It was a bittersweet day today. This afternoon Doug from the MN State Zoo came and packed up my coral reef. I have been e-mailing with Doug for a few weeks, discussing donating all of my livestock to the zoo. I have had saltwater for almost 20 years, and now I have none. I am a little sad, but it makes me glad to know that they will be looked after in a professional way and not at the whim of a hobbyist. Family, friends, and fellow hobbyist have been asking me how I can give it up after so long and I tend to have trouble with a concise answer. One of the primary reasons is that saltwater does not hold my heart like it use to and it was evident in my maintenance of my system even with the automation I had built in. Many things contributed to my declining interest including the morality of saltwater tanks, the community, cost, and other assorted thoughts and feelings. In the end it was inertia that kept me going, and Doug helped me break out of that.
The picture is of Doug and I after removing all rock, corals, clams, crabs, snails, etc. from the tank. All I have left is water, sand, and the equipment to sell. The donation may get me a few dollars on my tax return but is when I sell off the equipment that I hope to have a enough money to do a little bit of work on the Hudson.
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