I notice online that several acquaintances in the birding world have recently posted images of their fish tanks: very beautiful they are, too...
Seeing these images (and meeting Ben Lewis in 'Maidenhead Aquatics' this morning) caused me to reflect on the big tropical marine tank Linda and I used to own. In those days, before shop-bought integrated systems, it took a long time to master the thermostats, skimmers, reef surges, actinic lighting and multiple filtration units that were essential to maintain the parameters necessary to keep hard and soft corals and other invertebrates. (We had just a few fish, since they generate a lot of organic waste that can kill corals)
Despite a couple of near-disasters caused by power cuts, we ran the tank for five years, becoming quite well-known in the hobby for breeding several species of coral. Serious surgery and the impossibility of carrying out weekly 100 litre water changes while I recovered caused us to decide to sell everything to a friendly dealer in Attleborough...
We still miss the tank, but not the electricity bills and 24/7 commitment that went with it!
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