Re-starting after about two years

[Twesley06]

Hi all. I am not completely new here, I had an account under the name 'TravisW' but I don't remember the password, and the email address is long since gone.

Regardless, almost two years ago we moved from North Carolina, and I sold my livestock and put the hardware in storage. I'm seriously thinking about setting it back up now, as I think we are finally settled here in Milwaukee.

So now that I'm thinking about all of this, I'm wanting to make sure I 'do it better' this time around, although I had pretty good success last time.

Here is what hardware I have:
55 g AGA
Coralife 4x65W
Ecosystem HOB refugium
heater and pumps (not high end)
test kits, thermometer, hydrometer, etc.

My tank in the past was fairly successful, as I had xenia, GSP, leathers, button polyps, and a very large, heatlhy anemone, along with various fish, shrimp, etc. I did have 'fish jumping out of the tank' issues that I will address with an egg-crate top.
Below is a picture of the anemone, that was about 75% of its size when I sold it. Notice all of the coraline on the glass, it was a nuisance. The tank never looked like a tank of the month, but it was very fun for us. I'd like to do a little better this time around.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/31463anemone1.jpg

So now that I'm starting over, what should I change?

Definitely the cover, and definitely two smaller, better heaters, and most likely all new pumps, and new bulbs for the fixture.

I did not run a skimmer, but used the ecosystem fuge with pretty good success (although it doesn't work as good as a true overflow to clean the 'scum' from the top of the water. I had to angle a pump outlet to agitate the surface.)

I would like to upgrade the lighting to be able to keep SPS and LPS, but the cost to go to MH is staggering, and a 4x54 W T5 setup doesn't seem like it would be much of an upgrade.

Does anyone have experience with taking a lot of stuff out of storage and using it? any pitfalls to look out for?

I'm considering a full-on sump refugium, but my tank doesn't have a built in overflow and I'm not keen on drilling it myself. Will that be a major upgrade over the HOB ecosystem refugium?

thanks in advance for any help/advice. Glad to be back on the forum, as well!

[wiley0717]

Welcome back!
Toss the test kits, vinegar the equipment and check all rubber seals.
Definitely have the tank drilled, mostly personal preference but drilled is a major upgrade to the hang on overflow and a lot less maintenance
I used to have the living room flooded about once month do to broken siphon on my hang on over flow.

And definitely yes to the sump/fuge. Cleaner than hanging a bunch of junk on the back of the tank and a lot better equipment can be had that will require a sump.

[alan214]

Welcome back! I agree with Wiley that gett the tank drilled for the sump is the best investment you could make. It would make me nervous, too but so does going tothe dentist! Once it's done and plumbed to the sump, you'll be very happy you did.

[Twesley06]

Thanks guys, and thanks for the recommendation on vinegar to clean everything. I was wondering about that.