"I Want a Divorce.....I Want a Reef"

N

NewMariner

Reef Tank Aficionado
3 years ago this month, my ex wife left me. I spent the next 2 and a half years fighting for custody of my kids. I spent 40k in attorneys to secure their safety. Over that time, I began to realize whats important in life. Obviously my kids are first and foremost. I spent a lot of time giving in to what my ex-wife wanted and what was better for the family as a whole. Now my role has changed, though I still provide and take care of my kids, my extra money is now able to be used on how I want, instead of the collective us.

I had a 180g tank roughly 10 years ago. I gave it up due to my oldest son being born 3 months premature, and moving across the state so that my ex-wife could stay at home with him indefinitely. I always had the bug since then, and always missed it. I tried to fill the void with a 46 gallon tank, but it just wasn't enough.
Now my ocean has arrived.

The tank itself is a Envision Acrylics Tank. It is 96x36x32, with 1" acrylic. It has an external coast to coast overflow. I will be cleaning out the garage this next weekend so that I can make room for 2 300g rubbermaid stock tanks. One for a sump, the other for a refugium. I will be using a dolphin amp master 6250 for the closed loop, and maybe a reeflo for the return. I have a 200gpd Neptune RO/Di unit from Air Water Ice. I have ordered 50lbs of Tonga Shelf rock from BRS, that will be arriving monday. And once I get the garage cleaned out I can get the stock tanks setup and start cycling the rock. I haven't purchased a lot of equipment yet, and will be on a buying spree in short order.

Heres everyone's favorite part. The pics!















 
savethereef said:
Congrats on your new beginning. Same size as mine. You will love it
Click to expand...

Thanks STR. To New Beginnings.

rbarn said:
Woman - cant live with em - cant kill em.
Click to expand...

Heh....I still dont and didn't want to kill her. It was a very bad divorce to say the least. I would be justified in saying such things about her, but I won't. I wish her a better life then I provided for her. Unfortunately, she isn't currently indulging in that better life. Her boyfriend has gotten her addicted to meth, and gotten her arrested for theft. Classy people now. Its like I don't even know this woman now after 13 years of marriage.
 
Hey Tony......awesome start to the build! The pics are amazing and can't wait to see water in this! Mine gets shipped on Wed of next week!
 
Congrats on a beautiful tank by one of the BEST acrylic tank manufacturers in the USA:thumbsup: Can't wait to see the build and I really LOVE the 300g refugium idea, truly a refugium sufficiently sized for a well-balanced system.
 
Nanook said:
Congrats on a beautiful tank by one of the BEST acrylic tank manufacturers in the USA:thumbsup: Can't wait to see the build and I really LOVE the 300g refugium idea, truly a refugium sufficiently sized for a well-balanced system.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nanook. I plan on doing a DSB(I realize its taboo nowadays), and have all sorts of macro-algaes in it. Hopefully, I will be able to harvest the macro-algaes and re-feed it to the tangs that will be going in. In my head, Ive got an idea to divide the DSB into sections. This way, I can replace it easily every few years to avoid the destruction.

James, at Envision Acrylics is top notch. 10 years ago he was on the forums helping members out on their acrylic questions, and I had always vowed if I was able to get a large tank, he would build it. Ive searched the internet, and over that time period his customer service and product is second to none. I really can't complain about him in any manner.
 
STX Diver said:
Congratulations on the tank and the custody. Looking forward to watching this thread.
Click to expand...

Thanks Matthew! The Custody battle was the hardest thing I have ever done. My attorney told me that I should go to law school because I presented such a fine case in the end that was rock solid. I tell you what though, that is just to exhausting. I love my boys, and I would do anything for them, including doing that again. However, I don't ever want to have to experience that mess again.
 
NewMariner said:
I tell you what though, that is just to exhausting. I love my boys, and I would do anything for them, including doing that again. However, I don't ever want to have to experience that mess again.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the tank, custody and new beginning.

Your payoff will come tenfold when those young boys become men and treat their children according to the great example their Dad has set for them.
Society owes you a thank you ;)
 
Congrats! I know all about the custody thing, after having to fight for 2 years to get custody from my daughter for her 2 boys. Can't wait to see this come together!
 
I've been divorced 3 years myself and one of the first things I did was set up a new tank at my new house. It was my solace.
 
Tank looks great! Looking forward to seeing how things come together, especially with the DSB. Hope your transition works out for the best
 
Frostslasher said:
Tank looks great! Looking forward to seeing how things come together, especially with the DSB. Hope your transition works out for the best
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think Im gonna go a little Old School. I think Im going to cut pvc pipe and use it as a stand, then egg crate wrapped in mesh. Then course sand like a "crushed coral" with finer sand on top. It will be a plenum of sorts. I may even leave a pipe up through the sand to the void under it, and push water through it. This way water is being reverse flowed through the sand bed. Im still in the planning stages of that aspect, and still doing some research on it. I think DSBs work great to help with excess nutrients. Its just when it gets full you have a problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

guserto4
Planning a New Build - Acrylic Thickness 80x30x24T euro-brace?
Replies
1
Views
154
griss
griss
J
new tank
Replies
1
Views
309
Reefing102
Reefing102
Nanook
Get together at Nook’s Reef-Thursday, August 14th!
Replies
4
Views
814
Doug1
Doug1
B
Getting back into reefs after a decade away.. Questions
Replies
9
Views
1K
Dustin07
D
M
Choosing Between Innovative Marine and Waterbox for a 200-Gallon Mixed Reef – Your Input Wanted!
Replies
3
Views
3K
AJ858
A
Back
Top