Im back baby. (long post)

[SunDragon]

Well, finally have some spare cash to get things back going again. My original plan was move my temp 55 setup into a full setup, but after careful consideration, I decided to just downgrade to something more manageable for the time I had. So I went out to the shed and took stock of the menagerie of tanks (over 200g worth of them) and stands I have. I considered the 35 hex, but I don't have a stand for it anymore, so that wouldn't work. I had two stands that would fit your standard 20L/29 gallon footprint. Digging deeper, I found 2 20L tanks. One drilled, and one not. Some cussing later as I got them out of the rafters I remembered that the non drilled one was copper quarantine tank so that one was out, and the drilled on wouldn't allow me to hang anything off the back of it. Oh well, 20L long tanks wouldn't really work for what I wanted anyway.

Moving more crap out of the way, I found a 20g extra tall tank hiding in the back. Nice and tall for stacking rock, certainly plenty of back space for hanging my skimmer. I quickly made some stand modifications and viola!



I ended up using the hood from the 35 hex tank. I hooked up the old 175watt MH(bulb had less than a week or run time on it), and let her rip.

Made up all new water (thank god only 20 gallons) and moved the rocks and stuff into the tank over a 2 day period.

Now, heres where my amazement with life in general. 1.5 years ago, this rock was the nastiest stuff you have ever seen. It was so bad I couldn't bring my self to sell it to anyone, and just chucked it in the back yard out of the way. About 2 months ago, I drug it out, hosed it off, and stuck it in the 55 just to give the fish some shelter. It was bone white, dead. A couple weeks later, it started getting some reddish color. "Oh great more cyano" I thought. But wait, that's not cyano, that coraline! Now how in the world coraline grows from NOTHING(there were NO other rocks in the tank) just amazed me. This stuff has been growing great, and these rocks now look better than when they were brand new.



Not only was there coraline, but when I was moving the rocks between the tanks, my hands were FULL of pods. The little guys were everywhere, I was actually crawling around on my hands and knee's rescuing them from the carpet. Again, how did these get here in a barren wasteland that was my 55?

Moving some sand around, I found a piece of rubble that I had tossed in when I moved to the 55. It had long since been buried, and I had forgot about it. It actually still had the "mush" of a few zoo polyps on it. "What the heck" I placed it down at the bottom of the tank.



That's what it looks like today. Turns out, this is the very first coral I ever bought. Life marches on even in the worst conditions.

Speaking of life marching on:



This guy deserves some kind of award. Not only did he survive a year in the 55 gallon "wasteland/hair algae forest", he managed to survive the previous year in my mantis tank(R.I.P. Zoidberg) without being dinner. He was considerably smaller then. He was just some unidentified random hermit Marvin through in a bag when I was buying "toys" for the mantis to play with. I think hes a staghorn hermit that just changed shells in Marvins tanks.

Last but not least, heres the not so happy couple that is my pride and joy.



There being a little shy while adjusting, but there eating and acting fine otherwise. They actually have been laying eggs like clockwork every week for about the past 2 months despite there less than optimal previous living environment. I actually had to move them with a fresh batch of eggs still in the tank(good way to get bitten, and I did).

I've got to get some snails going to get ahead of the curve and keep things clean from the start(I'm trying to get a group buy going on it in another thread). I'm also adding a ghetto hang on fuge for help there. Anyone spare a clean handfull of cheato?

The first major addition will be a new bubble tip for the clowns to call home again. As for corals, I am just going to collect some pretty zoo frags for awhile.

So, I wave "Hello" to everyone again, and all you great guys that have offered frags to get things going for me again, ill gladley take what you got now.

[mr294]

Glad to see one of the originals in action again! Great to have you back man

[respite]

Hey Steven!

Welcome back! Hope all is well for you and your family.

[SunDragon]

Eric! Dude! Everyone is great here, hope everything is sunny side up out there in LA for ya. I lost track of your tank thread, ill have to drag it up from the depths of the forum and take a look at how it ended.

[angelscrx]

Welcome back to it again. Ahhh the hobby never leaves you! Keep us posted on your triumphant return!

[Reeferduke]

Its crazy how life can last on those rocks, I did almost the same thing and my rock is just starting to come alive as well.

Welcome back to the hobby and my your pods prosper!

[Charlie Davidson]

Welcome back my friend...
Kinda weird, I walk 4 miles every day, on my walk Saturday, I was talking about you, your tanks, fish, seahorse and birds.. do still have birds.. Or did someone take them off your hands?

[rick s]

Welcome back Steven!

[SunDragon]

Still got the 2 birds, 2 cats, and a damn dog now.

[Charlie Davidson]

I just went out and pulled pots.. Man its hot outside already.. Want 36 crabs to go with that crowd (gang-gaggle-group, not sure what you call it (?)
I know-- Its called HOME!!

[cnelson]

Welcome back Steven. If you wanna come by some night after abot 7, I can frag some stuff for ya. I've got a bunch of trimming I have to do anyway, just never really can find the time, if you come by, I have an excuse. lol! Let me know. :O)

[Charlie Davidson]

Hey Steven, I was re-resding post..I believe the hermit had been one of mine. At one time, I got rid of all hermits in my tank... I had many, many different kinds.. some were "electric blue".. forgot where i got the ones like yours..

[prop-frags]

Originally posted by rick s
Welcome back Steven!

yeah, what he said