Tank Setup Advice

[kirkwood]

So i'm in the process of upgrading from a 55 to something in the 90-150 range... I'm trying to review every subtle nuance of the setup and just hoping to get some feedback from all the reefers out there about things they wish they had thought of before they set up their tank... a couple things i'm thinking about...

1) lay egg crate at base of tank before adding sand in order to provide protection to bottom glass from falling rocks, and to have something for the rocks to grab onto when arranging them on the sandbed... anychance this could cause ammonia problems with dead matter building up in the crates?? any problem for nassarius snails or other sandbed inhabitants??

2) pre-drill holes for frag plugs into the rock...

3) paint the back of tank if not already done..

 

[shanepike]

I'm not sure about 2 & 3, but Jenn (if I remember correctly) and others advise strongly against egg crate. The rock should go right on the glass.

 

[spankdog]

I did a lot of research before setting up my 90 gallon and decided to go with the egg crate on the bottom of the tank. My tank has only been up for a few months now so I cant say if it will cause any problems long term or not. I have a diamond goby and he has actually uncovered the egg crate below some of the rocks but at least I don't have to worry about anything falling now. I skipped drilling holes in my rock because its already full of holes (marco rocks). And then i did paint the back of my tank back with krylon fusion paint.

 

[crewdawg1981]

Cant comment on #1, but I know others have done it without any issues. Just make sure your sandbed and flow are in sinc so as not to uncover the egg crate.

#2... not sure about you, but I'd prefer fresh cut over frag plugs. Or... snap the frag off the plug and insert into an existing hole in the rock. If you get some good LR or Marco (which is awesome) there should be plenty of good holes to place a frag in.

#3... def paint it. I went with black on mine and when its clean, the coral and fish just pop so much more.

 

[holabird]

I put 12" by 12" pieces of slate along the bottom on the glass. It is a rock do there are no issues there. My rock sits on that with no issue

 

[rdnelson]

1. I wouldn't recomend it. I think you have way to many possibillities for buildup of nasty stuff.
2. I agree with Crewdawg if the rock has plenty of holes. If not, drill it. I found that out the hard way.
3. Unless you want to see through it this is the only way to go in my opinion. I went with a sky blue color and love it. Makes it look like the whole ocean is behind it. But that is purely a matter of what you tastes are.

Since you asked what we wished we had thought about before setting up our tanks I have a couple other recommendations for you.
1. If you ever contemplated going with a non-drilled tank and using a hang on the back overflow, DON'T. They work fine but just don't do the same job and take added maintenance.
2. If you have the option available, drill the tank yourself or have someone drill it. That way the overflow is where YOU want it.
3. If you have the option, go with a Bean Animal style Overflow. You will not find one that is quieter and in combination with a coast-to-coast (are partial C-2-C) you get great surface skimming.

If you want to see a Bean Animal in action check out my build thread. There are a couple of vids. It is at

 

[merkywater]

Instead of painting you can always use window tint which I have and it is not permanant. It just static that holds it on and my last application was on over year and half until I sold the tank. Stuff is awesome.

 

[kirkwood]

rdnelson99;765142 wrote: 1. If you ever contemplated going with a non-drilled tank and using a hang on the back overflow, DON'T. They work fine but just don't do the same job and take added maintenance.
2. If you have the option available, drill the tank yourself or have someone drill it. That way the overflow is where YOU want it.
3. If you have the option, go with a Bean Animal style Overflow. You will not find one that is quieter and in combination with a coast-to-coast (are partial C-2-C) you get great surface skimming.

If you want to see a Bean Animal in action check out my build thread. There are a couple of vids. It is at http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=66530">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=66530</a>[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tidbits of knowledge... I've got an overflow on my 55g now, and I can't wait to have a RR system... That is partly the whole reason for the upgrade.

What about tricks to mitigate salt creep in the sump area??? My existing stand got destroyed from salt creep... Mostly due to the minute splashes from the protein skimmer returning water back to the sump...

Keep the recommendations coming guys!!! I'm keeping a list..

Edit: [QUOTE=][B]Crewdawg1981;765122 wrote:[/B]
#3... def paint it. I went with black on mine and when its clean, the coral and fish just pop so much more.[/QUOTE]

I'm thinking about whether I should go blue, dark blue, or black... right now i'm leaning towards dark blue.. do you just use a roller to apply it or is the krylon spray paintt??

 

[crewdawg1981]

Kirkwood;765170 wrote:
I'm thinking about whether I should go blue, dark blue, or black... right now i'm leaning towards dark blue.. do you just use a roller to apply it or is the krylon spray paintt??

I went with krylon spray paint, but you can roll it on as well.

 

[mrflameangel]

I bought a piece of black vinyl (used for vehicle decals, cheap). It was applied using water and a squeegee. I don't clean the back of my glass so it was eventually covered with coralline.

 

[tobyte1]

On our 210g, we got a piece of heavy vinyl (think upholstery) and velcroed it to the back of the tank. One side is blue and the other is black. Takes about 30 seconds to pull it loose, flip it over and have a whole different look!

 

[jef4y]

One thing I can tell you plumbing wise is DO NOT use clear flex tubing if you run a fuge. It will grow algae and need cleaning constantly. I got sick of it and wrapped it all in aluminum foil which makes it look pretty funny. I tell people I don't want the aliens to invade my tank.