Introduction
My name is Brad Urbanek and I’m a reefer. Sound a bit like a 12 step program? For many of us reef addicts, there should be a support group. Beyond my reefing addiction, I’m the husband of my high school sweetheart, a father of two teenage boys, a baseball coach and a wanna be wood worker. I enjoy all things outdoors including fly fishing, gardening, hiking, etc. I have no shortage of hobbies and rarely sit down to relax unless it’s in front of my reef. I work for a high tech company in an engineering field which is a major reason for my need to have a well-organized aquarium with a place for everything and everything in its place.
My introduction to this wonderful hobby goes back to Jr. High School when I setup my first aquarium. In high school, I worked for a local fish store where I took my passion for the hobby from fresh to salt water. It was during this same time that I started setting up aquariums in restaurants, offices and homes and maintaining them for extra income. I continued to maintain aquariums during college but sold the accounts once I graduated. I was out of the hobby for about 10 years while I was starting my career and family.
In November of 2009, I setup my first reef which was a 28 gallon Nano Reef. The Nano was up and running for just over 2 years and won tank of the month honors on Nano-Reef.com. In April of 2011, the Nano came down and I setup my second reef which is a 112 gallon rimless aquarium. My 112 was featured as tank of the week and tank of the month on AquaticLog.com as well as the featured aquarium on MarineDepot.com. After 3 years, the 112 is still up and running but will be taken down once the new reef is up and cycled. While I thought my 112 would be the last aquarium I purchased, it wasn’t long after I set the tank up that I started making a list of things I wish I had done differently. As that list grew so did the vision for what is starting to become a reality right in my living room.
Recent Photo of My 112g Aquarium
The Next Chapter
The new aquarium will be 72x36x22 and hold 250 gallons. The new reef is much more than just a new aquarium for me. The aquarium is more of a lifelong project that is coming together in the form of a reef. As a teenager, I spent my summers with an uncle who was a shop teacher. I would spend about 4 weeks every summer building lamps, clocks, bread boxes, knife holder, etc. I’ve always wanted to continue wood working but did not have the tools or access to a shop. Along with deciding to take the plunge with this new aquarium, I also made the decision to begin assembling a wood shop. I wish my reintroduction into woodworking was not on a large cabinet going in my living room but hey, “No guts, no glory!”
Sketch of the New Aquarium - 72x36x22 Peninsula Reef Aquarium
The new aquarium is currently being built by CadLights Aquariums, the same company that built my 112g aquarium. I'm very excited to receive the aquarium which was ordered 10 weeks ago and is due to be shipped in 5 days. Cad Lights has integrated some new design features into my new aquarium which Eddie at CadLights says I'm going to be very happy about. The image below, is the same one that I sent to CadLights as the build spec for my new aquarium. Some of the details include; 3 sided starfire glass, external coast to coast overflow and drilled for closed loop.
Tank Sketch Sent to Manufacturer - Used as Build Spec for New Aquarium
As this project progresses, I will do my best to capture the build details both with words and photographs. I hope you will consider subscribing to my latest reefing adventure as I'm hopeful that this will be my best aquarium yet.