YHSublime

Cool, that timing couldn't be more perfect, many thanks!

Who wants to start a pool?! I'll show you, I'll show you all! *shakes fist*

Simple as that. Just wondering when it is. I'd like to work out the technical details of when my tank will finish it's 90 days (Halloween!) and when I'll be able to start talking to some of our vendors about some corals/fish I'm looking for. I know it doesn't have to happen at a meet, but it's so much easier when everybody is together!

I could see how that would be nice on a 120.

No problem, if you have the time, patience, and money, extra pieces won't hurt any. And I also think there won't be a problem finding someone to buy them, if it comes down to that. I think that's a good idea on the sand. I've got 2 MP40's on the back wall of the 150, and the sand still coveres 95% of the tank. The 5% that is glass from where the sand has been blown off looks fine in the enviroment, I think that will be perfect. Really looking forward to seeing this build wrap up the odds and ends! Yes. My favorite aquascape of all time

Looks good, but what is so cool about them? Being AIO? I think I have yet to meet a reefer who hasn't made a single change to an AOI package.

I didn't care for it till I saw the last picture. That one really shows what you're trying to tell us! Now I love it! Sorry if it's in there, did you decide what you're going to do with substrate? I was going to go bare bottom, but after adding 40lbs of fiji pink into the bottom, I'm really glad I did, it adds enough for aesthetics, but isn't so much that it gets in the way.

Tank looks amazing. Got some fish from Jon, and before I did I stalked his build. He takes great photos, that is a sad loss for you

I've seen some pretty big ones creeping around my tank with a flashlight after lights out. I say good.

I'll take it all, just bag it up.

YES. And yes, yes, yes, yes. yes. This. I can't hold a flame to the amount of time you've been living (this is in reference to it not being a hobby, not a stab at your age ). I enjoy your carefree "if it works, it works, and if it doesn't, it doesn't" attitude. I think we all stress a bit to much, and you've managed to keep it lighthearted. Yep, that's a good way to look at it. And knowing that you had a big part in it... Whoops! She has probably done the math by now, and from what I can gather, she's still sticking around (didn't you have her diving in your tank a couple months ago!?) I just recently took a vacation as well, and although it wasn't cut short, I did take an extra day off to pretty much prepare for my absence. Good list. And actual signs of addiction(s) I think that one tank at a time is a great rule. It gives you a "don't bite off more than you can chew" perspective. Welcome, Marisa. You're at home now Guilty. Both classic go-to's.

Yes. Please.

Congrats man! That's awesome news! But you couldn't have called instead... :p

That is sound wisdom. In my outside this hobby world I tend to be a know it all, something I have been working my whole life to curb. Something in me wants to have the answer! There is also the obvious, our aquariums are awesome to look at. I get lost for hours in mine. I would notice if one thing was out of place, where as most of my friends wouldn’t notice if I changed my rockwork!

It just dawned on me that I was talking about setting up a pico, after starting a 150 as well as a 60 gallon to boot. And I thought, what the H-E-double hockey sticks is wrong with me? Why do I want to keep setting up all these tanks? Why do I want an aquarium in every nook and cranny of my life? I realized that for me, it’s enjoying the challenge. The challenge to simulate an environment in a closed condition. Although there are variables that I can’t control, I still decide how to shape, add and subtract if needed, and build within my box. I think the most exciting part is aquascaping. Deciding sand, what type of rocks, how to put them all together. And then deciding what you’re going to keep in it, so many choices! I often tell my friends for me, corals are like an aquatic garden. It’s like building your own little beautiful world, and maintaining it. I also love learning about how things work. I recently worked with PVC for the first time, something I would have never done without having to plumb the tank. Learning water chemistry, and cycling processes, it is the science I have started to enjoy with age, that if you even mentioned to high school me I wouldn’t have listened. And I don't get it, I've been bitten bad, why is nobody else?! My other half doesn't understand, or care for it, but she loves to watch it. My friends don't get it. There's got to be a reason: So what is it that makes everybody else so afflicted?

We are both talking about doing picos in cookie jars when we've got 150+ gallons to play with... I don't know about you... but what's wrong with ME!?!

A lot of vendors will usually let the club know when they are doing a big order. I know that Quantum always helps out, and ERC has done a group buy before for great prices as well. BRK, although I've yet to visit, also has done some good prices during event weekends. Usually I find it's a good deal to grab a box of reef crystals for $40, imo. I try to stock up on as many as I can, unfortuantly space is tight. If you have the room, the money, and the time for one of these occasions, it's best to stock up, as long as your in the hobby, this is the one constant for all of us. Adding an extra 200 gallons of water into my routine has cut into my supply as well, maybe one of our sponsors will decide to organize a salt buy again?

I can't speak to the pattern in which coraline grows, but it took over on all my rocks fairly quickly when I finished my cycle as well. My plan was to coat my back wall in coraline, and the sides as well. I ended up getting the most growth on my glass front and center. I presumed the same, since I wasn't using all that calcium, it was building on the rocks. I don't know if scraping it and expecting it to spread will work? I have heard that there are people that don't like the coraline growing, as it consumes that extra calcium you could otherwise source towards corals. IMO I like the look of it and my calcium levels usually don't drop below 440, with my clam, and a few SPS pieces.

One of my coworkers was telling me how they are starting to use 3d printers to create food by using cartridges with basic ingredients like sugar and flour, etc. Crazy direction this technology is headed.

+1 Looks good, you got your lights worked out?

Nice! So much water!

Thanks for the link, very cool. I might have to set up something like that! As for a little flex, I believe you're 100% correct. I don't know if I'll be able to make it as long as you have. I don't expect you'll get a lot of "grunge" from a LFS to be completely honest. I don't think any rock or sand has been sitting around one long enough to host and collect all those goodies that lurk about. Also, based on the movement of fish and other animals that come through a LFS, it seems like you would up the chances of introducing something bad. You would probably get a better collection of things from a cup full of other members sand, like Kim mentioned above. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, btw, none of it is factual or based on any real experience, it's just ramblings on what I think might be a good way to do something. Taking a cupful of sand from anywhere, not just an LFS can add something you don't want in your tank. That being said, I've added a cup of sand from several local members into my 57, and it has really helped. I agree about the cheeto and pods as well, my cheeto houses a plethora of pods, ask Richard about how I wasn't exaggerating the size range of what lurks inside that green bush. It's also a possibility to contract aptasia that way, but I figure if it's in the sump, who cares? I sectioned off part of my sump with eggcrate to keep the cheeto from getting sucked back up via the return, and put a par 38 right above it.

Well put. I've got plenty of time, want to plan it and do it right, figured I'd start asking around now, collect the wealth of information our forum members have to offer. Thanks for the bit about LA on genus info. The fish I'm keeping aren't particularly hard or picky, so I want to make sure I do it right moving forward. What do you mean by "ready to be introduced at the same time?" Do you mean after a proper QT process together, or just a QT process in general. Anything that would be going in my system would only be able to go through my 60 gallon, which would not be big enough for multiple tangs without aggression IMO. My hopes were to find a vendor that would hold them if I was doing all my ordering through them, whoever "they" might be. If not, have other resources in the area I can utilize.