I actually did get to see the red fields , But don't worry my tank went through the exact same phase. I think that's probably just what it was too, a phase. I think as things are balancing late into the tanks maturity phosphates just get a hayday as the last bacterial populations even out. At least this seems like it should be true so it must be. I wouldn't expect it would get like that again. When I was there jared mentioned that you haven't started a refugium area in your sump yet for want of lighting. Has that changed? if not have you read the recent thread on refugium lighting? it can be done quite simply and the benefits of algae in the system can be great (phospate, nitrate, etc. uptake) as well as the added bonus of a good denitrification area and a breeding ground for beneficial copepods.

As for ToTM, if it's intended to showcase innovative ideas and interesting tanks than I'd say Richard and Jared's showpiece is an excellent candidate. Their rockwork is well arranged and provides for great arrangement opportunities, They do have some great corals growing in already and many cool 'shrooms. It's one to see, and their share to prepare philosophy is a good one.

Hey Suzy, would our tank qualify for TO'M? We are coming up on the one year mark, so our stuff is not huge like some other tanks.  Oh yeah, that's right you still have not come by to look at our tank so you do not know what it looks like . . . . Well, Jared and I are neophite reefers. 

OK, never mind.  We know good things happen in reef tanks ever so slowly . . .   We will try and be patient and grow up a bit yet. 

We are just glad nobody saw our cyano fields.  Heck, we could have run a swather through that stuff and baled it up for nutrient export by the truckload.  But its all gone now!

Come see us Suzy.  Give us some pointers and see how your reef babies are doing over here.