- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
- Messages
- 402
- Reaction score
- 423
Hello!
Welcome to my Beachside B&B, complete with a reef tank. Well, soon to be complete with a reef tank. I'm currently deployed to Qatar for the moment, and I'm using this time to plan out my next tank build! Which means I'm stalking lots of other members' posts, build threads, product reviews and the like. So until I get home, there won't be a lot of videos or pictures, but once I do get back, I'll be documenting the entire process.
So let's start off with some background. I used to live in DC where I had a 120g mixed reef DT with a 40B sump. This was an upgrade from the 40g I had when I lived in Miami, but there, I got a lot of my fish, invertebrates, and rocks from the ocean (I had a collector's license). In both cases, my equipment and budget were limited, and my level of care was less detail oriented. My 120g DT successfully kept lots of beautiful softies and LPS, but my success was limited outside of the easiest SPS. But my equipment was all used, thrown together with little planning, and honestly not nearly sufficient for SPS care.
Then I moved to Norfolk for work (Navy civilian; Army Reservist) and bought a condo. I decided to do a lot of renovations to the condo, and as a result, put the entire tank into storage, and gave the livestock to friends (@DCReefer!). Everytime I thought I was ready to set it up, something happened, I got activated or sent away for a significant time, etc. Like now, where I'm serving on a year deployment. But now I'm on the tail end of the deployment and I'm ready to come home. I'm also in a better place then I was when I lived in DC, and I can affored to plan for a nicer system. So I'm watching videos (THANK YOU to melevsreef, BRS, and MrSaltwaterTank), planning out my system and the equipment I'll need.
So here are my goals:
1. A 120 or 90g mixed reef LPS-dominant DT.
2. A fish room in the storage area under my stairs that will share a wall with the DT.
3. A ULM design that incorporates automated systems to allow for vacation, travel, and my active lifestyle.
4. A redundant system that provides peace of mind for my condo and livestock.
5. Responsible livestock choices that meet the above goals and also support environmentally responsible sources.
As I move forward, I'll post my planning, ideas, etc here. And I welcome the R2R community's input. Thank you for following me on this journey, and I look forward to enjoying my tank!
Welcome to my Beachside B&B, complete with a reef tank. Well, soon to be complete with a reef tank. I'm currently deployed to Qatar for the moment, and I'm using this time to plan out my next tank build! Which means I'm stalking lots of other members' posts, build threads, product reviews and the like. So until I get home, there won't be a lot of videos or pictures, but once I do get back, I'll be documenting the entire process.
So let's start off with some background. I used to live in DC where I had a 120g mixed reef DT with a 40B sump. This was an upgrade from the 40g I had when I lived in Miami, but there, I got a lot of my fish, invertebrates, and rocks from the ocean (I had a collector's license). In both cases, my equipment and budget were limited, and my level of care was less detail oriented. My 120g DT successfully kept lots of beautiful softies and LPS, but my success was limited outside of the easiest SPS. But my equipment was all used, thrown together with little planning, and honestly not nearly sufficient for SPS care.
Then I moved to Norfolk for work (Navy civilian; Army Reservist) and bought a condo. I decided to do a lot of renovations to the condo, and as a result, put the entire tank into storage, and gave the livestock to friends (@DCReefer!). Everytime I thought I was ready to set it up, something happened, I got activated or sent away for a significant time, etc. Like now, where I'm serving on a year deployment. But now I'm on the tail end of the deployment and I'm ready to come home. I'm also in a better place then I was when I lived in DC, and I can affored to plan for a nicer system. So I'm watching videos (THANK YOU to melevsreef, BRS, and MrSaltwaterTank), planning out my system and the equipment I'll need.
So here are my goals:
1. A 120 or 90g mixed reef LPS-dominant DT.
2. A fish room in the storage area under my stairs that will share a wall with the DT.
3. A ULM design that incorporates automated systems to allow for vacation, travel, and my active lifestyle.
4. A redundant system that provides peace of mind for my condo and livestock.
5. Responsible livestock choices that meet the above goals and also support environmentally responsible sources.
As I move forward, I'll post my planning, ideas, etc here. And I welcome the R2R community's input. Thank you for following me on this journey, and I look forward to enjoying my tank!
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