I have a passion for marine life and after studying at university I’ve decided I want to start my own coral breeding programme and open a conservation centre where school children can come and learn about the ocean. I’m currently planning a YouTube series documenting this journey and hopefully showing my journey to getting corals spawning in captivity.
You can follow Chanelle on Twitter, Instagram & YouTube at the links below:
Tank Stats:
- Tank Size: 30L
- Tank Age: 9 weeks!
- System Type: Mixed Reef (eventually)
- Tank: TMC Aqua Habitat 30 (all in one tank kit)
What made you decide to take up this hobby?
I fell in love with goldfish at college, they had them in the animal care classrooms and it started from there. I unfortunately had really bad advice and got sold a bowl and goldfish at the same time. As you can imagine it died overnight and I did research and my passion grew from there. I then worked running a fish section for 6 years completing the OATA Fish keeping course before going to university to study marine biology. I am now researching coral breeding for a future personal project.
How long have you been keeping saltwater fish?
Around 2 years on and off
As an estimate, how much do you think you have put into your tank financially?
Close to £800 now maybe
What is the one fish you wish you could have in your tank but can’t?
I haven’t kept any marine fish because my tank is too small, I will only keep tank bred species once I upgrade to a larger tank. I really like chambered nautilus it’s once species I would keep if they were sustainably bred.
As a new marine keeper, what is the one tip you wish you had known or listened to more at the start of your journey?
That my tank would go through an ugly algae stage and it’s going to last a while. It can be very disheartening at first thinking you’ve done something wrong.
What is your favourite fish in your system, and why?
My blue tuxedo urchin. I’ve never kept one before and not only does it do a great job with the algae it’s great fun to watch it pick up items and wear them as camouflage. It’s currently sporting a zoa colony and a discarded hermit crab shell.
What is your favourite coral in your tank, and why?
I don’t have one currently but I really like snakeslock anemone. I did my dissertation on these guys and they didn’t half cause me trouble by moving around and dividing into more during the study.
If you could go back to the start, would you do anything differently?
I would have purchased my live rock elsewhere as it wasn’t cured and although it cycled my tank nicely it didn’t contain much “life”, which is always handy when starting a new tank
What are your future plans for your tank?
My plans are for an upgrade this little tank has taught me so much about marine tanks and has been perfect for me as I don’t have much space currently. hopefully I can have as much success with a larger tank.
First Time Marine Keeper
We would like to extend a massive thank you to Chanelle for taking the time to tell us about her tank. We hope all our readers take the time to show their appreciation to Chanelle by following her on her social medias, links to these are at the top of this page.
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