Getting back in ....

[fogcutter]

After 6 long years of longing....I'm finally ready to start up a new tank. I had to leave my beautiful 75 gallon bow-front reef when I moved from Texas many moons ago. My new place isn't as accommodating as my old one so I'm going to go smaller.

 

I was looking at these 46 bow fronts from Sea Clear...all acrylic. I haven't seen many reviews for them yet. Does anyone have experience with these? I've heard in the past that acrylics are too easy to scratch but for a rim-less tank, it looks pretty darn good to me.

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I've been out of the hobby for a while so I'm looking to see what's new and exciting from when I last had my tank set up. I'm definitely leaning towards LED lighting and I think I'm going to go skimmerless again and using some miracle mud in my fuge'.

 

I'll take any advice I can with what's new and improved as far as power heads, controllers and the like.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Rob

[onux20]

Man! What a loaded question!!

 

Welcome back to the hobby.

[Brian Ward]

acrylic definitely has its pitfalls with respect to scratching. This is definitely a problem if you're running an SPS system since removing coralline algae without scratching is quite difficult, but if you move slowly and patiently, it can be done. At that size, the weight of glass isn't a big deal, so it's only the clarity of acrylic that you're gaining. I, personally, would go with glass.

[lanman]

I would recommend a reef-ready tank with built-in overflow.

 

I have both glass and acrylic - I prefer glass in general - just seems easier to keep clean.

 

Beyond that... what are you planning to put in that tank? FOWLR? SPS-dominated? That would help a lot with suggestions.

 

bob

[gmubeach]

Leds rock, first figure out a budget and then look at the dedicated tank forum and see whats out there...

[OldReefer]

I am just back in after a 4-year break and found a number of new things that are different and improved.

 

I love the new MP40Ws. I ran Tunzes before, but I like these even better. Amazing control and flow. I love the battery backup feature as well.

 

 

 

I went back to the old reliable ACIII as a controller. They are almost free used now because of the introduction of the APEX. Now that the internet is nearly everywhere, it doesn't make sense to have a controller that you can't control remotely.

 

I thought about LEDs as well but went with T5s. I got an ATI Powermodule and found it to be very sleek, quiet, and a monster as far as light production is concerned. I have trouble finding SPS that can live in the top 1/3 of the tank. I also love that there is almost zero heat.

 

4 years ago, Ca reactors and Kalk were the only way to go. Now two-part dosing is easy and affordable. I use a couple of BRS dosers connected to my AC3 and have complete control of my dosing from anywhere in the word. No kalk overdoses, no Ca Reactor meltdowns.

 

Thanks to advances in the Neo Zeo method, there is much more understanding about the role of bateria in the tank, and better products. I have found the new products such as MB7 to be amazing. They greatly reduce your cycle when starting a new system.

 

There is more use of dry rock in reef tanks than there use to be. It was almost unheard of 6 years ago but it is common now.

 

Algae scrubbers are much more common and sophisticated now and worth a look if you are going skimmerless.

 

Of course the biggest surprise was the rise of frags and collector's corals. Branding of wildlife seems a little odd to me, but it is big business now. I am glad to see the emphasis on fragging and captive propogation, but lots of tanks look like a golf-tee collection or a bad 1980s hair transplant.

 

I hope that helps....

 

 

[tecsavi]

Fogcutter - I got back in after 6 years and was amazed at all of the things that have changed since I was in the hobby. As far as tanks go the one type that sttod out to me is the huge selection of cheaper rimless tanks. I would highly suggest a glass tank as acrylic tanks screatch so easy. I would also suggest something that is reef ready so that you can have a sump. Check out glasscages.com for some ideas on cool looking rimless tanks. I know there is someone posting on this board that is a local guy who can build these types of tanks but I can't remember his name. Custom tanks were rare years ago because of the cost, now they are relatively cheap. You might as well get exactly what you want.

 

Oldreefer - Your list of things that have changed in the past few years is spot-on, couldn't have made a better list myself. When I got out of the hobby 6 years ago I had a hard time finding people or stores willing to buy frags, now they have "Designer Frags". I think the crazy names are funny but hey, if it promotes people to buy captive raised then I am all for it. Being an SPS junkie I love seeing all of these brilliantly colored frags that are captive raised. Back in the day we paid a fortune for a wild colony that would never color up and had very high mortality rates compaired to todays captive frags. I thing this hobby has advanced light year in a better direction as a whole.

[fogcutter]

First off, thanks for all the awesome replies!

 

I'm actually getting push-back from my other half so my tank will definitely be 46g or less. As for the tank, well this time it's all about the aesthetics and I really like the look of those rimless tanks. So if I can find one that looks good AND fits my livestock criteria I'll be happy. My plan is to have a small reef with a few fish and a hand full of corals and maybe some inverts. My challenge is trying to scale down from what I was used to. I know it's much harder to maintain a smaller reef because everything can change so quickly but I feel like I'm up to the challenge.

 

And I'm all about the frags and tank raised livestock. Not only do I plan to have a frag farm but I'm thinking about all tank raised fish as well (well .....maybe not all...I'm a real sucker for a pretty wrasse). Obviously I'll have to tailor my lighting when I'm ready to decide on what frags I want but I'm partial to the monti's and that ilk so that will factor in to my lighting decisions.

 

I'm planning to automate most functions but I'm not ready for a full blown controller yet ( although I wish you'd never told me about that APEX darn you!....haha...want!). And I have an old reactor but I'll more than likely just dose.

 

So it sounds like I'll stick to glass for now....but I'm really excited about getting my feet wet (pun intended) again and I'm glad WAMAS is here for all the help.

 

Things I'm still on the fence with:

 

Drilled tank or standard overflow

DSB - 3" or 5"

Mixed oolitic's or some specialized reef sand

bio filtration (which I prefer) or standard (high dollar) skimmer

[trockafella]

You should look into the oceanic illuminata ( i think) Its a 57g gallon rimless with overflow.. Really nice looking tank and reasonably priced, very aestheticly pleasing.. I know 57 is more than the 46 line you were drawing, but you dont have to tell her the truth, I think its a 36" long, so similar dimensions.. I have seen them at petland forsale, and im sure other local vendors can get them aswell.. I think its really worth looking into..

[Chad]

I agree with Travis on the 57g rimless... it is a beautiful setup. I saw one in person not too long ago out of the corner of my eye and had to go back and really look at it... nice tank and yes, 36" long.

 

On your "fence" questions... I too got out of reefing for a few years about 10 years ago (it is pretty difficult to maintain a tank if you are single and spend more than 50% of the year underwater...) and faced a bunch of new changes when I got back in.

 

Go with drilled, there is less of a possibility of an overflow because you are not depending on a siphon. In my mind drilled or not drilled... there really is no question.

 

DSB, sooooo many different thoughts and contradictions and controversy... Read and make up your own mind here, but I would go with >5" (and maintained via critters meaning you have to leave the critter predators out) or less than 2". Personally, in the display, I would go with <2" to maximize available fish volume, a DSB takes up a lot of room. A large refugium can be used to have a remote DSB if you want to have one (and I would recommend it).

 

Preference here as well. If you have really high flow, the oolitic may blow around too much for your liking making the larger reef select or similar sized a good choice. I have 6" of oolitic in my refugium, 5-8" of oolitic and mud in my seagrass tank, and <1/2" of reef select in my display.

 

If you are good with DIY, building an ATS is simple, there are a lot of good designs (including a really slick semi-production version that you can buy) on www.algaescrubber.net

[tecsavi]

Well technically you can stay under the 46 gallon limit once you account for less volume with live rock and sand.

 

 

 

 

[Chad]

^haha, we do always seem to streeeetch the limit once we know what it is...

 

I was given a 36" limit (certain wall space) by my ex-wife... Little did she know that I would bring home a 36" x 48" tank hehe.

 

...Well I did say ex-wife...

[fogcutter]

I'm definitely going to look at the 57g rimless. I'm considering building a DIY trellis/stand and making a reef wall ...it should compliment that tank really well. So far the pics I've seen look great.

 

Check out this guy's set up....pretty amazing and it's pretty near what I want to accomplish. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

I'm wanting to use a DSB because I think they look great with live rock. I'm going to use some dividers/ stands so that I only have sand where I want it and not have to worry about having spots that don't have good light or critters and can go anaerobic; basically a modified Jaubert. I spent countless hours many moons ago reading up on DSB's with articles from Shimek, Borneman etc. and it looks like not a lot has changed as far as the original theories and practices. I like the idea of the eggcrate between layers though....I might try that if I go 4" or deeper. I had great success with the good ole' Southdown play sand so I'll probably look at getting something similar....just hope I can find it. It was a mixed grain sized so "sort of" oolitic and I was using a 4" bed.

 

I'm planning to use miracle mud in my sump with macro algae scrubbers. That MP40 ES power head looks pretty awesome and with my fairly beefy return flow pump I'm thinking that one MP40 and my return ought to be enough circulation.

 

I'm fairly sold on the LED fixtures but MAN can they be expensive!!! I'm not up to the full DIY yet though so I'll keep searching for a good solution. Those PAR 38 pendants are looking good so far.

 

Thanks again for the ongoing suggestions. Half the fun of doing this time is because I have the luxury of time to figure out exactly what I want to do and can elicit advice from the local experts. When I set up my first tank I was so excited to get into it that I didn't put a whole lot of thought into what I was doing beyond the basics....but I got lucky and was successful anyway.

 

 

On your "fence" questions... I too got out of reefing for a few years about 10 years ago (it is pretty difficult to maintain a tank if you are single and spend more than 50% of the year underwater...) and faced a bunch of new changes when I got back in.

 

 

You a diver or a biologist type person? I was a commercial diver in the North Sea in a former life. Not the smartest thing I've ever done but I lived to tell about it and I still love to dive....for fun.

[Chad]

Haha, no. I was stationed on a submarine that didnt have any windows to see the cool stuff outside. Im still active duty, but I am in a permanent, non-seagoing position now. I am sure you have a lot of great stories from your dive time! It is something that I have always wanted to do.

 

I wish Southdown was somehting that you can still find... Unfortunately, the company that sold it no longer exists, and the only sand of theirs you may be able to find is either on the side of the road (I saw a bag holding a road sign down in DC the other day... I almost took it!!) or is picked up from someone who had it.

 

I am looking forward to seeing your build, it sounds like it is going to rock!