Seamore2001
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2019
- Messages
- 432
- Reaction score
- 564
Hi All,
I wanted to say hi and briefly introduce myself. I've been lurking for a little while on R2R as I have slowly (or not so slowly) re-caught the reef bug.
I've lived around the water for much of my life and have kept a number of aquariums off and on (on for the last 20 odd years) for most of my life. I've recently returned to reefs, having set up my first one nearly 15 years after I took down my last. In the interim I've been doing fresh water tanks, which are a whole lot easier to maintain when you're raising kids and have a career that takes you away from home for a week or two at a time multiple times throughout the year.
I got back into reefs in an odd way - I had bought, on a whim, a couple of Figure 8 puffers for an extra tank I had sitting around. I'm familiar with Fig 8s but hadn't really been paying attention carefully enough when I bought them, because as I realized after I'd brought them home and settled them into their tank, I'd actually bought a pair of Green Spotted Puffers, which require very different care for Fig 8s, which I would not be able to provide in their initial tank. So, the hunt was on for a new larger tank and equipment for them.
One thing about GSPs is that they not only tolerate, but thrive in full marine conditions. As I searched Craigslist for tanks and equipment, I kept on running across reefers breaking down and selling off their tanks. I was starting to get an itch, and started to scratch it. So, a 50 gal was purchased (marginal for a pair of GSPs, but it'll work for a while), and then a 39 rimless with integrated sump. The GSPs were rapidly acclimated to full marine salinity and various nostrums were purchased to speed a cycle.
Long story short, the GSPs are now living in a reef with a number of zoos, xenia and leathers. Their colors are brighter and they are very active. So far they've not proved un-reef safe to corals, though they love the pods coming from the refugium. Hopefully things will remain calm, but if not, I suppose I can go back to Craigslist and buy out another ex-reefer and set up another tank!
Anyway, I came to R2R because I realized that the hobby has come a long way since I was last active. Equipment is much cheaper (especially lights) and there's a lot more accumulated knowledge now. For me, half the fun of keeping a reef is learning about the animals I'm keeping and how to maintain the ecosystem well. R2R looks like a great community to learn from, so I'm glad I discovered this community.
I wanted to say hi and briefly introduce myself. I've been lurking for a little while on R2R as I have slowly (or not so slowly) re-caught the reef bug.
I've lived around the water for much of my life and have kept a number of aquariums off and on (on for the last 20 odd years) for most of my life. I've recently returned to reefs, having set up my first one nearly 15 years after I took down my last. In the interim I've been doing fresh water tanks, which are a whole lot easier to maintain when you're raising kids and have a career that takes you away from home for a week or two at a time multiple times throughout the year.
I got back into reefs in an odd way - I had bought, on a whim, a couple of Figure 8 puffers for an extra tank I had sitting around. I'm familiar with Fig 8s but hadn't really been paying attention carefully enough when I bought them, because as I realized after I'd brought them home and settled them into their tank, I'd actually bought a pair of Green Spotted Puffers, which require very different care for Fig 8s, which I would not be able to provide in their initial tank. So, the hunt was on for a new larger tank and equipment for them.
One thing about GSPs is that they not only tolerate, but thrive in full marine conditions. As I searched Craigslist for tanks and equipment, I kept on running across reefers breaking down and selling off their tanks. I was starting to get an itch, and started to scratch it. So, a 50 gal was purchased (marginal for a pair of GSPs, but it'll work for a while), and then a 39 rimless with integrated sump. The GSPs were rapidly acclimated to full marine salinity and various nostrums were purchased to speed a cycle.
Long story short, the GSPs are now living in a reef with a number of zoos, xenia and leathers. Their colors are brighter and they are very active. So far they've not proved un-reef safe to corals, though they love the pods coming from the refugium. Hopefully things will remain calm, but if not, I suppose I can go back to Craigslist and buy out another ex-reefer and set up another tank!
Anyway, I came to R2R because I realized that the hobby has come a long way since I was last active. Equipment is much cheaper (especially lights) and there's a lot more accumulated knowledge now. For me, half the fun of keeping a reef is learning about the animals I'm keeping and how to maintain the ecosystem well. R2R looks like a great community to learn from, so I'm glad I discovered this community.
