Posts by Dan The Man

I just avoid all of this stuff. The decorations in my tank mostly are things that came out of the actual ocean.

I just studied tanks that I liked and took mental notes about what worked and what didn’t, and then tried to replicate that with my own tank.

I don’t mind the appearance of it, but mostly I would rather leave it there for the fish.

A larger tank is more forgiving. Honestly it is also just a lot easier to work in since you can reach everything more easily.

I was just lamenting that I didn’t think something like this existed the other day, and now here it is. Awesome!

Just use a thermometer to check.

On, because otherwise some of my critters might escape.

I make sure it won’t get too large for the tank for starters. I also make sure it will be a fit with the current residents.

I’ll be really interested to hear more if you go ahead with this idea!

This sort of thing is never a welcome surprise, and I try to ask about it in order to avoid it happening. But when it does, I keep them if at all possible. Otherwise, I keep a couple of smaller spare tanks around to accommodate them until I can relocate them.

Dottybacks are not too challenging to take care of and they are really pretty and eye-catching.

Nothing terrible, no. Sometimes the fish have nibbled on me a bit, but their mouths don’t really do any damage.

I haven't really had an issue getting things for my saltwater tank, but I've always ordered online.

Actually, the earliest tank I remember having was a hexagon, and that was decades ago. But now I just have a big rectangular one.

The diatoms phase can be annoying, but I mostly just wait it out. Eventually they run out of resources, and then it's over.

The trumpet snails are a good go-to. Let us know what you end up using!

Sounds like a challenge! Let us know how it goes!

I really like my new blue sympodium coral. It's pretty small, but already eye-catching.

Snails. As others here have said, I wanted to start out with what I thought would be easiest.

I would say whether real coral is important or not depends on your goals. For me, it isn’t about appearances; it is a functional part of my saltwater tank’s ecosystem.