Back at it Again

I'm back.  The itch has returned in full force and I have realized there is no stopping it. 

After about 2 years I've decided its about that time. I've been perusing the forums and keeping up with things on Twitter lately. My last tank was up and running in some form or another for almost 3 years and then, abruptly, it ended.  Caring for and living with 7 high school boys for a couple years will shift your priorities a bit. 

I've covered a wide range of corals. LPS, SPS, zoas, clams, etc.  I've decided that this time will be deliberate, planned, and  most importantly, simple. 

My last adventure, a 16 gallon bow front, began simply.  Some rock, a light, and plenty of flow. It morphed over time. I drilled it, installed a sump, added a skimmer, more light, more rock, coral and fish.  It quickly got out of control. It was a 16 gallon Franken-reef. It was loud, smelly, and took up a bigger footprint than I originally envisioned.  Then, as quickly as it started, it whirled out of control and ended.  

My wife and I moved into a home to run an academic program and the tank was somewhat self-sufficient with auto-topoff and  every-other-day feeding.  After about a year and a half, I walked down to the basement where the tank lived to find it completely orange and dead. Someone decided it was the right call to dump a whole container of food into the tank.  That was it. I took it down and have since moved on. All the bits and pieces now live in a closet or in my current basement.  Some items need to be sold.  Other items will be used for this build.  

Here is how I envision this build:   

Tank

Deep Blue 12x12x12 rimless cube.  

Cleanly built, simple and good looking.  I plan to keep the tank minimalistic.  I quite like the aesthetic of Sonny Harajly.  

Aquascape

Minimal rock. 

My last tank felt so empty at first that I continued to add rock to the point of having far too much. Mistake learned.

Not sure if I will include substrate on this build.  If I do it won't be much.

Lighting

A 150 watt metal halide pendant.  

I have had this light since the previous build and I have had a lot of success.  LEDs have seemed to come a long way in affordability and quality since I took my hiatus from the hobby so that will be a possibility for the longer term.  Research continues.

Flow

EcoTech MP10

I have experimented enough with all sorts of other pumps and such but I'm doing it right the first time. This pump is simple, external (at least mostly), and efficient.

That's it. No sump. Regular water changes. Easy on the livestock.  I will be picking out the inhabitants more selectively than in my previous runs.  I want to pick more vibrant inhabitants.  In the past I picked things out willy-nilly and bought things that were sort of, flavor-of-the-month.  This time I will pick from reputable sellers in which I know the quality will be on par with what I'm looking for.

That's it for now.  I will have more on inhabitants soon.  I hope you check back for the build and other updates.