DJE
Active member
My journey began around 19 yrs ago, like some of us here. I remember my dad cleaning his tanks and buying his freshwater fish at Animal Kingdom. Those of us who grew up in the city will remember Animal Kingdom. That was THE spot to go to when I was growing up. Unfortunately after 65 years in business, they closed their doors in December of 2009. The picture below is identical to one of the tanks my Dad had, and at that time, as a little kid I thought it was amazing.
Picture from fishtanksdirect.com.
Old School tank by efcolon4, on Flickr
It wasn't until the mid 90's that I would dabble into saltwater tanks. My first set up was a 55g bow front fish only tank with dead corals. Even today that tank still remains as one of my favorite tanks.
Eventually, I found Reef Central in 2004 and quickly got addicted to reef tanks. I found myself reading threads until late into the night, and telling myself that one day, I will have a reef tank. That one day finally came in 2006. My porcupine puffer fish, affectionately known as ET due to his resemblance
, decided to eat almost my entire group of fish, with the exception of the one's that were too big for him. Now granted some of this was partly my fault since I inadvertently made him aggressive. I started buying him live fish to feed on. It was great at first, it gave ET exercise and was entertaining, but it was not as cool or entertaining when he took advantage of the lights being out at night and ate almost all my fish. He was subsequently donated to an LFS and then I sold the tank shortly thereafter.
Around this time I discovered Garf.org. I was impressed with all the information they had available on the website. I eventually utilized their Bullet Proof Calculator to set up a 29g bow front. I also placed my first coral order and Reef Janitor (CUC). The tank was nothing special with Xenia and more Xenia, but it was a way to get my feet wet.
So as not to bore everyone any longer with my stories, I will start by sharing the tank that inspired me and has brought me to this point.
Luis Gonzalez's (Luisgo) was the first tank that inspired me to really get jump into reef keeping. I remember reading his TOTM and was in awe. I recall reading that blog every night and looking at the pictures over and over again and wondering if I could ever achieve that same level of expertise. I linked up with Luis via PM and he was extremely nice. I even asked him if and when I went to PR to visit my parents if I could drop by and without hesitation he said no problem. My next trip to the island will definitely include a visit to Luis's house for a close up look at his tank. Although I was feeling highly inspired, unfortunately my attempt at keeping soft corals was not as successful as Luis but I didn't give up. Here's a couple beautiful photos of Luis's tank.
Untitled by efcolon4, on Flickr
Luis Gonzalez's 125g by efcolon4, on Flickr
The tank that then inspired my SPS addiction, was actually found here on CR. Below is a beautiful picture of his tank, those of you who are regulars on CR should know exactly whose tank I am referring to.
Untitled by efcolon4, on Flickr
I remember the first time I saw this tank up close and personal. I was picking up a frag pack that I had won here on Chicago Reefs, which happened to be donated by Mark. Mark was in the process of converting his tank to a more open flow tank, so he was slowly taking his apart in an effort to get rid of some corals. That was my first opportunity to see SPS corals up close. From that point forward, it was all about the SPS corals and I haven't looked back. The plan for this tank, of course, will be all SPS with some LPS.
My wife and I also happened to be in the planning stages of remodeling the basement in our home. I took advantage of that timing and opportunity to upgrade my current fish room.
Untitled by efcolon4, on Flickr
My first fish room, or really closet, for my 75g tank would not fit my plans for my Elos. I wanted a room that I could expand in, fit a bigger sump, and give me the ability to add a few more containers without running out of room like I did with the fish closet. I also wanted a dedicated sink, for just my fish related items without having to worry about any soaps or laundry material coming in contact with any of the tank gear. Given that my set up is now at least a year old, I want to post some pictures to share my progress over the course of this last year, as well as, to simply show my madness. If you have any advice, questions or comments, please feel free to reach out and I will try to respond as best as I can. Although please keep in mind, I still consider myself a newbie.
more to come.....
Picture from fishtanksdirect.com.
Old School tank by efcolon4, on Flickr
It wasn't until the mid 90's that I would dabble into saltwater tanks. My first set up was a 55g bow front fish only tank with dead corals. Even today that tank still remains as one of my favorite tanks.
Eventually, I found Reef Central in 2004 and quickly got addicted to reef tanks. I found myself reading threads until late into the night, and telling myself that one day, I will have a reef tank. That one day finally came in 2006. My porcupine puffer fish, affectionately known as ET due to his resemblance
, decided to eat almost my entire group of fish, with the exception of the one's that were too big for him. Now granted some of this was partly my fault since I inadvertently made him aggressive. I started buying him live fish to feed on. It was great at first, it gave ET exercise and was entertaining, but it was not as cool or entertaining when he took advantage of the lights being out at night and ate almost all my fish. He was subsequently donated to an LFS and then I sold the tank shortly thereafter.Around this time I discovered Garf.org. I was impressed with all the information they had available on the website. I eventually utilized their Bullet Proof Calculator to set up a 29g bow front. I also placed my first coral order and Reef Janitor (CUC). The tank was nothing special with Xenia and more Xenia, but it was a way to get my feet wet.
So as not to bore everyone any longer with my stories, I will start by sharing the tank that inspired me and has brought me to this point.
Luis Gonzalez's (Luisgo) was the first tank that inspired me to really get jump into reef keeping. I remember reading his TOTM and was in awe. I recall reading that blog every night and looking at the pictures over and over again and wondering if I could ever achieve that same level of expertise. I linked up with Luis via PM and he was extremely nice. I even asked him if and when I went to PR to visit my parents if I could drop by and without hesitation he said no problem. My next trip to the island will definitely include a visit to Luis's house for a close up look at his tank. Although I was feeling highly inspired, unfortunately my attempt at keeping soft corals was not as successful as Luis but I didn't give up. Here's a couple beautiful photos of Luis's tank.
Untitled by efcolon4, on Flickr
Luis Gonzalez's 125g by efcolon4, on Flickr
The tank that then inspired my SPS addiction, was actually found here on CR. Below is a beautiful picture of his tank, those of you who are regulars on CR should know exactly whose tank I am referring to.
Untitled by efcolon4, on Flickr
I remember the first time I saw this tank up close and personal. I was picking up a frag pack that I had won here on Chicago Reefs, which happened to be donated by Mark. Mark was in the process of converting his tank to a more open flow tank, so he was slowly taking his apart in an effort to get rid of some corals. That was my first opportunity to see SPS corals up close. From that point forward, it was all about the SPS corals and I haven't looked back. The plan for this tank, of course, will be all SPS with some LPS.
My wife and I also happened to be in the planning stages of remodeling the basement in our home. I took advantage of that timing and opportunity to upgrade my current fish room.
Untitled by efcolon4, on Flickr
My first fish room, or really closet, for my 75g tank would not fit my plans for my Elos. I wanted a room that I could expand in, fit a bigger sump, and give me the ability to add a few more containers without running out of room like I did with the fish closet. I also wanted a dedicated sink, for just my fish related items without having to worry about any soaps or laundry material coming in contact with any of the tank gear. Given that my set up is now at least a year old, I want to post some pictures to share my progress over the course of this last year, as well as, to simply show my madness.
If you have any advice, questions or comments, please feel free to reach out and I will try to respond as best as I can. Although please keep in mind, I still consider myself a newbie.more to come.....
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...as always looks great bud
