Well, I took a look back at when I got my first saltwater tank and, as of today, it has been exactly one year! I started out with a 70g FO system with a wet/dry and normal output lighting. Over this past year, I've converted it to a full blown mixed reef with everything from zoos to acros. My intention was to start with a smaller system and learn the ropes before going bigger and to decide if this was for me. I'm glad I did. I have made a ton of mistakes along the way, flooded the house 9 times (the wife knows about 6 of those) and went through 4 different types of lighting.
This past year has also given me a chance to make new friends in this community of ours and also convince the wife that I should have a bigger tank. It is always helpful to point to those massive tank build threads and say, "See, I just want a little 260 gallon. Look at all those crazy people with dedicated fish rooms and 400+ gallon systems." To that end, I will be starting a build thread soon for the new tank that I hope to put a deposit down on today. I just have to finish a flooring project that was part of my stipulations for getting the new tank.
I've spent countless hours researching anything and everything I could learn, and continue to do so. Learning new things and working on maintaining my systems have been very rewarding when I see small frags develop into full blow colonies that I have to prune back. This is despite all the mistakes I've made along the way and I'm sure I'll make more mistakes. Hopefully, I've got enough of a knowledge base to do this next build right or at least get it going in the right direction! A lot of folks here have helped me out, answered my newbie questions, and gave me assistance along the way. This probably, no, most definitely, would have been a major FAIL if it weren't for the help and advice I've received here so I try to contribute back where I can. So, on this first year anniversary of my new hobby and addiction, I just wanted to give a huge THANK YOU!!! to the folks of DFWMAS.
Now back to ripping out carpet and padding . . . [smilie=dull.gif]
This past year has also given me a chance to make new friends in this community of ours and also convince the wife that I should have a bigger tank. It is always helpful to point to those massive tank build threads and say, "See, I just want a little 260 gallon. Look at all those crazy people with dedicated fish rooms and 400+ gallon systems." To that end, I will be starting a build thread soon for the new tank that I hope to put a deposit down on today. I just have to finish a flooring project that was part of my stipulations for getting the new tank.
I've spent countless hours researching anything and everything I could learn, and continue to do so. Learning new things and working on maintaining my systems have been very rewarding when I see small frags develop into full blow colonies that I have to prune back. This is despite all the mistakes I've made along the way and I'm sure I'll make more mistakes. Hopefully, I've got enough of a knowledge base to do this next build right or at least get it going in the right direction! A lot of folks here have helped me out, answered my newbie questions, and gave me assistance along the way. This probably, no, most definitely, would have been a major FAIL if it weren't for the help and advice I've received here so I try to contribute back where I can. So, on this first year anniversary of my new hobby and addiction, I just wanted to give a huge THANK YOU!!! to the folks of DFWMAS.
Now back to ripping out carpet and padding . . . [smilie=dull.gif]