Some Progress

I'll try to keep it short. I have been relatively busy with midterms and school, so I haven't had time to really do much with the aquarium aside of maintenance. Here are some current pictures.

I still need more base rock as I rushed into the move. I feel that the rock work and coral are very random, and not necessarily in a good way.

I have added new tank inhabitants since I first set up the aquarium including a Percula Clownfish, ORA Yellow Line Goby, ORA Pink & Green Damicornis, Green Toadstool Leather (donated by Mr. RemsReef.com himself), Purple Montipora (from my BFFFFFFFFF), and an ORA Maxima Clam (under 2.5"). All is doing well except the Maxima Clam who didn't make it (FAIL).

A picture speaks at least one word, so "read" on below...

View from the left side.

View from the center: Someone is hungry... or trying to communicate with me.

AND... View from the right side.

How Much Turnover Per Hour?

How much "Turnover per hour?" - A question many hobbyists ponder. While we tend to focus on hard numbers, this video from Marine Depot's Video Series featuring Julian Sprung provides a more practical answer. I hope you enjoy.

Also, don't fret. I will post a personal aquarium update soon.

My DIY Sump

I installed my DIY 20 gallon long sump. Using a design from RemsReef.com as inspiration, I decided to try my hand at my first DIY (do it yourself) sump / glass project. My final product has some areas of opportunity, but so far, so good. There were no leaks from the baffles or aquarium, and the sump is doing its job well. I won't post detailed information on how I built it; if you want to see a professional make a DIY sump, I suggest www.RemsReef.com! He did a great job with his sump, and it came out looking very clean.

Anyways, here's my sump in action. I am very pleased that there is no annoying waterfall noise. I also have a large skimmer chamber to hold an internal protein skimmer down the road. The skimmer chamber is followed by 3 glass baffles that act as a bubble trap, hopefully reducing (possibly eliminating) micro bubbles from entering the display tank. Check out the picture below!

Julian Sprung - Two Little Fishies

It was a normal day like any other when I heard that Julian Sprung from Two Little Fishies was coming in today to visit. He was brought over to our work area, but I missed the introduction as I was on the phone. I mentioned how cool I thought it would be to meet him, and my boss brought me over to introduce us. I listened to the interview he was giving for Marine Depot (will be posted to Marine Depot's YouTube Channel), and it was definitely an educational experience listening to him describe his line of products and their proper use.

I brought two books he wrote, and we asked him to sign them. He very nicely autographed and signed my books, and he even drew a Clownfish for me. Julian was also nice enough to pose for a few photos. He was a very nice and brilliant man, and it was very cool meeting him. I posted some photos of the signatures below.

Make sure you check out everything and anything from Julian Sprung and Two Little Fishies! You can see the interview with Julian Sprung at: www.youtube.com/MarineDepotVideos.