New Tank: What would you change or do differently?

[drock59]

I'm setting up a 110g cube tank and I am curious, if you could change anything about your set up, what would it be and why? I want to make my new tank as user friendly as possible.

Thinking of putting the sump in the garage to minimize spills,expedite water changes and maintenance.

[Reef264]

To start, More Money.I would have drilled valves in the tank for easy water changes.I would have bought a bigger tank.Would have went LED...Halides keep temp all over the grid from 77.5-80.5 at any given time, which means one stressed out tank.Might have went with Acrylic, I know a lot of people don't like Acrylic...but I do.I could go on for a while.Just do your thing, because if we never made mistakes, we would never recognize them in the ever coming future.

[aandfsoccr04]

I would never use sugar fine sand in a reef again!!!:deadhorse:

[Metal Man 1221]

I would never use sugar fine sand in a reef again!!!:deadhorse:

+1

When I moved my tank I did away with it.

I hate looking up at my tank when Im under the stand doing somthing, seeing all the scratches from the mag float just drives me crazy!

[Ron Reefman]

Drill 2 extra holes in the tank. One for a 'spare' or 'emergency' drain to the sump. If your other drain happens to get clogged or blocked, the water level in the DT will rise and start to run down the the spare drain and save you a flood on the floor! The 2nd hole would get a bulkhead, a very short pvc pipe and a cap. This is a spare so when something new comes along (like a CL system) and you need another line, you have it.

One that I did do, is put a waterproof liner in the bottom of my stand. It runs up the side walls about 6-8" and if anything under the tank leaks (sump, bulkhead, pipe joint, external pump, reactor... whatever) the leak will be contained. It's only a year old and saved me twice already (once was my being stupid and once was a leaking pump). I'd NEVER consider building a new system without a liner in the bottom of the stand.

[jbell370]

I would get a controller right away, since one can buy a RK lite for $100 it is well worth it.

[sabodish]

i want a full blow out water change system..after 15 years i am tired of carrying buckets of water!

[Useful_Idiot]

Extra outlets on my return pump plumbing in my sump to feed gfo and carbon reactors instead of running extra mj pumps. I'm also adding a 3/8 outlet to a poly hose so I can blast all my live rock off before a water change instead of using a powerhead. +1 on the fine sand, and sumps in a different area are great for making a mess and keeping the noise down. Also having the return to the tank push water towards the overflow is a good thing too, unless you did a coast to coast overflow then it probably wouldn't matter.

[ganjero]

Halides keep temp all over the grid from 77.5-80.5 at any given time, which means one stressed out tank.

Do a little more reading on this, fluctuations in that range can be good. I don't see why it can cause stress to the inhabitants; in the natural reefs that range can be wider.


To the OP
+1 on not using sugar sand (usually from MarcoRocks, their rocks are great though)
+1 on the liner and the backup overflow
- Carefully plan since the beginning coral placement. Decide what corals you would like to keep, their flow and light needs and specially the growth pattern.
- Set up a quarantine tank and keep every fish in there for 6-8 weeks to keep your display tank disease free. On this line you would have to get fish every 6-8 weeks, since adding a new fish to your quarantine tank will reset the time to all the fish in quarantine to week 1.
- Start your tank with dry cooked rock, this will keep pest out of your tank and the cooking will prevent future PO4 leaching.
- Quarantine corals as well.
- Buy the best equipment you can afford since day 1, this can save you money and time.


Good Luck

[Reef264]

True ganjero, I would just love to have a tank that doesn't Change almost 3° throughout the day.I cannot bring myself to buy a chiller.

[mussel and hate]

I would minimize my sump to tank height difference to reduce total pump wattage.

I'd go coast to coast with my overflow.

I'd drill a line of evenly spaced holes in the bottom pane several inches from and parallel to the front pane for CL returns.

I'd go 12v DC on all pumps lights and any controllers.

I'd have a sealed deep cycle 12v battery(array) and float charger to run it all off of.

[drock59]

Great ideas!

Moving from my old tank to the new one. The current tank is sand less. Having a hard time deciding if I want to go sand or not. I think I do. :)

Already have an apex controller. Best investment I've made for the tank.

I like the idea of a water change system. Anyone have a link to some ideas?

Love the manifold off the return pump too.

[drock59]

Mussel, could u elaborate on the 12v stuff? Any links for the battery deal? Sounds wonderful.

[A_Z]

I would never use sugar fine sand in a reef again!!!:deadhorse:

yup this

[Palting]

I am surprised no has yet said it. I would go bigger.

I started out being cost conscious, keeping costs low, etc. But now that I've sunk several thousand $$$$'s into this thing, I've come to realize that the increased cost of going for the bigger tank setup from the beginning would have been worth it. The price difference is now such a small percentage of the total cost so far.

[miwoodar]

I'd have a sealed deep cycle 12v battery(array) and float charger to run it all off of.

You're just a $50 inverter away from making it work with AC.

I'm fine at 140 gallons.

Not having to carry water for water changes would be really, really nice. Steam would burst from my wife's ears if she ever saw the colossal messes I make when I'm lugging buckets (I only do water changes when she's away).

[NarnyTheGreat]

Make sure to get the inside of my stand wired with no less than 12 GFCI plugs on its own circuit before I have water in the tank.

Would have gone with LED's from the get go instead of trying all the others first (would have saved me a lot of money with the electric bill and all the upgrades)

Planned out my rock work better and know EXACTLY what kind of tank I wanted to keep before I bought that first kenya tree!

I both love and hate sand but I keep mulitple kinds of tanks so it depends... thinking about going with a rock bottom on my sps tank because I hate the look of a BB and dont want sand in there to cause the cloud. With my soon to be transformed sea horse tank I am making it a dsb so sugar sand is a given.

I would also make sure that I knew up front what kind of dosing I wanted to do and practice/study it better before jumping in and buying all the stuff. All the trial and error was REALLY annoying. Not to mention extra equipment that I didnt need or use for longer than a month.

I could go on and on to be honest lol.

[mussel and hate]

You're just a $50 inverter away from making it work with AC.

True, but if I accept the conversion efficiency penalty when charging my battery rather than discharging it I get longer runtime when the power goes out.

Mussel, could u elaborate on the 12v stuff? Any links for the battery deal? Sounds wonderful.

LED lighting but of course.

As for pumps, I really like Laing pumps however Laing doesn't seem to make a DC pump with salt safe impellors:( For the return pump I'd probably go with an Iwaki RD 20/30: http://www.iwakiamerica.com/Literature/RD/180286_RDmanual.pdf

For circulation probably Ecotech or more RDs on a CL (with eductors on a big tank) and PWM or voltage control for tide/wave. A well thought out CL could be nearly invisible in a 110 cube. I like this fellow's layout:http://www.reef-eden.net/2006_reef_9.htm

For the battery, I'm partial to the Optima brand for use in my vehicles. I haven't researched deep cycle batteries in a decade though so there may be something better available.

For the charger a multi stage float charger. That is, a charger which charges the battery to 'boost voltage' level say, 14.4v on a 12v and then allows a drain phase to 90% or so capacity before recharge. I don't have a specific charger in mind, that's another area that would require some research. This sort of thing is pretty common for boats, RVs and solar power so I'm certain there's a wealth of information and many different products available locally. The charging rate of the charger would have to be determined by the rate of battery discharge given your choice of lights, pumps, and how long you want your tank to be able run without mains.

I know Ecotech sells a battery backup for their pumps which is probably much like what I've described. I think it is probably way more expensive than a non aquarium industry solution but unless you're poor like me you may wan't to consider it. I think I saw discussion in the DIY forum regarding this very thing. here's one: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2026589

As for the coast to coast, I really like the way this fellow has done his:http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2059725

I've never seen a more simple or elegant coast to coast. This design gives you more tank to play with.

[darthparj]

Larger sump. Just got an mp10, if I knew how awesome it is would've gotten right off the bat.

[BlueDartReefer]

I'm setting up a 110g cube tank and I am curious, if you could change anything about your set up, what would it be and why? I want to make my new tank as user friendly as possible.

Thinking of putting the sump in the garage to minimize spills,expedite water changes and maintenance.

Everything I've always wanted to change about our set up is currently underway. We have recently upgraded our 90G of 15 years to a 265G. The display sits along our entry wall and everything else is ran through that wall to the garage. This alone has been awesome. No worries about spilled water, no excess noise inside (just the enjoyment of trickling water), no added heat from ballasts and all the room I need for expansion. I oversized my return pump to accomadate future extras like a UV sterilizer. I am working on a 75G quarantine tank that sits on a stand above the sump. I've piped in a drain line for water changes and soon will be working on a water change system. I do hope to add an APEX controller and an online video feed when money permits it.

[lolgranny]

If i was to do things differently i would:

Make water changes automated. Open drain to empty>>>Flip a switch to fill>>>Done
Incorporate a frag tank with the system, frag racks annoy me
Go with 1" of sand(special grade) I miss it with BB
+1 on the liner in the stand, i did this with acrylic pieces making basically another tank for the sump.
QT tank is a MUST

[lolgranny]

Double post

[Ron Reefman]

Great ideas!

Moving from my old tank to the new one. The current tank is sand less. Having a hard time deciding if I want to go sand or not. I think I do. :)

Already have an apex controller. Best investment I've made for the tank.

I like the idea of a water change system. Anyone have a link to some ideas?

Love the manifold off the return pump too.

1) Water change. I have a bathroom on the other side of the wall where the DT sits. So I plumbed off the manifold (you gotta do a manifold) a line with a ball valve (and builtin unioin) that goes thru the wall, into the bathroom cabinet and ties into the bathroom sink drain line. All I do is open a valve to remove water from the sump.

2) Manifold off the main sump pump... the only way to go, Plan ahead and have a spare line or two with valves ready for future expansion.

3) I have sand and I set 90% of my rock on eggcrate that sits above the sand on short pvc pipe legs. I tied the pipe legs to the eggcrate by drilling a small hole near the end of the pipe and used a small cable tie to hook it to the eggcrate. Ate the edge of the eggcrate I used smaller LR and set it in the sand and you can't see the eggcrate at all. Now the sand is available to the sea cucumber, serpent stars, nassarius snails, spaghetti worms, shrimp and wrasses. If you'd like pics of the build, just ask.

[robbous]

id go reef ready

[geaux xman]

I am surprised no has yet said it. I would go bigger.

I started out being cost conscious, keeping costs low, etc. But now that I've sunk several thousand $$$$'s into this thing, I've come to realize that the increased cost of going for the bigger tank setup from the beginning would have been worth it. The price difference is now such a small percentage of the total cost so far.

+1.

wish i had went longer, taller, and wider. in other words, bigger.

[a.browning]

I would have NOT gotten a tank only 12" wide.

[d0ughb0y]

+1.

wish i had went longer, taller, and wider. in other words, bigger.

I don't know about taller. I won't get a 24" tall tank anymore, 18" I think is the perfect height. It solves the too little light issue (it gives you a lot more lighting options), and you can always move your light higher if it is too much light for the tank. I'm not exactly a short person, but I have difficulty reaching all the way down to the bottom of my 24" tall tank (with euro brace) without getting water all the way to my shoulders.

[tylernt]

I'll cast another vote for automated water change system.

Also, a contingency plan for running the tank during a power outage. A power outage is stressful enough on it's own without also having to worry about your tank.

[JPMagyar]

I would work very, very, very hard at using minimalist aquascaping but the underlying assumption there is that you have a sand bed.

I would make my tank "in wall" and set low so I can place a couch in front and sit for hours at the optimal viewing angle with a glass of wine in hand.

I would start with only dry rock and "seed" the tank with a smattering of reef rubble in the sump to prevent introducing pests.

I would very carefully select the dozen or so corals I wanted well in advance so I could make the architecture ideal for the future growth, and I could get the corals pest free from top notch aquarists.

I would use T5s and 150 watt HQI's for the best possible colors with the shimmer effect intact.

I would pick a small family of fish that live together naturally.

I would use a remote sump with a top to minimize corrosion.

I would have an overflow the whole length of the back wall or the two side walls so my tank had no "bulges".

I would use a "faux" black back so I could keep the actual glass on the back wall clean for that "infinity" look.

I would make my stand deep so the edge of the sand layer would not show at the bottom level of the viewable area.

I would use a non-braced tank to allow maximum light, but I would have "Euro-bracing" around the edge to prevent splashing while cleaning.

I would use a light fixture several inches smaller than the tank width so I could create "shadowing" along the outer edges. This would keep the glass cleaner longer and make for a greater sense of depth.

If I was really goin' crazy, I'd incorporate a sound system into the rooms design so I could set the "mood"



ah well . . . now I'm really dreaming!

I hope you'll keep us posted on what you do so we can all live a little vicariously :beer:


Your Reefin' Buddy,

Joe





P.S. Believe it or not I feel my tank today is too crowded :D



http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad115/JoePeck66/TOTM/FTS5-3.jpg



and the gratuitous shot of my best buddy just 'cuz you've got one in your avatar :lolspin:




http://web.me.com/joepeck66/iWeb/The%20Coral%20Gardner/Family%20Album_files/Maine%20August%202010%20129.jpg

[heckfire]

the biggest fuge you can get

[Gorgok]

1. Not get a corner tank.
2. Not get a tank with built in filter junk.
3. Not get such a small tank.
4. Buy at least 2x as much dry rock as i think i need, spend as much time as i need to re-shape and epoxy together them until they are rocks i like, and do the whole setup on a plywood sheet the size of the tank.
5. Start with an ATS.
6. Get controllable flow pumps from the start. (Incorporate them into the rockwork.)
7. Fish room...

[kmcmurtry]

Someone had talked about building eggcrate on the bottom, I understand why the rock needs eggcrate so it doesn't shift, but why can't the rock sit on the eggcrate directly? Thanks!

[drock59]

Great ideas everyone.

I am very interested in the automated water changes and the power backup system. I need to find some more information on these topics.

It has already taken me months to get this far and with all these ideas, I dont know if I will ever get it set up. :idea:

The sump will be in the garage and I think, I will use my current tank, 75g and a 40g mixing/auto top off tank.

I would love to do a coast to coast overflow, but I the tank is already built and drilled with a smallish internal box.

A couple folks said they would go bigger....I started out with a 55, then a 90 tall and currently I have a 75g. The 110g cube is my upper limit. Set by the boss.


As far as sand bed goes, I think I have decided on a 1" sand bed of non-sugar fine sand. I want to be able to keep some sand sifting critters and give my tank a more natural look. Bare bottom has served me well for years, but I love having sand.

Again, thanks for the ideas. The more the merrier.

[drock59]

Here is the tank, lonely and cold in my garage.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/drock59/image-1.jpg


and the woofer, all grown up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/drock59/DSC_0085-2.jpg

[Ron Reefman]

Someone had talked about building eggcrate on the bottom, I understand why the rock needs eggcrate so it doesn't shift, but why can't the rock sit on the eggcrate directly? Thanks!

If you are talking about my post, the rock does sit on the eggcrate, but the eggcrate sits on pvc pipe legs to keep it above the sand. This way the sand is almost completely open to critters that like living in the sand AND it keeps the rocks off the glass bottom. You also get much better flow around the rocks and less chance of 'dead spots' and cyano bacteria getting started.

I also don't use nozzles or lineloc for the water return to the DT. My water comes over the back of the tank in 2 lines that are seperated by a SCWD. Each of the lines (pvc pipe) go down the back glass inside the tank in a 'square' S shape. All that pipe is drilled with small holes and operate as a 'spray bar' behind my LR wall. This adds variety to the water flow and keeps the LR much cleaner.

[Gorgok]

Forgot to add one.

Not get a deep tank. 30" doesn't sound deep until you start to reach for something sitting on 1" of sand. I think even a 26-28" tank would be significantly better for maintenance reasons than a 30" one.

[zigzag1]

The few things I'd change is to go bigger, go in-wall, and have a sizable dedicated fishroom behind the DT.

[psyrob]

all great ideas...my 2 cents: I would get a controller right from the start (I have a ReefAngel), and I would never use a magfloat, just a kent scraper...the mag floats WILL catch some grit and scratch your tank...I would NEVER get any green star polyps, they grow like the Blob and engulf everything like a monster carpet...and I would resign myself to the fact that no matter what I do, someone, somewhere will think it is wrong LOL...