Tank Made Possible by R2R

Mariette · Apr 20, 2019

After the last crash, I was seriously contemplating tearing it down. But then I found this lovely forum and it’s given me the confidence to keep at it.

I’m so very thankful to R2R and the ppl on here for making it possible for me to officially announce that the 55g freshwater converted to SW FOWLR and inverts is finally getting an upgrade to a beautiful 130g Aqualantis Aquaview reef with all the proper equipment.

Day 1 - order has been placed and should be here next week. Ahhhhh

Salty Lemon · Apr 20, 2019

I'm following this one.

ludnix · Apr 20, 2019

Exciting!

Mariette · Apr 20, 2019

Salty Lemon said:
I'm following this one.

You are legitimately one of the people who made this possible. I’m so excited. Thank you

hdsoftail1065 · Apr 20, 2019

It's nice to hear you didn't give up! Looking forward to seeing the 130 come together.

Mariette · Apr 20, 2019

hdsoftail1065 said:
It's nice to hear you didn't give up! Looking forward to seeing the 130 come together.

Thank you thank you

Dr. Dendrostein · Apr 20, 2019

Never give up, comrade

steelwrap · Apr 20, 2019

In this hobby as in life keep moving forward no matter what obstacles You face.

Peace River · Apr 20, 2019

Congratulations on sticking with it! I look forward to seeing your build come together.

If you're comfortable sharing, I'd love to here about what you're thinking and feeling as you get the parts in and begin the process of putting this all together (and not just the brands, models, and specs). A build this great is fantastic, but it also has its frustrating time when the doo-hitchee and the whatchamacallit don't fit like there supposed to or something looks green and its not supposed to or...

Billldg · Apr 20, 2019

Congratulations on the upgrade!!!

Zos4me · Apr 20, 2019

I almost quit too.I had to give up all my tanks because of moving but i now have a 10 gal goin with plans to upgrade to a 4o. not the nice big pair of 75 s that i had but at least i have a tank.
Congrats on the new tank and sticking with something you love

Mariette · Apr 20, 2019

Zos4me said:
I almost quit too.I had to give up all my tanks because of moving but i now have a 10 gal goin with plans to upgrade to a 4o. not the nice big pair of 75 s that i had but at least i have a tank.
Congrats on the new tank and sticking with something you love

Glad to hear you didn’t let the move take this away from you. Must have been hard to let go of what you had. But how fun is a new build? Ammirite?

Mariette · Apr 20, 2019

@Peace River - I’d be happy to share feelings as I go. There will be delays, frustrations, triumphs, and obstacles galore. Can’t wait

Lesson 1: always ask for a detailed list of everything included in the price of a system. The one I bought includes stand, tank, sump, ATO, filter socks and media. No pump. Is that even a thing?!? How does it not include a pump? Bit early to fudge the budget but I have a feeling it’s one of many lol

Otherwise feeling super excited and can’t wait to get started.

Peace River · Apr 20, 2019

Mariette said:
@Peace River - I’d be happy to share feelings as I go. There will be delays, frustrations, triumphs, and obstacles galore. Can’t wait

Lesson 1: always ask for a detailed list of everything included in the price of a system. The one I bought includes stand, tank, sump, ATO, filter socks and media. No pump. Is that even a thing?!? How does it not include a pump? Bit early to fudge the budget but I have a feeling it’s one of many lol

Otherwise feeling super excited and can’t wait to get started.

I can see it now, @Mariette's top 25 rules for a tank build! In addition to asking questions and sharing pictures, take the time to search this forum thoroughly. Every day I find new treasures here!

...and sorry about the pump. I'm sure there is a silver lining in there somewhere.

Flippers4pups · Apr 20, 2019

Glad you decided to keep going!

Mariette · Apr 20, 2019

Peace River said:
I can see it now, @Mariette's top 25 rules for a tank build! In addition to asking questions and sharing pictures, take the time to search this forum thoroughly. Every day I find new treasures here!

...and sorry about the pump. I'm sure there is a silver lining in there somewhere.

Great advice. I’m on here every day bring nosey and reading threads. Learning from others’ Mistakes.

Silver lining here is that others may learn from my pump related mistake

Peace River · Apr 20, 2019

Mariette said:
...
Silver lining here is that others may learn from my pump related mistake

...and that maybe you get the pump you wanted and/or is best for your system instead of getting the one "in the kit".

norfolkgarden · Apr 20, 2019

Congrats on the new build!

Following.

Mariette · Apr 20, 2019

Peace River said:
...and that maybe you get the pump you wanted and/or is best for your system instead of getting the one "in the kit".

Hadn’t thought of it that way. Assumed if it came w kit that it would work w system. I don’t know anything about pumps. Looks like more research is needed

Peace River · Apr 20, 2019

Mariette said:
Hadn’t thought of it that way. Assumed if it came w kit that it would work w system. I don’t know anything about pumps. Looks like more research is needed

You mentioned that the tank came with "all the proper equipment", but in addition to the pump I didn't see a mention of lights or a protein skimmer (if you plan to use one). You likely will receive recommendations on this thread about pump brands and sizes, but you may want to list all of your components that you do have, including the brands and models, and ask what else you may be missing. If you don't get adequate feedback here in this thread, you can always post a thread titled: "what pump should I get?" or a "what am I missing?" and that will get more than enough feedback. Cheering for you!