…the Lightning Maroon’s new home is shipping out Monday.  Spoke to the man himself who said he’ll be packing it personally himself this time.  I did not ask for an anticipated arrival time.  It will arrive when the time is right.
If you’ve been following all along,  you may recall that the first “new home” for the Lightning Maroon got crushed by the freight company.  The worst part was that the setup was a one-of-a-kind tank, a “doing Matt Pedersen a favor ’cause he’s a picky SOB” kind of generous gesture, on the part of the manufacturer.  Thankfully there’s “insurance” for those kind of things.
Tank #2?  Well, it winds up it was not lost in Fed Ex, as it never seems to have left the building.  Quite simply, since again, this is a special contribution to the Lightning Project, it was not routed through normal ordering and shipping channels.  As I was told this evening, no excuses, after tracking things down, it was discovered that the ball was simply dropped.   It’s big of someone to come out and say something like that, especially when they’re the ones doing you the generous favor.  They owe me no explanations.  And Hello – it was just the holiday season.  I’m sure I forgot all sorts of things…
Now, I’m going out on a limb here and saying “Third Time is the Charm”, as this has technically been in the works for almost half a year.  Just like in fish breeding, patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait.  If all goes according to plan, the Lightning Maroon will be swimming in a dedicated, top of the line home in a few to several weeks (because it has to get here from across the country, and then get set up).   It will have been 110% worth the wait and then some.
Yes, for the record and for transparency, this marine aquarium system is a contribution to the project.  You may recall way back when I put out an “open call” for any interested manufactures to help house the Lightning Maroon.  Well…someone did answer that call.  I’m keeping the “who” and “what” quiet for two reasons:  #1.  If, for any reason, the third time is not the charm, no one is looking bad for not following through on what I term a very generous gesture they were never under any obligation to meet and #2….the really important reason…I am so freakin’ excited that I want you all to share in the suspense and agony of waiting in some small way.
Still, although it’s a “donation”, I will be “paying” in return by setting up nothing less than a kick-ass setup and photographing the heck out of it, allowing the manufacturer to use the imagery I produce in any way they see fit.  I will also be pulling double duty by doing very thorough coverage of the products on ReefBuilders as well.
So for the record, if it seems like I gush about this, well, it’s because I believe in the product and the design already.  I am already sold.   I expect that it’s going to be very hard to find much wrong with it.  If I could sell off all the new and used equipment I have sitting here that I’ve been trying to for months, I *might* have been able to justify funding the difference to actually pay for what’s headed my way – as you all know, I am not one to normally accept donations or gifts…it is a rare occasion for me to do so.
So in the end, while I will do my very best to provide a fair and balanced point of view, I’m state now that I’m probably not unbiased (although I’d argue that no journalism of any kind is ever truly unbiased).
And yes, you will be seeing a lot of the setup, with the fish in it.  No more cage for the Lighting Maroon.  Instead, a modern palace befitting of an ambassador from Papua New Guinea.