If you could do it again?

[CRASHJT]

Im setting up a new tank and see these posts with all these great ideas and little things that I have not thought of yet. I was going to run a Fuge but now I'm not so sure. Thanks in part to reading about BioPellets....to put it simple IM CONFUSED!!!

As it stands, (I think) I am going to try to set my system up with a sump and a seperate fuge that I can run or not. Then also plumb in a reactor so that If I decide to run BioPellets/Carbon/GFO, I can.

If you had to set up a new system, what would you consider a have to have or do? Is it a piece of equipment or odds and ends that you just won't live without again? Maybe a cool idea that you have seen since setting up? Fuge or No Fuge? Lets here it...

[tkeracer619]

I would limit myself to hard corals only. No more mixed reefs for me.

Some form of carbon dosing and GFO initially to keep numbers in check until the carbon dosing (biopellets) kicks into full gear.

Fuge needs to be huge to be effective for nutrient removal and add to the maintenance of the system. I don't run them.

[CRASHJT]

Just curious, Why only hard corals and no mixed reef? I ask mainly because I was planning mixed reef....

[tkeracer619]

Its great at first but eventually when stuff starts to grow together you either have corals die or you spend hours a week trimming stuff back. I prefer large corals that are not threatened by other corals in the tank.

For example. An anemone walked on me and all I have left of a Hawkins Echinada that was the size of a football is 2 frags similar in size to when I purchased it. Set me back about 3.5 years.

Another example is the 300lb of rocks I purchased to swap out all the mixed corals to just hard corals. Had I done it this way in the beginning I bet I would have had about 3x the coral growth I have now.

Choose the corals you want. Don't overload the tank. And give the corals you truly love the attention they need. Let them grow large without threat of competition.

[tkeracer619]

Its great at first but eventually when stuff starts to grow together you either have corals die or you spend hours a week trimming stuff back. I prefer large corals that are not threatened by other corals in the tank.

For example. An anemone walked on me and all I have left of a Hawkins Echinada that was the size of a football is 2 frags similar in size to when I purchased it. Set me back about 3.5 years.

Another example is the 300lb of rocks I purchased to swap out all the mixed corals to just hard corals. Had I done it this way in the beginning I bet I would have had about 3x the coral growth I have now.

Choose the corals you want. Don't overload the tank. And give the corals you truly love the attention they need. Let them grow large without threat of competition.

[CRASHJT]

Makes sense, Never looked at it like that.