Dangerbird123 your tank looks great, may I ask what made you decide to go without substrate? I am curious because I am on the fence myself. Thunderfan I also saw reviews regarding keeping them at the correct temp, which I'm sure is why they are already piped for a chiller. Every tank I consider seems to have a long list of pros and cons which is making this decision so difficult. I guess part of the fun will be the challenge to correct problems as they arise. Hope my husband understands that when I keep spending $$.
Thanks a lot! and sorry to go a little off topic above. I hear ya, lots to consider, and its hard to spend so much money, not knowing what unforeseen expenses will arise, especially when you have to sell your spouse on the whole thing too (i've been there, and when I was telling my wife how we might need a chiller and what it would cost her eyes popped out of her head).
Re: substrate - i can't imagine I would ever go back to sand - i ran a sand bed of about 2 inches for a couple years in my first tank (a 29gal) mostly because I liked the look of sand, but when i upgraded to the 250C i got rid of it. Lot of different opinions on this of course, but here is mine: first, I think a shallow sand bed is pointless other than for esthetics, and it just traps waste. Also, you can cause major problems unless you are careful not to stir the sand up too much and unless you somehow keep it incredibly clean which is pretty much impossible. I wiped out several fish and corals early on because I was messing with my rockscape for too long (yes it was my fault, but still, wouldn't have happened if not for the sand). As far as deep sand beds, I'm not drinking the Koolaid. Maybe they work, maybe they dont, I think they are even more of a ticking time bomb, and I don't really like the way they look. One of the DSB benefits is supposed to be the conversion of nitrate to nitrogen in the anaerobic zone. Even if that's true, I have read and believe that there are similar anaerobic zones deep within the structure of your live rock where this reaction is taking place. I'm all about keeping it simple and the bare bottom has worked well for me so far - In general I think the trend is moving away from DSB and more and more are going bare bottom, but obviously many successful tanks of both types out there.
Seems like there are successful reefers with every imaginable type of system, so there's definitely a lot of ways to make it work. Im sure whatever you choose will look great and work out well for you. I'm looking forward to seeing what type of setup you go with and what you choose for substrate!
I have mine within a few inches of the wall , I stand on a stool to the side or reach over from the front for maintenance, so you can pretty much have it right against the back wall. Tank tends to run a little hot. Some run chillers. I just keep the fans running and my temp stays around 79. I've been very happy with mine.
