A Reef Tank in the Desert - +/- 1,400 gallon system

lostmyz said:
That's all fine and dandy Dan but my parenrs live in the foothills and our neighbor aka an idiot went out of town hired some stupid kid to watch his dog that he left outside. I believe it was a terrier mix of some sort... about 40lbs... was barking all night long one night. Nothing the next night. Than a day later the owner came over missing his dog. I essentially told him he was an idiot. We live in Az and in the mountains where I've seen a mountain lion shading itself behind my house. Youre dog is dead and you won't be getting it back. I know harsh, but hard lessoned learned for the guy I felt bad for the guys little girls.

Needless to say my parenta 4lb pommeranian has eacaped 2 times in 9yrs and always walks over to their house. They used to have a Chihuahua and they'd have a baking (if u can even call it that) fest.

So the message here is... it only takes one time for a wild animal to want some dog meat and than your pets gone. The emotional attachment between a person and a mammal is and can be much greater than that between a person and a fish. Yea its a sad day when your fish dies but you can replace it and it looks the same. Its not like replacing a dog. Sorry poor comparison but its hard to put that into words. I feel a closer bond between my yorkie and bernease mountain dog than my fish even my fav fish
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I can't disagree with you. We do take some precautions. Our dogs are mostly inside dogs. We would never leave them outside at night (when the predators are out) and even when they are out during the day, if they start to bark - we immediately bring them inside.
 
worm5406 said:
OK I am in DC area. Tell me and I'll come up for dinner or something.
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Send me a PM with your telephone number. We will be traveling around DC with my sister and her family. If we get a chance where I can get away, I would love to meet up.
 
Ready for Vacation!!!

Ready for Vacation!!!

So I think I have my system ready for vacation, even if I am not!

Let's see... tomorrow I will perform one last 100 gallon water change before I take off Saturday morning. I checked my parameters last night and things are right on the money with the exception of Nitrates which are a little elevated.

I will have my water mixing bins filled with Catalina Sea Water tomorrow and each week while I am gone. I am setting my Genesis Reef System to perform 15 gallon daily water changes while I am away. 95 gallons each week. This way, I can avoid having any major weekly water changes while away.

Our house/tank sitter came by this evening to go over everything with me. She will be feeding my Seahorses three times each day and my fish, twice daily. I am cutting down the amount of frozen food that I feed daily (I feed a lot) from 20 cubes down to 15. I am also only going to be putting Nori in every other day while I am away. She will be checking the room temperature, skimmer, etc. daily.

I checked all of my settings, connections, notifications and alarms on my Apex.

Justin, from the LFS, will be coming by on Mondays and Fridays and will be on call if anything comes up. Justin will change out my filter socks twice each week and my house sitter also is familiar with the task. He will wipe down all the glass on the tanks and check on all the fish. He will adjust and clean my skimmer and he will empty my skimmate locker. Justin will check and report to me all my parameters. With my Apex, I will be able to adjust my Calcium or Alk dosing pumps from my iPad. If a water change is needed, he has detailed instructions on how I like it to be done.

I think that I am in good hands. Knock on wood, I will miss any monsoons or summer storms that rock Southern Arizona each summer.
 
WOW Dan!Your attention to detail is amazing!

I hope you will have a good rest, enjoy your self and the family and that when u come back your tank will look even better!

All the best man!
 
Have a great vacation and don't do anything I wouldn't do

..........................

On the other hand, it is a vacation so GO FOR IT

Joe
 
Hey Dan, I had no idea you had a giant build thread for your tank.

Now I have something to help pass the time until Kris & I are in the new house, and I can start building my next tank...
 
aquaph8 said:
Have fun on your trip Dan, if I can help with anything while your away don't hessitate to ask.
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Thanks Brett!

Hopefully I have everything covered!

I had Justin come by yesterday again to go over everything. I am sure everything with the tank will be fine!
 
Crazy_Beaver said:
WOW Dan!Your attention to detail is amazing!

I hope you will have a good rest, enjoy your self and the family and that when u come back your tank will look even better!

All the best man!
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Thanks Loukas!

Your tank is looking awesome! I am so glad to finally see water and aquascaping in it. Perhaps next summer when we make it back to the Mediterranean, I will be able to take a side trip and see it!

Regards,

Dan
 
Newbie Aquarist said:
Enjoy your vacation and wish you and your family safe travels. And again thanks for the talk.
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Thanks Wayne! I enjoyed chatting with you too! You have my number, call me anytime.

It's a real testament to your character - you have dealt with more challenges, adversities and setbacks than anyone I know. Yet, you always keep your head up and keep plugging along! :beer:

I look forward to meeting you in person at MACNA!
 
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phenom5 said:
Hey Dan, I had no idea you had a giant build thread for your tank.

Now I have something to help pass the time until Kris & I are in the new house, and I can start building my next tank...
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Thanks Rob!

Don't get too bored with it! LOL. It's been a lot of fun. You will need to make one yourself when you get your new tank!
 
danfeig said:
Thanks Loukas!

Your tank is looking awesome! I am so glad to finally see water and aquascaping in it. Perhaps next summer when we make it back to the Mediterranean, I will be able to take a side trip and see it!

Regards,

Dan
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That would be awesome Dan!I promise you will have a great time!:thumbsup:
 
This build has inspired me to make my 90 gallon as great as it can be. I went to high school with your daughter but didnt notice it until 10 pages into the thread when I saw your family in the tank. It's a small world but a big reef community! This thread has really inspired me to make every tank the best it can be.
 
Thank you very much for the compliments. Now you have me and my daughters intrigued. Which one did you go to school with?

If I can help you with your tank in anyway, don't hesitate to ask!
 
Your daughter Ashley. I graduated this year. You mentioned you go to SEA a lot but have you tried GQfish here in tucson Nathan has great customer service.
 
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