Tell us about yourself: 

I'm 35 years old, born and raised in Wyoming. I'm married and have a 4 year old son. I love the outdoors, hunting, fishing, (especially ice fishing) geology and rockhounding. I'm also a "speed demon"...jetskis, snowmobiles, muscle cars, etc....if it goes fast I love it. I work as a Civil Engineering Tech for the state DOT.

How did you get involved in the saltwater hobby?

I've had aquariums as long as I can remember. Freshwater in the beginning, then began keeping marine tanks about 20 years ago. About 7 years ago, I became interested in reefkeeping while doing online research on my fish only setups. I made the switch a little over 5 years ago from fish only to reefkeeping.

Tell us about your tank? 

My current setup is a 55 gallon AllGlass aquarium that was previously home to a pair of lionfish. After becoming interested in reefkeeping, I suggested to my wife that I turn the lionfish tank into a reef, but she was leery of the cost of the upgrade. Determined to have a reef, I had to make the switch slowly and sneaky so as not to immediately get her attention. A piece of live rock here, a small coral there, a new lightbulb every once in awhile. The switch took me about a year. Currently , I have about 75 lbs. of live rock (mixture of Fiji, Marshall, Gulf, and Florida Aquacultured) on top of a 6 inch deep split layer DSB (4 inches of oolitic aragonite on top of 2 inches of crushed coral). It is a "garden" style LPS/softie tank, containing about 15 different coral species. The only fish in the reef are a Fiji Blue Devil (selected of course by my son) and a Hawaiian Yellow Tang. Light for the reef is provided by 330 watts of VHO/PC's in a homemade canopy. Most of the rest of the equipment was scavenged from pervious fish only setups I had. The tank is in dire need of an upgrade, both size and equipment wise. This spring/summer, the contents of the 55 (except the DSB) will be moved to a 75 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump. Equipment upgrades will include improved skimming, better water flow via an internal closed loop and possible upgrade from PC to MH to go along with my existing VHO's.

How did you become involved with Reef Frontiers? 

I met Mike (mojoreef) on a different forum about a year ago, where the admin brought him in to debate sandbeds with me. I followed mojo to Reef Frontiers to give my input on an active plenum thread...been here since!

What is your reef keeping philosophy? 

My reefkeeping philosophy is to attempt to create the best possible environment for your chosen specimens to thrive in. I believe that correct water chemistry is the key, as the only hard and fast similarity between the captive reef and the wild natural reef is the fact that they both live in water. The closer you can duplicate the water parameters these organisms are used to, the better off your tank will be.

What is your dream tank? 

I'd like to have a very large tidal pool style open top tank as the centerpiece for an indoor greenhouse filled with tropical plants, with a separate room behind the tank for equipment. As far as stocking this tank, I think I'd like it to be an SPS/clam tank.

Do you have any advice for others? 

Take the time to do your research! Knowledge is the best tool for success in this hobby...be willing to put in the time to do the research. Patience is the other key...only bad things seem to happen fast in the reef tank, patience is a trait that will be rewarded in this hobby.