- It's BRS 360 Thursday, episode eight.
And it's time to share the theme for this tank,
meaning what's going into it?
Often based around specific types of fish,
corals, SPS, LPS, zoanthids, or something else.
But part of this hobby is constant upgrades,
often with multiple tanks in different themes,
but sometimes that accumulates all into one large tank.
How do we combine all that into a single journey
that maintains interest for a decade, plus?
That's coming up.
(upbeat music)
Hey I'm Ryan, your host of BRStv.
The BRS 360 is the full circle journey of taking everything
that we learned together and transforming that journey
into a 360 gallon reef tank.
Today we're talking dream reef tank themes,
but at the heart of that, in this case, a theme for a tank
that holds your interest for many years to come.
There's a lot going into this,
and I know where I failed in the past.
It's time to outthink myself and get it right this time.
Every time I finally feel like I got it right,
I learn something new about the hobby.
But even more often, learn something about myself.
I know reefing is the right hobby for me,
because it's super difficult to master.
Sometimes ridiculous amount of effort that goes
into research, system design, and perfecting maintenance,
would be a deterrent for most people.
But for me, and I suspect most of you,
it's the exact reason why I've been doing this for 15 years,
and likely will most of my life.
This leads directly into the number one issue
with long-term tanks for me.
I'm a goal oriented person,
the challenges are what excites me.
If climbing Everest was the goal, the process
of getting up the mountain is actually way more exciting
than seeing or experiencing what's at the top.
With a reef tank, the most exciting time for me is
conceptualizing the tank; planning the design setup;
adding new corals and fish; adjusting parameters
to meet growth needs; fine-tuning the system to the point
that eventually, no longer needs a lot of thought,
more or less, just doing water changes
and cleaning the glass at the summit.
In fact, leaving it alone and stability is actually
the number one thing that will make it thrive,
most changes are actually setbacks at that point.
So the three to five year point,
when the tank is looking its best and things start
to slow down, has historically been about the point
where I need to find that place for creative energy
and start thinking about the next challenge or upgrade.
This is the number one challenge today with the 360.
Like I said earlier, it's time to outthink myself
and get it right this time.
I want to put in the time to create an awesome system
and tank that not only looks sharp, but allows
for a long-term place to put all that creative energy
that makes this a hobby for me for the entire journey.
So not surprisingly, one of the biggest issues
of the past was not going big enough.
However, I don't think this is or was solvable.
Progressing from the 40 gallon breeder
to 180, through a series of tanks,
is just a super common and important journey.
But at the same, larger means more room for collecting
and curating corals and more room for fish.
Most of us just tend to go with the size of tank
that we're ready for at the time.
Even this time, a 360 might not turn out
to be my forever tank.
But it's the right size
for my goals, work, and family balance now
and I think will be until my kids leave and I retire.
Then, I may want a tank I can dive in.
Another challenge that I've run into is
the type or theme of the tank,
meaning SPS, LPS, NPS, Softie, or others.
Somewhat about what I was interested in at the time
or conquering progressive challenges with new tank setups.
I even thought having one of each type
in my office would quench that varying desire,
and to some degree it did.
But in reality, they'd have to be bigger than 60 gallons
to really achieve that long-term,
because the corals are going to outgrow these systems.
Another challenge I've had in the past is,
I've not been picky enough about what goes into my tanks.
And I've ended up with some lackluster corals,
which overgrow some areas of the tank.
I think both the Softie and Polyp ULM,
as well as some aspects of the BRS 160, are examples
of where I think I got lost in quantity over quality.
Partially, because it's being documented on video weekly
and there's pressure, what often feels
like a race to the finish line.
Related to that, I think I just haven't stopped
to smell the roses and appreciate the journey.
But even more so,
take the time to transition from a successful pet owner
to something more akin to a happy dog owner that transitions
to breeder, trainer, competition, or show dogs.
In the past, I think I've missed opportunities to fill
in knowledge on livestock and sometimes in-depth knowledge
on some pests and in-depth solutions.
Meaning, progressively expand my knowledge
on the finer details of corals and fish themselves.
If I run into dinos, break out that microscope and dig in.
I haven't always had time for this.
But this time I'm gonna make it, because I feel
like it's the next evolution of the hobby for me
and part of what I want to share with all of you.
Another thing is sharpening my bonsai skills.
Meaning, there is a significant skillset that transitions
from watching a tank grow out and then transitioning
to not letting it get overgrown.
More or less, careful pruning or coral bonsai
that creates an artful, healthy look to a tank.
When done right, some of these examples,
you can see the effort that goes into it.
It's not a simple task.
And it absolutely an evolutionary step
that goes beyond simple growing and keeping corals alive.
And doing so in a manner
that provides a stunning visual display.
This is a skill that I'm excited to hone.
Okay, so let's go inside and see how this is all going
to come together with the 360.
This is my PVS mockup of the tank.
Just a reminder, it's about five and a half feet wide,
26.5 inches tall, and four feet deep, a 360 gallon tank.
So the first thing here is, I've doubled the largest
display tank I've ever set up before.
I've had larger Frag systems, but never a display tank.
Bigger, of course, will allow me
to house a lot more coral and fish.
Not just that, but room
to grow large colonies over time as well.
As well as more different types of fish
that I've never had before.
The most significant change here is,
this tank has three viewing panes.
That means I'm gonna shoot
for three totally different looks for the tank.
This will be a mixed tank.
But when you walk in, the first thing you'll see is
an LPS Euphyllia dominant tank, where most
of the rock facing that pane features that type of coral.
I chose this theme for the front pane,
partially because it will look the nicest the fastest.
The thank will look complete.
And flowing, moving corals tend
to be what's most impressive to guests as well.
This is a display tank.
And as much as it is for me, I built it
for the family and others I share it with as well.
On the back pane of the SPS view, this one's for me.
The SPS side will take the longest to grow out.
Even more so, because I'd like
to only pick up SPS corals I'm really excited about.
Not necessarily expensive, just the corals I
like the most as they come across
to me the right shows, friend's houses,
the corals that actually speak to me.
I want this side of the tank
to take a long time to fill out,
so I can actually enjoy the process and journey.
Smell the roses, rather than race to the finish line.
Similar to that, at the side pane,
I think will be largely be Acans, Micros, zoanthids,
and a few Rics, or special mushrooms.
All of which are a favorite of mine
and hold the theme worth collecting.
So the basis of my underlying approach,
which I think will help me stay in tune
with the tank for a long time to come.
Three totally different themes within the same tank,
the challenge of aquascaping it and positioning the corals
to achieve those three very different looks.
And taking the time to enjoy the process.
Similar to that, I want to slow things down even more.
I've started a lot of insta-tanks in the past.
When you add dozens and dozens of corals all at once,
you just miss an opportunity to really get
in tune with each one and appreciate if for what it is.
For that reason, after the front pane is filled, I'd like
to slow it down to monthly additions of a handful of corals.
And really enjoy each one,
become a collector, a connoisseur of sorts.
Just learn as much as I can about each type
and share it with others who might be interested.
Same with fish.
To be honest, fish have always been secondary
to the corals for me.
But this is also another chance for an evolutionary leap.
This time, go way outside my normal box
and look for fish that I've never kept before.
Hopefully waiting for something that really excites my heart
and pets that I want to share with my family for decades.
There's something that I really want
to bring home this time,
the fish and corals are animals we keep in our homes
and they rely on us for their health and care.
These are 20 year pets with distinct personalities.
And when thought about that way,
the reef tank is more than climbing
to the summit and mission achieved.
It's a personal journey with pets that can last decades.
I'm putting the right efforts, where I'm confident gear
and water quality won't be the reason
that the tank ever comes down or I fail.
The 360's gonna be a blended balance
between hobby and family pet,
where joy comes from not just the achievements,
but also the companionship.
Couple other things I'm doing
to make sure the tank holds my interest long-term,
is I'm not doing everything I might want to do day one.
I'm gonna set up this tank in sumps.
So when the time is right, we can install a clam
or Xenia refugium; an NPS tank in the corner;
maybe a lagoon in the nook, on the other side of the wall;
maybe a Frag system, mounted on the wall;
all plumbed to the same sump area.
And add new interest with minimal additional work.
The other piece is something we already talked about,
but you can see my desk is right there.
This is just a place holder,
but I can tell you that's the exact place I sat
while putting together today's episode.
And even though it's only a PVC rendering of the tank,
I can already imagine what's inside it.
And providing the inspiration, which makes my job easier,
the tank being part of my daily life.
Thinking about placement and how I'll enjoy it,
combined with what's in it.
The mainstay of how I'm going to outthink myself
and get past climbing the summit
and enjoying the view at the top, hopefully for decades.
In just 30 minutes, at 12:30 Central,
we have our wholesale manager, Nick Manderfeld, joining us.
He's been reefing for 20 years, has a biology degree.
And when I don't know the answer on almost anything,
or just looking for someone to sharpen the steel,
he's my go-to guy.
So all of you are going to get to meet him
and see how he's managed keeping
it interesting for 20 years.
That's coming up, click this link to see it live.