Well, after much trials and tribulations with my 15g tall not being compatible with many accessories, I've decided to make the big upgrade to a 20g! The problem with the 15 is that it's the same footprint as a 10g (10x20), just taller (18), so many items such as lighting, hang on refugiums, etc. don't fit well (my 24" light hangs off both ends). The 20 I am looking at is 12x24x16, so I lose 2" in height, but gain in width and depth. Of course, not to mention the additional water volume (33%) and then even more volume when I add my Eco System hang on refugium/skimmer combo (which is also too big for my 15). The great thing is that my 24" T-5 fixture will fit perfectly and my light penetration to the bottom of the tank will be 2" better. I'll post pics as I do the (big) upgrade.
I'm Gonna Make a Big Upgrade!
- Thread starter NanoKat
- Start date
Pico Keeper
Premium Member
How about doing an actual upgrade? Maybe a 30 or 40 gallon? Upgrading from 15 to 20 is almost pointless.
I can sell you a 65 gallon if your interested. I think I also have a 30 gallon and stand somewhere that I can give you for free.
I can sell you a 65 gallon if your interested. I think I also have a 30 gallon and stand somewhere that I can give you for free.
The other reason (that I did not mention) is that the table the tank is on will only accomodate a 24" tank also. The substantial increase in water volume will be a big plus. Randy (the hubby) should be getting his 29 back from a friend and we'll get that one going again. I still want to stick to the "nano" size myself.
racermike27
Premium Member
Good luck Kat, Post some pics when you get it setup!
Rogger Castells
New member
You will love that ecosystem it is going to make your tank almost maint free
Well, had a busy day yesterday! I seriously don't know how you people with those big tanks do it. It must have taken a solid 3 hours to do this little switcheroo.
Here's the 15 and the 20 side by side with the contents removed from the 15 and the sand and a bit of water transferred into the 20. Luckily I had a good bit of extra sand around, so I ended up with a deeper sand bed that I preferred:
One of three buckets containing the "good stuff"...this one with a couple of rocks and my mated pair of banded coral shrimp:
The second bucket with the good goodies...thus the heater and powerhead...they were first out and last in.
The last bucket with my "centerpiece" rock that holds my toadstool, green & red caps, and lots of "pink zoanthids of death"...
Now, I have most of the water in the new tank and am transferring the base rock into it (filters are up and running). I purchased three new pieces from Exotic Aquatic...had lots of coralline and other nice growth...
You know it's hard to arrange rocks in a "sandstorm"...to be continued...
Here's the 15 and the 20 side by side with the contents removed from the 15 and the sand and a bit of water transferred into the 20. Luckily I had a good bit of extra sand around, so I ended up with a deeper sand bed that I preferred:
One of three buckets containing the "good stuff"...this one with a couple of rocks and my mated pair of banded coral shrimp:
The second bucket with the good goodies...thus the heater and powerhead...they were first out and last in.
The last bucket with my "centerpiece" rock that holds my toadstool, green & red caps, and lots of "pink zoanthids of death"...
Now, I have most of the water in the new tank and am transferring the base rock into it (filters are up and running). I purchased three new pieces from Exotic Aquatic...had lots of coralline and other nice growth...
You know it's hard to arrange rocks in a "sandstorm"...to be continued...
Wow, I just had a thought...I should really paint that wall before I get the EcoSystem on the back of this tank. The samples of paint on the wall behind the tank in the pics just reminded me of that!
Anyway, on to the rest of the adventure...
Base rocks in and light on...not much to see yet...
Got adventurous and fabricated a "flying fish" guard...may add some fiberglass screening also, since my fish tend to be small (I've had a firefish, bar goby, and a peppermint shrimp jump in the past year)...
All of the rocks in and water clearing...had to arrange everything essentially by feel, and will straighten up later...
Still clearing...
We were going out with a friend to see the movie "300" and have a bite to eat, so had to leave it like that...didn't see the results of my labor until today when I got home from work...
Water still a tiny bit cloudy, but I need to dust everything off now. Did a bit more arranging since it was tough with the sand all stirred up before.
Overall, I am very happy with it and am enjoying the larger tank size. The nice thing is that this tank is 2" shorter than the 15, so it's easier for me to stick my hands in there! It's on an antique (not good, just antique) table that also sits lower than a typical tank stand. I was amazed that when I took the 15 off the table, it is still very sturdy (wanted to check it before putting so much more weight on it)...didn't even wobble. Of course, since it's old, it's made very well...couldn't do that with today's particle board furniture! I think it's solid teak wood, so it stands up well.
I'll be coveting the EcoSystem until I can save up some $$ to get it. I'll update when I put it in.
Thanx to Eco Reef Aquarium for the tank and to Exotic Aquatic for the rock!
Anyway, on to the rest of the adventure...
Base rocks in and light on...not much to see yet...
Got adventurous and fabricated a "flying fish" guard...may add some fiberglass screening also, since my fish tend to be small (I've had a firefish, bar goby, and a peppermint shrimp jump in the past year)...
All of the rocks in and water clearing...had to arrange everything essentially by feel, and will straighten up later...
Still clearing...
We were going out with a friend to see the movie "300" and have a bite to eat, so had to leave it like that...didn't see the results of my labor until today when I got home from work...
Water still a tiny bit cloudy, but I need to dust everything off now. Did a bit more arranging since it was tough with the sand all stirred up before.
Overall, I am very happy with it and am enjoying the larger tank size. The nice thing is that this tank is 2" shorter than the 15, so it's easier for me to stick my hands in there! It's on an antique (not good, just antique) table that also sits lower than a typical tank stand. I was amazed that when I took the 15 off the table, it is still very sturdy (wanted to check it before putting so much more weight on it)...didn't even wobble. Of course, since it's old, it's made very well...couldn't do that with today's particle board furniture! I think it's solid teak wood, so it stands up well.
I'll be coveting the EcoSystem until I can save up some $$ to get it. I'll update when I put it in.
Thanx to Eco Reef Aquarium for the tank and to Exotic Aquatic for the rock!
The fiberglass screening didn't work well...blocked too much light...I had a feeling that it would. Hopefully the eggcrate will stop any would be jumpers. Maybe I'll get adventurous and get another fish soon too. They had another bar goby at Eco Reef and some sweet Firefish at Exotic Aquatic (including a Helfrichi!). We'll see.
Bret61081
Active member
hey Kat...the way I did my light was kinda Ghetto but I didnt want to put the eggcrate under the T5 fixture, between the legs...I felt like it blocked out too much light just covering the whole tank...so I put it around the base of the light fixture and it covers pretty much all of the front,back and sides. So if they jump they hit it at an angle and bounce back in...I have some glass still on there but its mostly covered...I'll try and post a pic for you tomorrow!
db_triggerfish
Premium Member
good job, your aquascaping looks nice.
scubasteve247
New member
those rocks you picked out look awesome in there, nice aquascaping kathy, and i agree with rogger, im a huge advocate of refugiums/skimmers your tank will look amazing.
Thanx for your compliments! I am enjoying it alot...since it's bigger, it can be seen really well from our couch (and is right at eye level too)...I catch myself looking at it rather than the TV!
Oh, and just a funny thing that happened during my "redo." I have had a lawnmower blennie that has been quite shy since I got him about 6 months ago. He would always hide and wouldn't eat anything except what was on the rocks/glass (I have a picture somewhere of his "lip prints" all over my front glass!). I recently added Cyclopeze to my routine and to my surprise, he gobbled it up! He loves it and comes right to the top when I put it in. Then, all of a sudden he wasn't shy anymore, came out more, and perched right in front of the tank rather than hiding. When I was unloading the 15 the other day, I felt something kind of "nibbling" on my hand, I assumed it was one of my peppermint shrimp, since they have a habit of doing that. I looked to shoo it away and there's my blennie right next to my hand! Then he perched right in my hand...it was so funny!
Oh, and just a funny thing that happened during my "redo." I have had a lawnmower blennie that has been quite shy since I got him about 6 months ago. He would always hide and wouldn't eat anything except what was on the rocks/glass (I have a picture somewhere of his "lip prints" all over my front glass!). I recently added Cyclopeze to my routine and to my surprise, he gobbled it up! He loves it and comes right to the top when I put it in. Then, all of a sudden he wasn't shy anymore, came out more, and perched right in front of the tank rather than hiding. When I was unloading the 15 the other day, I felt something kind of "nibbling" on my hand, I assumed it was one of my peppermint shrimp, since they have a habit of doing that. I looked to shoo it away and there's my blennie right next to my hand! Then he perched right in my hand...it was so funny!
Similar threads
