What to buy ?

lazy turtle · Sep 26, 2020

Hi.
I have a problem. I am a 26 gallon / 100 liter aquarium owner. My aquarium has a filter panel that is poorly designed and does not function well, and my cabinet is not suitable for adding a sump. In addition, I have problems with a rusty pump and an automatic refill that is not trustworthy. I have some money allocated to an aquarium . The question is whether to spend all the money and buy a new tank and sump and wait for the equipment or buy equipment (refill, pump) and wait for a new tank. I am planning a Tunze osmolator 3155.
I have a Tunze 1073.05 pump for a larger aquarium. Tunze 9004 skimmer works in my tank. Light ati sunpower 4x24w. Newa jet 1200. tunze 6040 sicce XStream 3500l / h. Can any of this equipment be used for a larger aquarium?
Thanks for the answers and understanding the problem.

Bleigh · Sep 26, 2020

That is a hard question. For me, a rusty pump would be a non-starter.

I did start with a smaller tank and purchased all my equipment oversized with the plan to upgrade to a bigger tank. I think I would have saved a lot of money if I had just purchased a tank package that had everything included, but I also do not think I would have learned as much nor would I have researched as much. And knowledge is often under valued.

I am not familiar with the equipment you have, so sorry I cannot help on that front.

lazy turtle · Sep 27, 2020

Bleigh said:
For me, a rusty pump would be a non-starter.

I have a working aquarium with zoanthids

. I thinking about change to bigger tank with sump or buy better
equipment like new refractometer, quality titanium herater and tunze osmolator 3155.

Bleigh · Sep 27, 2020

When you say going to a bigger tank, how much bigger are you considering? Would you be using the same equipment?

PicassoClown04 · Sep 27, 2020

Hi! A 20 gallon IM peninsula is very nice for Zoa gardens and is inexpensive (new with the stand is $400, so if you buy used you can get them super cheap, mine was $250). Its a little smaller than your current tank but since it’s a peninsula it feels huge. I have a 45 gallon lagoon and my 20 peninsula feels bigger.

I’d replace the equipment in the following order:
Pump (because yours is rusted and this provides oxygen)
ATO (cause manually topping off every day is NOT fun)
Lights (if necessary, may not be)
Wavemaker/powerheads
Skimmer

lazy turtle · Sep 27, 2020

Bleigh said:
When you say going to a bigger tank, how much bigger are you considering? Would you be using the same equipment?

Yes, the same equipment. I have bigger pump ready for use , lights the same, powerheads the same . I need to replace ATO( mine have broken pump cable) , refractometer ( i have cheap, Chinese refractometer ) , heater ( glass and cheap too, need to replace for titanium heater ) and tank ( poorly designed filter panel and old, untrustworthy ,plywood aquarium stand )

lazy turtle · Sep 27, 2020

Bleigh said:
When you say going to a bigger tank, how much bigger are you considering?

60x50x50 cm with good reliable stand and sump of course. I want use all equipment except heater, ATO, and rusty pump as I wrote above . The question is whether to buy equipment or an aquarium now ?

PicassoClown04 · Sep 27, 2020

lazy turtle said:
60x50x50 cm with good reliable stand and sump of course. I want use all equipment except heater, ATO, and rusty pump as I wrote above . The question is whether to buy equipment or an aquarium now ?

A rusty pump will cause water quality issues. Buy the pump and the ATO now, everything else can probably wait but that heater is a little sketchy

Coralsdaily · Sep 27, 2020

My 2 cents: start with a new tank. Imagine if this is a house situation, would you rather use the money you've saved to just buy new appliances but continue living in a small studio apartment, or use that same money as a downpayment to a two bedroom stand alone house then slowly acquire the appliances you need as you go?

lazy turtle · Sep 27, 2020

stevenliu9 said:
My 2 cents: start with a new tank. Imagine if this is a house situation, would you rather use the money you've saved to just buy new appliances but continue living in a small studio apartment, or use that same money as a downpayment to a two bedroom stand alone house then slowly acquire the appliances you need as you go?

What tank do you reccomend for zoa garden ? I Have only zoas , some fish , snails and 2 shrimps. I has many corals in the past and only zoa fits my needs. I love them

PicassoClown04 · Sep 27, 2020

lazy turtle said:
What tank do you reccomend for zoa garden ? I Have only zoas , some fish , snails and 2 shrimps. I has many corals in the past and only zoa fits my needs. I love them

A 20 gallon is good. Cherub angel, a couple banggais, and a little goby with some sexy shrimp and 100% zoas would look great! My problem with Zoa tanks is that I often feel that they are undersized so there aren’t any cool looking fish in there. You can put some neat stuff in a 20 gallon though

lazy turtle · Sep 27, 2020

footgal said:
A 20 gallon is good. Cherub angel, a couple banggais, and a little goby with some sexy shrimp and 100% zoas would look great! My problem with Zoa tanks is that I often feel that they are undersized so there aren’t any cool looking fish in there. You can put some neat stuff in a 20 gallon though

i can go with a little bigger tank becouse my lamp fit it

And my skimmer will not fit into pensiula filter panel

Coralsdaily · Sep 27, 2020

Agreed if you don't desire to venture out of zoas, you don't need a large tank. You can even just consider an all-in-one tank like the bio cube then you don't have to worry about sump and such.

lazy turtle · Sep 27, 2020

And smth like Nuvo Fusion LAGOON 25 ?
My lamp fit into it pecfectly, and lot of space for zoas

vetteguy53081 · Sep 27, 2020

A rusty pump will likely quit - When youre not home and pet stores are closed. Make it a priority purchase. For skimmer- I recommend IceCap K2-50 which fits in an AIO and and looks and performs like a full size skimmer

lazy turtle · Sep 27, 2020

footgal said:
banggais, and a little goby with some sexy shrimp

I have now 2 bangaiss , 1 sexy shrimp and 10 small bangaiss now

Bleigh · Sep 27, 2020

I just bought a 15 gallon water box pennInsula tank. It’s mainly going to be zoas.

There really isn’t a bad tank size. It just depends on your budget and your desires. For me, a rusty pump is a no fly zone. It may be working for you, but I wouldn’t trust it. Rust can cause so many issues in a tank, not to mention that it’s an electrical appliance in water. I’m not an electrician, but I’ve seen jaws 2. ;Hilarious It just seems concerning to me.

I think what may be beneficial is looking through the build threads of different size tanks. Find some that are zoa heavy and determine if you like it. You could Mimic their setups. And see what they prioritized in their builds. It may help you decide how to prioritize your options.

PicassoClown04 · Sep 27, 2020

AIO is more cost effective. You could sell your skimmer (if it’s in good condition) to offset the cost of a new nano skimmer that fits in the AIO setup. Zoas don’t need much and I actually think you’d be fine without a skimmer at all, at least for a little while.

I’d make the pump, ATO, and heater the priorities after you get a new tank because a bad pump could cause a tank crash, no ATO is just annoying, and a busted heater could also crash your tank.