Hello Aquaticlog-erz!

My name is Leo and I live in the Houston area. I have been very active in the hobby since 2008. My home forum is MARSH-reef.org, but I also frequent R2R and RC, almost daily.

I am originally from San Diego, CA so Houston is a big change for me. The people here are very friendly and actually don't mind spending time with you when you're interested in something. When I got interested in reef-keeping, the first guys I met were the major key players on the systems to come! I still remember those guys, and will likely never forget their methodologies.

My systems are never "over-thunk" or "over-done." I keep them simple, but remember... simple is relative.

I hardly ever test parameters. I just monitor pH, temp (controller) and test Alk once a month. I don't watch nitrates and phosphates after maturity sets up. That's just me... you're mileage may vary.

However, in the spirit of the "page's recommendations" that I can see below, I'll cover some things:

Maintenance Routine: None. I look at the corals and fish. 25g water change monthly

Filtration: Skimmer, some Eheim bio-media, ozone and little skimmer as a reactor, macro-algae

Equipment: 4 year old 120g Aqueon, homemade wooden stand, ATI 54w x 8 fixture, BM Curve 7 skimmer, Trigger Ruby 36 Sump, Jebao DCT-12000 Return, Sea swirl with a Tunze 6105 on a controller on one side and a Jebao RW-15 on the other, BRS Pukani Dry, bare-bottom with a cutting board, Neptune Apex, Teco chiller... that's really about it.

Flow: Heavy/random during daylight photoperiod, light/low during nighttime photoperiod.

Dosing: ESV B-Ionic two part and their Mg when needed (I change this a lot).

Salt: Red Sea Coral Pro now, but cycled the tank with Reef Crystals.

Coral supps: mainly the Prodibio system and Red Sea's stuff

Fish food: flakes and frozen. nori daily for my PBT and Sailfin

Favorite addition to the tank: My portable air conditioner. LOL! Keeps the room pleasant and the humidity down. 2-fer!

That being said, welcome to my page and let me know if you have any questions or comments.

This tank was initially purchased from a local back in 2014. He told me that he had it for a couple of years, so I'm assuming it's about 4 years old now. He gave me a pretty good deal on it, and threw in some equipment. I really hate that I forget who it was now, but it'd be easy to figure out if I just researched the local message board. LOL

You see... unfortunately I found myself "single" after many years of marriage and I needed an escape from "normal" reality! Also, I needed a place of my own that was comfortable for my two kids to come visit. That's just the tip of the iceberg... If I kept typing, you would get confused; but just understand that I needed this tank to aid in staying positive. I'd like to consider myself a very positive person.

Buying the tank helped me get my mind off the normal stuff that happens when lengthy partnerships end. I didn't really care about "aesthetics" as much as I cared about the technology, coral growth, and the chemistry behind what makes a reef tank tick.

Well, time passed and I found myself looking for another place to live a year later. The landlady wasn't pleasant. :) So, I stored the tank for awhile and am just now getting everything going again. Indeed, bittersweet... Sweet now, though. ;)

This tank is going to serve as my QT, hospital, and grow-out tank. The tank is in a "fishroom" that is solely designed for this purpose. Once I get "what I want" out of the way, I will work on a true display tank in the main space of my home.

Crazy right?