Howdy,
I haven't had a tank in 20 years, last was a 120g SW with fish and anemones. The equipment then was far more DIY but it worked. A coworker convinced me to start a tank as he has several. I recently purchased a Redsea XL525 and I'm slowly collecting components. So far I have a Reefer RSK600 skimmer, Vectra M1, 2 AI Hydra 32's. I plan on adding a couple of retrofit T5 fixtures. I may copy Fishinbob's actuated hood design, https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fishinbobs-elos-160xl-build.366141/. Great design.
I'm slowly planning the setup as I have a water source at the tank but no waste drain. I carried buckets of water in the past and have no desire to do it again. Working on building a cabinet to house 2 25g storage tanks for FW & SW. I plan on mimicking my coworker's setup and have the ATO and SW exchanges handled automatically and on a schedule.
I'm still researching livestock and compatibility. 20 years ago it was much less of a concern as the selection was limited. This will be a slow process but every tank I helped set up in the past that was rushed had continual problems that could have been prevented with a little preparation. I've enjoyed reading the posts on the forum and appreciate those who have recorded their experiences.
I haven't had a tank in 20 years, last was a 120g SW with fish and anemones. The equipment then was far more DIY but it worked. A coworker convinced me to start a tank as he has several. I recently purchased a Redsea XL525 and I'm slowly collecting components. So far I have a Reefer RSK600 skimmer, Vectra M1, 2 AI Hydra 32's. I plan on adding a couple of retrofit T5 fixtures. I may copy Fishinbob's actuated hood design, https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fishinbobs-elos-160xl-build.366141/. Great design.
I'm slowly planning the setup as I have a water source at the tank but no waste drain. I carried buckets of water in the past and have no desire to do it again. Working on building a cabinet to house 2 25g storage tanks for FW & SW. I plan on mimicking my coworker's setup and have the ATO and SW exchanges handled automatically and on a schedule.
I'm still researching livestock and compatibility. 20 years ago it was much less of a concern as the selection was limited. This will be a slow process but every tank I helped set up in the past that was rushed had continual problems that could have been prevented with a little preparation. I've enjoyed reading the posts on the forum and appreciate those who have recorded their experiences.