13threefmaniac
New member
Hello fellow RC members. Before getting down to the details of my tank build, i would firstly like to thank everyone on this site for making it what it is. The input and experience that can be found in the thousands of pages here are invaluable(especially to the newbie reefer like myself).
My name is Chris, from Malaysia, and i've been a 'lurker' on RC for many a month. Im 22 years old and currently pursuing a degree in Law(2nd year). I have been interested in aquatic life from my diaper wearing days(according to my family). I started off with goldfish and slowly progressed to Arowana's. It was not possible to have a marine tank when i was younger but that didnt stop me from reading books on it. Ive watched things evolve from when undergravel filters were popular. I finally took the plunge last year and got myself a 56 gallon aquarium. It wasn't long before i had a mated pair of skunk cleaners cleaning my hand everytime i put it in. The tank has been running skimmerless from its second month and 8 months on its still doing fine. I know having a skimmer is better but i wanted to have a somewhat 'dirty' set up in which tube worms and various other filter feeders could thrive. Besides one small algae bloom, the tank has had little or no problems. Mr Murphy has been kind.
The size of the aquarium doesn't allow me to keep any of the bigger fish (haven't had a Tang of Angel to date). This is why, like many of you, i have decided to go bigger. My main problem is in deciding on the tank size. Due to the size of the doorway into my room, the tank cannot be wider than 24"(depth). I'm not a fan of tanks that look too long, hence i'm leaning towards a length of 5', though i could make it 6' if i wanted to. The height is where i am undecided. Maintenance has to be easy, which would make 24" the logical choice, but adding an extra foot of height would increase the volume significantly. What would be the best solution?
My name is Chris, from Malaysia, and i've been a 'lurker' on RC for many a month. Im 22 years old and currently pursuing a degree in Law(2nd year). I have been interested in aquatic life from my diaper wearing days(according to my family). I started off with goldfish and slowly progressed to Arowana's. It was not possible to have a marine tank when i was younger but that didnt stop me from reading books on it. Ive watched things evolve from when undergravel filters were popular. I finally took the plunge last year and got myself a 56 gallon aquarium. It wasn't long before i had a mated pair of skunk cleaners cleaning my hand everytime i put it in. The tank has been running skimmerless from its second month and 8 months on its still doing fine. I know having a skimmer is better but i wanted to have a somewhat 'dirty' set up in which tube worms and various other filter feeders could thrive. Besides one small algae bloom, the tank has had little or no problems. Mr Murphy has been kind.
The size of the aquarium doesn't allow me to keep any of the bigger fish (haven't had a Tang of Angel to date). This is why, like many of you, i have decided to go bigger. My main problem is in deciding on the tank size. Due to the size of the doorway into my room, the tank cannot be wider than 24"(depth). I'm not a fan of tanks that look too long, hence i'm leaning towards a length of 5', though i could make it 6' if i wanted to. The height is where i am undecided. Maintenance has to be easy, which would make 24" the logical choice, but adding an extra foot of height would increase the volume significantly. What would be the best solution?
