I'm Baaaaaaaack....

Hello again, world. I apologize for such a long hiatus. I'm sure many of you have been wondering how the aquarium has been going... well, it hasn't...

By that I mean, I have been studying for the hardest test I've ever had to take. It's called the Professional Engineering Exam, or PE for short. It's like the bar exam for engineers. In any case, I had been neglecting the tank a little bit while I was studying for the test. BUT, now that it's over, I'm back to proper husbandry. I promise I'll post pictures in the next few days. I just need to take some. :)

So, what have I been up to? Well, the disaster from about a month ago put a real shock on the system, so I decided to take a step back and figure out what the problem was. I'm still not sure... :) So, to play it safe, I tore down the QT, cleaned it thoroughly with vinegar, and reassembled. I put the filter's biowheel in the DT for a few days, and seeded the new QT water with some of the DT water that I was already taking out for a routine water change. I'm certain that there isn't enough biology in there yet, so I haven't gotten any new fish, but will soon begin that experiment again. More on that to come in the next few days/weeks...

I attended my first LIRA meeting. LIRA is the Long Island Reefkeeping Association. It's basically the Reef Club. It was an interesting crowd, and definitely not what I expected. However, I met a few nice people, and I picked up a few nice corals to add to the tank. They had an auction at the end of the meeting, and many corals were going for around $5. I got one of the $5 ones, as well as a few frags from other members. My assessment is that I probably won't attend every month, but if I'm in the market for something will try to obtain it from the group before paying retail prices for it. Again, I will have pictures soon... I promise...

Special thanks to my buddy Scottley for helping me test on one particularly stressful day during the testing ordeal. You da man!

And now, here's a preview of the blog posts to come in the next few weeks:

1. New Pictures... I promise...
2. A discussion of building my own sump with refugium... I think it's time
3. A discussion of my new fish (once I get them)
4. A discussion of my new corals (recently added and new to come)
5. A discussion of possible lighting additions
6. A debate over covered vs. uncovered tank... pros and cons of both sides.

I know it's a lot, but I have a month of inactivity to make up for! Until then....