Emerging From The Shadows

[jsker]

 

[Fish Styx]

Thanks for all the love, everyone. You sure know how to make a guy feel welcomed. Xoxoxo

 

[shakacuz]

welcome aboard the r2r board!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

 

[JZ199]

Welcome! and welcome back to the hobby!!

 

[tharbin]

Welcome to R2R! I think you will find R2R far friendlier than that other reef forum, if it is the one I think you mean. People here tend to be respectful of others and truly try to help. Glad you're with us.

 

[rmorris_14]

welcome!

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome back to R2R Matt

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Hey there, and welcome to the channel.

 

[G Santana]

Welcome to the Reef

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Greetings, All! I figured that, given all of my recent activity here over the last few days, I should probably get around to introducing myself. My name is Matt, aka "Fish Styx", and while I am technically new here, I've actually been around since 2020, lurking like a creeper in the shadows. I'm a native New Yorker, born in Queens and later a Brooklyn transplant, though I've been gone from the city since 2005 when I left for the army. These days, I'm a denizen of the beltway on the Maryland side of the DC metro, where I am a member of WAMAS (Washington Area Marine Aquarist Society). Truth be told, however, I'm not terribly active there either. I can be a bit reclusive at times.

Having been gifted my first aquarium on my tenth birthday, I have been in the hobby, with a few breaks, for the past 35 years. I made the switch to the darkside (aka saltwater) in 2009 after a 21 month stint at Walter Reed (I was badly messed up in Iraq) that resulted in my being medically retired from the military. Since "crossing over", I haven't looked back. Back then, I was a pretty active member on another reef centric <ahem> forum, but left in 2014 because the community just got way too toxic.

Around the same time (2014) I had to tear down my system and sell off the majority of my gear due to an ugly divorce. That resulted in me being tankless for a few years while I pieced my life back together (again). Fast forward a few years and I have purchased a home (2017), remarried (2019), and gotten back into the hobby (2020). My current system is a Planet Aquariums Mega Matrix 180 (build thread coming) that has been wet since 2021 and is finally ready for SPS, which was the intent behind the build. That brings us to present day. If you want to put a face to the name, a pic of my ugly mug is attached. I look forward to being an active member here, offering advice when and where I can, and learning from the plethora of resident experts here, as I'm sure I will need to pick your brains from time to time.

Namaste.

Hi Matt and Welcome! Glad you joined. Biggest changes in 35 years are pods are good (remember when they were all wild blood suckers?!), foods have improved and so has lighting. It sounds like you have lots of BBA - Bounce Back Ability - that is wonderful for this hobby and terrific life skill! I still have my condo in Tysons and grew up outside Annapolis. I'll be back East for MACNA in Sept so maybe I'll get to meet you and your new wife there in PA (think about it!!)

Another recommendation is make a Saturday trip over Bay Bridge like going to Ocean City and see Dr Mac's facility (call first - very limited hours). I flew in, stayed with my mom and learned a LOT from them plus WOW - then I treated my mom to crabs at Harris Crab House (yum!) before coming back over bridge:



Congrats on already having your Build Thread Badge!!

This might help you find people local to you:

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WAMAS donates $20,000 to the Living Coral Biobank Project | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The Washington DC Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS) has donated $20,000 USD to the Great Barrier Reef Legacy Living Coral Biobank Project. Based in Port Douglas, Australia, the aim of the project…

reefbuilders.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[findingsimple]

Welcome!