Back in November 2013, I set up the 400g anew after a very long wait for the aquarium to arrive. I got my rockwork just right, added my corals, adjusted the lighting period, and tended to my reef. My general rule is keep my hands out of the tank, something I tell people often. Here's the reef, two years later. Some things have obviously moved, but the majority of what you see is what I had back then, just smaller.
I took this picture yesterday, and once I pulled out the blue fog via Lightroom, I was blown away by how pretty this coral is. I see it from the front of the tank all the time, but I just don't get up on the walkboard to gaze down into my reef nearly enough. Hope you like it as much as I do.
Testing is something I always recommend to anyone, especially if their tank is seemingly off. But what about testing when everything is right? When talking to Joe Yaiullo of the Atlantis Aquarium (formerly the Long Island Aquarium), he mentioned how he tests repeatedly to make sure the results he gets are accurate. Specifically, if salinity is dead on, he tests again and again to make sure that it's actually correct and not a false sense of security. As he pointed out, when we see the numbers we like, we don't retest.
From October 2014 to October 2015, here's how my reef has changed for the better.
Yesterday I made this comparison image of my reef, showing where it was Oct 2014 and where it is now. People often ask me how I'm able to grow it out like this, and the first thing I say is "I keep my hands out of the tank as much as possible." Also, I don't frag stuff (although I will be soon). I like to let everything grow nice and big, and only interact to move things if necessary. I definitely never overreact when I see a problem.
Today my reef turns 23 months old. I've still got plenty to do: Install the NYOS protein skimmer, plumb in the Vectra L1 return pump, and get a new frag system built. Here's a picture of the two tanks side by side.
More images and discussion about today is here on ReefAddicts.com: http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/29287-Month-23-Day-690
Not a week goes by I don't see new things I like and want to use for my aquarium, and whenever that happens the next step is adding it to my shop for customers to use as well. I just got in a new order from Two Little Fishies today, which included Magnesium Pronto and AccuraSea. These two items will be very useful: The first one is a Magnesium Supplement that is mixed up at the proper ratio, the second item is to calibrate your refractometer to 35ppt the way you are supposed to do it. Here are the links...
Instead of a write up with pictures, this year I opted to shoot video. It was a fun event, and I ran into a lot of friends as well as a bunch of happy hobbyists bursting with excitement. People get re-energized by the three day event, and find their passion for reefkeeping back in the forefront of their minds. See for yourself.
