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

[mhucasey]

I noted buying critical spare parts in my earlier post. Well this last week my skimmer pump died. No problem, Just swapped it out for the spare and back up and running in 15 minutes. I can now take my time replacing the bad pump.

One other item I'd add to the list of things to do - use Panduit for routing wires. It makes wiring easy, makes it look like a million bucks, and makes changing the wiring no problem. You can buy Panduit at Grainger. This is what it looks like when installed:

 

[4bruceinc]

1. I would have researched what I was getting myself into

2. I would have bought a larger tank that was RR

 

[Brian DeGolier]

This is god stuff people, let's keep this one going. This next time around I'll definitely buy a controller, I may use 2 part at the beginning, but plan to use a CA reactor after a few months with kalkwasser top off.

 

[Scuba Dog]

Actually Im in the same situation as you. About eight years ago I built a new "dream tank" my twin 180 project. Basicly it was two 180s with low Fe glass plumbed into a large commmon sump(125 gal) . In essence it looks like a 12 foot tank with a furnuature quality masive stand and a 60in lcd tv on the top.

My first tank was a 75, I had problems with snails pluging the overflow drains and flooding the sump and my living room floor, after several backside chewings from my wife i decided that a new system was needed.

My solution was two tanks butted up to each other so that my wife and I could have the live stock we both wanted, a his and her tank.
changes that were made are listed.

1. Larger and redundant overflow drains. Each tank has a single 1.5" drain in addition to two 1" drains for redundancy. In eight years since the tanks have been running the tank has not flooded, the design has worked as planed, also I added a marble tile floor to my living room. Now evey so often water does get on the floor still, like a leaking fitting due to tempature varances. for example when my central heat and air system died in the summer and my heater quit in the winter. But nothing a good wrench and elbow grease cant fix.

2. Another change I added in the new system was a masive stand with plenty of storage for equipment. Result I increased my storage for the new system several times over and its still overcrouded lol.

3. A large custom sump/fuge/frag system. Has worked like a dream.

4. Redundant plumbing with bypasses and several true unions and more ball valves than you can count. Each can run off of a single return pump or have its own. At the moment I have a single reefflow dart running both tanks and a online spare ready to go if one dies, just a matter of pluging in the pump and swapping the valves over.

5. A closed loop on both tanks. I have the option to use it or not.

6. a large 1/2 horse chiller if needed, curently im just doing FOWLR so no need for it.

mistakes made

1. Not enough room for me to get behind the tank and work, I aeed six 20 amp circuits to the system, and now because of GFI, only two are working, no room for me to push the button. My solution is to take over my spare bedroom behind the tank, and remove some drywall and make it fish room so I can have better acess the tank.

2. My lazyness.....I hate water changes... So im in the works of planning an automatic water change system with my current liter meter 3.

3. Im going to switch from a bare bottom system to a shallow sandbed for looks and more fish options. Im going to add leds for the tank to reduce my 200 bucks a month tank electric bill, im thinking three controlable reefbreaders for my tank, and using two of my many 250 HQI pendants to supliment light if necessary, Im thinking from 1hr to 4 hours a day halide time if necessary.

4. for the wifes tank adding some fake corals so she can have her puffer

So the main changes im planing on now are more automation and more room to work on the system.

Sorry for the lengthy rant.

 

[Jerzey]

i would of gotten a reef ready drilled corner and gone bare bottom from the start!

 

[Brian DeGolier]

No brown corals. No Xenia, no brown palys, only pretty corals that I wills spend more money on.

 

[Brian DeGolier]

Bump

 

[macaw1us]

If I was doing it over…I wouldn't do it and would put a down payment on a new Porsche

 

[Amphiprotic]

Bigger tank... 55 gallon is extremely hard for me to aquascape the way I want it to.

 

[JoelA7]

I'm surprised at the uniform rejection of a DSB. Seems a very good way to have long term success.

 

[Brian DeGolier]

Bigger tank... 55 gallon is extremely hard for me to aquascape the way I want it to.

Yep 55's are tough to scape. I'm going with 24" front to back with my next tank.

 

[Brian DeGolier]

bumpity bump

 

[JoelA7]

OK! my plans

OK! my plans

For me it is next time and this time I am going all in.

Condo living = no fish room, no basement. Everything has to fit under the tank.

130g, 48 x 24 x 27h

Inside cabinet = 46 x 22 and contains

Sump 30 x 14, Skimmer in first compartment
CA Reactor w/ 5 lbs CO2 cannister
2 separate reactors one for gfo the other for carbon
A Scepter 5g can for ATO top off
Main pump
Pump for reactors
Refugium light
Work light
Energybar 8 (2)

and on back

Apex base module
Apex controller
Apex wireless for Radion lights and MP40's

KRICKEY!!!!

Going to try to get a gyre going in the tank, with a lot of variability but generally a circular current so fish can swim into it and around the rock in an endless circle. Perhaps enable me to keep slightly larger fish than the tank length would indicate. Two large pyramidal structures for coral with perimeter unencumbered plus a channel in between.

Goal - mixed tank, mushrooms, lps, lots of gsp, sps particularly table acro on one pyramid of rock, plate coral.

Very up in the air still about fish and inverts. Want to start with livestock that will keep algae in check, keep flatworms in check, keep aipatasia in check, and eventually be able to maintain a small school of anthias, CBB or other show fish, excellent tank (chevron or something) and variety of others

Here's the layout of the cabinet interior. File too large to load.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_fGq32ljxAgdVdPZGk3bTZpbG8/edit?usp=sharing

Any and all thoughts are appreciated, other than I am demented for trying to do this...

 

[4Hummer]

Buy a New BMW instead!

 

[JoelA7]

4 hummer - FRICKIN RIGHT!

 

[Brian DeGolier]

For me it is next time and this time I am going all in.

Condo living = no fish room, no basement. Everything has to fit under the tank.

130g, 48 x 24 x 27h

Inside cabinet = 46 x 22 and contains

Sump 30 x 14, Skimmer in first compartment
CA Reactor w/ 5 lbs CO2 cannister
2 separate reactors one for gfo the other for carbon
A Scepter 5g can for ATO top off
Main pump
Pump for reactors
Refugium light
Work light
Energybar 8 (2)

and on back

Apex base module
Apex controller
Apex wireless for Radion lights and MP40's

KRICKEY!!!!

Going to try to get a gyre going in the tank, with a lot of variability but generally a circular current so fish can swim into it and around the rock in an endless circle. Perhaps enable me to keep slightly larger fish than the tank length would indicate. Two large pyramidal structures for coral with perimeter unencumbered plus a channel in between.

Goal - mixed tank, mushrooms, lps, lots of gsp, sps particularly table acro on one pyramid of rock, plate coral.

Very up in the air still about fish and inverts. Want to start with livestock that will keep algae in check, keep flatworms in check, keep aipatasia in check, and eventually be able to maintain a small school of anthias, CBB or other show fish, excellent tank (chevron or something) and variety of others

Here's the layout of the cabinet interior. File too large to load.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_fGq32ljxAgdVdPZGk3bTZpbG8/edit?usp=sharing

Any and all thoughts are appreciated, other than I am demented for trying to do this...

I was unable to open the link, I'll try when at my PC. Sounds like you have a plan, I'll definitely get a controller. I'm looking up gyre. Thanks

 

[Brian DeGolier]

How many MP-40 or 60's would it take to create the swirl? Going with a bb?

 

[JoelA7]

DSB. I'm going to give 2 mp40s a whirl to start. Ecotech Marine has a calculator on their website that says this is too much for the tank so I figure if I can adjust them right I should be able to get it going and still have good locations for corals.

 

[firstlight10]

Gone with a 40 breeder and sump from day 1

 

[Fish_King_25]

I love my 29g mixed reef, but if I were to do it all over again I would've started bigger. Its been fun and challenging with the nano, but I would've liked a 40B minimum, even a 75g or something similar!