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- Dec 6, 2016
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Hey everyone! 
After 4 years of running my 22 gallon Mr. Aqua sumpless dream build, itās finally time to bring it down by upgrading the tank and bringing back a sump. Nothing against sumpless systems (they can be beautiful and simple), but Iāve always hated seeing wires, heaters, and equipment inside the display. With that, I decided to upgrade to a 38 gallon Fiji Peninsula something a little bigger, a little cleaner, but still manageable and fun.
as well as the boss of the home said "the stand isn't going anywhere haha") So I wanted an open concept build with a sump offset to the side with the equipment being visible but organized. Since tanks for this stand were limited and I didnāt want to wait months/years for a custom tank, I landed on a Fiji cube 38 gallon aquarium. I went ahead and drilled it with to be a peninsula tank with the idea of it becoming SPS-dominated. Of course, keeping behind the BTAās that my clowns have hosted and laid eggs next to it for years.
My approach hasnāt changed: keep it simple, keep it consistent, and let the corals do the talking.
Current look:
After 4 years of running my 22 gallon Mr. Aqua sumpless dream build, itās finally time to bring it down by upgrading the tank and bringing back a sump. Nothing against sumpless systems (they can be beautiful and simple), but Iāve always hated seeing wires, heaters, and equipment inside the display. With that, I decided to upgrade to a 38 gallon Fiji Peninsula something a little bigger, a little cleaner, but still manageable and fun.
A little history:
Iāve been through a many tanks over the decade with a 40 gallon breeder, 60 gallon cube, a Red Sea 350, a 200 gallon Planet Aquarium (originally designed by Mr. Saltwater Tank), and my most recently a 22 gallon Mr. Aqua. Out of all of them, the smaller tanks have always been the most rewarding. Thereās just something about managing a compact system that feels right to me.The new plan:
My original idea was to reuse the custom stand I built for the 22 gallon as itās become a conversation piece whenever people visit (āwait, you built that yourself?ā as well as the boss of the home said "the stand isn't going anywhere haha") So I wanted an open concept build with a sump offset to the side with the equipment being visible but organized. Since tanks for this stand were limited and I didnāt want to wait months/years for a custom tank, I landed on a Fiji cube 38 gallon aquarium. I went ahead and drilled it with to be a peninsula tank with the idea of it becoming SPS-dominated. Of course, keeping behind the BTAās that my clowns have hosted and laid eggs next to it for years.My approach hasnāt changed: keep it simple, keep it consistent, and let the corals do the talking.
Current Equipment
- Tank: Fiji 38 gallon drilled (36x15.5x15.5)
- Overflow: Eshopps Prodigy M Slimline
- Sump: Fiji 20 2nd Gen
- Stand: Custom-built by me
- Lighting: 2x Ecotech Radion XR30w G4 Pro (overkill, but love them
) - ATO: None (for now)
- Mechanical Filter: Filter pad cut to size
- Heater: Eheim Jager 125 watt
- Powerheads: 2x Ecotech MP10
- Skimmer: None but may add at some point
- Return Pump: Ecotech Vectra S2
- UV: Aqua Ultraviolet 15w (plumbed into return)
- Controller: Neptune Apex (2016)
- Rock: Reused from old system (originally bought live rock)
- Sand: Aquaforest Bio Sand
- Lid: DIY Mesh Top
Current look:
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