A little shameless begging

[axman1971]

hey all, I've a 30 gal saltwater in desperate need of anything you can spare.
it's been doing ok with the penguin filter I've on it but I need to improve water and circulation Nitriate? levels etc.
That said I can't afford anything at the moment and am more than willing to accept anyones sloppy 2nds
I'll be at the swap looking desperate...
or you can feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thanks in advance for any guidance and help.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

 

[leoskee]

I'll give you some free advice:

Give the tank inhabitants to someone that can take care of them properly and has the proper set up.

Keep your tank but get rid of the penguin filter.

Take your time collecting the equipment that you will need for the set-up you desire.

Once you are ready and can afford to take care of your fish/corals/inverts/etc.. get back into the hobby.

I hate to come off so tough but the bottom line is that you are dealing with living organizms. Its not enough to just try and beg for help. You should only committ to keeping them if you can truly take care of them.

 

[OctaviousMonk]

I have to agree with leoskee. Any pet in my mind takes a commitment that you will do what ever is needed to keep that animal healthy and well taken care of, and that inculdes unexpected finacial burdens at times. This is why the better shelters and pet adoption agencies require proof that you can foot vet bills for vacines, routine check ups, and if emergencies come up.
I would just wait it out and make sure you have the proper equipment and even take this time to learn the easiest, cheapest and best ways to creat an ideal system for your needs without compromising the living conditions of your animals. Your system doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg if it is researched and planned the right way the first time.

 

[axman1971]

Re: post

Ok I sent this as a pvt email to Leo, looks like I'll have to put this out to all, I've added a few more bits here and there in hopes that I'd be a little more clear, I don't frequent this board as much as I liked and it seems my post may have left the wrong impression:
Also as I re-read the posts, I should point out that I do not have a reef tank (yet!) I'm still studying up for that.

Thanks,
with all respect, the tank is stable, I'm still a bit of a newbie so it's not easy for me to explain, but the animals in that tank now are really quite happy, (I check water diligently, feed varing foods)I'll have another post up soon with a pictures of it (and something in it a little unexplained).. but I've followed some good advise in getting the water and enviorn just so. Being the perfectionist that I am, I know things could be better, I'd love an upgrade (esp, after seeing what I saw last meet) but can't afford it at the moment. so again it is with the utmost humility that I approach the board for anything anyone might spare. I have a love and respect for the hobby and would certainly have never approached it if I felt I couldn't handle it. I've worked at a pet shore for in the past, and have owned aquariums in some capacity since I was 12. I've kept varied fresh water fish way past thier life expectancy, and hope to do the same with my present saltwater tank. I've planned out a saltwater tank for 6 years prior to even starting one. I have to apoligize for not being fully clear in my post. My post was only in the intrest of improving the present tank.

Hope, this might clear somethings up.

 

[Awibrandy]

Axman, I believe what the guys are saying is that; Reefing is expensive, and if you can't afford to keep up with it you really should not get into it. We do understand, and appreciate your love for the animals. But it will be very difficult for you to get donations of equipment. Many of the people here,(including myself) are not rich, and as such we don't expect others to support our addiction.:happysad: You might have gotten freebies in some form in the "Freebie Thread" if you were so inclined to be patient, and check there frequently. I don't really know what you are looking for, but it sounds to me like you are looking for equipment that has cost us plenty. In that case we would be selling such equipment at a fraction of it's original price, in order to finance something else that we may be in need of. If you cannot afford the equipment at this time, and your tank is doing as well as you say it is you should just continue to do what you are doing. Save up some money, keep an eye on our For Sale/Trade Forums, and buy what you can when you can. And remember to keep an eye on the Freebie Thread.

 

[roncgizmo]

Or shop for deals...
Ron's Bedroom tank

37 gallon tank $trade frags
stand $70 paid $25 (mark down)
fuge $20 (10g w/some glass)
mag5 $20 (bought used)
2 MJ600's and 1 MJ1200 $20 (used)
Overflow $5 (made it from PVC)
RedSea Wave maker pro $(trade 20G w/stand that came w/the 37)
40lbs sand SD $4
50lbs rock $$30~$45 something like that(bought dead rock and seeded it)
Lighting 2X55 Current PC $20 needed new ballast $18 TL cost $38
175w MH ballast $10 2 Sockets $9 (still need a bulb to test) TL $?
Skimmer redsea 90 $17 new (I don't want to hear it, it works fine for now..lol)
AC50 power head $20 (price match)
AC70 Bought new $25 (Price match)for more flow and to run carbon etc
Skelter 250 $(trade Came with 37) for more flow and to run carbon etc. Not using skimmer part.
TDS meter $free (jumped on a deal at buy.com/google

Total cost so far >$260

The tank was started with 2 damsels (that I still have) in the 20G long
It took some time to add corals and getting it all stable using dead rock
and sand that was seeded...However! this is not my first SW setup...
so I did know a lot of the how too's and I also like the deal hunt thing...
as well as putting it all together...That's 1/2 the fun for me
If you look for it you can find full setups <55 gallons for under $300
0r a full nano Under $200...If you have a water pump you can make
a filter out of PVC or a trash can why are you using a POS like a penguin?
(BTW get rid of the BIO wheel part if you have one it might bring down your
Nitrate levels)

What bug me the most about your post is not the gear but the upkeep!
Salt for water changes, Kalk, and other additives are not cheap!
the DIY stuff might be cheap in the long run but you buy it in bulk...
the $20 here and there adds up fast...

I hope for now you're doing fish only...

 

[axman1971]

Thanks all,
I will shop for bargins... (in the future) as I stated, I am not ready for a full reef set up yet and I know it... yep at the moment it is fish only with some unidentified Parisites? maybe? (I really have to put up another posting with that).
One Damsel and another that I can't identify (feeling sad about that really) but it's my most expensive fish... a bottom feeder thats held up for almost a year now so I think I'm doing ok... a hermit crab and tons of baby star fish that came with my live rock that actually got me started in the first place

 

[NYreefNoob]

people arent trying to discourage you, but this isnt a cheap hobby by any means as most of us found out, 2k plus in a 24g nano :scratchch, and certain thing's you just cant cut corner's on, and it's really something that if you cant afford it then save the money for something else, out of curiousity how long have you had your tank ? size dimensions ect

 

[axman1971]

30G about 3 years... the Hermit crab is the oldest resident at about 1.5 years...the damsel and unidentified zebra about a year.
No small feat, still I know I can do better....aw frag, I'll attach some pics to this thread I really have to figure out what this is...Hope the picture shows... a word about the tank as I said it's doing will a little more algae thank I want but I'm betting that part of it is cuz I have the light on too long, I've since cut it back to 3-4 hours... just for this month to see what happens... but hopefully the picture shows up..What are those things? They only show up when I feed the tank.
and occasionally when the tank goes dark...

 

[NYreefNoob]

looks like bristle worms, and if you dont have any corals you dont need the lights on much, what water do you use for top off ? straight from the sink ? you also need alot more clean up crew, snails hermits ect

 

[axman1971]

Treated from the sink, I'm sure I'm using the wrong things so I won't embarass myself further. The other methoud of letting the water sit in a bucket for sometime would work too I suppose... but I've a cat...so...

Bristle worms eh: I've googled them up, I'll start the cleaning process soon.
found this info: http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/reefref/bristle.html

 

[NYreefNoob]

petsmart sells a tapwater filter, forget the brand name, i use to use them but had to replace to often because of amount of water needed, i would get a ro-di unit a few f\s on here, dont use meds to temp fix, find the problem and cure it. if you are going to the meet pm before hand and ill bring one of the filter's, but it need's cartridge, petsmart price match's their site so it's just as cheap to buy the whole thing. also have 1 or 2 azoo powersweeps you can have

 

[roncgizmo]

petsmart sells a tapwater filter,

I know the petsmart by me had that tapwater filter on clearance for under 30 bucks a few days ago...

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Tapwater filter = GARBAGE

 

[roncgizmo]

Tapwater filter = GARBAGE

Isn't that nuts?

We can and do put that crap in our body's but will never let our
fish swim in it....lol

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

No I mean the filter is a waste of money. If you are going to spend money on one, STOP, GET AN ENVELOPE, PM ME FOR MY ADDRESS, MAIL IT TO ME I will save it in a piggy bang until there is enough money to buy an ro/di unit then you get it back in the form of the RODI.

 

[cb747]

:funnypost

 

[Lenny718]

Hilarious Chief! :biglaugh:

 

[NYreefNoob]

ya but you used them before and so did i, and really whats $30 to get through a few month's instead of being able to buy the $100 right off, and never hurt to half 1\2 then nothing, they arent something to plan to use for a period of time just to get you through. brend remind's me of a place we know's set-up, and it make's it :scratchch