If you could do it over again...

[drjosay]

hey guys,
I'm thinking about getting a new reef tank and wanted to get some of your thoughts. I wondered if there was anything you would do differently now that you might not have known previously (or something you found that really works well). Here is what I was thinking of going with:

1. Glass Tank (Starphire front and sides, either 4x2x2 or 4x4x2)

2. I would like to get it pre-drilled. What do you feel is better, drilling the bottom or the back wall? (I would like to do a sump and refugium under the tank stand. I already own an Ecosystem Refugium Filter from before and was very pleased with it in the past.)

3. For internal overflows, is there a difference between corner or center placement? How do you know whether you will need 1 or 2 overflows?

I am open to any and all suggestions, recommendations, or comments you guys might have. Have a great holiday.

 

[cloakerpoked]

My eventual plans for my reef will be to upgrade from my 4x2x2 tank to a 4 sided 4x4x2 starphire tank with an overflow in the center of the bottom pane of the tank so that it's a 360 degree tank. Obviously, the primary concern with a tank this size is keeping the thing clean, but since I use cleaning as an excuse to inspect my animals, that's not a problem for me. As for specifically the issues you addressed...

1.) I'd always go with the biggest tank you think you can handle. I used to think 120 gallons was big. Most people still do. When you tell them "yeah I only have a 120 gallon tank" most of them are blown away by the size. With a reef, the extra space to allow things to grow into the tank can be very nice though.

2.) The back wall is safer since if you develop a leak, there's no chance of completely emptying the tank. Overflows make that pretty unlikely in a tank drilled on the bottom too, but if the overflow leaks, and the pump shuts off (dies or power outage) and the fittings are leaking too, you COULD slowly empty your tank all the way. Ultimately for me it comes down to convenience though. If you want to have it right against the wall, then go with having the bottom drilled. I think the 2 reasons people usually drill the backs instead is a.) Bought it used and it had a tempered bottom or b.) closed loops.

3.) Center can take up less space, but to me this is primarily a cosmetic thing unless you were going to use a wavebox, in which case you'd definitely want the center. Obviously for the tank I described that I will eventually set up, I need it smack dab in the center or else the tank wouldn't be viewable from all 4 sides. If you're looking to make all 3 sides viewable, then I'd go with the overflow in the center so it's not an eyesore right up against the glass.

The overflows will really depend on the return pump. I use a return rated for 1800 gph (throttled back to about 1600) so I need 2 drain lines to handle that much flow. If you're looking to keep SPS without a closed loop, I think you should have two returns. It can be nice anyway if you decide you want half your water to go to the refugium, and half to a frag tank, then go to a common sump and back to the display.

My #1 suggestion would be to plan everything out first, and do it all right the first time. You'll save money, time, and headaches if you do it all the way you might eventually want it someday right away, because I guarantee you that once you get into a reef, you'll want that bigger system sooner than later. Just realize too that a bigger tank is a lot more maintainence to keep it looking nice, and if you don't have the time to do that, then it's probably not the best idea in the world. I've seen some great tanks that weren't all that big, and some pretty lousy ones that were huge, so ultimately the size thing is one of personal preference and isn't necessarily directly correlated to the eventual beauty of the tank. Just speaking from my personal experience and the wishes I see a lot of people voice, most wish they had a larger tank. Take your time getting it all the way you want it, so that when you do set it up, there are no regrets. Personally, I'd love to have a fish room, where I could keep all my equipment and tanks remotely from the display tank for a cleaner look, but for the time being, that's just simply not an option.