Upgrading tanks - what's one thing you wish you would have done differently?

[ScubaShane]

I wish I went bigger. I would of had to make a space for it though, but my dream tank is 8'x4'x30" peninsula.

 

[DHill6]

Forget filter socks and roller mats. Use these cheap 3D printer filet cups. Change out a small piece of filter floss every week. Cheap and easy.

I did the same by cutting down a Red Sea filter cup, using Pinky Floss.

 

[WallyTime7]

Forget filter socks and roller mats. Use these cheap 3D printer filter cups. Change out a small piece of filter floss every week. Cheap and easy.

What goes with it? More pictures? First I'm seeing this and curious

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

A couple things that have kept me from NOT going with a filter roller. Not if but when it breaks you need to have a backup plan. Once you modify your sump for it there is no emergency plan B if it fails unless you're willing to buy 2. They can sometimes smell bad due to the dirty end of the roll sitting in your stand for weeks. If a doser breaks you can dose by hand until there's a fix. You can get by without a skimmer for a bit if it fails. You can go without a wavemaker if it fails. You should always have a backup return pump of some kind. But if a filter roller fails and you've cut your baffles out so that it fits that's a problem.

They don't smell @ all. My skimmate is more raunchy smelling than the dirty roll. If the filter roller craps (mine has and no it's not a red sea), keep a filter sock mount and some socks around, simple fix. I currently have a bubble magus roller but I've BTDT with a 1st gen kilr and it was utter trash. A lot of us don't run a 'name' brand tank, thus we don't have sump modding issues when it comes to filter rollers.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Currently? Should have gotten a bigger tank

This. Should of went 6' 180g myself.

 

[scottbapilot]

A couple things that have kept me from NOT going with a filter roller. Not if but when it breaks you need to have a backup plan. Once you modify your sump for it there is no emergency plan B if it fails unless you're willing to buy 2. They can sometimes smell bad due to the dirty end of the roll sitting in your stand for weeks. If a doser breaks you can dose by hand until there's a fix. You can get by without a skimmer for a bit if it fails. You can go without a wavemaker if it fails. You should always have a backup return pump of some kind. But if a filter roller fails and you've cut your baffles out so that it fits that's a problem.

I have a Sk-5000. I love it. It never smells and I'm not worried about it breaking. I have been running it for a little over a year. My water has never been cleaner.

 

[Dburr1014]

I've switched tanks twice.
I wish I documented with pictures to show how easy it is and how resilient sometimes life is.

 

[nuxx]

I would have done low iron glass instead of acrylic... I was so paranoid. I did that when we had the 150 gallon frag tank built

 

[bnord]

Never add Xenia to another tank ,

or pocillopora

 

[Dburr1014]

or pocillopora

Or blue clove

 

[dstockwell]

Taken more time on my aqua scape, I’m only 9 months in with my tank and already want to redo it

I've changed mine twice in 5 months, and I'm going to add some more before the end off the month.

 

[dstockwell]

Any takes on chaeto/algae versus bio balls? My chaeto area is overrun by nuisance algae but DT is fine. It's ugly to look and curious if the bio ball route is worth the change? Or harder to manage...

Well I'm using both, almost 5 months now. I have two sumps, one gravity drains to the other. My overflow is split on true union ball valves to each sump with one return pump. The right side holds skimmer then refugium section, the left side has bio balls, to return pump.

So far seems to work out just fine.

 

[Rmckoy]

or pocillopora

I’ve been looking for pocillipora for a few years and can’t find it

 

[bnord]

I’ve been looking for pocillipora for a few years and can’t find it

next time you are in Georgia, you can come over and scrape my back glass.... smile

all transplants

 

[dstockwell]

I’ve been looking for pocillipora for a few years and can’t find it

Pocillopora Corals for Sale - Tidal Gardens

Pocillopora are a great beginner coral for those looking to try SPS for the first time. They are less sensitive than Acropora or Montipora yet retain that signature branching stony coral form. When stressed, their polyps have the ability to bail out of their skeletons and grow new colonies where...

www.tidalgardens.com

 

[EricR]

Never using dry rock again...

Same here -- went with half dry rock a bit over a year ago (tank transfer) and every nuisance algae/dino issue I've dealt with has been on my dry rock pile with never a spec on live rock structure.

*local PetCo has decent looking aqua-cultured rock cheaper than real ocean live rock (obviously),,, maybe just run it fallow first if time permits (next time)

 

[Rmckoy]

next time you are in Georgia, you can come over and scrape my back glass.... smile

all transplants

Getting them home to Canada might be an issue ….

 

[bnord]

Getting them home to Canada might be an issue ….

You could get these under your fingernails and they would re-grow…

seriously. - and in context of this thread, am planning an upgrade (have a 100g trough seasoning rock, bought some extra lights, first talk with manufacturer etc) and would plan to use as much of the rock from two tanks to make that happen successfully. BUT 40 % of the main tanks rock has one or more of these pocci colonies visible, and certain that more rocks have tiny colonies.
Really want these rocks with their bacteria, pods, sponges AND acropora etc, but getting rid of the pocillopora has been a challenge. Have clipped it back and covered the residue with kalk paste and epoxy, and it comes up around the epoxy.
Any other ideas?

 

[catturio19]

Hey friends -
Currently running a RedSea Reefer 55 gallon DT and upgrading (as of right now) to a Waterbox 130.4.

What's one thing you wish you could have done differently when upgrading? Tank plumbing, aqua-scape, anything if you had the chance! Honestly curious before I make the switch.

I may go from socks to reefmat 500 but curious if there are other tips out there.

I personally find my biggest regrets being that I didn’t use live rock. The micro diversity plays such a huge role in our tanks and I feel like my corals are missing something with the more sterile environment I created.

I spent way too much money on gear. On my next tank I’d probably do a roller-mat and skimmer in the sump and leave it at that. Also the auto testers seem to create more work than actual benefit for me at this point.

 

[blaxsun]

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably have taken the time to plumb a custom manifold for a UV, flow sensors, probe holders - that sort of fun thing.