AquaNerd1
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
My name is Brandon, and I'm new to Reef2Reef. I've been a addicted to this hobby for several years...so much so that I got my bachelor's degree in marine biology and pretty much live and breath saltwater aquariums.
My first saltwater aquarium was an 80-gallon tank that I had at my parents in high school. I quickly upgraded to a 90-gallon reef ready, not much of a jump in volume I know, but at least this tank was reef ready unlike the other one. I stayed with this setup for a few years, filling it up with a variety of corals and fish, including at one point a stunning blue spot jawfish.
After graduating, I moved back to my hometown, got an apartment, and set up a custom 180-gallon tank. I experimented a lot with this tank, trying out ZEOvit, switching back and forth between T5HO lighting and Metal Halides, and lots of other things. The tank survived Hurricane Ike, though I did try to rescue some livestock from hobbyists that weren't so lucky. It bit me in the butt to say the least. I had to battle with all sorts of issues because of this.
Last year, I broke the tank down and sold off most of my livestock and equipment. I had bought a new house and was preparing for the move. I planned on doing an upgrade once I moved in, but that's been almost a year and I've yet to build it. I've been jonesing for an aquarium big time. To keep my passion alive though, I started blogging. I formed the AquaNerd Blog (http://blog.aquanerd.com) in May '09 and I've been doing it ever since.
Currently, I am assembling a frag/growout tank. It's around 80 gallons and is 16" tall. It has been a fun build, but has taken me quite a long time because I've been very busy at work. All I have left to do though is get a return pump and plumb it in and I'm done. The big display tank is coming soon too. I have to remove the carpet in our dining room and replace it with tile or some other hard flooring before it can officially get started, but I've been collecting equipment for it for over a year.
I will cut it short there. But I plan on sticking around R2R and hopefully I'll get to know a few of you.
My name is Brandon, and I'm new to Reef2Reef. I've been a addicted to this hobby for several years...so much so that I got my bachelor's degree in marine biology and pretty much live and breath saltwater aquariums.
My first saltwater aquarium was an 80-gallon tank that I had at my parents in high school. I quickly upgraded to a 90-gallon reef ready, not much of a jump in volume I know, but at least this tank was reef ready unlike the other one. I stayed with this setup for a few years, filling it up with a variety of corals and fish, including at one point a stunning blue spot jawfish.
After graduating, I moved back to my hometown, got an apartment, and set up a custom 180-gallon tank. I experimented a lot with this tank, trying out ZEOvit, switching back and forth between T5HO lighting and Metal Halides, and lots of other things. The tank survived Hurricane Ike, though I did try to rescue some livestock from hobbyists that weren't so lucky. It bit me in the butt to say the least. I had to battle with all sorts of issues because of this.
Last year, I broke the tank down and sold off most of my livestock and equipment. I had bought a new house and was preparing for the move. I planned on doing an upgrade once I moved in, but that's been almost a year and I've yet to build it. I've been jonesing for an aquarium big time. To keep my passion alive though, I started blogging. I formed the AquaNerd Blog (http://blog.aquanerd.com) in May '09 and I've been doing it ever since.
Currently, I am assembling a frag/growout tank. It's around 80 gallons and is 16" tall. It has been a fun build, but has taken me quite a long time because I've been very busy at work. All I have left to do though is get a return pump and plumb it in and I'm done. The big display tank is coming soon too. I have to remove the carpet in our dining room and replace it with tile or some other hard flooring before it can officially get started, but I've been collecting equipment for it for over a year.
I will cut it short there. But I plan on sticking around R2R and hopefully I'll get to know a few of you.
