This fun interview was filmed at MACNA 2014, discussing the new Gyre pump. Carlos was fun to mess with too.
This is a presentation I gave at MACNA San Diego in 2016. Setting up a well-designed fishroom will make your hobby experience more enjoyable. I discuss everything from the ground up to the ceiling, and beyond. :)
Here's my talk that I gave at MACNA this year in New Orleans.
9-15-2017: After more than 3.5 years of growth, some colonies were dominating the aquarium blocking light and impeding flow. Duane helped me with this project, which involved cutting out the huge corals and planting smaller choice bits to reset the reef. It's not an easy task, and mentally it can be challenging as well.
Due to the abundance of emails, it was time to put some pictures on the site. Here are a number of items I use to build the sumps and other acrylic wares I fabricate. While not everything is absolutely necessary, I find that if you have the right tools on hand, your end result will be better. Keeping track of all these items can be a task, since they scatter during the construction phase...
I bought a new lens for my D90 today. I've been having a problem using any of my lenses for topdown photography, even though I've lowered the corals to the rockwork in my recent reef reset.
The camera wouldn't focus, and I couldn't even press the shutter button. It was one of those annoying things I've been putting up with for a long time, raising the camera more and more away from the subject. The minimum focal distance was the hurdle.
There are a few ways to accomplish the top flange (the rim or one-piece euro-brace) of a sump. Originally, I would build the sump, squeeze in pieces of wood inside the upper edge of the sump, and use a router with a ball bearing guide to trace the lumber. This was tedious, and cutting wood for each sump would end up costing too much.
"Uh-oh, I think I might have AEFW..." I saw this statement several years ago. I wasn't too concerned, and thought it wasn't a big deal. Later, I discovered my favorite SPS coral was fading fast, the color literally leaving the coral more and more daily. Staring at the coral, nothing looked wrong with it other than it being faded. It was polyped out, and seemed to grow at the regular pace. Still, I was concerned.