Our new forum

[sucker_fish]

I just wanted to say welcome to all the members and thanks to the RC admin for making this happen. I am currently in covington, tn. So if any fellow reefers stationed at millington need any help feel free to contact me via PM here on reef central or in this forum. Happy reefing!

[JohnnyHT]

Dangit...beat me by 2 minutes. :-P

[Reeferhead]

Thanks sucker fish! This is the 2nd forum in over a decade of being a RC member that I've actually subscribed too! LOL

[sucker_fish]

Originally Posted by Reeferhead

Thanks sucker fish! This is the 2nd forum in over a decade of being a RC member that I've actually subscribed too! LOL

No problem, hopefully we can keep enough interest to keep this going. I would love for our unique community of reefers to grow.

[Posidion]

All I want to know is where was this forum back in 01/02 when my roommate and I were trying to figure out what to do with 290 gal of fish and reef in Lejune while we weren't off to tipple governments. This would have been so helpful. Just hope it may save some the trouble we had tearing down and restarting when we got back.

[sucker_fish]

Originally Posted by Posidion

All I want to know is where was this forum back in 01/02 when my roommate and I were trying to figure out what to do with 290 gal of fish and reef in Lejune while we weren't off to tipple governments. This would have been so helpful. Just hope it may save some the trouble we had tearing down and restarting when we got back.

Thats ultimately the goal in mind, i personally was tired of tearing down, selling off, moving, setup, stock the tank, and repeating...it was such a horrible process. Hopefully everyone wil take full advantage of their fellow military reefers here.

[toad2169]

hey everyone..found my way over from the other forum and ready to follow along and help..NJ area here

[angelfish boy]

Hello, my dad is in the coast guard down here in Miami so if anyone needs help just give me a call!

[cgray07]

Its bittersweet I'm at Hickam so no coral

[oceangurlz]

Edwards AFB CA here!

[Yellow05gt]

good to see more military members out there reefing! Wish I could find more around my local area as well. Anyone around in Germany or surrounding areas?

[dukduk]

our group is pretty dead....

[oceangurlz]

I know :-/ I think it'd be better if there was a way to group us by bases or by regions and hopefully ppl can stay in touch better. I know for me I've had to just try and connect w just others in the regular area forum and have found some military members there. Not sure if they knew about the special forum or not.

[.Marshall]

Doesn't help that the hobby itself doesn't jive with the often travels of military members!

But hey, we still love it!

I'm working on a project at the moment that once complete, I would really appreciate the support from Military reefers.

[tommyz44]

Hey y'all! Just wanted to say thank you to any of you who are in the military. I am not, however I come from a long line of marines, and respect anyone within any branch.

[rgulrich]

@.Marshall - that's one of the reasons I kept extending in Athens during the 80's. Had an aquarium built, snorkeled for all of the stock off the coast. Finally PCS'd back to the 'States in late '87, turning it all back loose in the Med before I left.
I did find time to go snorkeling and visit some local fish shops in the southern Arabian Gulf and central Saudi Arabia during some '90-'93 adventures, and again later in the mid 90's up through Dhahran and also Bahrain. Didn't quite get a reef set up on location, though. 225 reef did crap out in the early 90's, though, during an extended deployment.

As for pointers and such to help things be a bit more conducive to hanging with this hobby, these are the things that have helped me out through the years of deployments with housesitters minding the reef (and the dog, etc.):

1. Checklist. Come on, we've all built, rebuilt, reviewed, and refined Continuity books filled with checklists. We should be good at it, right? So build a good step by step checklist for everything reef, paying attention to detail. Pictures help a lot. My current work requires me to travel on occasion, and my current housesitters really appreciate the effort that goes into the checklists/continuity book. Include phone numbers for local experts for additional help for those moments when the phone doesn't work in the tent or the back of the plane. Oh yeah.

2. System design. KISS as is humanly possible. Yes, I know, these can be complex systems to someone that isn't familiar to them and simple for those of us that have been playing too long with the toys. That said, try to design the reef system with ease of access, ease of maintenance, and of course, keeping the critters as happy as possible in mind. This could mean putting frequently accessed service gear (skimmer collection cup, sponge filter, etc.) within easy reach and access, making it easier to do more often. Automate some things such as water changes and use an auto top off system - and maintain them.
If the sump and skimmer need to be turned off for feeding, put the switch in an easily accessible spot. That type of thing. If you think it's simple, ask someone that has no clue about your system to perform the tasks. That should help out quite a bit with checklist development and equipment accessibility.

3. Maintain/purchase a stock of food, and if at all possible prepare portions for the duration of the deployment. I used the little Solo cups and lids available at party supply stores to prep enough frozen food for a six month trip to AZ a few years ago, with my nephew (and his crew...sigh) housesitting for me. Left a freezer full of containers. He did use his car as a generator using the inverter I left "just in case of an extended power outage" to run circulation and skimmer a few hours every 5-6 hours for a couple of days after a bad storm. For this type of situation I'd also recommend having a fully stocked liquor cabinet and a couple cases of beers set aside for emergency use. He cleared mine out. Oh, which reminds me, if you can pick up a stand by generator and enough power cord to reach your gear, please do. Double check to make sure they put out power clean enough for a computer and you'll be in great shape. I finally did that a couple snow storms ago, and I am definitely thankful for the piece of mind it has brought.

Anecdote: Just prior to a business trip to Montreal, I did some system maintenance. Bad move. The kalk reactor stuck in the "on" position and I discovered it the next morning as I'm stepping to the airport (180 the color of a jug of milk). Called my significant other on the way (she and her daughter were going to house sit for me while I was away) to let her know what happened. I won't go through all of the losses from that episode, but let's include a 10" plus-long Squammie, a couple of 8" Maxima, and an array of shrimp, coral, crabs, and fish. Miraculously, some things made it through, including a Red Sea Purple Tang and some large polyp stonies. All the living things I attribute to a gutsy, never kept a fish tank woman and daughter that kept cleaning the skimmer and pulling out deceased animals - following the checklist with pictures I had left. One of the many reasons we stick together, I guess.

Hope this helps a bit in any continuing their adventures, and for those of us that are leading a bit more "retired" life at this point, perhaps it's not a bad idea just in case of an unexpected trip or two, too.

[.Marshall]

@rguilrich, diving/snorkeling for my own stock is something I would love to do! That sounds like an awesome experience, I will now have to go check out what med sea reefs look like! What fish did you manage to keep at that time? It is for this reason I am extremely jealous of my buddy stationed at Hickam, HI..

[rgulrich]

@.Marshall, I kept the Mediterranean Rainbow Wrasse female and male phases, a couple of unnamed blennies, a non-photosynthetic coral (for too short of a period, unfortunately), some sand anemone (white with purple tips), feather dusters, grass shrimp, mussels, oysters, clams, even had an octopus for a while.

Snorkeling off of Athens and toward Sounion (I spent a lot of time in the far side/West side of Varkiza bay, along the cliff faces) I came across a wide variety of life. The brittle stars tended to gather in the shady spots alongside the cliffs, and the urchins, sea stars, and cucumbers were spread from rocky shoreline to the sandy bottom.

I could spend quite a bit of time just watching a bit of rocky algae-covered shoreline looking for crabs, shrimp and fish, and "pick fights" with the ever-pugnacious blennies protecting their turf. I've even managed to torque off a few cuttlefish in my time...heh!

You need to go visit your buddy for a week or so, and if you don't pack the snorkeling gear, buy some there on base. I think you'd have a great time, and it would give you a whole new appreciation for what this hobby can bring.

[.Marshall]

Ray, I visited him in mid November and it was a great time! I will definitely be going back after this deployment, just have to decide whether the wife will be going with me!

We did some snorkeling off of Ka'ena Point, in Yokohama Bay on Oahu, and it was amazing.. my first time snorkeling on the reef, and I can't wait to go back for more!

Any suggestions on snorkeling locations, or some secret spots?

[rgulrich]

Marshall, I'll need to ask my brother and my nephew for good snorkeling spots - nephew lives there and my brother now has a great reason to frequently visit. Come to think of it, I do as well....heh!

[Misled]

Do you have access to Kaneohe Bay? It's been a while since I was stationed there, but there's some great snorkling off the beach there. You need to go out a bit though.

[TigeBell]

West coast side of Oahu. Nice diving and snorkeling spot. I dove this area a dozen times.

Kahe Point Beach Park

[rgulrich]

Marshall, as for other spots you might want to consider...Greece and Crete

If you take a boat from Agios Nikolaos (Ag Nikolaos or St. Nick's) to Spinalonga (or more properly, the Phoenician fortress at Frourio Spinalogkas), among other things you'll pass over is a city submerged by one of the many earthquakes in antiquity, possibly by one in 15 or 1600's that took out Thera. I understand the laws have shifted a bit in the past decade or so, and you should be able to freely snorkel in the area, just be sure not to pick up or remove anything from the site - those laws haven't changed, and are very strict.
I snorkeled off of Pseira, I believe, and it juts up out of the deep water Mediterranean, if you like snorkeling alongside a cliff face in water a couple hundred or so feet deep - with visibility likewise. Closest I've ever been to flying outside of an aircraft, and a pretty strange feeling when the bottom disappears on the way back to the boat..heh! This link provides some info on why I so thoroughly enjoyed my three day breaks from shift at Iraklion AS:
http://archive.archaeology.org/1001/...shipwreck.html
If you want to walk through history, and even snorkel through it, this is definitely the place to go. You can access the island via Souda Bay Naval Support Activity (my last overseas tour before retiring...), but PAX/Space-A flights tend to be pretty full and not easy to find.
Many more spots off of mainland Greece, including a spot in Volos on the East coast near a village called Ag. Ioannis (St. John), near Volos. Beautiful snorkeling, had one of the last remaining Med. seal populations in the region, great fishing. I brought home an octopus from there for my aquarium in Athens. Caught and released a gorgeous SeaHorse (released after showing it to the Taverna owner and his family...used a ziplock bag snorkeling to bring back interesting critters).
Hmm...so much for a "quick reply"...sorry for the book!

Above all, enjoy!

[sean112280]

Hey everyone! I am stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, I am currently deployed. My wife is taking good care of the tank while I am away. Nothing like troubleshooting your tank from 6,000+ miles away

[.Marshall]

Originally Posted by Misled

Do you have access to Kaneohe Bay? It's been a while since I was stationed there, but there's some great snorkling off the beach there. You need to go out a bit though.

That looks like an awesome spot, seems like a ways out though. How is the best way to get out there, looks to far to swim.

Originally Posted by TigeBell

West coast side of Oahu. Nice diving and snorkeling spot. I dove this area a dozen times.

Kahe Point Beach Park

Is that right across the road from that power plant? I heard that spot was good as well.

Originally Posted by rgulrich

Marshall, as for other spots you might want to consider...Greece and Crete

If you take a boat from Agios Nikolaos (Ag Nikolaos or St. Nick's) to Spinalonga (or more properly, the Phoenician fortress at Frourio Spinalogkas), among other things you'll pass over is a city submerged by one of the many earthquakes in antiquity, possibly by one in 15 or 1600's that took out Thera. I understand the laws have shifted a bit in the past decade or so, and you should be able to freely snorkel in the area, just be sure not to pick up or remove anything from the site - those laws haven't changed, and are very strict.
I snorkeled off of Pseira, I believe, and it juts up out of the deep water Mediterranean, if you like snorkeling alongside a cliff face in water a couple hundred or so feet deep - with visibility likewise. Closest I've ever been to flying outside of an aircraft, and a pretty strange feeling when the bottom disappears on the way back to the boat..heh! This link provides some info on why I so thoroughly enjoyed my three day breaks from shift at Iraklion AS:
http://archive.archaeology.org/1001/...shipwreck.html
If you want to walk through history, and even snorkel through it, this is definitely the place to go. You can access the island via Souda Bay Naval Support Activity (my last overseas tour before retiring...), but PAX/Space-A flights tend to be pretty full and not easy to find.
Many more spots off of mainland Greece, including a spot in Volos on the East coast near a village called Ag. Ioannis (St. John), near Volos. Beautiful snorkeling, had one of the last remaining Med. seal populations in the region, great fishing. I brought home an octopus from there for my aquarium in Athens. Caught and released a gorgeous SeaHorse (released after showing it to the Taverna owner and his family...used a ziplock bag snorkeling to bring back interesting critters).
Hmm...so much for a "quick reply"...sorry for the book!

Above all, enjoy!

Thanks for this! If I ever get out that way I will have use you as a tour guide! Lol. I hope to try my chances at Space-A in the future, possibly try to get out to Hickam or the Kwajalein atoll.