His and Hers dual displays

[OutsideBrian]

So I have had a 3ft tank for about a year now. Me and my wife have enjoyed watching it grow and mature a little bit. But as typical what I prefer and what she wants are two separate directions. I have her on board to do two seperate displays with a single sump. One tank we are thinking a 24” cube for anemones and a 5 or 6 ft tank next to it that would be mixed reef. The longer tank idea is so we can have a couple smaller tangs, gobies and the like.
I have a carpenter that can help build a 8 foot stand for both to sit on.
My biggest question really is what size sump should I use? Now that I am growing in the hobby both in expense and size I am also looking at automation for water parameters, dosing, reactors etc.
My current system is very basic. Water changes every weekend and only using a skimmer.
HELP what am I getting myself into? Any pointers, recommendations and is anyone else running two connected displays?

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

For a sump, I would suggest planning for where you want to be eventually. Of course that is hard to do lol since everything is always changing.

Do you want a refugium, protein skimmer, reactors, algea scrubber, etc. You may not have any ideas what the future may hold, just have a sump that will be large enough to add things to and so on. I would say the bigger the better. They can also be a good place to put unruly fish in at times as well.

I love this idea by the way!

 

[Waynerock]

Good luck I like to see you guys doing stuff together! Slowly talking my wife into a nice long peninsula so we can each have a side to grow corals on. She currently has a torch and blasto corner on my tank. I’ll be following

 

[OutsideBrian]

Yes I would like to have a skimmer and a refugium compartment. I imagine having some space for a carbon or gfo reactor off a return manifold that feeds both tanks.
What I don’t know is what I don’t know yet, the whole electronic side of this hobby is all foreign to me ( apex, trident etc) I don’t know enough about them to know what I need or want.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

BRStv had a lot of really good videos on just about all equipment. You could start there is tou haven't already. I know dosing pump, ato's, wave makers, can make life a lot easier. I get nervous automating to much lol.