If You Had To Do It Allover

There is alot of people that don't know where to start . We all did something or spent alot of money on something that later we wish we didn't !!! For the newbie that goes into the LFS and is told the wrong thing sometimes . To later find out that there is and better way or an easier way to do things .Lets see if we can help then ....

SO WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENT IF YOU HAD TO START OVER !!!!

 

I would have done

TANK:
120 or 150 instead of a 90 still AGA for i like the Mega Over Flow setup and there is just not enough room for me in this thing.

LIGHT:
Tek 8-bulb T5-HO's which i have now instead of the 4x65w Coralife w/lunar

PUMPS
Return pump would be something better than a 26HF RIO. Maybe a Mag or something external.

TANK FLOW:
Right to a Closed Loop System or Oceans motion instead of all these power heads

SUMP
I put in a 29aga before setting the tank down and can not get it out now without breaking it apart. So i would have gone with a custom acrylic sump/refuge.

REFUGIUM
Only used Chaeto Macro Algae instead of Grape Culpara for it go asexual and crash your nitrates if you are not careful.

SAND BED
4" bed instead of 1"-2".

LOCATION
Some where different although it is in a great location for view by neighbors and really anywhere in the house. There is just to much direct sunlight on the tank which make the nuisance algae that i have to clean every day.

The one thing I am glad I did do is start with the ASM G-3 skimmer great way to begin the hobby. Oh yeah another thing I am glad I got into SW for it is so relaxing.

 

I presently are rebuilding my entire system from the 75 to the 180.
And regret my original purchases a few years ago saying "i'm not going to upgrade" 75gal is plenty. (so I now have a spare skimmer, 48in lights, and powerheads = about $500 which sure would be handy now.) I believe the best decision I have made with the new tank is to put all the plumbing down to the basement so I have plenty of room to work and play without making a mess and driving my wife mad. I also like the new decision to put in 2 20amp independent circuits for the new tank. One for lighting, one for the main pump. Will also make sure to get a generator and battery backup for the small outages / power surges.

 

MAKE IT ALL B I G G E R- and spend $2 million dollars instead of the 1 it seems like I've already put out!

 

1. Made my tank longer and deeper instead of taller.

2. Started out with ro/di water instead of switching to it later.

3. Wish I had found 3reef before starting out ;D j/k I was one of the lucky ones who actually started reading 3reef before buying the big tank and was only on a 20 long to begin with... Thanks Matt

Jim

 

Although I want to go bigger I don't think I would.

The main thing I would have done is actually invest in decent equipment!

Seaclone, pc's, zoo-med.... aye

 

I am doing it all over again

 

Me too!

 

I regret a couple of fish and coral. I'd say to research your coral. Make sure it's not too overly agressive and hardy in a sense. Lighting would be another one I wish I would have thought out better. And so on and so forth.

 

Can't say I would do anything different this time around, but that is because I did it right-FINALLY!
I cycled the tank a full 6 weeks with live sand, then another 2 with live rock.
During the cycle phase I had time to:

Decide on lighting needs correct for the corals I wanted to keep.

Get my water flow established (lots of it).

Finalize filtration.

Research and decide on a FEW fish that would become permanent inhabitants.

Perfect a maintenance routine.

But most importantly-Learn patience.