My Grateful Journeys Tank

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ESABOE

ESABOE

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Your scape is DOPE.

:star-struck: :star-struck: :star-struck:

I have very little fish knowledge, so I will let other chime in on your stocking lists.

Awww, thank you Becky. It’s really working out well now that I’ve got some fish that like to weave through the holes and swim-throughs. It’s also featuring the corals individually which was a goal.
 
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Ahhh, good to know! I will research and switch out to something that has more benefits but can easily be cleaned. Glad your making recommendations as i Didn’t know I could do that!
Based on my Greek Mom style of feeding all the new fish in the tank, I needed to rethink my supplemental filter situation.

I ended up cutting the black wire sponge in half (horizontally), put back in baffle and added a strip of double-bonded filter floss. I’m changing that out every 3 days (made a bunch of strips so always available while others are soaking clean).

For now, until I get the right balance of enough food to have Phat fish with nitrate/phosphate not rising, it’s a good cheap option.
 
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Tank Update:

Now that I have started to really increase my bio-load with more fish and more to come over the next 3 months, I needed to reassess my filtration overall as some of my numbers had gotten higher than I like and was noticing a lot more buildup on glass and rocks.

The first thing I have been working on, has been my feeding routine. Even though I had taken a fair amount of time reading/watching videos on the right type of food for each fish/higher quality fish food with less waste/didn’t raise my numbers/and how to actually prepare the food; I was doing it all wrong (other than buying good quality food).

And how did I know I was so off-base? I volunteer at the LFS that services my tank and over the course of a week, watched how the owner fed the tanks. It couldn’t have been more different than what I was doing. The quantity, the way it was prepared; the way it was presented. You're probably wondering why they didn't instruct me better initially? Well, he did explain it verbally to me, each time I purchased a new type of food. But I am not an auditory learner, I am a visual learner. LOL. So this week during my 3-week water change service, I got all the food out, the containers and asked Dylan to prepare 3 days worth of both meat and pellet in two different containers. Gobsmacked is the word that comes to mind. No wonder my numbers were up, no wonder I wasn’t getting the feeding response I should have!

Why tell you all this in so much detail? Nobody wants to feel like they don’t understand when given instructions, especially if they have actually asked follow-up questions. This is not an easy hobby and it took a lot of people before me over many years with trial/error to get the right recipes and way to feed particular fish. So we should not feel embarrassed about asking someone to SHOW us. A good LFS will gladly do it. They don’t have to come to your house, they can just show you how they feed their tanks. Take notes, ask until you get it. Unlike me, You might just avoid a GHA outbreak

Next was to assess the filtration itself. Since I run a really low tech system I try to use biological filtration vs. mechanical/chemical as much as possible. This is what I have changed/added:

My ReefMat Roller - I have increased the inches it moves forward so less “used mat” is sitting in the water.

The original black wire sponge that's designated into a slot separating the baffle into the main pump area (Red Rea Design). The main function, per Red Sea, was to reduce bubbles from the skimmer, but I don’t have a skimmer. It does catch schmutz so I clean it bi-weekly. However, it is a pain to try and get deep enough to the middle of the sponge to clean. So I cut it in half/horizontally and added a two-ply (green) piece of filter floss over the top. I change that out every 3 days. I use Chemi-Pure Blue and change the bag out monthly. Other than that, I only had about 3 lbs. of TBS rubble rock in a basket.

Now that I had addressed mechanical filtration, I wanted to really step-up my biological. I ordered some DNA level testing and also added some live product to reseed my tanks.

TESTING:

AquaBiomics: I had heard about them through BRS, but didn't take it seriously for myself until I saw Remy @BahamaLlamaCoral, @reefbuilders us it for his Red Sea Tank. He got Salem Clemons to read the reports and help him decipher. I had commented on the video and Remy told me to send him my results. So maybe, if I am really lucky, Salem will also read it and give me actionable feedback as well.

AquaBiomics analyzes DNA sequences from aquarium samples to test the effects of additives and husbandry practices on the aquarium microbiome. They offer two different tests, I got both.

Microbiome Test: Identify the microbes in your tank and measure their relative abundance; determine whether the community in your aquarium is normal or atypical. Develop custom strategies for adjusting your tank’s microbiome. Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.
Tank DNA Test: Provides a snapshot of the eukaryotic (non-Bacterial) community in your tank. Screens for parasites before adding new livestock to your tank. Diagnose the causes of non-bacterial, fish or coral diseases. Identify nuisance algae like dinoflagellates or diatoms Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.

LIVE PRODUCTS:
AquaBiomics also sells Live Sand from the Gulf of Mexico. They test each batch using DNA sequencing to confirm it has a diverse microbial community. A complete nitrifying community with both ammonia and nitrite oxidizers. NO bacterial pathogens, NO parasites of fish or coraI. I purchased two, 1lbs jars and it barely clouded my system for more than 10 minutes. It came with a 3 page analysis, I attached just the first page here.

Top Shelf Aquatics: Wild Reef Pre-Seeded Bio Media. Matured in one of their long-standing cryptic raceways containing a diverse blend of natural live rock for a minimum of two months. This will add more bacteria for nitrification and denitrification. As an added benefit, this media contains beneficial microfauna. I purchased a dozen balls and also IceCaps really cool bioball holder that is super compact and takes up very little space. This is important since the Red Sea sump is very small.

It will be interesting to see what the first and second test results come back with. Hopefully, I will have made the correct changes from the first test along with what I have already done.

Live Sand Report.jpg Screenshot (6).png
 
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Tank Update:

Now that I have started to really increase my bio-load with more fish and more to come over the next 3 months, I needed to reassess my filtration overall as some of my numbers had gotten higher than I like and was noticing a lot more buildup on glass and rocks.

The first thing I have been working on, has been my feeding routine. Even though I had taken a fair amount of time reading/watching videos on the right type of food for each fish/higher quality fish food with less waste/didn’t raise my numbers/and how to actually prepare the food; I was doing it all wrong (other than buying good quality food).

And how did I know I was so off-base? I volunteer at the LFS that services my tank and over the course of a week, watched how the owner fed the tanks. It couldn’t have been more different than what I was doing. The quantity, the way it was prepared; the way it was presented. You're probably wondering why they didn't instruct me better initially? Well, he did explain it verbally to me, each time I purchased a new type of food. But I am not an auditory learner, I am a visual learner. LOL. So this week during my 3-week water change service, I got all the food out, the containers and asked Dylan to prepare 3 days worth of both meat and pellet in two different containers. Gobsmacked is the word that comes to mind. No wonder my numbers were up, no wonder I wasn’t getting the feeding response I should have!

Why tell you all this in so much detail? Nobody wants to feel like they don’t understand when given instructions, especially if they have actually asked follow-up questions. This is not an easy hobby and it took a lot of people before me over many years with trial/error to get the right recipes and way to feed particular fish. So we should not feel embarrassed about asking someone to SHOW us. A good LFS will gladly do it. They don’t have to come to your house, they can just show you how they feed their tanks. Take notes, ask until you get it. Unlike me, You might just avoid a GHA outbreak

Next was to assess the filtration itself. Since I run a really low tech system I try to use biological filtration vs. mechanical/chemical as much as possible. This is what I have changed/added:

My ReefMat Roller - I have increased the inches it moves forward so less “used mat” is sitting in the water.

The original black wire sponge that's designated into a slot separating the baffle into the main pump area (Red Rea Design). The main function, per Red Sea, was to reduce bubbles from the skimmer, but I don’t have a skimmer. It does catch schmutz so I clean it bi-weekly. However, it is a pain to try and get deep enough to the middle of the sponge to clean. So I cut it in half/horizontally and added a two-ply (green) piece of filter floss over the top. I change that out every 3 days. I use Chemi-Pure Blue and change the bag out monthly. Other than that, I only had about 3 lbs. of TBS rubble rock in a basket.

Now that I had addressed mechanical filtration, I wanted to really step-up my biological. I ordered some DNA level testing and also added some live product to reseed my tanks.

TESTING:
AquaBiomics: I had heard about AquaBiomics through BRS, but didn’t take it seriously for myself until I saw @Remy @ReefBuilders use it for his new tank. He got @salem to read the reports and help him decipher. I had commented on the video and Remy told me to send him my results. So maybe, if I am really lucky, Salem will also read it and give me actionable feedback as well.

AquaBiomics analyzes DNA sequences from aquarium samples to test the effects of additives and husbandry practices on the aquarium microbiome. They offer two different tests, I got both.

Microbiome Test: Identify the microbes in your tank and measure their relative abundance; determine whether the community in your aquarium is normal or atypical. Develop custom strategies for adjusting your tank’s microbiome. Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.
Tank DNA Test: Provides a snapshot of the eukaryotic (non-Bacterial) community in your tank. Screens for parasites before adding new livestock to your tank. Diagnose the causes of non-bacterial, fish or coral diseases. Identify nuisance algae like dinoflagellates or diatoms Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.

LIVE PRODUCTS:
AquaBiomics also sells Live Sand from the Gulf of Mexico. They test each batch using DNA sequencing to confirm it has a diverse microbial community. A complete nitrifying community with both ammonia and nitrite oxidizers. NO bacterial pathogens, NO parasites of fish or coraI. I purchased two, 1lbs jars and it barely clouded my system for more than 10 minutes. It came with a 3 page analysis, I attached just the first page here.

Top Shelf Aquatics: Wild Reef Pre-Seeded Bio Media. Matured in one of their long-standing cryptic raceways containing a diverse blend of natural live rock for a minimum of two months. This will add more bacteria for nitrification and denitrification. As an added benefit, this media contains beneficial microfauna. I purchased a dozen balls and also IceCaps really cool bioball holder that is super compact and takes up very little space. This is important since the Red Sea sump is very small.

It will be interesting to see what the first and second test results come back with. Hopefully, I will have made the correct changes from the first test along with what I have already done.

Live Sand Report.jpg Screenshot (6).png
Yet another great update! I really like the look of the bio ball rack!
 

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Tank Update:

Now that I have started to really increase my bio-load with more fish and more to come over the next 3 months, I needed to reassess my filtration overall as some of my numbers had gotten higher than I like and was noticing a lot more buildup on glass and rocks.

The first thing I have been working on, has been my feeding routine. Even though I had taken a fair amount of time reading/watching videos on the right type of food for each fish/higher quality fish food with less waste/didn’t raise my numbers/and how to actually prepare the food; I was doing it all wrong (other than buying good quality food).

And how did I know I was so off-base? I volunteer at the LFS that services my tank and over the course of a week, watched how the owner fed the tanks. It couldn’t have been more different than what I was doing. The quantity, the way it was prepared; the way it was presented. You're probably wondering why they didn't instruct me better initially? Well, he did explain it verbally to me, each time I purchased a new type of food. But I am not an auditory learner, I am a visual learner. LOL. So this week during my 3-week water change service, I got all the food out, the containers and asked Dylan to prepare 3 days worth of both meat and pellet in two different containers. Gobsmacked is the word that comes to mind. No wonder my numbers were up, no wonder I wasn’t getting the feeding response I should have!

Why tell you all this in so much detail? Nobody wants to feel like they don’t understand when given instructions, especially if they have actually asked follow-up questions. This is not an easy hobby and it took a lot of people before me over many years with trial/error to get the right recipes and way to feed particular fish. So we should not feel embarrassed about asking someone to SHOW us. A good LFS will gladly do it. They don’t have to come to your house, they can just show you how they feed their tanks. Take notes, ask until you get it. Unlike me, You might just avoid a GHA outbreak

Next was to assess the filtration itself. Since I run a really low tech system I try to use biological filtration vs. mechanical/chemical as much as possible. This is what I have changed/added:

My ReefMat Roller - I have increased the inches it moves forward so less “used mat” is sitting in the water.

The original black wire sponge that's designated into a slot separating the baffle into the main pump area (Red Rea Design). The main function, per Red Sea, was to reduce bubbles from the skimmer, but I don’t have a skimmer. It does catch schmutz so I clean it bi-weekly. However, it is a pain to try and get deep enough to the middle of the sponge to clean. So I cut it in half/horizontally and added a two-ply (green) piece of filter floss over the top. I change that out every 3 days. I use Chemi-Pure Blue and change the bag out monthly. Other than that, I only had about 3 lbs. of TBS rubble rock in a basket.

Now that I had addressed mechanical filtration, I wanted to really step-up my biological. I ordered some DNA level testing and also added some live product to reseed my tanks.

TESTING:
AquaBiomics: I had heard about AquaBiomics through BRS, but didn’t take it seriously for myself until I saw Remy @BahamaLlamaCoral, #ReefBuilders use #ReefBuildersd Sea Tank. He got Salem Clemons to read the reports and help him decipher. I had commented on the video and Remy told me to send him my results. So maybe, if I am really lucky, Salem will also read it and give me actionable feedback as well.

AquaBiomics analyzes DNA sequences from aquarium samples to test the effects of additives and husbandry practices on the aquarium microbiome. They offer two different tests, I got both.

Microbiome Test: Identify the microbes in your tank and measure their relative abundance; determine whether the community in your aquarium is normal or atypical. Develop custom strategies for adjusting your tank’s microbiome. Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.
Tank DNA Test: Provides a snapshot of the eukaryotic (non-Bacterial) community in your tank. Screens for parasites before adding new livestock to your tank. Diagnose the causes of non-bacterial, fish or coral diseases. Identify nuisance algae like dinoflagellates or diatoms Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.

LIVE PRODUCTS:
AquaBiomics also sells Live Sand from the Gulf of Mexico. They test each batch using DNA sequencing to confirm it has a diverse microbial community. A complete nitrifying community with both ammonia and nitrite oxidizers. NO bacterial pathogens, NO parasites of fish or coraI. I purchased two, 1lbs jars and it barely clouded my system for more than 10 minutes. It came with a 3 page analysis, I attached just the first page here.

Top Shelf Aquatics: Wild Reef Pre-Seeded Bio Media. Matured in one of their long-standing cryptic raceways containing a diverse blend of natural live rock for a minimum of two months. This will add more bacteria for nitrification and denitrification. As an added benefit, this media contains beneficial microfauna. I purchased a dozen balls and also IceCaps really cool bioball holder that is super compact and takes up very little space. This is important since the Red Sea sump is very small.

It will be interesting to see what the first and second test results come back with. Hopefully, I will have made the correct changes from the first test along with what I have already done.

Live Sand Report.jpg Screenshot (6).png
Nice !
Very detailed and well written as usual.
Was going to try the bio ball rack for fun so let me know how it goes!
 
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ESABOE

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Nice !
Very detailed and well written as usual.
Was going to try the bio ball rack for fun so let me know how it goes!
Thanks Joel. It's really compact and very cool looking. Bioballs will be here in about a week. I'll for sure let you know.
 
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Yet another great update! I really like the look of the bio ball rack!
Thanks Amanda. It looks even better in person. Once I get the bioballs I will set it up and post a photo.
 

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Tank Update:

Now that I have started to really increase my bio-load with more fish and more to come over the next 3 months, I needed to reassess my filtration overall as some of my numbers had gotten higher than I like and was noticing a lot more buildup on glass and rocks.

The first thing I have been working on, has been my feeding routine. Even though I had taken a fair amount of time reading/watching videos on the right type of food for each fish/higher quality fish food with less waste/didn’t raise my numbers/and how to actually prepare the food; I was doing it all wrong (other than buying good quality food).

And how did I know I was so off-base? I volunteer at the LFS that services my tank and over the course of a week, watched how the owner fed the tanks. It couldn’t have been more different than what I was doing. The quantity, the way it was prepared; the way it was presented. You're probably wondering why they didn't instruct me better initially? Well, he did explain it verbally to me, each time I purchased a new type of food. But I am not an auditory learner, I am a visual learner. LOL. So this week during my 3-week water change service, I got all the food out, the containers and asked Dylan to prepare 3 days worth of both meat and pellet in two different containers. Gobsmacked is the word that comes to mind. No wonder my numbers were up, no wonder I wasn’t getting the feeding response I should have!

Why tell you all this in so much detail? Nobody wants to feel like they don’t understand when given instructions, especially if they have actually asked follow-up questions. This is not an easy hobby and it took a lot of people before me over many years with trial/error to get the right recipes and way to feed particular fish. So we should not feel embarrassed about asking someone to SHOW us. A good LFS will gladly do it. They don’t have to come to your house, they can just show you how they feed their tanks. Take notes, ask until you get it. Unlike me, You might just avoid a GHA outbreak

Next was to assess the filtration itself. Since I run a really low tech system I try to use biological filtration vs. mechanical/chemical as much as possible. This is what I have changed/added:

My ReefMat Roller - I have increased the inches it moves forward so less “used mat” is sitting in the water.

The original black wire sponge that's designated into a slot separating the baffle into the main pump area (Red Rea Design). The main function, per Red Sea, was to reduce bubbles from the skimmer, but I don’t have a skimmer. It does catch schmutz so I clean it bi-weekly. However, it is a pain to try and get deep enough to the middle of the sponge to clean. So I cut it in half/horizontally and added a two-ply (green) piece of filter floss over the top. I change that out every 3 days. I use Chemi-Pure Blue and change the bag out monthly. Other than that, I only had about 3 lbs. of TBS rubble rock in a basket.

Now that I had addressed mechanical filtration, I wanted to really step-up my biological. I ordered some DNA level testing and also added some live product to reseed my tanks.

TESTING:

AquaBiomics: I had heard about them through BRS, but didn't take it seriously for myself until I saw Remy @BahamaLlamaCoral, @reefbuilders us it for his Red Sea Tank. He got Salem Clemons to read the reports and help him decipher. I had commented on the video and Remy told me to send him my results. So maybe, if I am really lucky, Salem will also read it and give me actionable feedback as well.

AquaBiomics analyzes DNA sequences from aquarium samples to test the effects of additives and husbandry practices on the aquarium microbiome. They offer two different tests, I got both.

Microbiome Test: Identify the microbes in your tank and measure their relative abundance; determine whether the community in your aquarium is normal or atypical. Develop custom strategies for adjusting your tank’s microbiome. Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.
Tank DNA Test: Provides a snapshot of the eukaryotic (non-Bacterial) community in your tank. Screens for parasites before adding new livestock to your tank. Diagnose the causes of non-bacterial, fish or coral diseases. Identify nuisance algae like dinoflagellates or diatoms Send a new test 2 months later to see if the changes you made worked.

LIVE PRODUCTS:
AquaBiomics also sells Live Sand from the Gulf of Mexico. They test each batch using DNA sequencing to confirm it has a diverse microbial community. A complete nitrifying community with both ammonia and nitrite oxidizers. NO bacterial pathogens, NO parasites of fish or coraI. I purchased two, 1lbs jars and it barely clouded my system for more than 10 minutes. It came with a 3 page analysis, I attached just the first page here.

Top Shelf Aquatics: Wild Reef Pre-Seeded Bio Media. Matured in one of their long-standing cryptic raceways containing a diverse blend of natural live rock for a minimum of two months. This will add more bacteria for nitrification and denitrification. As an added benefit, this media contains beneficial microfauna. I purchased a dozen balls and also IceCaps really cool bioball holder that is super compact and takes up very little space. This is important since the Red Sea sump is very small.

It will be interesting to see what the first and second test results come back with. Hopefully, I will have made the correct changes from the first test along with what I have already done.

Live Sand Report.jpg Screenshot (6).png
Me waiting for details on how to feed:
Happy Chris Pratt GIF


But it was just a tease! We need MORE details @ESABOE!
 

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5 Month Tank Update - Part 2 Photos:

Here is part two with photos of tank to go along with part one’s written update Once I have the new AI blades setup next week, I will take more detailed photos with full color spectrum and also give updates on each of the corals featured.





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What is the coral in the 7th picture called?
 

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What is the coral in the 7th picture called?
It's either a Goniopora or Alveopora. Colors lead me to believe Alveopora but lashes look Goni. Maybe it's a Bernadopora. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:
 

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This is Jesse again! Thanks for sharing your tank thread with Kat & I.
What a wonderful journey so far!! Your fish and coral selection so far are great & I can’t wait to see how things continue to mature. Wrasses are by far my favorite fish. You’re inspiring me to possibly take some tank pictures of my own this weekend to post! I’ll need to clean some glass first though for sure! :face-with-tears-of-joy:
 
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This is Jesse again! Thanks for sharing your tank thread with Kat & I.
What a wonderful journey so far!! Your fish and coral selection so far are great & I can’t wait to see how things continue to mature. Wrasses are by far my favorite fish. You’re inspiring me to possibly take some tank pictures of my own this weekend to post! I’ll need to clean some glass first though for sure! :face-with-tears-of-joy:
Hi Jesse! Glad we found each other. Thank you on liking my lil reef; I’m nowhere near your level on selection and placement of corals, but it’s like a never-finished piece of canvas.

Yes, clean the glass and take those pictures!
 

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I call this tank my Grateful Journey Tank, because I am grateful for all the people I have met, and those I didn’t but feel like they are friends as I’ve watched their videos over and over. And, its been a journey in my life and continues as I focus my thoughts on something magical and something I am responsible for in keeping alive and thriving.

So, Who Made This Tank Possible? Well, here is just a small list of the key people:

I actually attended the special dinner during the event and Vic made sure I got my beer tickets!!! Also, during that dinner I wandered around looking where to sit, feeling like I was in high school, not feeling confident enough to join the cool kids (vendors) tables until I came across an open seat next to a woman I want to thank next.

3) To Pooja ‘Kat’ Dhawan from Brightwell Aquatics who welcomed me to the RAP dinner table and made me feel like a friend coming to visit. Kat has been involved in the industry in various companies and also RAP. Her breadth of knowledge, enthusiasm, and advice was generously given to me and it solidified that I had found my people in this crazy world of reefing. She even shared an Uber on the way back to the hotel and told me what booths to visit the next day. Of course she went above and beyond and walked me over to UNS booth and made sure someone there walked me through their newest saltwater systems. Unfortunately, I forgot to get her contact info so couldn’t send her a proper thank you. If anyone knows her, please send this post her way.

So if I have piqued your interest, join me in this journey of little oceans in our homes.

Yay! I found you! Or actually you found me first on IG. Thank YOU for your kind words, I can't believe nobody pinged me about your post. Come on R2R!! @revhtree

You said it exactly right - this is a journey. It's utterly rewarding to see every little asternia starfish crawl out of nowhere, the challenges, the successes, the joy, oh the joy! I'm excited for all the firsts you have no doubt discovered and those that are still to come.

-Kat
 

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This is Jesse again! Thanks for sharing your tank thread with Kat & I.
What a wonderful journey so far!! Your fish and coral selection so far are great & I can’t wait to see how things continue to mature. Wrasses are by far my favorite fish. You’re inspiring me to possibly take some tank pictures of my own this weekend to post! I’ll need to clean some glass first though for sure! :face-with-tears-of-joy:
<3
 

Reefing threads: Do you wear gear from reef brands?

  • I wear reef gear everywhere.

    Votes: 20 14.2%
  • I wear reef gear primarily at fish events and my LFS.

    Votes: 10 7.1%
  • I wear reef gear primarily for water changes and tank maintenance.

    Votes: 1 0.7%
  • I wear reef gear primarily to relax where I live.

    Votes: 22 15.6%
  • I don’t wear gear from reef brands.

    Votes: 78 55.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 10 7.1%
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