Isn't that a lot more work?

the other thing that is constantly on my mind is how on earth I take the corals I have, and the rocks I have, and integrate them into a new layout. Unless I basically design new rock on the bottom and try to stack our existing rock on top, to as not to disturb corals too much. I asked my wife if she'd be open to a complete break down, sell off the current corals/livestock and start over and she said no, lol. I guess that's a good sign! She likes what we have built and collected so much she doesn't want to part with them and would rather integrate them into a new tank. It's nice to share the hobby together so much.
 
Saw someone in one of the 3 dozen aquarist groups I follow on facebook post that his larger tank (I can't remember but I think redsea) had burst the seal at the bottom causing $38,000 in damage, so now he's down to a couple smaller tanks (like 30g or smaller) and won't ever go large again.

I'm doing some serious mental gymnastics trying to figure out my tank upgrade. The tank I have is I believe 36" wide on the nose, that redsea max 260 has the exact same dimension width wise... it's just a little taller and a little deeper. My wife who is much more spacially talented than myself, is convinced it will fit very sell in the same corner. The only concern remaining (other than cost) is that it's redsea and never in my life have I seen so many people with tank leaks!

We have even contemplated redecorating the entire living room around a tank, should we pick a different spot. Move the TV, couch, etc. but for right now that Max 260 really looks like the perfect solution for us. Plus adds about 50% water volume and space, gives me a lot of room for growth! (not to mention all the cool new water quality toys, sump, skimmer, tape, doser, etc).
Supposedly Marineland Deep Dimension tanks had issues with seam failures as well. Based on things I've heard, I would not buy a Red Sea or Marineland Deep Dimension. But, I tend to be overly cautious. If you have the budget, I'd look into either Planet Aquarium or Glass Cages. Both have solid reputations.
 
the other thing that is constantly on my mind is how on earth I take the corals I have, and the rocks I have, and integrate them into a new layout. Unless I basically design new rock on the bottom and try to stack our existing rock on top, to as not to disturb corals too much. I asked my wife if she'd be open to a complete break down, sell off the current corals/livestock and start over and she said no, lol. I guess that's a good sign! She likes what we have built and collected so much she doesn't want to part with them and would rather integrate them into a new tank. It's nice to share the hobby together so much.
Whenever I've done an upgrade, that's what I've done. Build a "base" in the new tank and figure out how to integrate the old rocks/corals into the new tank. That said, I'm a terrible aquascaper and am never happy with how my rock looks.
 
Whenever I've done an upgrade, that's what I've done. Build a "base" in the new tank and figure out how to integrate the old rocks/corals into the new tank. That said, I'm a terrible aquascaper and am never happy with how my rock looks.

I am too, and hindsight is 20/20 right?
My mom is an oil painter (professional) and I have some art in my college background, when I showed her pictures of the current tank layout she had questions about my layout, focal points etc. She's not wrong! But it's funny how hard I worked to try to create the right visual, then as the tank grows (and I learn) my focal points shift. my GSP is one of my favorite features, but visually it's in just about the worst spot it could be, lol.

The vision of being able to aquascape is amazing to me, some people have it. Then those who also have the vision in their head of what these corals will grow into, that's next level design work. great minds.
 
I’m along the lines of @griss. I’ll never buy a RedSea tank. However, you should also look at it as RedSea is one of the most popular brands out there, and people tend to post the negative over the positive, so take it for what it’s worth.

With regards to rock, I build a new base and work in the rest. Note that many corals can withstand being out of water for short periods, so you may be able to integrate the existing rock better, or try to aquascape it in a clear tote so you can see how it all fits between new and old rock and position it as needed.
 
or try to aquascape it in a clear tote so you can see how it all fits between new and old rock and position it as needed.

that's a great Idea. I told my wife we might have to take pen to paper, draw the new tank (when we pick one) to scale, then start making our design taking into account our current corals and rock shapes. the tote idea would help take this a step further I think.
 
also on my to do list, is to learn more about dosing and what I can dose to improve coral growth/health.
I'm very happy with the state of the tank, but I do see amazing tanks from time to time that blow mine away in terms of growth. I've never dosed phyto for instance, so it's on my to do list to learn more about.
 
Snagged some fun night time shots. I sorta love how the tank changed character as the corals go to sleep and the worms come out.

Just started dosing a little phyto this week. Getting more brown on the glass so I'm cleaning daily instead of a few times a week but the BTA has been growing like crazy.

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Looks great.

Awesome! Which phone did you get?

I'm still getting things figured out a bit. wanted a Samsung S24 Ultra. settled for a OnePlus 12, then went in to T-mobile and got such a great deal I ended up with a Pixel 9 Pro XL with a free samsung s7 watch, lol. So far I'm really liking it. I never wanted a smart watch but I couldn't turn down free. I'm going to give the watch a 2 week trial and see if it's something I"ll use or not... I think it would be neat for runs and such since it would work sorta like an ipod on my wrist, no need to carry a phone with me for earbuds, etc.

but this camera is definitely a lot better than the old one!
 
BTA has been happy lately, and growing:

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I had recently moved a small hammer frag to my nano 4 gallon tank, and he seemed much happier there, so this weekend I moved my 3 year old frogspawn to the nano as well and I think he likes it more. A little more direct flow than he had in the 40g.

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can you guys explain ICP tests to me a little? I guess my main questions are:

preferred brand? (reef labs ok?)
do you know how many samples you get per order?
normal price?

I'd love to run one on my DT (which would probably be enough for my mini/nano, and another for my tank at work (10g).

I know that eventually I'm going to move to a sump, skimmer, etc and be a big boy about it all but it just feels like there is something not perfect and I'd love to see what I can improve.


 
Supposedly Marineland Deep Dimension tanks had issues with seam failures as well. Based on things I've heard, I would not buy a Red Sea or Marineland Deep Dimension. But, I tend to be overly cautious. If you have the budget, I'd look into either Planet Aquarium or Glass Cages. Both have solid reputations.

I’m along the lines of @griss. I’ll never buy a RedSea tank. However, you should also look at it as RedSea is one of the most popular brands out there, and people tend to post the negative over the positive, so take it for what it’s worth.

Wow the Planet Aquarium corner tank is awesome! But they look to be very very pricey. I have posted in the redsea group on FB a couple times asking for feedback in regards to leaks and I'm guessing the moderators are actually Redsea because they never release my post to the public, lol.

a lot of locals have also recommended I look into the 50g at Innovative Marine. it's a little wider, but becuase it's also about 6-7" narrower than what I have now I think that would work just fine in our corner spot. 50g is only 10g more than we have now so I need to take some real measurements and see what that would look like:


we're also talking about basically redecorating the living room, replacing my wife's 12+year old large sectional with a smaller one, and changing the orientation to accomodate a larger tank.

so I guess like all things, my quest to upgrade my tank ($$) is going to have a chain reaction that leads to upgrading other pieces of furniture possibly ($$$)..... yikes.




BUT, we do both really enjoy the hobby and the deeper we get into it, the more we appreciate some of these harder to find and harder to care for corals and I think they just need a little more than what our very simple setup offers. There are a number of things, such as a sump/fuge/skimmer that I think we need to upgrade our setup for to accomodate. if not an entirely new tank, at least a new stand + plumbing.
 
Well guys, against everyones advice and better judgement, I might be starting a new log. I've pretty much committed to this 91gal + sump redsea.

I went and saw it today and bought some frags off him. It's beautiful and he's giving me the entire system for the price of the lights because he's moving.

I'm only a little worried about leaks. My wife and I are actually gonna talk to our home insurance folks. Next step is I am gonna make sure my floors can support it.


But assuming those things are all ok my next concerns are:

Aqua scape, substrate, and learning all these new systems. Skimmer, reactor, ATO, auto doser, reef tape/mat, it has everything and I have a lot to learn this winter...


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