[lifeoffaith]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks Sam. Me too! 2017 was a year of my highest highs and lowest lows. I'll gladly take a much less volatile 2018.

I seriously contemplated not posting for months. There are guys that do that. I guess I'm just not one of them.

I'm not sure yet how my fish stocking plans will change. As much as I loved the barnacle blennies, I'll probably not replace them. They're not Caribbean and I couldn't face losing any more of them. I have set up two quarantine tanks, so I can get royal grammas and chalk bass simultaneously. I've spoken with a Florida Keys collector, and we'll see what he can find. I expect to hear from him early next month. I'm still bouncing the idea around of a cherub angel harem. My biggest concern is their aggression, so if I got them, I would wait until all the basslets are very well established. Another fish I'd love to get, but whose reputation for aggressiveness is well documented, is the sergeant major. They get big and mean, but a school of small juveniles would be super cool, swimming through the grasses. If I knew I could catch them, once they get too mean, I would go for it, but I'm not sure it would be worth the risk.

The older, bluish bulb blew. It scared the bajeezus out of me. And the thought of injuring my wife…that was rough.

So, the newer, yellowish one is back in service. It is noticeably brighter - 33,000 v 32,000 lumens. This time around, it doesn't look so yellow. One side of the element looks more yellow than the other. Maybe that's the difference. I still have a 7500K bulb on the way, but it has been delayed. It is 32,000 lumens. I think the seagrasses like the brighter light, and the macros like the dimmer one. We'll see how the new one looks when it gets here, sometime next month. I'm sure I'll get suggestions to switch to LED lighting. I don't think I could justify the price of any that would be bright enough to work in my 30 inch deep tank. I still prefer the natural look of a single point light source. I'll keep an open mind, and an eye on the sales! Suggestions welcome.

I look forward to 2018! I'm hoping to surpass the peak my tank achieved earlier this year. I've just about got all the pieces of the ecosystem puzzle in place…

I see you considered a cherub angelfish harem too. Wondering what your research told you. I'm looking to potentially do three, but the one I had previously in another tank was pretty aggressive, so I'd want to make sure that 1. they don't eat my algae and 2. they don't pester my green banded gobies. I'd be adding the gobies well enough ahead of time to allow them to get established, but still would be worried about them.