Tell us about yourself: 

My name is John aka "J". My best friend and co-builder of my reef set-up would probably say I am an extreme, opinionated man who loves animals. As a reef keeper I lean toward being a techie type who likes to create new spins on existing basics. My wife and I love all things living and I especially enjoy providing good homes to various animal types with consistent principles and love.

How did you get involved in the saltwater hobby?

It began with being a snot nosed brat running to play in the tide-pools at the Oregon coast on our annual coastal vacations growing up :) Reef keeping has allowed me to learn the facets of ocean life while making a living in a larger job market (IT). Hehehehe or you could say it was the Petco fish lady telling me how Saltwater was no more difficult than freshwater :) lol!

Tell us about your tank? 

Tank: My tank began cycling in August of 04' though it feels as though it's been much longer.. It is an IAP Acrylic Tank 72x30x30 equaling 280 gallons. IAP knows how to build tanks! It is built from 3/4 inch acrylic all around with a 1" euro-style brace. The back and sides are all black acrylic with two corner overflows connected by the famed mojoreef's coast to coast design.

Circulation: The primary circulation is provided by a Dolphin ampmaster 3600 running through an oceansmotions 8-way. The 8-way is split into twelve 3/4 inch inlets and two 1 inch. Two on both ends, four over the tank, four in the back and the two 1 inch feeding a spray-bar. The return pump is a mag 12 feeding one inlet.

Lighting: My lighting has been expensively evolving and has not reached it's final state but it is getting closer. Right now I have three 400W DE pendants and one 250W spider-type reflector all fed by PFO HQI ballasts. Each 400W is using a 20K Krystal Star bulb. The 250W is using a 10K XM which is too yellow for my taste. The next evolution will be moving to Luminarc3 reflectors and quite possibly retro-fitting them to support DE bulbs. I think I will also give the 14K bulbs a test.

Filtration: Modified old school counter current turned DIY euro-reef style skimmer. 30" tall 6" diameter body with 8" collection cup powered by a Sedra 9000 venturi drained through a gate valve. I put this together for about $300 including the junk Ocean runner pump I first began with.. Since tuning it using suggestions from Anthony Calfo I pull out around two cups of stinky stuff every day and drain the collection cup every four days. (I could have it drain into a bucket but I like to monitor the output :) )

I grow chaeto in a partition of my sump with more LR and short neck clams. I also run carbon and filter socks as needed.

How did you become involved with Reef Frontiers? 

I was one of the fortunate few to be a part of this community from inception. MtnDewMan and Mojoreef are/were leaders in my local reef club (PSAS) and they pioneered Reef Frontiers with the perfect vision. To provide not only discussion within our hobby but become a central resource helping reef keepers of all abilities to be informed and equipped.

What is your reef keeping philosophy? 

Find the enjoyable aspects of the hobby to you and don't lose sight of those. If you love relaxed viewing of your tank be wary of spending all of your time shopping for equip on the internet or researching 1001 ways to change your tank. Make sure you still spend enough time relaxing and gazing.

What is your dream tank? 

10' long, 4' wide, 24" tall. The face of the tank would be plum with a dining or living room wall while the rest of the tank sits in an office with ALL viewable sides.

Do you have any advice for others? 

Avoid being reactionary!!! For example when you learn of a new element in the chemistry of your water is important, don't run to the store and buy $1000 in products. If the tank isn't dying it can wait until you research ALL of the solutions and their impacts in their entirety.

Pests are only pests if they cause negative effects in YOUR eyes! I would rather have mojanos and cyno than button polyps and mushrooms :)