If you were to do it all over again, what would you do?

[t_a_unger]

Newb question

Newb question

bumpity bump

What does "bump" mean here?

:headwally:

I am just getting back into the hobby (after 10 years out) and promised myself I would spend a couple of months reading these forums before spending a penny on my tank. I'm so glad I kept that promise because threads like this one have made an incredible difference in my understanding, approach and expectations for my planned (admittedly modest 30g nano) build.

Thank you all for your insights!

T

 

[Brian DeGolier]

I've now managed to remove pretty much all the sand from the tank.

I very much wish I had gone BB to start. The amount of extra flow I can run is ridiculous.

As my corals start to grow in more, I also wish I had used about 30% less rock than I did. I've contemplated removing some of it a number of times, but the rock is so well covered with coraline and everything else now that it'd seem like a shame.

Do you find that by removing the sandbed, and all the extra flow, that you could easily get away without extra pumps and even avoiding a closed loop system? I plan to go BB, with about 4 MP-40's and am on the fence with whether or not I'll do a CL with only 2-3 MP's.

 

[Brian DeGolier]

1- Go way bigger than 55, aquascaping is incredibly tough since you have very little depth. https://i.imgur.com/DTrtlfu.jpg

I'm relatively happy with that but my next tank is definitely going to be over 200G!

2- No sand bed from the beginning.

3- Drill the tank.

4- Invest in QUALITY equipment or the cheaper ones just break down and you have to buy it again anyways. Never buying Koralia pumps ever again, their propellers tend to shift from counter clockwise to clockwise whenever they feel like it. A fish could get sucked into one and not be able to make it out.

a 55 was my biggest mistake.

 

[Brian DeGolier]

What does "bump" mean here?

:headwally:

I am just getting back into the hobby (after 10 years out) and promised myself I would spend a couple of months reading these forums before spending a penny on my tank. I'm so glad I kept that promise because threads like this one have made an incredible difference in my understanding, approach and expectations for my planned (admittedly modest 30g nano) build.

Thank you all for your insights!

T

A bump is a way to keep the thread going, to bring it back to the front and bring attention to it. I always like getting notifications on responses to this thread, I've gained a lot from this one and really helped me plan out my next system. I hope it helps you as well.

 

[t_a_unger]

A bump is a way to keep the thread going, to bring it back to the front and bring attention to it. I always like getting notifications on responses to this thread, I've gained a lot from this one and really helped me plan out my next system. I hope it helps you as well.

Thanks Brian -- this thread in particular was a stroke of genius (and also has clearly functioned as group therapy for many of us . . . :spin3!

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

Well, I am doing it all over again right now. I like my tank, 120. I am redoing the plumbing , redoing the electrical and building a larger stand. It will be higher, wider and deeper. This hobby is a lot more fun when there is room to work! I will also position the tank farther from the wall and in a different area to gain room around the tank.

I am also upgrading some equipment. Buy the good stuff from the start, it is a lot cheaper!
Oh and also I am starting with a complete stocking list before I even start the rebuild. No more random selections that don't completely mesh with each other.

Great thread.

 

[Kdadair]

My tank has only been up for about three months now. I am going really slowly with it so I still have plenty of time to correct my mistakes. I am looking at my sand bed and wondering if it is too deep. Maybe four inches. Also, the water flow needs to be moved because I am seeing where the front left corner the sand is being pushed around. Other than those two relatively minor items I am pleased with how things are. Of course I have been spending lots of time on forums like this one researching each move. I am looking at getting a larger tank than the 14gal nano when we move in October. I do like my bio cube, though.:fish1::

 

[kevin_austin]

Purchase a tank that is shorter than the distance from my armpit to the tip of my index finger.

 

[madadi]

paint my stand before I fully stock my tank.

 

[aleithol]

- Add another 6" width to my sump to make ongoing maintenance and access tom pumps, skimmer, reactors and heaters easier, at the cost of taking away from my existing display tank length (which are horizontally next to each other)
- Plan for space to handle even more excess cables (pumps, lights, probes, etc) than I did. That's the problem doing design and cabinet build in advance of purchasing some of the items!
- Allow even more space between the tank high water line (when the return is running full bore) and the underside of the eurobrace for more confidence with no splashing during wave and storm events.

 

[melvinakshay]

I wouldn't buy small fish nor buy any fish that I might have to remove later.

- Finding a dead fish is almost impossible
- Trying to catch a fish in a loaded tank is even worse.

 

[Daniel62]

epoxied Steel stand

 

[Aesl1982]

My wiring

 

[m0nkie]

wear gloves using PVC primer

 

[d2mini]

Hi everyone, I'm between tanks right now. I previously have a 55 gallon reef for about 5 years and I plan to get a DSA 105 gallon in the next year.

If I was going to do it over again, and I will have to eventually, I would make sure I used ANYBODY but DSA. I've had low iron glass before and never seen glass scratch this easily. You'd think it was acrylic. Maybe i'm just having bad luck but it really makes me wonder what brand glass they used. It's horrible.
Plus, when drilling my 3 drains they drilled them on the wrong side of the tank. Miscommunication with my LFS who had it written down correctly. That should be something you REALLY make sure you have right before doing. So my LFS had to re-drill and plug the old holes since it was found after the tank arrived. And I have the black plastic trim with two cross braces over the tank. One brace makes water contact. It's too low. So you see it if you look up. Minor, but just icing on the cake.

 

[janes_mw]

I would basically double my tank size to 240 gal (8x2x2) and equip with Ghost overflow, Oceans Motions Closed loop 8 way, Rockwall Aquascape, "Cooked and Re-seeded" liverock, sump with integral frag section, ATB Skimmer, Tunze ATO, Apex Control, Dolphin Pumps, Avast Vib Zeovit Reactor, easy to change daily mechanical (prolly filter socks), Spectrapure R/O MaxCap system, cabinet with storage on one end, and TBD lights (currently still experimenting with LEDs, Love/Hate relationship right now )

 

[karimwassef]

I'm already doing it all over again. LOL!

But if I could do it over over again, I'd convince my wife to convert an outside window into a tank portal with the aquarium outside in a greenhouse under real sunlight!!!

Maybe in the next house.

 

[wild1]

My mistakes

My mistakes

1st I would not build my tank into a wall with no rear access. 2nd I would not stack all my rock against the rear wall of my tank. 3rd I would find a professional or at least someone with reef tank experience to wire up everything, so I didn't wind up with a Gideons knot fire hazard. OH YAH one last thing NO Damsels!

 

[wild1]

Yah, has never worked for me. When I told my wife I was getting back into the hobby early last year I said I was going to just keep things simple. Got a 90 off craigslist and put in a 75 gallon tank as a sump in the basement; good to go, right! Fast forward 8 months and I've got a 265 main display (still with the same sump though, so some efforts in self control), a 20 gal RDSB, three QT tanks (one setup permanently) and eying the now mothballed 90 as a potential FOWDR ..... not to mention the possibility of a frag tank. If there is anyone out there for whom this would meet their definition of 'keeping it simple' I'd appreciate the pep talk :lol:

Hi my name is ca1ore, & I am a reefaholic....:lolspin:

 

[Ryanrttu]

So many people say no sand, do you all just go bare or use something else?