a few years ago. My mate says live sand cycles the tank very quickly and its fantastic watching the little beasties emerging from the live rock.

You can't beat marine fish for their stunning colours, think when I go for it I'm going for a Fish only with live rock to start with - even the clean up crews look stunning

Yep, I will definitely report back. I'm thinking about fish and reef set up but maybe a tad optimistic for a newb at this. Either way, like you said, will look stunning

[Marsdinho]

Norwaysaint - You do realise that animals aren't capable of abstract thought don't you. The notion of "escape" means nothing to them.

[buctootim]

[mack rill]

Justmike, before you go leaping in without your flippers on, whats the L W and hight of the tank you aim on using? the reason i ask Marines need good gas exchange, Thats why most custom built tanks for salt water say 48 to 60in Length have at least 18 to 24in With, You will also find most salt water tanks have no lid.

[The Kraken]

Norwaysaint - You do realise that animals aren't capable of abstract thought don't you. The notion of "escape" means nothing to them.

Tell that to the crabs that escaped from my tank.

Well, you can't "tell" them as it was a suicide mission and they've gone to the big fish tank in the sky, but you get my point.

[PaulSaint]

Don't buy a hovercraft fish. Mine got distressed one day, released a toxic poison and killed the remaining £300's worth of stock. The tank went the next day!

[Wade Garrett]

I keep tropical fish
I keep tropical fish
In me underpants
In me underpants
Ullo John got a new motor
Ullo John got a new motor

[tpbury]

The dog's done a **** on the carpet, etc etc

[JustMike]

Justmike, before you go leaping in without your flippers on, whats the L W and hight of the tank you aim on using? the reason i ask Marines need good gas exchange, Thats why most custom built tanks for salt water say 48 to 60in Length have at least 18 to 24in With, You will also find most salt water tanks have no lid.

ok, width is 15.5in, length is 39.5in and height is 16in, holds 180 litres. Been chatting to a chap in maidenhead aquatics, he seems to think its all good and can use my current filter providing I add different media, buy a skimmer and a UV filter, oh and change the lights.

[sussexsaint]

Just ordered an aqua reef 275 cube been on UR and they are a great bunch. Really excited wanted a marine tank for decades

[mack rill]

ok, width is 15.5in, length is 39.5in and height is 16in, holds 180 litres. Been chatting to a chap in maidenhead aquatics, he seems to think its all good and can use my current filter providing I add different media, buy a skimmer and a UV filter, oh and change the lights.

Will do the job, have a power head pointing to the water surface this will help with gas exchange, think about having a sump,(the more volume of water you have the easer it is to keep the parameters stable) It don't need to be a all singing all dancing expensive custom built number, a simple say 10 gall tank half filled with live rock water from main tank in one end return pump the other (natural filter) as for a UV filter you have to be carefall with this sh*t it kills all the good bacteria as well as the bad, Much better to spend out on a good skimmer, Keep it simple less to go wrong,

[sussexsaint]

I'm filling mine with NSW when it comes, been speaking with people who do it locally and they have fantastic results. Luckily I live only a few yards from a blue flag beach. Will save me a fortune. No need for an RO unit now just a jerrycan of the stuff for top ups

[JustMike]

Just ordered an aqua reef 275 cube been on UR and they are a great bunch. Really excited wanted a marine tank for decades

looked at one of these the other day, very impressive...and it's plug and play! The Aqua Reef 300 is probably the option I will go for, its a bit wider but does the same as the 275

[JustMike]

Will do the job, have a power head pointing to the water surface this will help with gas exchange, think about having a sump,(the more volume of water you have the easer it is to keep the parameters stable) It don't need to be a all singing all dancing expensive custom built number, a simple say 10 gall tank half filled with live rock water from main tank in one end return pump the other (natural filter) as for a UV filter you have to be carefall with this sh*t it kills all the good bacteria as well as the bad, Much better to spend out on a good skimmer, Keep it simple less to go wrong,

Cheers Mack, I have since decided to stuff the conversion and buy a marine tank (see above). Also, the UR site is awesome, some good advice on there

[Lighthouse]

Anyone got a Fluval 06 series external filter? Been looking around the web, they look pretty handy.