If you could start again, you would....?

[Lionfish Lair]

I wouldn't have installed equipment that would be next to impossible to ever remove.......

 

[TAYGEL]

Awesome posts, I'm now looking at my no name protein skimmer and thinking maybe I should wait.....

Great info everyone! I'm re thinking my stand and double checking to make sure not only will my refugium fit but can i fit as well to work on it.

 

[s2nhle]

I would have saved money and buy the best equipment when the time is right. Not collect stuff then let them seated in the basement collecting dust.

 

[ValG]

I would stay away from "easy and fast growing" beginner corals that a lot of people in the hobby sell very cheaply or give away for free, there's a reason for that. You do all the work setting the tank up, create a scape that you really like and 6-12 moths later you have it covered in GSP and no-name-no-color palys or other junk. Again, it comes down to patience. Spend more time researching the corals and other live stock that you plan on adding to your tank over time. Look for pictures of the tanks where people have the same corals, see what full size grown colonies look like, their growth patterns, etc. Just my .02

 

[zoomonster]

I am currently 6' x 30" x 27" tall and I can just barely reach the bottom. So 24" tall is just right. I think an 8 foot long tank is better. By not having the equipment under the stand it can be shorter and not have to work from a ladder just a good step stool.

Yes would have to agree 24" is a good depth. I'm 5'8" and I can just reach the bottom with a 2 step stool and not climbing in. Of course with the stand its 60" tall and I do need a ladder to be able to do some things like look in overflow (couple fish have made it there). In Florida so no basement and no fish room available so everything under stand which is about right height for that. Not so much an issue now that I'm using LED units but 6ft is as long as lighting fixtures come (if that) so that was a consideration when I bought being no hood and didn't want to hang from ceiling.

If I were to buy another tank, and had somewhere to put a peninsula it would be 72"x48"x <24". I saw someone on here with a tank like that and very cool.

 

[palmer]

start over again- coral placement and best skimmer you can get

 

[DracoKat]

I would've research tank SHAPE more. I currently have a 28 gal nano cube.. I hate that it's bow-front (made everything look distorted).. and I hate the cube shape, really not much room to aquascape and add corals IMO- at least not what I wanted to do.

Now that I've upgraded, I took serious consideration to take size/shape to make sure I am/will be happy.