What to do next?...

[Marlo Stanfield]

Hello,

Im confused as to where i should go from where im currently at..

right now i have a 55 gal. (really dont like it, hate the small foot print and would rather more room in general) id really like to upgrade but dont have the room right now, was looking at a 75 gal on CL where id get 5 more inches of depth but i decided it was better to just wait til i could get at least 24" of depth..

so i dont want to upgrade the tank itself yet but also dont want to get too much expensive equipment that i cant use on my next tank when i do inevitably upgrade it in about a year when we move..

anyways, what i have now is a standard freshwater setup (which is what i purchased it for about 3 years ago) its a 55 with a stand that doesnt have room to accomadate a sump/ fuge underneath. i run two HOB aquaclear filters that both just act as HOB fuges i suppose.. i still just have standard freshwater lights on it (which i obviously HATE) i have a heater rated for 55 gallons but live in florida so i think thats alright. i have a koralia evo 1050. i have a 2-3 in sand bed and 60 lbs of haitan rock. the tank has been setup for 7 months in about 10 days, ive kept a pretty detailed journal for it..

for livestock i have;
a percula thats been with me since 7/5
a sixline wrasse whos been with me since 8/10
a tail spot blenny whos been with me since 8/11
a sm feather duster whos been with me since 8/11
a one spot fox face and emerald crab who have been with me since 8/17
a clean up crew consisting of hermits, snails and pods added on 8/22
a big feather duster added on 9/6
a sm yellow clown goby added on 10/16
a royal gramma added on 12/7
a halloween hermit added on 12/27

the six line needs to go as soon as i can catch him. he killed a sm neon goby that my family loved. he harrasses everyone to some extent but really harasses my gramma most. snails and hermits duck in thier shells when they see him coming and he also killed 3 peppermint shrimp i added, im convinced of that. i also want him gone to get my favorite fish, a mandarin, i know he would probably kill him but at the very least compete for limited pods..

the foxface i would love to keep forever but he just doesnt seem very happy, im assuming he just has an extremely timid personality but hes only out maybe 25% of the time when hes not eating seaweed strips. he does eat like a pig and is nice and fat. just seems like the tank is too small with too much rock and maybe even water flow for him. i dont know what i will do with him as far as keeping him or trying to trade him in..

all the other live stock is good except the big feather duster hasnt come out in like a week at least and the small one is thriving right next to him.. dont know what to do there either..

so now my basic dilemma is what to do now? get lights, spend a lot, a lil or some where in between knowing its a 4 foot tank and my next tank wil be 6 feet?.... start building the sump/ fuge ive wanted with no much room for it? i want a skimmer and have been contemplating a reef octopus 2000 hob back but i really wanna build a sump so in that case i should hold off and get a better in sump skimmer obviously...


anyway, i seriously appreciate anyone who even skimmed thrrough that and would really love some suggestions on what i should do next..

 

[Fizz71]

IMO you really need to find a way to get your system to a point where it's got a sump...whether it's in the basement, or a new tank/stand combo. If you're eventually getting a new tank stand then I wouldn't buy anything now you're not going to use later.

Skimmer? You should have one, but you'll want a sump first unless you find a unit that is HOT and sump interchangeable...I wouldn't but a HOT only skimmer.

Lighting? If you're good with retro-fitting or by suspended lighting then you can definitely upgrade there...just buy something you can buy more of when you get a bigger tank. For example, get one MH retro now, and buy 1 or 2 more later when you need more light. LEDs and MHs are very similiar in the way they are used...by that I mean they are modular...1 fixture covers X feet of tank...provided you're buying kits and not a full enclosure. I have 3 MH fixtures, I started with 2 over my 75g, then bought one new ballast and new reflectors when I moved to my 240g.

Beyond that...what do you really NEED now. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket you could by a computer, but other you really don't NEED one right now. What you NEED is a bigger system...oh yeah...you know you do.

Good luck.

 

[keithhays]

You sound bleak. Do what the rest of lunatics do and start planning your next system. When you move, make all your decisions on where to move based on your new setup. If there isn't enough room for at least a 6ft tank; don't move there. :spin2:

I am only slightly kidding, if you are moving, I would be planning instead of buying. Or, if you do buy start accumulating much larger equipment a piece at a time.

On the current system nothing says you have to spend a lot of money to make changes, but you do have to have a view on what you want to change whether it is live stock or technical equipment or a problem you are trying to solve.

 

[Marlo Stanfield]

IMO you really need to find a way to get your system to a point where it's got a sump...whether it's in the basement, or a new tank/stand combo. If you're eventually getting a new tank stand then I wouldn't buy anything now you're not going to use later.

Skimmer? You should have one, but you'll want a sump first unless you find a unit that is HOT and sump interchangeable...I wouldn't but a HOT only skimmer.

Lighting? If you're good with retro-fitting or by suspended lighting then you can definitely upgrade there...just buy something you can buy more of when you get a bigger tank. For example, get one MH retro now, and buy 1 or 2 more later when you need more light. LEDs and MHs are very similiar in the way they are used...by that I mean they are modular...1 fixture covers X feet of tank...provided you're buying kits and not a full enclosure. I have 3 MH fixtures, I started with 2 over my 75g, then bought one new ballast and new reflectors when I moved to my 240g.

Beyond that...what do you really NEED now. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket you could by a computer, but other you really don't NEED one right now. What you NEED is a bigger system...oh yeah...you know you do.

Good luck.

thanks for the input, i agree with everything but as far as lights im really leaning towards t5's with legs.. im not as mechanically enclined as id like to be and setting them up with legs just seems easier and more conveniant. which obviously handcuffs me more going from a 4' to a 6'.

as far as the lights go though im really leaning towards just going cheaper for now and getting them off CL so i dont have to worry too much about having to sell them again when i do get the bigger tank. i dont plan on keeping the 55 unless the tank is big enough to use it as a sump/ fuge and even then i wont be using a 4' light fixture on it.

 

[Marlo Stanfield]

You sound bleak. Do what the rest of lunatics do and start planning your next system. When you move, make all your decisions on where to move based on your new setup. If there isn't enough room for at least a 6ft tank; don't move there. :spin2:

I am only slightly kidding, if you are moving, I would be planning instead of buying. Or, if you do buy start accumulating much larger equipment a piece at a time.

On the current system nothing says you have to spend a lot of money to make changes, but you do have to have a view on what you want to change whether it is live stock or technical equipment or a problem you are trying to solve.

haha i feel kinda bleak about it right now..

and im not even slightly kidding when i tell you i will plan half of this move around my new tank and getting all my livestock over there safe and sound. ill also be picking out tank location first things first when i settle on a house to move into. :rollface:

 

[SKurj]

The foxface might cheer up a lot once the 6 line is gone...

Don't go with a T5 with legs... I have that setup right now on a tank with the same footprint as yours and having to remove the light to do maintenance is a pain, and in low light... Mine will be hung within the next couple weeks.

Hanging can be as simple as putting a shelf up on the wall behind the tank, and hanging the light below it very simple.. drill 2 holes and install the hanging kit on the light (4 screws)

I too am wanting to upgrade but I know my current living arrangement is not permanent and I already have 3 tanks... Once i move it will be 1 tank, either 120 (4'x2'x2') or 180 (6'x2'x2'). I almost pulled the trigger a month ago but then came to my senses... :hammer:

I bought the aquaticlife 4tube t5 with moonlights, great light for the price 3 programs for 2tubes each and the leds. I figure the light will easily transfer to 120, and do in a pinch for awhile on a 180 while i save pennies. NVM a lot of this hardware has value, lots of other people looking to buy used.

 

[Marlo Stanfield]

The foxface might cheer up a lot once the 6 line is gone...

Don't go with a T5 with legs... I have that setup right now on a tank with the same footprint as yours and having to remove the light to do maintenance is a pain, and in low light... Mine will be hung within the next couple weeks.

Hanging can be as simple as putting a shelf up on the wall behind the tank, and hanging the light below it very simple.. drill 2 holes and install the hanging kit on the light (4 screws)

I too am wanting to upgrade but I know my current living arrangement is not permanent and I already have 3 tanks... Once i move it will be 1 tank, either 120 (4'x2'x2') or 180 (6'x2'x2'). I almost pulled the trigger a month ago but then came to my senses... :hammer:

I bought the aquaticlife 4tube t5 with moonlights, great light for the price 3 programs for 2tubes each and the leds. I figure the light will easily transfer to 120, and do in a pinch for awhile on a 180 while i save pennies. NVM a lot of this hardware has value, lots of other people looking to buy used.

as far as the foxface goes he does know that hes the big dog in the tank and flexes his "muscles" often just to show off i guess. he also will charge at the sixline sometimes and he never does that to any other fish, its clear he doesnt like him but then again no one in the tank likes him. i would be very happy if the sixline being evicted brightened ol foxy up..

i never thought of the shelf as an alternative to hanging right from the ceiling, that might be a better option, good call. im not too worried about hanging them i guess it just seems a *lil* skechy is all.. and the lights you have on your tank are exactly what i have been looking at.

btw, can anyone point me in the direction of where member sell used equipment around here, i cant seem to locate it..

 

[SKurj]

The classifieds on this forum are only available once you have been around awhile and enough posts, not sure of the exact details, but if you poke around the stickies I think you will find it.