But first, a little history:
(c.1996-May, '97)
Reason for demise: Light Shock.
(May '09-Aug. '11)
Reason for demise: Copper Poisoning.
(Oct' '12-Sept. '13)
Reason for demise: Aesthetics, Cyano.
My least favorite build. And even had it not been for the outbreak (more on this later), I would've eventually reworked it anyway. Lesson learned here is that minimalism doesn't go well with very large tanks; either that or I totally suck at minimalism with very large tanks. Anyway, my current set-up is pretty much just adding a lot more rock to ver.3. Nevertheless, it took quite some time as I put this additional rock through it's 'Cooking in Sea Klear' regimen until the PO4 meter read 0 (which did not work, btw), and a four month interruption due to rotator cuff surgery. it was during this time that I got a lot of "I thought you were out of the hobby". Really, guys? I don't post for a few months and it could only be because I'm out of the hobby? Why couldn't something cool have happened; instead, there I am laid up with one useless shoulder (it's amazing how much you need two arms in this hobby), gaining weight, with my teenage daughter channeling Sheckey Greene with regard to my helplessness, and when I turn to RC for solace, boom, "We thought you were out of the hobby'. Well, no. I was healing and once I healed (sort of), I proceeded to finish my rock work.
This is about when the PO4 that I thought I'd gotten rid of returned with a vengeance. Even if it spread from the rocks I had already had in the tank, I thought the new stuff was clean enough to resist the invasion. But it wasn't, and it was bad. At it's height, it was actually overtaking and killing otherwise viable 'sps' frags that I had recently mounted. Soon, I couldn't even see the rocks anymore due to it and it lasted several months. I tried every conventional method of eradication of course, and as much as I dislike going the chemical route to solve an issue, I was one tick away from going with peroxide when Tony Vargas suggested I try sea urchins (both Diadema setosum and Mespilia globulus. I also threw in some Trochus Snails for good measure and in a few months, it was gone. Completely. So, with both the tank and my shoulder truly healed, I laid in the remaining frags and now, without further ado, I present version 4.0; my display tank as we speak:
(Aug. '14-present)
Not too bad, right? Of course, I'm still at the adolescent stage here and most of my smaller frags are still dormant and earth toned but when things begin to fill in, I think I'm going to like this version best. Parameters are very stable, and available on request. Questions and comments welcomed. And finally, to whom it may concern, I'm still in the hobby, fellas. See you at MACNA.
(c.1996-May, '97)
Reason for demise: Light Shock.
(May '09-Aug. '11)
Reason for demise: Copper Poisoning.
(Oct' '12-Sept. '13)
Reason for demise: Aesthetics, Cyano.
My least favorite build. And even had it not been for the outbreak (more on this later), I would've eventually reworked it anyway. Lesson learned here is that minimalism doesn't go well with very large tanks; either that or I totally suck at minimalism with very large tanks. Anyway, my current set-up is pretty much just adding a lot more rock to ver.3. Nevertheless, it took quite some time as I put this additional rock through it's 'Cooking in Sea Klear' regimen until the PO4 meter read 0 (which did not work, btw), and a four month interruption due to rotator cuff surgery. it was during this time that I got a lot of "I thought you were out of the hobby". Really, guys? I don't post for a few months and it could only be because I'm out of the hobby? Why couldn't something cool have happened; instead, there I am laid up with one useless shoulder (it's amazing how much you need two arms in this hobby), gaining weight, with my teenage daughter channeling Sheckey Greene with regard to my helplessness, and when I turn to RC for solace, boom, "We thought you were out of the hobby'. Well, no. I was healing and once I healed (sort of), I proceeded to finish my rock work.
This is about when the PO4 that I thought I'd gotten rid of returned with a vengeance. Even if it spread from the rocks I had already had in the tank, I thought the new stuff was clean enough to resist the invasion. But it wasn't, and it was bad. At it's height, it was actually overtaking and killing otherwise viable 'sps' frags that I had recently mounted. Soon, I couldn't even see the rocks anymore due to it and it lasted several months. I tried every conventional method of eradication of course, and as much as I dislike going the chemical route to solve an issue, I was one tick away from going with peroxide when Tony Vargas suggested I try sea urchins (both Diadema setosum and Mespilia globulus. I also threw in some Trochus Snails for good measure and in a few months, it was gone. Completely. So, with both the tank and my shoulder truly healed, I laid in the remaining frags and now, without further ado, I present version 4.0; my display tank as we speak:
(Aug. '14-present)
Not too bad, right? Of course, I'm still at the adolescent stage here and most of my smaller frags are still dormant and earth toned but when things begin to fill in, I think I'm going to like this version best. Parameters are very stable, and available on request. Questions and comments welcomed. And finally, to whom it may concern, I'm still in the hobby, fellas. See you at MACNA.
