Soulpatch's 150 SC build

[soulpatch]

Well have a few frags that I sold to local lfs at a show in southern VA. I came home with a coral and a fish from the shop (haven't seen the goby since I put him in though) as this is the shop that qts. I got to check out his set up in detail and was impressed.

My bubble algae is decreasing at a steady rate which is awesome. Now I need my filefish in qt to finish and the copperband as well...

I am starting to look into getting more flow for my tank. I think I might either grab 2 mp40s or 2 gyre 250. Also really thinking of pushing up the frag tank setup.

I'm currently interviewing for a few positions both inside and outside my firm so if I get with with enough raise I'll start piecing things together and likely put in a big coral order for some named pieces....

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[mav3rick478]

Good luck on the job front!

I'll PM later about corals, are you gonna frag any Acans soon?

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[soulpatch]

Good luck on the job front!

I'll PM later about corals, are you gonna frag any Acans soon?

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I might. I have one colony I can. I have a few others that are mini colonies I could frag as well. Sticks are easier at the moment though

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[soulpatch]

Well I did enough that all 3 positions I interviewed with have decided to bring me back for a second round. I was suprised by 1 as their salary expectation was much lower then I currently make but they came back and said they had a lot of wiggle room for right person so we shall see.

I am hoping that I get the one position here where I work now as it is just easier and gives me a lot more responsibility and pay. So we shall see.


On the tank front I saw the goby I added as he is digging a hole under my one rock. I also have a new filefish going through TTM and he should be ready for the tank next thursday. Can't happen fast enough as the Aiptasia is getting annoying. Thankfully it is not around my corals yet to irritate them but I want it gone.

The copperband going through QT at my LFS should be ready in 2 weeks as well. I got to check it out the other night while there and it is a beauty. It was eating well and has some nice deep coloration.

The LFS also had no issues selling my corals at the show he went to this past weekend. I am pretty stoked about that as we both made some money. I am hopeful though that this leads to more buys from him and aids me in getting a frag tank going. Need to figure out lighting for it as well...

 

[ReefWreak]

re: career moves.... how is it that you and I are on such similar schedules... I'm sort of in the same boat, except that there's nothing internal to grow into, so I'm moving outside, and shopping and networking opportunities for the next jump.

I'm just hoping I can impress the right people to get in somewhere solid so that I can change my career track and get more to where I want to be (analytics/administration/operations within hospital systems). Private equity sounds good, but its making my resume very hard for anyone in healthcare to understand (despite only doing healthcare operations and not "deal/finance" related activities).

Hopefully the filefish helps with the aiptasia. They'll never be out of the system entirely since i'm sure they're in the sump and plumbing and whatnot now, but at least this way they'll be out of the display. Glad to hear the corals sold easily, nice partnership you'll have there.

 

[soulpatch]

I am lucky in that I work for a large bank so I can move laterally or up across various veins of business. That said I also have 2 coals on the fire externally. I imagine I should have an answer in the next week or so one way or another.

Should I get a nice pay raise I will be able to set up a small popagation tank to grow out some corals for further sale. I am not overly happy cutting my DT pieces for sale constantly as I would like even more growth there so a frag tank will allow me to frag once more and grow out in that tank to trim as needed. I already do this to a degree in my DT. I have a lot of requests for my sunset milli and my superman digi. Due to this I have fragged it and have a few pieces growing out in the DT on various rocks now BUT that pulls from my ability to add more frags to the tank.

I REALLY want a few choice pieces from Jason Fox and Big R corals (look up the 420 tenuis for instance) to get my tank popping.

I also watched a video from Jason Fox and agree with him on lighting so I will be swapping all of my T5 bulbs to actinic like he does. He makes a valid point in that these are pulled from deeper in the water and as such mainly only see blue light. Considering his growth and color I am good with his explanation.

 

[soulpatch]

back to the job front my one interview Friday for round 2 is freaking 4 hours long and an hour of that I am supposed to do a project and a 15 minute presentation. ***. Who does that??? I could see perhaps for an IT type role but I am in Marketing.

 

[homer1475]

All actinic? I would think that would hurt ones eyes to look at too long. For a frag tank I would be ok with it(your not really looking at it for extended periods of time), but for a DT?

I had a 4 hour interview once(4 Michelin star restaurant), it went rather well. It's tough to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen with unfamiliar ingredients. Needless to say I got the job but only lasted a month. The owner/head chef was a d*ck and I ended up quitting.

Good luck on seeking a new job or even just a pay raise. :thumbsup:

If and when I eventually get my tank sorted, think I might try some sticks as I have seen some absolutely stunning colors on some.

 

[soulpatch]

I dont think I will have any issues with the tank running all actinics. I am not staring into my tank for hours on end which is where I start to get eye fatigue at the shows.

I want 2 of the 3 jobs. The third one is sending up red flags for the "project" they are asking me to do. I am in marketing so without knowing the audience you are presenting to, the data you have access to, parameters for creative, and such it can be quite a hassle. The other 2 positions are a bit more relaxed. 1 is in my current firm and would give me a decent raise while not having to worry about bonus schedule or transferring benefits. The other one they brought up their salary band to fit me in but I worry I would not have much room for salary growth. The company is SUPER laid back though which would be a big benefit for my personality and it would be marketing sports gear which would be right up my alley...

 

[soulpatch]

Pics from this morning

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[mav3rick478]

Look at all that Coraline on your side glass lol!

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[soulpatch]

Yeah I was expecting reefer to post about that. Lol.

I just got the blade for the tunze in again yesterday and haven't done the sides yet

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[soulpatch]

Proof I did the glass today... lol

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[soulpatch]

Holy cow those pics are huge. Not sure why tapatalk did that. Sorry all.



New tank issue. My alk has tanked. I was running at 8.3 and have had the system locked in for a while now so I only test every few weeks. I made a mistake switching salt to Kent from my normal IO and did not test till yesterday almost 200 gallons through it. The tank has not lost any color and growth has continued so no signs of something wrong. Boy was that a mistake. My alk normally 8.3 had swung down to 6.5. Not in serious danger zone as many run lower alk levels but a significant swing for my tank. Slowly ramping it back up and will be monitoring for a while.

My calrx has been turned up to bring it up slowly and I manually dosed some last night. Now looking to bring it out a few small points a day back to 8.3 I am also back on IO salt with my AWC on to slowly ramp in fresh water again.


On the plus side during the past few weeks my bubble algae has significantly been knocked back. This has a counter though in that aiptasia continues to blossum and spread. My file fish is about done his QT and he has been eating any and all aiptasia I have been putting in the QT tank AND I have a copperband almost done its 6 week QT so between the two I should be turning the tide of the war slightly.

I had bought some berghia but have not seem them since. Waste of $40 there...

 

[mav3rick478]

It seems that everyone I've talked to that had bought Berghia, that always seems to be the consensus but some have witnessed them reappear like magic.

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[soulpatch]

It seems that everyone I've talked to that had bought Berghia, that always seems to be the consensus but some have witnessed them reappear like magic.

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We shall see. I've seen numerous that thought they lost them all only to have them pop back up 3 months later. At this point I don't care wha5 takes care of the issue so long as they are gone

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[soulpatch]

Well file fish is in the tank so he needs to adjust and I hope he starts to do work on my aiptasia. We shall see.


On the job front I have gotten at least one offer from the 3 different positions. I am awaiting word still from the other 2 so I can make my decision.

 

[soulpatch]

Job front finalized and I am staying at my current firm. Giving up perhaps a grand or 2 a year in total comp BUT I will get to travel some as well as learn a lot more to add to my skillset. Plus I will have the title of VP. Woot!!!

As for the tank my bubble algae issue has continued to recede so that is great news there. My file fish seems to be eating some of my aiptasia though larger ones remain. I might have to target hit the larger ones and allow him to go after the smaller guys until I get my copperband in. The copperback is currently still in QT at LFS as he clears up from lymph that he had.

I have started to inquire about frag tanks to be built for me but still undetermined if I want to go that route or not. In a way it starts to feel like it would be more work then enjoyment but I still need to make that decision. If I go frag tank I would also need to determine WHERE to put it. I would want it plumbed in I think so as to save on equipment but I am a bit cramped in how I have the room setup.

I am locked down with money till Feb most likely as I have a big disney trip to pay for, christmas, and perhaps a few bits for my Jeep...

 

[mav3rick478]

Good for you Mr VP! Sounds like you have an expensive few months ahead but they sound like fun for the whole family.

I'm gonna have to get back to you on getting some frags, hopefully it's just a temporary delay. I live in Santa Rosa CA and the mandatory evacuation area is really close to our home. We left and am staying with my cousin the next town south. Today will be the big test as winds pick up the rest of the day and night. I came back to the house today, filled up my ato container, dosed some alk and told the tank I WILL SEE YOU LATER!

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[soulpatch]

Good luck man. Hopefully the winds shift the right direction (or preferably die altogether) so that they can make a serious push back against the fires. I have a few friends that have had to evacuate as well which stinks.

Just let me know what all interests yuo once you are settled back home.