EricR
2500 Club Member
System expansion possibility opinions please.
Goal would be to optimize long-term aquarium health with not a ton of extra maintenance effort involved.
5 months in -- running a 37 gallon glass FOWLR with 2 HOB power filters with all other equipment inside the tank right now, nothing external. Just 2 fish, 1 starfish, 1 urchin, and very light batch of smaller CUC inverts.
Tank is doing fine and all livestock is healthy with no losses (yet), just thinking long-term tank health and maybe get some of the equipment like heaters out of view (if that happens to work out).
Bought tank based on it being cheap (all necessary equipment included) and because it fit nicely into an unused nook in the house that serves absolutely no other purpose.
There is room BEHIND the tank and I already have (not being used) another 10 gallon glass tank and an extra 50W heater (plus some smaller 2-5 gallon glass tanks if they happen to figure into the equation anywhere).
Access would be step ladder to get to stuff reaching over the main tank.
I would build a little table to get the additional tank(s) up to same water level as main tank.
Does it make any sense to try to do something akin to a sump or fuge (or maybe ATO) behind the main tank?
I'm handy with construction/DIY stuff and am open to spending money for whatever makes sense to actually do.
Below is a pic of the space I'm dealing with:
*I will be cutting into the wasted space below to make a cabinet for storage, at the very least (or equipment, as needed).
I'm not completely opposed to traditional sump setup BELOW but I don't know enough yet -- the thought of water above (main tank) + water below (sump) + GRAVITY <--well that SCARES me but I guess I don't know enough so that just feels like a catastrophe waiting to happen (due to my ignorance, I assume).
...or maybe it's just not worth it on this small of a tank and I just wait until I actually have a specific issue I need to battle and start adding on the right equipment for the job at that time
Goal would be to optimize long-term aquarium health with not a ton of extra maintenance effort involved.
5 months in -- running a 37 gallon glass FOWLR with 2 HOB power filters with all other equipment inside the tank right now, nothing external. Just 2 fish, 1 starfish, 1 urchin, and very light batch of smaller CUC inverts.
Tank is doing fine and all livestock is healthy with no losses (yet), just thinking long-term tank health and maybe get some of the equipment like heaters out of view (if that happens to work out).
Bought tank based on it being cheap (all necessary equipment included) and because it fit nicely into an unused nook in the house that serves absolutely no other purpose.
There is room BEHIND the tank and I already have (not being used) another 10 gallon glass tank and an extra 50W heater (plus some smaller 2-5 gallon glass tanks if they happen to figure into the equation anywhere).
Access would be step ladder to get to stuff reaching over the main tank.
I would build a little table to get the additional tank(s) up to same water level as main tank.
Does it make any sense to try to do something akin to a sump or fuge (or maybe ATO) behind the main tank?
I'm handy with construction/DIY stuff and am open to spending money for whatever makes sense to actually do.
Below is a pic of the space I'm dealing with:
*I will be cutting into the wasted space below to make a cabinet for storage, at the very least (or equipment, as needed).
I'm not completely opposed to traditional sump setup BELOW but I don't know enough yet -- the thought of water above (main tank) + water below (sump) + GRAVITY <--well that SCARES me but I guess I don't know enough so that just feels like a catastrophe waiting to happen (due to my ignorance, I assume).
...or maybe it's just not worth it on this small of a tank and I just wait until I actually have a specific issue I need to battle and start adding on the right equipment for the job at that time
