Rebooting

[Mirya]

I find building a new system in a way more exciting than actually having the system up and running. I guess it is because of the endless possibilities... and I feel justified in even doing more browsing and skimming of forums than normal as I look for product reviews and ideas. One day I can dream about building a Triton-powered SPS tank, the next a Euphyllia garden, the next a softie tank, the next a NPS tank...

Personally I love the long shallow tank look. My biggest tank at the moment is only a Nuvo24 -- but that is 36" long by 13" high, so it fits the long and shallow aesthetic. I think my ideal sized tank when I eventually go big would be something custom like 72"x 22"x 22". Over a decade ago I had a standard 75 that I eventually upgraded to a 90. I didn't like how it was harder for me to reach the bottom of the 90 compared to the 75. (dang my short woman arms!)

 

[jedi82knight]

I'm currently building an aquarium with the dimensions 36L × 23.25W × 18.75H. These are all internal dimensions and calculates to roughly 68 gallons. So far it is just taped together while I build and overflow, but the dimensions have potential for a great aquascape.

I hope you go with an all Milli tank, but they all sound like fun builds

Have fun!

 

[reefwiser]

Scott the IM Tank is really nice. I have the 40 gallon Fusion in my living room. The one at your booth would be a great tank. Put a Tunze skimmer in the back and you got it simple and clean. I had to change from a sumps on my 3000 gallons in the basement after we moved into a Patio home without a basement. An I get tired of crawling around under the tank. You can spend tons of money on a tank and equipment but I have learned simple and clean is the way to go.

 

[uniquecorals]

I find building a new system in a way more exciting than actually having the system up and running. I guess it is because of the endless possibilities... and I feel justified in even doing more browsing and skimming of forums than normal as I look for product reviews and ideas. One day I can dream about building a Triton-powered SPS tank, the next a Euphyllia garden, the next a softie tank, the next a NPS tank...

Personally I love the long shallow tank look. My biggest tank at the moment is only a Nuvo24 -- but that is 36" long by 13" high, so it fits the long and shallow aesthetic. I think my ideal sized tank when I eventually go big would be something custom like 72"x 22"x 22". Over a decade ago I had a standard 75 that I eventually upgraded to a 90. I didn't like how it was harder for me to reach the bottom of the 90 compared to the 75. (**** my short woman arms!)

LOL I have the same short arm challenges...I do like your dream dimension tank! I've had 72x30x24 and it was nice, but tough to work in!

And it is funny- the daydreaming part is pretty darned fun, too!

-Scott

 

[uniquecorals]

I'm currently building an aquarium with the dimensions 36L × 23.25W × 18.75H. These are all internal dimensions and calculates to roughly 68 gallons. So far it is just taped together while I build and overflow, but the dimensions have potential for a great aquascape.

I hope you go with an all Milli tank, but they all sound like fun builds

Have fun!

I like those dimensions...would love to see a pic when it's ready...

Scott

 

[uniquecorals]

Scott the IM Tank is really nice. I have the 40 gallon Fusion in my living room. The one at your booth would be a great tank. Put a Tunze skimmer in the back and you got it simple and clean. I had to change from a sumps on my 3000 gallons in the basement after we moved into a Patio home without a basement. An I get tired of crawling around under the tank. You can spend tons of money on a tank and equipment but I have learned simple and clean is the way to go.

I love that tank, too. Worked with IM supplying corals for the promo video they did with Johnny (Ciotti) and it was pretty cool. I always said that if I opt for an all-in-one, this is the tank. It's wonderfully simple, and would be easy to mod out a bit If I wanted (and I would want!) I'm going back and forth about how I want to manage the tank...If I go the SPS route I will run it full-on "Triton Method", which means I'd need a sump with provision for an area equivalent to 20% of tank volume for some macro algae...and of course, I'd need to set up a 3-channel dose somewhere...This might entail modification and the addition of a sump under the tank...yikes, more complications? LOL On the other hand, for a soft coral tank...Skimmer, killer lights, additional flow...and DONE!

See? You guys get to enjoy the whole internal struggle of my build from the front row! If this doesn't reduce the number of followers to our forum, nothing will! LOL This is just iteration number 4!!!

 

[Larry L]

In the 50-75 gallon range, what dimensions, manufacturers, and configurations have you guys/gals gone with for your reefs? I'm not wanting a cube (I have a 40x40x22 already)- rather, looking for shallow and wide- at least 36" in length.

I have a Planet Aquariums rimmed glass tank that's 36" wide by 24" deep by 18" high. It has a corner overflow, but I wish I had done something like the Synergy Reef overflow instead, just for a cleaner look. The 24" depth gives me a lot of room to work with for rockscaping, but not too deep that I can't easily reach to the back of the tank. The 18" height is nice for working in without getting my sleeves wet, and also because you don't have to go all overkill just trying to get light to the sandbed. I've got a couple Radion XR15w Pros with the 80 degree lenses that light it up pretty perfectly, and only run them about 50%. And, there are quite a few Unique Corals frags in there (the stuff you shipped the other day looks killer!).

Larry

 

[tweeter]

Hey, I just checked out your "tannins" website, and it's really cool! Wish this stuff had been around 20 yrs ago! (now I'm giving away my age)

 

[jedimaster1138]

I love planning new tanks.

Here's a question Scott-

How is it going to sit in the room you're placing it? I ask because my dream scenario is to have a tank that's view-able on 3 sides - 1 short and 2 long. IE a room divider tank. I love looking into the short side window of my current reef, and down the long axis. It looks like the reef goes on for miles and miles. Kinda like this old picture of mine before I lost my Copperband Butterfly (sniff) and had some SPS issues. Imagine all that rock-work actually covered with branching corals, or even euphyllia...and clams...more clams... This is a Marineland 120 with 2 huge overflow towers in each corner, so the long axis viewing isn't that great and one long side is up against the wall, so, meh.

If/when I ever get my dream tank, I'd love to have it divide a room (Read: basement Batcave...i mean man fish room) with one short side against the wall, on which the overflow is. The other sides - 2 long, 1 short - would be all glass. NO obstructions. rockwork doesn't get to close to either long pane of glass, or the exposed short side. SO it just looks like a mountain of corals down the center. Peering down the long axis through that short side...drool.

 

[reefwiser]

Scott I just put a GHL doser 2 in the left hand side of the stand. Then a. San Monica algae scrubber in the back chamber. No need for a sump.

 

[uniquecorals]

Hey, I just checked out your "tannins" website, and it's really cool! Wish this stuff had been around 20 yrs ago! (now I'm giving away my age)

Thanks...very, very "niche", but a big fascination for me...and as I'm finding out- other reefers, too!

 

[uniquecorals]

Scott I just put a GHL doser 2 in the left hand side of the stand. Then a. San Monica algae scrubber in the back chamber. No need for a sump.

Very, very cool!

 

[uniquecorals]

I have a Planet Aquariums rimmed glass tank that's 36" wide by 24" deep by 18" high. It has a corner overflow, but I wish I had done something like the Synergy Reef overflow instead, just for a cleaner look. The 24" depth gives me a lot of room to work with for rockscaping, but not too deep that I can't easily reach to the back of the tank. The 18" height is nice for working in without getting my sleeves wet, and also because you don't have to go all overkill just trying to get light to the sandbed. I've got a couple Radion XR15w Pros with the 80 degree lenses that light it up pretty perfectly, and only run them about 50%. And, there are quite a few Unique Corals frags in there (the stuff you shipped the other day looks killer!).

Larry

I love the Synergy overflow...and everything I've seen indicates that it's quiet, too!

24" is what I consider a "modern minimum" for cool scoping, at least for me...I love front to back depth! Glad you're liking the frags! We're having lots of fun, and actually starting to offer some of our first Acro frags grown out under LED, so it's getting really interesting!

 

[uniquecorals]

I love planning new tanks.

Here's a question Scott-

How is it going to sit in the room you're placing it? I ask because my dream scenario is to have a tank that's view-able on 3 sides - 1 short and 2 long. IE a room divider tank. I love looking into the short side window of my current reef, and down the long axis. It looks like the reef goes on for miles and miles. Kinda like this old picture of mine before I lost my Copperband Butterfly (sniff) and had some SPS issues. Imagine all that rock-work actually covered with branching corals, or even euphyllia...and clams...more clams... This is a Marineland 120 with 2 huge overflow towers in each corner, so the long axis viewing isn't that great and one long side is up against the wall, so, meh.

If/when I ever get my dream tank, I'd love to have it divide a room (Read: basement Batcave...i mean man fish room) with one short side against the wall, on which the overflow is. The other sides - 2 long, 1 short - would be all glass. NO obstructions. rockwork doesn't get to close to either long pane of glass, or the exposed short side. SO it just looks like a mountain of corals down the center. Peering down the long axis through that short side...drool.

Nice pic!

It's going to sit against the intersection of two walls (it will be in my office in a spare bedroom), and I theoretically have about 48" to work with, although I'm not married to a 48" length, believe it or not. I know what you're talking about with a sort of divider look. At one point, my old reef was going to be like 60x36x24 and was going to be in my large living room. In the end, it was just too much tank for me and for that room! There is as much an art in figuring out what size and shape tank fits you room as there is developing the tank itself!

Thanks for the feedback!
Scott

 

[a361c]

I'm really looking forward to seeing the trials and tribulations of the personal tank of someone at your level. A look through the looking glass will let a lot of people who truly love the hobby but get frustrated see that even a pro faces obstacles such as little time for tank maintainable because of work or family obligations. You know the old saying about the shoemaker who had holes in his shoes. Lol. Unwanted hitchhikers ect,ect.... Not that I want these things to happen. But we all know no matter how much we prepare we will all face tank issues. So I think people seeing that even pros have same problems as them and then see you work through them and have patience then come out the other side with a great tank. That will inspire people.

 

[uniquecorals]

I'm really looking forward to seeing the trials and tribulations of the personal tank of someone at your level. A look through the looking glass will let a lot of people who truly love the hobby but get frustrated see that even a pro faces obstacles such as little time for tank maintainable because of work or family obligations. You know the old saying about the shoemaker who had holes in his shoes. Lol. Unwanted hitchhikers ect,ect.... Not that I want these things to happen. But we all know no matter how much we prepare we will all face tank issues. So I think people seeing that even pros have same problems as them and then see you work through them and have patience then come out the other side with a great tank. That will inspire people.

Oh, certainly- we ALL (at every level) face the same issues. It's actually a real joy to get involved in the "nitty gritty" of planning and building our personal reef tanks. It's one thing to make business decisions and such, but things that affect your personal tank are so different. I decided at the beginning that I'm going to build the tank that I feel is best for ME, not based on "expectations" that the reef world might have because I'm "Scott Fellman, speaker/authro/Unique Corals guy." That means, I don't feel the pressure to use a certain kind of tank, skimmer, light etc. simply because it's expected that a reefer "at my level" (whatever the heck that means) should be suing a tank equipped in such and such a fashion. That's why I am leaving the all-in-one tanks on the table. Because they work. Because that might just be the ticket for a guy with a busy lifestyle who still wants a reef he can play with. I for one, refuse to fall into a "label" of what kind of reefer I'm supposed to be. Besides, by keeping it "real", maybe I can give some idea or inspiration to someone who has a similar mindset about what they want to do with the hobby, and maybe is a bit confused.

Anyways, I'm getting way to prosaic and sounding a bit too self-important here. Bottom line is that I'm looking forward to setting up a tank that gives me the enjoyment I've always expected out of the hobby, and if my efforts motivate a few others to do the same, that's not a bad thing!

So, as of today, I'm sort of leaning towards either the soft coral biotope or the deepwater Acro biotope, with the rooftop (remember the "photoshopped pic?) bringing up the rear...for now...LOL

Fun stuff..

Scott

And let's not forget today- 9/11...a day we can't ever let go.

 

[firstlight10]

I'd love to see you do an open lagoon type tank. A tank like that done by someone of your caliber would be spectacular!

Thanks for all of the posts, they are great reading.

 

[uniquecorals]

I'd love to see you do an open lagoon type tank. A tank like that done by someone of your caliber would be spectacular!

Thanks for all of the posts, they are great reading.

Thanks for the very kind words.

I was contemplating that setup for a good long time.. Sparse and minimum rock work and the corals providing vertical "texture." Jake and I were playing with some Real Reef branch rock in one of our 509 gallon displays at UC yesterday, and the idea of just using all branch is very tempting for this type of setup!

 

[GlassMunky]

I think the deep water acro biotope would be amazing. It's not something you see regularly so I think it would be neat.

 

[rajkovich207]

I am going through the same refresh state. About 6 months ago I started a new and demanding job, I ended up just letting my tank go with an occasional wc here and there. A couple weeks ago I noticed my cat sitting on the bed longingly staring through the green haze of my tank. This is just as much my hobby as it is hers and she gets very upset if she isn't in the room with my to do tank work. After hemming and hawing about a reboot or upgrade I came home with a 57 gallon oceanic alluminata 36x18x20h for 175 and a gen2 radion for 200, a few days later I purchased a second mp10es that needs a little love for $60.
I've been building for a couple days now and my head is just exploding with the possibilities of a tank this big (came from a bc29), the sweet deals I've already found and a blank slate!
I wish you all the best in your build and I am looking forward to seeing your progression!