I'm John but lots of people call me daddy

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Just wanted to say hello. I've been creepin here off and on for a while and have intended to check in but haven't gotten around to it. As I'm planning to drop by the Frag event tonight I figured it was over due.
A bit about me...while we had various tanks off and on while I grew up, it's only been the last several months that I've started my own marine tank(s). 
It started out with a 40g "free" tank from a friend that I turned into a overstocked FOWLR. Used a HOB CPR skimmer and two HOB Fluval filters. I wasn't the only one hooked. The kids loved it and the wife not only became our official critter namer but she is very helpful and supportive. I'm a tech guy by trade and so I naturally found the internet of infinite use thanks to so many good folks like those here and on other forums. I've also discovered that we have what seems to be more than our fair share of good LFS. I visited pretty much all of them and while I didn't have an A+ experience at all of them, it was generally pleasant and we have ready access to some awesome stuff! All in all I knew I needed more...

So more we have. I started a Biocube 29 for my oldest daughter's Christmas gift. She is my biggest helper (next to my Apex:) and has successfully kept FW fish up to when dad killed them while she was at soccer camp. :/ At about the same time I started curing about 100lbs of LR in the garage via Brute garbage can's. The BC29 was at the office hiding and was ment to be temporary but...it was just too nice to have so I moved most of the BC29 into a RSM130D for the office and as planned, the girl received the BC29 for Christmas. While we started the BC more from scratch then I first planned, we did have lots of LR already growing coraline and we set it up with water from the existing tanks plus pre-mix from the guys at The Aquarium/AMC. 

Current home tank status...on Christmas(ish) we moved the contents of the "free tank" in to a shiny new Marineland 150g DD. The story of this is worthy of a build thread that I wanted to start but simply haven't yet. In the last couple weeks I've learned a few things I hadn't expected. Not the least of these is that A) I'm wicked slow at plumbing PVC. B) 150g of water makes an epic mess and when evacuated with sudden unplanned methods...makes more noise then imagined. Especially at 1AM! ( I know I know...perhaps more later) The short of it is that Brad and his guys at The Aquarium, along with contacts at Marineland, went above and beyond the call of duty in giving me a reason to not break down and cry like a baby. (again?) I'm a big supporter of the Buy Local ideal and this experience has only re-inforced this for me. The mess was was quickly made a successful move despite the holiday season and all of the old/existing rock from the 40 is moved to the sump of the 150. The rock we've been growing in the garage is represented in the DT as the new aquascape.

For a while any new frags will live in the RSM130 at work but will soon be at home in the 150 after the new system remains stable and I can trickle what I want into it.

Anyhow, I've got plenty to learn and you've helped me already via this site so thank you and I look forward to meeting some of you at future events.

150g Tank thread
34g RSM130D

edit:added links to build threads

Edited by JohnnyHeavens - January 15 2013 at 7:58am