If You Were To Start Over What Would You Change?

[irishmarine]

This should be interesting
We have all learned from first tanks and past mistakes and buying junk we never used or wasn't good enough...

So here we go
My situation
I am buying a second tank for my workplace
I have maybe room for up to 200G....but obviously something smaller would be better in terms of space

What do you suggest ?
I have a basement in the building I own which I can use
Also, the tank will be exposed to sunlight there is no way around this unless I change the room from my office where I am 95% of the time to the hallway

It'll be a reef tank....always wanted to have a clown tang or sohal tang but I heard they need 200G plus...but happy to be told otherwise
Thoughts?

 

[frey]

I like this topic because I was just downstairs working on my tank and wishing I had never put that one piece of pulsing Xenia in it. Of course now it is all over both sides of the tank....grrr.
Anyways back to your post. so I have a 180 72x24x24 I believe. If I were to do it again I would just go 300 DD same length just 36 wide. I want one now because like any reefer we always fill up what we have and want more. I also went through Kessil A360W's then Radion's and ended up with Hydra 52 HD's. These by far are my favorite lights of the 3. Each are awesome lights don't get me wrong but do to certain aspects of the other two I had to move on.
I would wait longer to add fish and corals to let micro fauna build up (it is hard just looking at rocks though). I would also start out with a much larger sump and refugium. I am now in the process of adding a 65 gallon refugium to the system as the one in my sump is just not large enough to have a real impact on PH and nutrient export.
I did get an APEX right after starting the tank and of all the gadgets and gizmos I have wasted money on over the years this and the Tunze ATO were the two best purchases I have made. I travel a lot and for you having a tank at the office the last thing you need is to come in on a Monday and have your office flooded or worse. Being able to set alarms and even just check in on some parameters gives you some piece of mind.
All that said I guess there are many things I would change, but doing things wrong is how we learn and get better for the next go around.

 

[yanagisawa]

I am regreted to buy those expensive big name LED fixtures...their features like wifi control, app programming, n+1 channel to tune, lightning mode...finally I only need a on/off switch and T5HO.

 

[irishmarine]

I am regreted to buy those expensive big name LED fixtures...their features like wifi control, app programming, n+1 channel to tune, lightning mode...finally I only need a on/off switch and T5HO.

What's your thoughts on T5HO versus LED?
Is there much of a difference in operational and bulb replacement cost?
How about in terms of results?

 

[jacksonpt]

I think every decision I've made over the years was the best decision I could make based on what I knew at the time. If I were starting over now, there are a couple of things I would do differently, but nothing earth shattering.

Our tanks take up a lot of our time, energy and money. So I want mine to be as easy to enjoy as possible. That means -

1. make it as easy to maintain/work on as possible. The last thing I want is to cut corners on husbandry because it's a pain in the butt to work under the stand or to reach the skimmer or whatever else.
2. make it as easy to enjoy as possible. Don't put it in a room you never go in... don't make it hard to see in general. If possible, make it easy to sit near and enjoy.

The first just requires some planning. The second one you kind of have set already... but if going slightly smaller makes the space work better, you'll be happier in the long run (probably).

 

[Reef noob_]

What would I change??

Water [emoji12]

But seriously, I'd get what you want right away and not waste time and money trying to DIY something you shouldn't (though there are lots of things you should) or buying junk. Choose the king of system you want from the planning stages and follow that plan. Good luck!


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[xCry0x]

1) Sand: I would still use sand -- probably -- but keep it to a very thin 1/2" layer.

I had a huge part of my sand bed calcify and just recently took it upon myself to "fix" that. I had to rip out a ton of my rock to chisel the cement-sand out. Was a pain in the a--.

Now half my tank has 1" or less while the other thank still has a solid 2" or so. I have a leopard wrasse and a ywg+pistol shrimp so can't remove it all -- otherwise I probably would.

2) Equipment. I wasted too much time without a dosing pump. I can't believe I kept anything alive with how incredibly low and unstable my alk/ca was.

3) Stay away from designer Zoas. I never spent too much money on them -- but they tend to look a lot cooler in pictures. A fancy zoa the size of a pencil eraser doesn't grab the eye much unless you know what to look at.

3b) Now that I have more experience.. and more money.. I'd get nicer corals from the start. I have a giant miami hurricane chalice that is probably about 10" across. It ended up becoming a centerpiece of my tank due to its size - but it takes up a ton of space.

 

[irishmarine]

This is all great advice thank you

 

[irishmarine]

For me I want to build in a way for fast water changes.
I’m thinking a drain hose directly connected to plumbing in the home to turn on, say drain 20% then put a pump on from up in the tank, to pump premade salt water up into the tank from barrels underneath in the basement

I hate buckets
I hate draining the tank or siphoning etc

 

[irishmarine]

I think I too would start over with less sand, less places for junk to hide

I know at least in the Red Sea 650 I have the place behind the power head is a disgrace of a design. Naturally all the junk of the day flows back there and then empties into that chamber, I just looked back there and it’s filthy with no way of getting it out without siphoning it

 

[irishmarine]

I guess with the lack of responses everyone’s tanks are doing so well nobody would change a thing lol

Ok well tank size then..::
What’s everyone’s ideal tank size if starting over

 

[sde1500]

I guess with the lack of responses everyone's tanks are doing so well nobody would change a thing lol

Ok well tank size then..::
What's everyone's ideal tank size if starting over

More like, you posted this in the tank build journal section, when it's a post probably best in reef discussion. Which also has more traffic.

If I were to redo anything I'd drill my tank and have a fuge.

 

[soflo_chuck]

easier water changes for sure!

 

[irishmarine]

easier water changes for sure!

+1

 

[SPotter]

smaller tank and no fish room 25 ft away from the display

 

[callsign4223]

I would cure my rock. 18 months of fighting algae because of uncured pukani sucks.

 

[Deep Reef]

I lost my whole tank to a power failure. Then my stand to termites. It forced me into an all new build so I am actually trying to fix the things that bothered me.

Number 1 on my list was increased stand size. With a 4ft 120 I didn't have room for controls. So I have upgraded to a 150 tall with a stand a foot larger than the tank.


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[gonereefing654]

I’m in the process now of starting over and here are somethings I’m changing.

1, tank- was and 120 gal acrylic... replacement has dimensions but euro braced starphire.
My current tank had its first scratch before I had even filled it. A rock pile fell over..

2, deep sand bed- not doing that again.
It’s my wife’s biggest pet peeve, being able to see sand and all the crap up that high on the front. Also I think after a few years it’s hurting more than helping.

3, GSP.... never again will I ever. This stuff should be illegal. I had to put my tank on cruise control for about 7 month because my 9 yo son was going through Chimo (he’s fine now) and I came back to GSP dominat tank vs SPS. Now I’m probably better off buying all new rock also.

4, cheaping out on the skimmer. A under sized and over rated skimmer did a bad job in the first place and then ended up the pump was leaking voltage into my tank.

5, sump size. My current sump fills up way to high with the return pump off. If my check valve fails it could be bad. My new sump will using up just about all the space in my stand.

6, return pump. I’ve been running a Jeabio 12,000,000 (lol not sure of the model but it’s the big on one) for 3 years as a external return pump. In that time it’s been ok. I had to replace the power supply 2 times @$30. Not horrible but I splurged a little and have a ventra L1 ready to go in.

My new tank is 2 weeks out so I’m sure this list will get longer as I go.

 

[jacksonpt]

Ok well tank size then..::
What's everyone's ideal tank size if starting over

If space/layout wasn't an issue in my house, I'd probably go with a 120 as far as stock, off-the-shelf tanks go.

My ideal would be a square or round tank, center plumbed, placed in the middle of a sitting room.

 

[jd371]

More like, you posted this in the tank build journal section, when it's a post probably best in reef discussion. Which also has more traffic.

If I were to redo anything I'd drill my tank and have a fuge.

I have a sump but didn't drill. Not that there is anything wrong with the HOB overflow and I haven't had any issues, just cleaner looking without anything hanging over the back.