Though I have been on RC for years I have never started a build thread for various reasons. I guess my visiting this forum once again has sparked some interest and maybe this thread will keep it going. I have no idea where this will be going but I hope for the best but I am looking at this more as an experiment than anything serious. My first interest was in zoa tanks and Mucho's and Archie's TOTM have always been such an inspiration to me. They are extremely peaceful to look at and they showed that an understanding of the biology goes much further than any piece of equipment. I have never had success even close to their level but realized a long time ago that a TOTM does not equal enjoyment. There was a thread asking where all the TOTM are now and many of those have been broken down due to many reasons: tank crashes, lack of interest, and the reefer going in another direction. I think many, especially new hobbyists look at these tanks for inspiration only to walk away and quit because their tanks do not measure up either. This is one place many miss the point of the hobby: your own enjoyment.
At this point you are probably thinking why is he doing this? This is supposed to be positive yet he is being negative in this thread. I guess it is because many loose interest and leave the hobby. Some leave for good and others come back poking around for a bit and then go their own direction. Perhaps I can spark that interest in those as well. It would be sad to loose those die hard reefers and more importantly the knowledge they have gained would be lost as well.
Honestly I have thought about quitting this hobby numerous times due to life getting in the way and other events like tank crashes. That being said I should turn to some of the positives.
Like many I have more ideas of what I would like to try and do with the hobby than I have space and time to do it. I guess I could be considered a wishy washy reefer. If I did everything I wanted I would need 6 systems running at my house and that just is not possible. Instead I sat down and made a list of things that I have wanted to try and here is some of the list:
Try a nano/pico tank because I enjoy the ability to get up close and personal.
Have a simple tank with minimal equipment and if possible none viewable. My eyes drift to that PH and I spend more time looking at it than the life.
A tank with a single blenny or goby because even though the tank is small you have to watch it in order to see everything and I like it when fish come in and out of the picture.
Have a tank that is enjoyable to view vs. just another thing to care for everyday.
A tank that has no sand but is not bare bottom if that makes sense.
A tank that is not a kid in the candy store build. I love looking at the diverse colors of zoas and how they look in the tank but I want to go a different direction. I have always wondered what a tank would look like with a single color morph. Basically if we went to a natural reef and cut out a section and stuck it in a box.
On occasion there is discussion on fragging and growth rates and I would like to see if there are any differences in how we frag and success and failure rates.
Finally I want to take the challenge of not only building a reef but also growing one so I guess Mucho you can either take the blame or the credit for all of this.
As I stated earlier this is an experiment and hopefully a marathon and not a sprint. There will probably be more text and long winded paragraphs than eye candy but I hope you stick around and give me both your positive and negative comments because I too want to learn.
At this point you are probably thinking why is he doing this? This is supposed to be positive yet he is being negative in this thread. I guess it is because many loose interest and leave the hobby. Some leave for good and others come back poking around for a bit and then go their own direction. Perhaps I can spark that interest in those as well. It would be sad to loose those die hard reefers and more importantly the knowledge they have gained would be lost as well.
Honestly I have thought about quitting this hobby numerous times due to life getting in the way and other events like tank crashes. That being said I should turn to some of the positives.
Like many I have more ideas of what I would like to try and do with the hobby than I have space and time to do it. I guess I could be considered a wishy washy reefer. If I did everything I wanted I would need 6 systems running at my house and that just is not possible. Instead I sat down and made a list of things that I have wanted to try and here is some of the list:
Try a nano/pico tank because I enjoy the ability to get up close and personal.
Have a simple tank with minimal equipment and if possible none viewable. My eyes drift to that PH and I spend more time looking at it than the life.
A tank with a single blenny or goby because even though the tank is small you have to watch it in order to see everything and I like it when fish come in and out of the picture.
Have a tank that is enjoyable to view vs. just another thing to care for everyday.
A tank that has no sand but is not bare bottom if that makes sense.
A tank that is not a kid in the candy store build. I love looking at the diverse colors of zoas and how they look in the tank but I want to go a different direction. I have always wondered what a tank would look like with a single color morph. Basically if we went to a natural reef and cut out a section and stuck it in a box.
On occasion there is discussion on fragging and growth rates and I would like to see if there are any differences in how we frag and success and failure rates.
Finally I want to take the challenge of not only building a reef but also growing one so I guess Mucho you can either take the blame or the credit for all of this.
As I stated earlier this is an experiment and hopefully a marathon and not a sprint. There will probably be more text and long winded paragraphs than eye candy but I hope you stick around and give me both your positive and negative comments because I too want to learn.
