Frontier
Duke of Valonia
Hi all,
I am stepping back into the hobby after a nine year break! :fish1::bounce3::bounce2::bounce1::wave::fish1:
My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were heavy into this hobby and really enjoyed ourselves for many years until the saga of the 210 SPS tank -
The 90 SPS tank that I had prior was bursting at the seams with very large corals and was just too crowded. I put into motion my planning for the ultimate (to me) SPS dream tank with all the best equipment and utilizing the latest strategies (like starboard bottom :bum
but the whole setup was starting to be too big and complex for her and she stopped "having fun." I had lost her enthusiastic support for the hobby but nevertheless plowed on alone and assembled the components.
I used vacation time to set everything up and start the migration from my 90 gallon SPS tank and Nano Reef. That's when I took the one-two punch that knocked me out of the hobby.
1) Hurricane Wilma - Ack! Had to rush "moving day." No power for almost five weeks and no water for two. I owned a generator, due partly to my hobby, but it was so bad that there were no gas stations pumping anywhere in South Florida. I only had two small cans and would get up in the morning at 3AM, break the curfew that was in effect, and drive north until I was in Central Florida and could get gas. I kept this up as long as I could and finally was able to get larger gas cans, but the erratic cycle of everything and not being able to run the lights as often (if I wanted a refrigerator) combined with the hurried move to the new tank was devastating to my beautiful, mature, SPS and other livestock.
2) Center braces - I had been crushed. Maintaining what I had left felt like a chore with a new baby in the house. I limped along in the hobby for another year or so but didn't have the time to devote to trying to rebuild. Then, the center braces cracked and started to seperate from my POS AGA tank :uzi: causing me to make what turned out to be my last post here:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1074904
Both braces ended up detaching and I had 210 gallons suspended over my living room in a visibly bowing tank. I took everything down and gave my equipment and livestock to a friend and fellow reefer.
Anyhow, thanks for indulging me by allowing me to purge those memories by sharing that over-long story. I'm excited! I have buy-in from the spouse - you know, the one raised eyebrow kind of buy-in... We have agreed to stay smaller scale and not be so intense about everything this time around.
New Tank Plan:
Small scale mixed SPS/LPS tank with a couple small fish
Equipment on the way:
Red Sea REEFER 170 Rimless - White
Reef Octopus Classic 110 Space Saver Protein Skimmer
Eheim Compact+ 2000 Pump
EcoTech Marine Radion XR15w Pro LED Light Fixture
EcoTech Marine RMS Single Radion Tank Mount for XR15
Wish us luck!
I am stepping back into the hobby after a nine year break! :fish1::bounce3::bounce2::bounce1::wave::fish1:
My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were heavy into this hobby and really enjoyed ourselves for many years until the saga of the 210 SPS tank -
The 90 SPS tank that I had prior was bursting at the seams with very large corals and was just too crowded. I put into motion my planning for the ultimate (to me) SPS dream tank with all the best equipment and utilizing the latest strategies (like starboard bottom :bum
but the whole setup was starting to be too big and complex for her and she stopped "having fun." I had lost her enthusiastic support for the hobby but nevertheless plowed on alone and assembled the components. I used vacation time to set everything up and start the migration from my 90 gallon SPS tank and Nano Reef. That's when I took the one-two punch that knocked me out of the hobby.
1) Hurricane Wilma - Ack! Had to rush "moving day." No power for almost five weeks and no water for two. I owned a generator, due partly to my hobby, but it was so bad that there were no gas stations pumping anywhere in South Florida. I only had two small cans and would get up in the morning at 3AM, break the curfew that was in effect, and drive north until I was in Central Florida and could get gas. I kept this up as long as I could and finally was able to get larger gas cans, but the erratic cycle of everything and not being able to run the lights as often (if I wanted a refrigerator) combined with the hurried move to the new tank was devastating to my beautiful, mature, SPS and other livestock.
2) Center braces - I had been crushed. Maintaining what I had left felt like a chore with a new baby in the house. I limped along in the hobby for another year or so but didn't have the time to devote to trying to rebuild. Then, the center braces cracked and started to seperate from my POS AGA tank :uzi: causing me to make what turned out to be my last post here:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1074904
Both braces ended up detaching and I had 210 gallons suspended over my living room in a visibly bowing tank. I took everything down and gave my equipment and livestock to a friend and fellow reefer.
Anyhow, thanks for indulging me by allowing me to purge those memories by sharing that over-long story. I'm excited! I have buy-in from the spouse - you know, the one raised eyebrow kind of buy-in... We have agreed to stay smaller scale and not be so intense about everything this time around.
New Tank Plan:
Small scale mixed SPS/LPS tank with a couple small fish
Equipment on the way:
Red Sea REEFER 170 Rimless - White
Reef Octopus Classic 110 Space Saver Protein Skimmer
Eheim Compact+ 2000 Pump
EcoTech Marine Radion XR15w Pro LED Light Fixture
EcoTech Marine RMS Single Radion Tank Mount for XR15
Wish us luck!
Last edited:
