well, my only "surprise" was that I planned a QT tank that is way too small. If I were to make any major changes, that would be first on my list. When I designed the system, I assumed I would only be bringing in one thing at a time, but in reality, I bring 10 to 20 at a time! ooops...
A lot of people are surprised by the costs, but I knew up front I would have to contend with that issue. I designed my 1,200g system with serious electrical conservation in mind.
1. I have no chiller and use fans blowing over the tank as well as an exhaust fan to remove the warm air. It is replaced with cool air coming in from under my deck.
2. I use only one Hammerhead to provide return flow. I am a proponent of lower flow sumps. That pump feeds a manifold which returns water to the display, refugium, and other equipment.
3. I use 4 Vortech pumps for flow in the main display producing 12,000+ gph at under 140W.
4. My skimmer is gravity fed directly from the coast-to-coast overflow.
5. My refugium is above the display and gravity feeds into the display.
6. My skimmer is driven soley by one Alita 100 using 125W.
7. I light my tank with three 1000W 20K MH lamps, two of which are on movers and one is in a stationary dish reflector. It sounds like a lot of light but it actually cuts down on total wattage for a tank this size...
Don't tell my husband.
