If you were to do it over again...

[monkeysee1]

Hi devastator007. Thanks for the reply. My first salt tank that I took down 10 years ago was a 24 gallon cube, and I did use all live rock to start it. The stuff was really cool, and provided a ton of stuff that I would never have had I gone all dry/diy. The more I read, though, I think I was lucky in that I didn't get any undesireables. I

See, this is why I started with ONLY DRY ROCK right there!!!
I seeded mine with bacteria in a tub of salt water with a pump and a heater for several weeks. After that, it put it in my tank. Used dry and in my DT and added another bottle of bacteria and let the whole thing cycle before adding any fish.
DONE.

If I were to do it over, you ask?? I would have:

GONE RIMLESS!!
GONE MINIMALIST!!!
GONE TECHIE - RADION LIGHTS (XR30W GEN 4 BOWED OVER BY A SINGLE ARM), and a PLAIN GLOSSY FLAT CABINET,
GONE BARE BOTTOM ( I think it looks so sharp) OR I would have used the Tropic Eden Aragonite -it's so gorgeus- for my sand bed (instead of the krappy Carib Sea that's in my tank now), and of course,

GONE BIGGER!! :headwally::headwally:

 

[rocsec1]

A bigger sump.

 

[JimON]

See, this is why I started with ONLY DRY ROCK right there!!!
I seeded mine with bacteria in a tub of salt water with a pump and a heater for several weeks. After that, it put it in my tank. Used dry and in my DT and added another bottle of bacteria and let the whole thing cycle before adding any fish.
DONE.

If I were to do it over, you ask?? I would have:

GONE RIMLESS!!
GONE MINIMALIST!!!
GONE TECHIE - RADION LIGHTS (XR30W GEN 4 BOWED OVER BY A SINGLE ARM), and a PLAIN GLOSSY FLAT CABINET,
GONE BARE BOTTOM ( I think it looks so sharp) OR I would have used the Tropic Eden Aragonite -it's so gorgeus- for my sand bed (instead of the krappy Carib Sea that's in my tank now), and of course,

GONE BIGGER!! :headwally::headwally:

Exactly my thought, why bring in bad stuff if I don't have to? I was looking at the Indo Pacific website and they have more than enough stuff to get a good bio going without any undesireables.

As for your other wishes, I get it, but I had 1 criteria that was more important than all, getting one that my wife would accept... You see, back in the day I had quite a few tanks around the house. 300, 90, a couple 55's, 20's and 10's... They ate up my Saturday's in maintainance, and once I had them all gone, well, let's just say it was a much calmer atmosphere around the home... 1 90, done right, set up for low maintenance is a good compromise.:celeb1:

 

[JimON]

A bigger sump.

Got the biggest sump/fuge coming that I can cram under the tank.:beer:

 

[JimON]

By the way, got my Marco rock yesterday. It will be PLENTY to build some nice structure. Going to get it cooking this weekend. Woot woot!