Why I envy the newbies...

Since your in the area (I am in Marion as well) I will surely use your advise as well as Jay's when I get mine going. Gotta get the tax return back first .....Febuary can't come fast enough....

I would love to come by some time and look at your stuff when I am ready to pull the trigger. For now I am learning a ton just reading questions and answers here before I get started.

-Strong

 

So JB..I think that you're able to present a *very* interesting perspective that most of us don't have; and that is from the person with a very successful tank that would do things differently if they had to start over. Mind detailing that a bit? Telling us what kind of things you would change and why? What livestock you have enjoyed and which you wish you had never introduced, etc. I think that would really help many of us that are currently in a build process and those doing builds later.

--AJ

 

I smell nano! /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif

 

I totally agree 100% thats why i'm completely overhauling my tank.

 

Hey Jeremy...you could present a few pointers on that as well. I heard that when it was in it's prime, your tank was the envy of the club (and you have photo proof of that in our photo gallery). If you had to set up your big tank again...what would you do different?

--AJ

 

The grass is always greener I suppose. You can always frag your big colonies and give the frags away to the newbies too! /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif

 

That is *great* stuff JB. Thanks for taking the time to pass this along. Jeremy, anything you want to add?

--AJ

 

Love this thread. I'm also waiting for the magic tax return to set up a tank, and knowing what folks have run into will help alot in my set up.

Why are you banning those soft corals? Do they grow to fast....hard to keep alive....what?

 

I have the same issue with softies. And they croud sps and in some cases (blue stripe shrooms) sting and kill sps. And if you want to get rid of them good luck once they are established the only way is a rebuild.

 

Well, JB hit most of the things I would have liked to have done differently, especially the bigger/deeper tank rather than a standard 6' tank. One thing I always wished I had was some sort of fail-proof overflow system. I had always used a CPR external overflow and everytime me and the wife went on vacation during Labor Day weekend it would fail.

Another thing would be planning and aquascaping, when I setup my 125 I was upgrading from a 75 as well as tearing down my moms old 125. So I was essentially tearing down 2 tanks and combining them into one all in a matter of a day. Needless to say, by the time it came to aquascape I was totally beat and we ended up just throwing the rocks against the back wall making the notorious "wall of death".

Coral selection was also another reason I decided to tear down my tank, when I setup the 125 I was fairly new to SPS and just would take whatever I could get my hands on, I also stuck with things that were hardy and affordable only to come to find out I had the same exact corals as everyone else in this club had at the time so the whole trading thing was limited.

The last final and MOST IMPORTANT thing I would have done. QUARANTINE!!! I think at one time I have had every reef related pest you can possibly have all because of my bad habit of just tossing corals into the display as soon as I got them home. Mind you I learned quite a bit about battling these pests but sometimes it felt like I would never win and well, I guess in the end I did "lose".

I guess I could go on and on about things I would have done differently but those things are the biggest reason for taking down my 125. I can totally relate to where JB is coming from, I was there last year. Tearing down the big tank and starting a new one definitely gave me my "spark" back for this hobby.

 

Thanks Jeremy! Great info. I agree with Bluefool...this has been one of the most informative and favorite threads this month. Thanks guys! Anyone else care to contribute some lessons you have learned?

--AJ

 

I really agree with #5! I now hate most of the softies I had introduced earlier-the ricordia and blue shrooms especially. I have to take kalk paste and a razor about 1x a month and just go through and KILL KILL KILL /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif And you can never reach some of them, so they make more and more.......I think they've killed some of the nicest coral I've had /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/sad.gif They may be ok in a tank by themselves, but NOT good in a mixed reef!

 

I would say that you guys covered most of the thinghs i would have said. But i would add be very careful what fish you add. For instance i have a spoted hawk fish reef safe sure shrimp safe no way! He has killed plenty of shrimp over the years. I always tell myself maybe he wont kill this kind ha, he kills them all. Not right away or during the day he likes to kill at night. And noway to catch him he is way to smart for a trap and a net noway in my crowded tank.

 

My hawkfish ate anything he could catch, including fish.  Sounds like someone needs a fishtrap.

 

I have a fish trap. Won't work it's like he knows i'm after him. No worries though his days are numbered. I'm rebuilding my tank, just waiting on some stuff i ordered that will be here next week and the process will begin.

 

Yea this is a great thread! I just upgraded from a 72 gallon to a 125 gallon and it's so nice to be able to fix all the things I hated about the previous tank. It's so nice having drilled overflows, 6' of space, bare bottom(I lost a ton of corals do that damn sand), open rock work, flat glass panels, rocks/sand away from the glass, and also it'll be nice having halides over this tank.