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Excel at what you do

melev — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 21:46:33 +0000

Excel at what you do melev Sat, 04/29/2017 - 00:46

As I go through my daily routine, I often end up recalling things I've done in my past. They seem perfectly normal to me, but often others marvel at what I was able to accomplish. I tilt my head to the side and mentally try to see what they see, since I lived it and have my own somewhat biased perspective. What makes certain people more accomplished, more skilled, more worthy of praise? What makes them stand out, basically?

Honestly, all of us have the ability within ourselves to dream, to set goals and to attain those goals. We're born, we learn to crawl, we learn to walk, and so on. The more receptive we are, the more we can take in... which in turn we benefit from both individually as well as those in our immediate circle of family & friends. Put your mind to it, stick to it, and make it happen. Rarely will it happen without you, especially if it is your idea.

When I was a teenager, I worked in fast food. Getting paid hourly was nice, and having money in my pocket was the main goal. I didn't stop there, though. My manager showed me a drink chart and told me that whatever "level" we were alerted to, my job was to have a specific number of each flavored drink ready in a variety of sizes so the cashiers would be able to grab what they needed without delay. The chart was my guideline, but it didn't really match reality. Within 20 minutes, I'd already altered the list to a better suited collection of filled drinks and was able to meet the demand with ease. My boss noticed what I'd done, and I was quickly promoted to a different task. And that was on my first day there. What I ended up doing was learning each position, making myself more valuable for the weekly schedule, and my favorite job was to actually make the sandwiches. Not only did I hone that skill, I wanted to be the fastest at it, while still serving a presentable meal I'd eat myself. Crazy fun. That's where Whopper Races came from, and people throughout the district (of restaurants) not only heard of it, but often challenged me to a race. You can guess who always won, right?

In my 20s, I started my own company because I wanted to be my own boss. I worked very hard at what I did, always trying my very best. I set the standards high, and usually reached them. When customers reacted with surprise, I'd tell them "That's what you asked me to do." They'd blurt out "Sure, but I never thought you'd actually do it." They wanted something done a certain way, and when I did it as expected, they were surprised. Crazy, but true. I was born mechanically inclined, and have a general knack at figuring out how to make something from concept to reality.

Working hard, I've always cared about the quality of my work. I wanted it to be the strongest it could be, the best looking, the longest lasting. Back in my years of framing homes and doing trim carpentry, I had no fear of nail guns to build things. The worst thing I was ever told (which happened from time to time) was that something had to be torn out and redone. I'd roll my eyes because I knew how long it would take for me (or a few of us) to tear apart what I'd built when my goal was for that thing to be solid for the next 20-30 years. Once we had to rip apart a mismeasured beam that was going to be the hip of a roofline, and 20 minutes later we were still trying to tear it apart because I'd nailed it 'for life.' Overall, it costs more in time and materials (and nails!) but I'd rather be living under a roof I trust than to hope it's okay -- 'good enough' isn't good enough for me.

Excelling at your (insert project here) will require focus and determination. That sounds obvious, yet clearly the majority don't get it.

This website has been a work in progress for the past 15 years, and it continues to grow one way or another. Documenting things I've done - right or wrong - has always been one of my main tenets to help others succeed as well as prevent making similar mistakes I've already made. Why repeat what doesn't work when it could be avoided in the first place? My mind is full of useful information and I try to share it via this site and other means, and love seeing how it has helped others with their lovely reefs. I care very deeply how our collective livestock is doing, as much as I care when I visit reefs while SCUBA diving. We have learned what these animals need to stay alive in our aquariums, and I feel that that knowledge makes us appreciate seeing them in the wild even moreso.

As we plan our next aquarium build, we usually spend more money on quality gear and take extra time to predict all the possibilities so we will not only enjoy that new setup, but know we can trust it. We possibly even take the project a little too far, considering it's our hobby and not our career. But that kind of critical thinking, that preparation for all things possible, the ideas of what is to come... it's contagious and motivational. I get excited seeing what others are building, and finding out why they are going that direction specifically.

When you answer other hobbyists' questions, give them your best answers. When you pick up your smartphone to take pictures of something to share, share your best pictures. When you tend to your aquarium, you want the best water, the perfect aquascape, the vivid colors of all types of livestock. If you do your best, others will always recognize that effort and appreciate it. Haven't tried this before? Start today, and you'll see the improvement in your overall attitude toward the world around you.

Even now, I'm trying to improve the quality of the acrylic work I do even though I've had years and years of experience. That passion for perfection drives me to try harder to keep my customers happy, one after the next. At the end of the day, I like knowing that I did my best. That's how I avoid having any regrets.

Happy reefing.

By the way, check out that picture at the top of this blog again. That's an Acropora millepora that completely encrusted over a ziptie. How cool is that?

Reef Blog

Ich - why do I never speak of it?

melev — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 19:20:21 +0000

Ich - why do I never speak of it? melev Mon, 01/09/2017 - 22:20

I've had people ask me how I deal with ich in my tank. Apparently they think I have a secret. I have bought all kinds of fish over the years, but you never hear about ich issues. Yet, based on posts by others it's like the majority of you are constantly suffering from this problem.

First of all, where do you buy your fish? I prefer to shop locally when I can, so I can see the fish in person and inspect their health. If I see spots, I'll pass. And keep in mind if multiple tanks shared a common sump, the fish in the neighboring tank that looks healthy could in fact be infected as well, even if they aren't displaying anything at the moment.

All my new acquisitions get a Safety Stop bath, which is a double bath process that takes about 2 hours to complete. I have a video about it on my youtube channel if you want to know more.

I feed my fish quite a bit, and endeavor to maintain stable water with minimal stress in the tank. In all the years I've been in the hobby, only one Yellow tang broke out with ich and it was dead within 24 hours flat. That was when I had my 55g reef running; I had a large blue atlantic tang that came with that tank and he harassed that brand new yellow, which essentially terrified the fish into a corner. I was planning to move it into a separate tank the next morning, but when I got up it was already dead. That incident was so fast. But none of the fish in that tank broke out in ich ever.

So that's the answer.

Originally I wanted to post a joke about this topic, but my desire to share useful information superseded that plan. So I will wrap this up with my humor now:

If you want to help a ich-covered fish, it's easy. Catch it and drop it inside the protein skimmer. That bubble wash will clean off any ich in no time. If you look at this picture of my skimmer, there are four snowflake clowns getting polished now and in another hour I'll pull them out. You can see all the ich came off. And it will end up in the collection cup. I hope this helps.

Reef Blog

When I was a boy

melev — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 14:14:19 +0000

When I was a boy melev Tue, 12/06/2016 - 17:14

I had a 20g Long as my first aquarium when I was 11 years old. Back then, the rule was 1" of fish per gallon, and I didn't like that rule. So instead of worrying about any fish, I decided to make it an invertebrate tank. There was no limit to how many you could add, which was awesome. I remember getting:

A mated pair of Coral Banded Shrimp
A Cleaner shrimp
Lots of hermit crabs
An Arrow Crab

I don't know what else I may have had in my first tank, but I do know that one day I woke up and everything was dead. It looked like armageddon in there. The arms were ripped off the Coral Banded Shrimp! I have no idea what happened, but I had to go to school. When I got home, the tank was gone. Odds are it was a copper poisoning situation since we used tap water to make our saltwater back then.

Later I got the opportunity to visit the island of Moorea, Tahiti. I swam in the lagoon waters every day while I was there, keenly observing every critter I could. I followed behind a Volitan Lionfish for 40 minutes until it finally swam away, annoyed that I was tailing it. My dad had two saltwater aquariums, which we would work on together on occasion. I remember helping him feed the predators: a grouper, a lionfish, an octopus, and an anemone. We used live goldfish for food.

Fast forward many years, I returned to the hobby the day I got my divorce finalized. I've been keeping saltwater creatures ever since.

Reef Blog

Mandarin art

melev — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 21:31:24 +0000

Mandarin art melev Wed, 11/30/2016 - 00:31

Just in time for the holidays, I received my mandarin ornament to hang on the Christmas tree. For now, it's here on my desk but next week when the tree goes up, this little guy will be adding some flair to the menagerie of items I've been collecting.

Reef Blog

Ocean-related in-home art

melev — Mon, 09 May 2016 19:56:17 +0000

Ocean-related in-home art melev Mon, 05/09/2016 - 22:56

I met a local artist at Dallas Comic Con events two years ago, and discovered she used to be in the saltwater hobby herself. Lhars Ebersold does some beautiful work, some of which I've shared from her Instagram account from time to time. This is her when she's not at a con.

I hired her to create some special light switch and outlet covers to dress things up here at Melev's Reef, and she did an incredible job. What I liked about these is that they look striking, add something different to the mundane, includes something I hold dear to my heart, and provides something interesting to see daily. Here are some pictures.

She arrived today with all these cover plates carefully packed from her trip across town, and brought along paint brushes, paint, jars... you'll see why in a second.

I removed all the old plates, and installed the new ones where each one was designated. They were designed for their specific needs. She then painted each screw head so they blend in, out of sight.

The guest bath that all visitors use got similar treatment...

Notice the human canvas board she uses. And maybe you'll recognize something else?

The smaller cover plate was made so a large plug from a hair dryer would fit without hitting any of the ceramic decor.

In the above picture, there are four switches. Two are lights, one is a vent and one is a heater. I asked her to come up with a creative way to mark the heater and vent fan. The octopus tentacle brings the heat, and the clam represents the vent (since they siphon water). Very cool!

The dining area has a new cover plate too.

I really love these, in case I didn't mention it yet.

Got one for another bathroom.

Having a 3-D light switch plate is so much nicer than what we usually have.

Here's a standard outlet cover plate near the 60g Anemone Cube.

When you leave, you'll spot another octopus on the way out.

If you like what you see, you can contact Lhars and order through her Etsy shop here: Etsy.com/shop/gorgondreams

Thanks Lhars, you did a fantastic job!

Reef Blog

A first time visitor

melev — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:31:00 +0000

A first time visitor melev Tue, 06/09/2015 - 13:31

Tonight a club member and customer of mine brought over a new hobbyist to pick up a RO/DI system. When he came to my door, he exclaimed "It's the guy from YouTube!" as I invited him inside. As we began to chat, he said "he sounds like his videos...." (how else should I sound? ) and began to gaze at the 400g and the Anemone Cube. He was excited to see my setup that he'd only seen via my youtube channel. Of course I had to clean the glass with a fresh pair of eyes eagerly studying everything closely.

After his initial excitement, we got to talking about his tanks and what they needed, equipment-wise. It's always nice to chat with other hobbyists, whether they are new or have been around for some time. He left with the 150gpd Boosted RO/DI system and a Vortech Mp40wQD amoung other things, and invited me to his home to see his setup next week. I'm glad my videos are reaching more and more people, since that content is there to help others with their husbandry.

Reef Blog

Hope you found that helpful

melev — Wed, 06 May 2015 12:20:00 +0000

Hope you found that helpful melev Wed, 05/06/2015 - 15:20

I appreciate you contacting me and hope you found the answers useful. Below is a donate button so you can give whatever you feel is appropriate for the time and knowledge involved. This is my full time job, running my online business, answering your questions, and maintaining this website full of articles. Your donation helps pay the bills and keep Spock fed. :)

Reef Blog

Happy fish

melev — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 03:16:00 +0000

Happy fish melev Sat, 03/28/2015 - 06:16

I just got back from a trip to California and was happy to see my reef alive and thriving. Here's a quick video of some of the fish and corals from today.

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Acropora spider

melev — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 00:06:00 +0000

Acropora spider melev Sat, 03/07/2015 - 03:06

When I hear about a new pest, I'm always curious to learn more. Here's a thread about a spider (Pycnogonid) that actually eats acropora tissue.

http://www.3reef.com/threads/sps-nightmare-pycnogonids.155311/

This is one creepy little beast. Apparently visible after lights out, using a flashlight and some heroic vision on your part since they are tiny. As with any pest that is causing damage, the trick is finding the best solution that won't hurt the livestock. Doing a cursory search, people have been dipping infected corals in various products to kill off the unwanted creatures. Looks like I have a new critter to add to the ID page as well as the Quarantine & Dips page.

It's best with all new coral arrivals to put them in a quarantine tank to observe them closely for a few days. One person pointed out that you can spot these pycnogonids on pocillopora too.

Reef Blog

Putting clowns in an anemone

melev — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 11:53:00 +0000

Putting clowns in an anemone melev Sat, 02/28/2015 - 14:53

When I got my new clownfish, I was a little worried about how I'd get them into their anemone without incident. I didn't want the new fish to host in other corals, or even worse get eaten by one of the wrasses. These clowns are small and seemed like they'd be bite-sized. A friend suggested I use a PVC pipe to get them down into the Sebae.... So here's the video showing how it went.

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