Back in the hobby after almost 20 years!

Welcome to the Reef and back to the obsession
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Hi!

I just setup a reef tank after being out of the hobby for almost 20 years! Man, have things changed since then! I use to have a 120gal reef tank that was "powered" by 2x250w metal halide bulbs and 440w of blue actinic fluorescents. I don't miss the power bill and the need to change the bulbs so frequently. What a pain! I went relatively small for this build... a WaterBox 60.2 with a Ecotech XR15 G5 Pro that fits nicely in a little niche in my home. I set it up in August and am now in my 6th month! I unfortunately have been battling dinos for the last couple months, which was not a problem when I use to be in reefing. Granted, I started with REAL live rock from Fiji and Tonga. I think we are better as a hobby using aquacultured or synthetic live rock, but it has its pros and cons. One con is that we just can't replicate the diversity we use to get from real live rock, and I feel that is the reason people have been battling with more dinos. That of course came with lots of stowaways and unwanted pests, but I kinda miss finding new critters in the tank. Anyways, I am just happy to be back in it! I am located in Orlando, FL and am lucky enough to be a shortish drive from WWC! I am also a research scientist by profession. So this hobby is right up my alley! Hopefully there is more enjoyment than frustration in my future!


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Welcome and Welcome Back! Glad you joined. You fit right in!!

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread under Forum > Member Aquariums and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you (very active near WWC):

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:
 
Welcome and Welcome Back! Glad you joined. You fit right in!!

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread under Forum > Member Aquariums and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you (very active near WWC):

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:
Appreciate it! Yes, I did start myself a build thread! It's a great idea!
 
Appreciate it! Yes, I did start myself a build thread! It's a great idea!

WAHOO! I see it!

I don't yet see your Build Thread Badge, and it shows up automatically usually pretty quick once you connect it in your account.

This is the info and links they gave me when I was new. I can tell you did the hard part already (step 1) so its just the claim part (step 2) to go:

One fun way to learn from others and keep a record of your reef aquarium is to create your very own build thread! A build thread is just a thread that tells us about your aquarium and might include photos. You can create your build thread in one of these forums. MEMBER'S AQUARIUMS

Once you have created a build thread then you can get your VERY FIRST USER BADGE! YAY! It's easy to do and I have created a thread that tells you how to do it here: BUILD THREAD BADGE
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
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