Re: Marine planted tanks

[Bob Ashcraft <bashcraft at brashearlp_com>]

> Date: Tue, 03 Dec 2002 11:29:50 -0500
> From: Shireen Gonzaga <whimbrel at comcast_net>
>
> I have a few comments about keeping a micro-reef
> and cultivating marine "plants."
>
> First of all, don't bother with all the fancy stuff.
> It *can* be done cheaply.

<SNIP>

> People in the reef community tend to fuss over their setups
> with lots of expensive gear. But if you want a cheap and
> entertaining microreef, with hardy organisms and gorgeous
> macroalgaes, it's very easy to do and less maintenance than
> a planted tank.
>
> Shireen Gonzaga
> Baltimore, MD

I agree.  Reef keepers are fussy about their setups.  But, of course, it doesn't
sound like you have thousands of dollars worth of corals and anemones and fish in
your tank, like some people do.

"Cheap" is a relative term.  That $300 skimmer that Tom spoke of doesn't seem all
that expensive anymore when compared to the cost of replacing the inhabitants that
it may be supporting.

BTW, I've used both cheap and expensive skimmers.  They'll all work.  How well they
work depends on how well they're "tuned".  How well they're "tuned" depends on how
much time the user wants to spend on it.  The expensive ones require much less
time.

Bob Ashcraft