Looming threat

[AirForceAquariu]

As I draw near a PCS (well... if my school application goes through) I feel like there is an axe looming over my reef. The day I have to tear it all down and sell the pieces off. I nkow I wouldn't be able to move it with me this time at least since I would be entering a enw career field and have no idea what kind of time I will have (likely very little).

How do you all deal with it every few years? Tips and tricks, advice, anectdotes, and stories welcome!

 

[rgulrich]

Sell or give away all the living things.
Sell or give away all the hardware that I couldn't see keeping for the duration.

Don't consider long term housesitters.

Now that I'm a retired old guy, I tend to collect the hubris until I run out of space, and then I have to go through the same process mentioned above.

Enjoy your adventures, Mike.

Cheers,
Ray

 

[AirForceAquariu]

That's kind of what I figured. 'twill be sad since I have grown mildly attached to a couple of my critters. So it goes. It's a chance to upgrade and start a whole different style.

 

[Knots]

Hey, if you're stationed near Newport, RI, I'll do you a favor and take some of those critters off your hands

 

[Titans_Reef]

Thats what I fear. I have been on station for 4 years and because of my job, I do not have tons of options for places. When I do move I am hoping it is in a close by base since I do not want to get rid of all of my fish n corals from my 125g and my wifes 40g breeder. I will keep everything else though since there is no shame in setting everything up but this time I think im going to try and do a predator tank instead of a full blown reef in both lol.

 

[SGT_York]

I kept my hardware and let the rocks dry out, wrapped them in foam and kept them in the garage for two years.

Now I'm off Active and in the reserves so I'm building a 180G in wall tank (so excited I've been waiting for years)

Best of luck on the school application (military school or college?)

 

[AirForceAquariu]

Best of luck on the school application (military school or college?)

Pilot training actually. Trying to cross from a different AFSC. Should be submitted today pending the two stars signature....

Hey, if you're stationed near Newport, RI, I'll do you a favor and take some of those critters off your hands

I'll let you know whaen I am moving and you can have first dibs!

 

[rgulrich]

Best of luck, Mike. My dad started out as a C-47 driver in WW II and his career spanned anything from paradrop and towing gliders to tankers and F-4's before he retired. My career was spent in the back of various RC-135's and EC-130's, although I did sit on the camera box on occasion to watch landings.

Best run was a low-go in the early 90's over the Arabian Gulf, back of a 130 wearing a harness ...the AC and I spoke about coral and reefkeeping and he gave me a first hand view of a chunk of the Gulf reefs while sitting on the rear bunk.

Fly good, man.

Ray

 

[jimlin]

i usually get rid of all the live stuff and keep all the equipment i have since you never know how your next duty station will be. i pack all my equipment myself so that i know it wont get damaged during shipment and let the movers pack the stand and tanks. i would not set anything up unless im at a 3 year long duty station. anything less than that i would be working on the tank builds and upgrades in preparation for the next move. i own a large tank and a small tank and will set up based on the amount of available space i have at my new place and will setup fresh or saltwater based on what the local fish stores carry.

 

[AirForceAquariu]

Best of luck, Mike. My dad started out as a C-47 driver in WW II and his career spanned anything from paradrop and towing gliders to tankers and F-4's before he retired. My career was spent in the back of various RC-135's and EC-130's, although I did sit on the camera box on occasion to watch landings.

Best run was a low-go in the early 90's over the Arabian Gulf, back of a 130 wearing a harness ...the AC and I spoke about coral and reefkeeping and he gave me a first hand view of a chunk of the Gulf reefs while sitting on the rear bunk.

Fly good, man.

Ray

Thanks, Sounds like he had a great career, it would be thrilling to get to fly all those airframes. My favorite moments so far were hanging out the side of a C-17 doing a simulated paradrop, watching the cargo slide out the back of the same C-17, laying next to a boom operator on a KC-135 while refueling a B-2 and some F-22's, and tossing my cap in falcon stadium as the Thunderbirds flew over.

Blue Skies,
Mike

 

[triksrevival]

I just posed my experiance from PCSing, I took the stuff i liked with me in a bucket in the back of my truck. Everything lived and was almost 3000 miles. Read it

 

[dalemac]

local LFS store and ship livestock once you get there and get the tank cycled?

that's my plan, we will see how it works when the time comes.

 

[Mustang67]

I was a crew chief on a KC135Q, had the chance to sit next to the boom operator and fill up an SR71 among other numerous air craft. Miss those days, made tons of friends. No face book back then. Then again probably best that we didn't.
Enjoy your time in, and safe travels. Ground and Sky!

 

[Psyops]

Just don't give up your passion as a reefer. It's part of our lives. And the cycle continues.

I just bought used equipment to keep the cost down and sold it with less attachment. The critters were a whole different thing. You get attached to those suckers. Good luck.

Alex

 

[AirForceAquariu]

I am realizing that you do get attached to them despite the lack of physical contact like a dog or cat.