Still awaiting the replacement tank to arrive, but that doesn't mean the livestock is on hold. It continues to grow and thrive, and here are some pictures taken this month.
As time goes by, corals grow in. Even in a frag tank. My little frag tank holds some special pieces for me, obtained by local hobbyists as well as local events. I've been waiting for the new 400g to arrive, and the corals are crowding each other in anticipation. This tank was built by me, and holds 10g of water. It is tied into the main filtration of my reef, and is lit with a Evolution LED fixture from Reefkoi. These pictures were taken under only white LEDs, with the blues turned off.
It's time to refill the 265g poly tank. Using two boosted RO/DI systems makes this task faster even in the colder months of the year. After replacing the DI cartridge, I started the units at 2 a.m. and by 8 p.m. it was full. 18 hours produced about 240g of RO/DI ... All I need to do now is add six bags of Sybon reef salt and let it circulate.
For the past few years, I've been evolving from a hobbyist to a vendor in this industry. It's a tough transition for a few reasons, but at my heart I continue to be a hobbyist to the core. At our club's annual one-day conference, I set up a booth as a vendor. In addition, I'm still actively involved in the planning stages, helping make sure that our club runs it successfully.
Everyone has been asking me about the newly repaired tank, if it has been set up, when am I going to reveal the latest aquascaping, etc. The tank is empty, just as it arrived.
For the last few years, I've wanted to get SCUBA certified. I never had the time to do so, but that didn't stop me from planning for it, and that is why a diver is part of Melev's Reef. Often asked if the diver on my business card is me, I replied that it was my goal, a constant reminder of what I wanted to do some day. For the past 30 days, I've been working hard to get this accomplished, and I'm happy to report that as of yesterday I'm now fully certified for open water.
Prior to MACNA, I had the opportunity to ask the guys at Real Reef to create a Rock Bowl for my tank. I've wanted something like that to grow mangroves near the top of the rockwork, where they would be able to grow up toward the metal halides high above the water. From the side, the rock needed to look natural, but within it needed to hold sand for the mangrove root system. I believe others might like something similar, and such a bowl could be useful for wrasse owners that maintain barebottom tanks.
September 28-30, 2012: MACNA came to Texas this year and not only was my club the host, but I was part of the planning committee. Lots of work was required to pull off the show, and in the end it was stellar. Here are a few pictures pertaining to my company.
Build acrylic wares, ordering all sorts of stuff for the new shop page, getting the booth together for a nice representation at the show. Busy busy non-stop busy! Tank sitter coming over tonight to go over the little details to watch for.
Last week when I got back from my trip to Atlanta, my tank sitter told me he was ready for me to get the cyano bacteria situation in my tank under control. I prefer not to treat the tank when I'm about to travel, so I don't put the reef in a bad spot when I'm 1000 miles away for a few days.
