"I wish I had..."

snowbear

snowbear

Member
OK all you reefers with established tanks - can you help out a rookie who's attempting to expand? I think it was Broomer who said something about he wished he had put his fuge above the tank and why. As I sit here waiting for my "new" 55 gal to cycle/cure the LR I got via FedEx today (Yippee!) I was inspired to ask what else peeps wished they had done. I've been gleaning HUGE amounts of info of this board in the last few months, so I would like to ask you pros what you wished you had done differently when you set up your tank and why. Also what you DID do that you really like. My current 35gal tank is going to be modified and turned into a sump/fuge when the 55 is ready to support the life forms currently in the 35.
So far here's what I've got:
For the 55, I'm doing a DSB, but don't have live sand yet, just 50# of dead sand so far. I bought 72# of LR that got here today, plus what's already in the 35 (maybe 25 #?) Some of the less cool stuff will go in the fuge. I have an overflow ordered from Cap'n Pete and a used Skimmer ordered also. Looks like I've got 220 watts of PC lights coming from ---- and I already rec'd 2 more powerheads and another Ebo-J heater.
Oh, yeah, I'm ditching the damsel - looks like a lfs will take him on trade-in.
TIA for the advice I'm sure will be forthcoming!
:)
 
blondenaso1

blondenaso1

Member
I think you pretty much have your stuff straight and it sounds like you have a plan. The only thing I wish I would have done from the beginning is take my time and do it right from the beginning which it sounds like you are doing. Set up the tank the way you want it from the beginning. If you don't have the money to do it right then wait till you do. The only thing I would comment on is that depending on what you want to keep as far as corals then make sure you get the right lighting from the start. Good Luck
 
saltywashington

saltywashington

Member
The only thing that I can think of that I wished I would have done from the start you have already done. Lighting is one thing that you will need to have more of if you want corals. The live sand thing should not be a problem if you have as much live rock as you have. The creatures that inhabit live sand are the same ones that are in the rock.
Sounds like you are on a roll.
Good Luck.
 
rsd

rsd

Member
What I wish I had done 1st instead of going back and doing is this:
To better balance my LR for stacking I cut 1" and 2" pvc pipe in 1-2" lengths. Then as I stalked my live rock the bottom peices I used the "rings" of PVC to cradle the points of the live rock. I took pressure of the glass and made the rock more stable. Stable foundation = frim aquascape. It made even some of the tricky peices easy to stack and also eliminates the ability of fish to come by and dig away at the rocks support. Also your dsb should cover any sign of the pvc.
Most of my peices were of 1" pvc and less than 1 1/2 inches... for smaller rocks some 3/4 might be nice too.
Other than that research...
Good luck.
 
mlm

mlm

Active Member
I wish I would have gotton a 75 gallon instead of a 55 gallon b/c it is much easier to aquascape it b/c it has 6 inches more from front to back.
 
snowbear

snowbear

Member
Thanks, all for the compliments and encouragement :)
Yeah, mlm, I wish I could just go straight to the 100gal instead of the 55! But, hey - it's better than a 35.
RSD - Hey - good idea with the PVC! Do you glue 'em or just set the rocks on them?
 
azonic

azonic

Active Member
My biggest regret was purchasing a skilter powerfilter....though it does perform well at filtering the water, I wish I had gone sump right from the start. I'm slowly building a DIY sump/refugium system out of rubbermaid containers(thanks to broomer5's help) which I hope to start up by christmas.
Another regret which I have since rectified(sp?) is that I only used normal output lighting at first....I have since replaced them with dual 400 watt halides, with 4 vho actinics to come after xmas. Your PC lighting is great to start at but if you can see yourself wanting SPS corals down the road I'd strongly consider metal halide lighting. They are not for everyone but something worth considering.
Hmm what else....well my first regreat in the hobby was only starting with a 38 gallon tank. After only 3 months I had the thing BLOCKED solid to the point that I could fit no more corals....so I went up the 90 I am at now....at the same time I bought the 90 at retail price, there was a tank being sold in the store independantly by a customer for $200 more (canadian)....it was a 125 gallon tank and I sometimes wish I had that instead of the 90 but I decided against it because lighting it adequatly would have been far too expensive IMO. So if you can see yourself wanting bigger then a 55 down the road....do it now. 55's are only 12 inches from front to back.....the 18 inches on the 90 is great, and the 24 inch height makes the tank much more appealing then the 55 IMO.
Anywho, HTH, and good luck!!!
 
snowbear

snowbear

Member
Wow! This is great stuff! Sounds like I'm on the right track with the sump/fuge and I'm gonna wish I had a bigger tank :D This I will have when a used affordable one becomes available. No $2000 tank for this chick :eek: I'd rather spend the dough on other cool stuff.
When I build a canopy, it will have room for MH's, but that's a future item...
Why do people wish they had gone with pre-drilled tanks? Is this drilling for out-going and return tubes for the sump? If so, how is it better than an overflow? Also, the tank I have now is glass - I'm WAY too chicken to attempt drilling that! There's a sticker on the bottom of it that says, "Bottom glass is tempered - for safety and strength -DO NOT DRILL - "
Maybe this is a dumb idea and I'm sure someone will point out why it wouldn't work, but I'm also thinking about putting the sump right next to the tank and using siphon power BOTH directions instead of pumping out with siphon return?
 
chinnyr

chinnyr

Member
I was I had bought the overflow check for my ro/di unit.I had left the house for too long when topping off the tank and came home to a flood.At least it was fresh water and not salt!Yikes!
 
jonthefb

jonthefb

Active Member
i love the way ive aquascaped my tanks. have lots of caves/holes, but stil ample room to place corals.. take your time and do it right, that way you wont have to constantly redo stuff and move things around!
i do wish i have plumbed my fuge above my tank so that it gravity fed my show, and let lots of live critters in ther!
goodluck
jon
 
rsd

rsd

Member
Snowbear:
I didn't glue the plastic. Just cut it to the depth of my sand bed or whatever the individual rock needed to be stable. Coraline grows quick on the pvc so you wont notice it after a while even if it does show... also puts less strain on the glass floor in MHO.
Just love the added stability for so little extra work.
 
snowbear

snowbear

Member
PeeEwwww my house (cabin actually) stinks!! The result of 72# of new, uncured LR's die-off. Man, I guess I should have timed the delivery during my 4 days off. I was gone for my 24 hour shift + commute time + a stop at the LFS for a bucket of Instant Ocean. A 90% water change after scrubbing the rocks helped a lot. Probably do it again tonight and get up early to do it tomorrow before I go back to work.
I'm convinced - I'm stopping at Home Depot on my way home Sunday to pick up 1", 1 1/2" and 3/4" PVC. I bet they have a low-level shutoff switch for my return pump, too.
Oh, yeah, the owner of the LFS I went to has a 75gal tank that was returned 'cause of a seam leak. She wants $75 for it, so I guess I'm going to upsize sooner than I thought! I asked her to let me know if a 100+ gal deal comes along. OK, add silicone to the list. And plexiglass to make dividers for my 35 gal fuge/sump.
So, jon - do I understand this right? To set up the sump above the tank, I would pump from the display to the sump where the skimmer will be. The sump will overflow into the refusium section where the pods are multiplying. Finally, the overflow I ordered from Cap'n Pete will return the water back to the display, right?
lordofthereef - actually, it may not be too late! If I get that 75, I'll just move everything into it when I do one of these massive water changes early in the cycle. But - why do you like your plenum? What are the advantages? disadvantages?
Thanks, again, guys. This is providing a wealth of info for my poor little brain to process!
 
rsd

rsd

Member
rock scrubbing... good times. Makes everything smell like the tide is out on a really nasty beach. Isn't reef keeping grand!
 
jonthefb

jonthefb

Active Member
yeah snow it sounds like youve got it planned out. only onw question what are you gonna use to pump the water from your display up to your sump.....teh overflow idea for the fuge is a great one, ive never thought of using it that way, but it makes total sense now!
good luck
jon
 
snowbear

snowbear

Member
Uh...well...jon, I was thinking just a powerhead with a tube attached? Maybe another overflow with an in-line pump? Any suggestions?
Well, I went and did it - I got that 75 gal for $75 from the lfs. It's less than a year old and supposedly has a small leak in one bottom corner. This tank normally sells for $600!!!! When I get home from work on Sunday morning, I'll put H2O in it and see how bad it is.....
Now I'll have an extra 55 gal tank - that is, unless I make the 55 into the sump/fuge and surplus the 35?
Thanks once again for all the advice :cool:
 
mal

mal

Member
go for the 55 as a sump and the 35 as a 'fuge, like you said.
My regret is not geting a bigger sump from the start. The more water in the total system, the better. I have a 40g for a sump, and my old sump is the 'fuge. I wish I had done that from the get go. Instead it took me a while to figure out that rocket science.:rolleyes: I've never been accused of being the quickest fish in the bowl.
 
snowbear

snowbear

Member
Wow, mal! I would have more water through accessories than the main tank! Should be easy to keep stable, huh? This is a definite possibility for when I get moved - but right now I definitely don't have the room for that much aquarium!
nolo-yeah, the realities of living in the 49th state. As for the height - the bottom of the sump/fuge will be about the level of the top of the main tank, so not too much lift. The overflow is rated for 700gph. I also have a couple extra powerheads for extra circulation.
 
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