[Matt]

About four years ago, I started up a 10g nano as a Christmas treat for my wife. We watched with awe (and horror) when our first coral, a little green mushroom) split. We spent countless hours peeking in at night to see what new critters might appear. Pods were an endless fascination. A nano is such an intimate look at the reef; it is all about the little things that are easy to overlook in a bigger tank.

A few months in, the tank bottom cracked late one night. It was our first crisis, and we flew around like panicked chickens getting it sorted out.

Four years later, I was cleaning that little nano, and found silicone loose all along one corner. Instead of a panic, it turned into a nice afternoon of picking up a new tank (15L this time) and transferring about 5 gallons from the old tank, and about 5 gallons from the larger tank (of course there's a larger tank... it's been 4 years), and setting it up again.

What a joy it was to feel the renewal and to see the new tank so pristine, and to see the fish exploring their new confines. What a horror to see the amount of crud that rinsed out of the rocks when we shook them in the change water before replacing them! What a nuisance it was to pick bristle worm spines out of my fingers for 2 hours.

This hobby.. just when I was starting to think.. "maybe we don't build that new tank into the new house..." it sparks a new burst of enthusiasm.

RIP 10g; Long live the 15L! And when the new big brother comes along, I will find a place for the nano.