Chuck Spyropulos
Non-member
I wish I:
1. Did not drill holes for closed loop: Tunze Streams are more expensive inititially but are cheaper to run over the lifetime of your tank. I have these now and they are part of my "energy saving" plan. They are way more easily cleaned, and can be hidden easily. They replaced my 2 Iwaki MD100RLT 200 gph closed loop pumps....good riddance.
2. Built my stand lower for optimum view. The best view of an SPS coral is the top since that is the part that is exposed to the light. However, SPS corals need to be placed closest to the top of the tank. If the tank is too high, your view of these colorful corals is not an optimum one since you are looking at the coral from a negative angle.
3. Went with MH from the beginning. I wasted time and money on VHO flourescents, only to get rid of them shortly after I began my tank.
4. Got an oversized beckett Skimmer as opposed to a downdraft (with bioballs, yuk !), which was subsequently sold and replaced....again wasting time and money.
5. Installed an exhuast fan in my hood early on. My 300 gallon display tank produced enough humidity to cause all the windows in my house to drip moisture constantly, even running a dehumidifier. I also had problems with moisture in my attic. After adding the exuast fan that pushes the warm moist air out of the house, this problem was eliminated.
6. Did not design my water treatment equipment and sump system to fit under or behind my tank. This design crowds all of the equipment into a small area that makes it really hard to perform maintenance.
7. had room for my tank upstairs where we spend more time since the TV is up there. I do have a small tv on the first level near the tank, but we do not spend as much time there as I would if the tank was on my second level of my home. But, alas, there is not enough room for my tank upstairs !
That's it...the above points represent mistakes and/or things I would have done differently.
1. Did not drill holes for closed loop: Tunze Streams are more expensive inititially but are cheaper to run over the lifetime of your tank. I have these now and they are part of my "energy saving" plan. They are way more easily cleaned, and can be hidden easily. They replaced my 2 Iwaki MD100RLT 200 gph closed loop pumps....good riddance.
2. Built my stand lower for optimum view. The best view of an SPS coral is the top since that is the part that is exposed to the light. However, SPS corals need to be placed closest to the top of the tank. If the tank is too high, your view of these colorful corals is not an optimum one since you are looking at the coral from a negative angle.
3. Went with MH from the beginning. I wasted time and money on VHO flourescents, only to get rid of them shortly after I began my tank.
4. Got an oversized beckett Skimmer as opposed to a downdraft (with bioballs, yuk !), which was subsequently sold and replaced....again wasting time and money.
5. Installed an exhuast fan in my hood early on. My 300 gallon display tank produced enough humidity to cause all the windows in my house to drip moisture constantly, even running a dehumidifier. I also had problems with moisture in my attic. After adding the exuast fan that pushes the warm moist air out of the house, this problem was eliminated.
6. Did not design my water treatment equipment and sump system to fit under or behind my tank. This design crowds all of the equipment into a small area that makes it really hard to perform maintenance.
7. had room for my tank upstairs where we spend more time since the TV is up there. I do have a small tv on the first level near the tank, but we do not spend as much time there as I would if the tank was on my second level of my home. But, alas, there is not enough room for my tank upstairs !
That's it...the above points represent mistakes and/or things I would have done differently.
