Now that summer has wound down and we are back into the fall I found myself reflecting back on the past year. For those of you still following along at home, this is about the time last year that I rolled up my sleeves, got back into my tank and made a major course correction from where it was headed, back in the summer of 2012. In short, the tank sucked goat nads and I needed to do something about it. In fact, now that I think about, the tank has suffered in some form or other pretty much every summer that it has been running. This summer was different though. Miraculously, the tank came out of this summer with very few bumps or bruises. There was that incident with the flooding and subsequent power outtage back in June, but even from that the tank came out with just superficial wounds.
So, what was different about this past year compared to the previous 3 years ? Well, for starters I started to pray for my tank more often. Once I cleaned up the tank with a few hefty water changes I immediately started to pray for its stability and continued health. As soon as I put in my first few pieces of coral I would pray for their survival. I prayed a lot. I prayed to God, to Mother Mary, Baby Jesus and even to Brett. I prayed to anyone who would listen, or not. I didn't discriminate. This worked out quite well as I started to observe immediate results. My corals were growing, gaining great colours. My nuisance algaes went away and my fish were all thriving. I continued to pray for every single organism that I put into my tank with great success. I even started to pray for my equipment.
Then.. (dun Dun DUN..) the summer rolled around. Like every other summer before it, and like everyone else, I started to get super busy again. And again, I didn't have as much time to dedicate to the tank. However, I was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past summers. I decided that I really needed a way to pray for my tank while I wasn't around my tank as often..
Let me present, The Reef Prayer Reactor.
The prayer reactor is just as its name suggests, a reactor, for prayers. This was a fairly simple DIY project which went something like this..
Step 1. Obtain an old or new reactor, it really doesn't matter. In this case, size really doesn't matter either. Reef prayers are surprisingly compact and space efficient.
Step 2. Label the reactor appropriately so as not to confuse it with other media reactors. The last thing you want is accidentally putting carbon or GFO into your Prayer Reactor and dirtying up your reef prayers. As you can see here, it is very clear what each reactor is used for.
Step 3. Write out your reef prayers of choice. It really does not matter if you hand write or print them. The paper stock doesn't matter either. I've used different paper styles with great results. Font also does not matter.
Step 4. Place your reef payers in the Reef Prayer Reactor.
Step 5. Place your Reef Prayer Reactor near your tank.
Step 6. Enjoy and marvel at your achievment.
Step 6b. Take pictures and post to Canreef.
The Reef Prayer Reactor was a very simple DIY project that has proven to be invaluable ! It is extremely energy efficient and has very little impact on the environment. Now I have a means of praying for my tank while I myself am unable to for whatever reason. It prays for my reef while I'm busy mowing the lawn, gardening, out playing soccer, on vacation. Reef prayers 24/7/365 ! I highly recommend it to anyone needing or wanting something similar. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have as I will be more than happy to answer them. As always, thanks for looking, and keep on reefing on!