Rod the Reefer
New member
I'm well over due to update everyone on what I have been up to and my new tank's progress!! :eek2:
For the back ground on where I have come from check these threads;
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=173348&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=T&start=0
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1009270
I had been contemplating an upgrade for many months, even years. When I do something I like to get things right.
When I setup my last tank I had little to no idea where it was going to take me. I relied on my LFS to give me the information that I needed (I hadn't discovered RTAW or RC at that point!) To give them credit, they could only advise on what I gave them, which was very little. My tank had progressed and developed over the years and I wasn't happy with the way it was setup.
Yes, it was pretty, but there were some fundamental problems with it and there were a few signs of age.
1. I didn't like the weir design, there was just one overflow at the bottom, if it got blocked, which it did, the tank overflowed onto the carpet.
On my new tank there is a drain and backup Durso.
2. I didn't like my sump design. It had progressed from a plastic tub to two glass tanks joined by bulkheads and flexible hose. The reason that there was two is because of the layout of the cabinet (see below) I had micro bubble issues entering the tank as there was no provision for baffles etc. Also I had problems with the float switch as the water wasn't still enough so my top off continually cut in and out as the float continually went up and down.
3. I didn't like my cabinet. It was an old antique bureau that I cut and modified to the point where if I did anything else to it I think it would have fallen over! The reason for two separate sumps was because they were in two cupboards. To put in a decent sump I would have needed to cut out centre walls of cupboards and I didn't think it would be structurally sound then. Also, with the amount of equipment I had, there simply wasn’t enough room in that old cabinet!
4. Unfortunately the glass was very scratched. A few years ago I used a “non scratch†scourer on it and guess what?
5. The paint was peeling off the back glass. Salt was getting between the glass and the paint and it was coming off in small sheets.
6. I didn’t really like the look of Tunze Nanos in my tank. In the beginning I knew I didn’t want to see any equipment in the tank and unfortunately to get the flow it required, I had to have pumps in there. In my new tank flow is one thing (along with my aquascape) that I very seriously planned out for before the tank was drilled!!
So, I needed a new cabinet, a new sump and a new weir. While I was at it I thought I might as well get a new tank! If I got a new tank, I might as well make it bigger, improve the flow and aquascape.
Other than that I loved my old tank!!
For posterity, a pic of my old tank;
More to come......
Rod. :thumbsup:
For the back ground on where I have come from check these threads;
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=173348&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=T&start=0
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1009270
I had been contemplating an upgrade for many months, even years. When I do something I like to get things right.
When I setup my last tank I had little to no idea where it was going to take me. I relied on my LFS to give me the information that I needed (I hadn't discovered RTAW or RC at that point!) To give them credit, they could only advise on what I gave them, which was very little. My tank had progressed and developed over the years and I wasn't happy with the way it was setup.
Yes, it was pretty, but there were some fundamental problems with it and there were a few signs of age.
1. I didn't like the weir design, there was just one overflow at the bottom, if it got blocked, which it did, the tank overflowed onto the carpet.
On my new tank there is a drain and backup Durso.2. I didn't like my sump design. It had progressed from a plastic tub to two glass tanks joined by bulkheads and flexible hose. The reason that there was two is because of the layout of the cabinet (see below) I had micro bubble issues entering the tank as there was no provision for baffles etc. Also I had problems with the float switch as the water wasn't still enough so my top off continually cut in and out as the float continually went up and down.
3. I didn't like my cabinet. It was an old antique bureau that I cut and modified to the point where if I did anything else to it I think it would have fallen over! The reason for two separate sumps was because they were in two cupboards. To put in a decent sump I would have needed to cut out centre walls of cupboards and I didn't think it would be structurally sound then. Also, with the amount of equipment I had, there simply wasn’t enough room in that old cabinet!
4. Unfortunately the glass was very scratched. A few years ago I used a “non scratch†scourer on it and guess what?
5. The paint was peeling off the back glass. Salt was getting between the glass and the paint and it was coming off in small sheets.
6. I didn’t really like the look of Tunze Nanos in my tank. In the beginning I knew I didn’t want to see any equipment in the tank and unfortunately to get the flow it required, I had to have pumps in there. In my new tank flow is one thing (along with my aquascape) that I very seriously planned out for before the tank was drilled!!
So, I needed a new cabinet, a new sump and a new weir. While I was at it I thought I might as well get a new tank! If I got a new tank, I might as well make it bigger, improve the flow and aquascape.
Other than that I loved my old tank!!
For posterity, a pic of my old tank;
More to come......
Rod. :thumbsup:
