Whoa Lil Buddy! Graphic intense, viewer discretion advised!
Loved the pics and lots of 'em. I really liked the piece of
LR that you got. What did it weigh, about 7or 8 pounds? That coral skeleton on the
LR sort of reminded me of birdsnest. You are moving in a positive direction, but still must stay ---->>>>Focussed<<<<----- reading, learning and putting that knowledge into practice and good stewardship skills.
I saw that monster of a shell in the
DT.... is Hermzilla still with you? If he's in the
DT you know he's a force of the dark side Luke. We've been there, said all that. I'm glad the
skimmer is really doing it's job for you and that you are seeing instant results. I'm not too sure about the idea of trying to
frag corals on your removable hardware/ equipment. I say this because if you had to do maintenance on it or repair/replace it, it could create a problem for the coral. I'm sure others will chime in on this as I have never tried to do this. Maybe if a small portion of
LR were there, it'd help blend in the hardware or maybe something else. I am an artist, so sometimes I look at things a little differently. When one has a work of art, there is always a focal point, or a main subject which pulls the viewer's eye and holds it there, with everything else around it complimenting it, but not taking center stage. I guess, what I'm trying to say is this. You have your
LR, which is a dominant feature in your tank, and you have stated your desire to add corals. Use the
LR and future corals to paint a tapestry and the viewer will focus on the beauty of your tank and not your equipment. They will see it of course, but the focal point of your tank will pull the viewer's eye back and hold it. I hope I have explained what I am trying to say as sometimes I am poor with words. This is just an idea if you do not want to do some major equipment replacement or changing things around as I know the
skimmer was a hassle to install.
The "ghetto" light hook up for your
sump. You crack me up. There is nothing wrong with trying to meet the needs best way you know how when there is no funding available to do it otherwise. I just want it to be electrically safe. Make sure that sucker can't wind up in the
sump.
I have my lighting laid out on top of my
fuge on acrylic braces and one day I was in a hurry and instead of taking the lighting down and laying it on the side as I normally do, I pushed it up and when I did... wham!! It fell into the
fuge. I threw the switch on everything and pulled it out. It was a sheer miracle in itself that nothing happened. So please always be careful! I should of fried that day.
Your wish list of fish and inverts is quite broad and many are not suitable with each other or for your present tank size. I know you probably cringe when you hear this... I am sorry, but I will not lie to you. Please refer to the compatibility list and look at Dicks, Amphibious' "Buying Fish" guide.... it is a MUST to follow to have a better chance at being successful.
Besides, you can always put many of those wants on a back burner for the future monster tank one day.
