I'm Gonna Make a Big Upgrade!

NanoKat · 03/03/2007, 01:46 PM

Well, after much trials and tribulations with my 15g tall not being compatible with many accessories, I've decided to make the big upgrade to a 20g! The problem with the 15 is that it's the same footprint as a 10g (10x20), just taller (18), so many items such as lighting, hang on refugiums, etc. don't fit well (my 24" light hangs off both ends). The 20 I am looking at is 12x24x16, so I lose 2" in height, but gain in width and depth. Of course, not to mention the additional water volume (33%) and then even more volume when I add my Eco System hang on refugium/skimmer combo (which is also too big for my 15). The great thing is that my 24" T-5 fixture will fit perfectly and my light penetration to the bottom of the tank will be 2" better. I'll post pics as I do the (big) upgrade.

Pico Keeper · 03/03/2007, 01:56 PM

How about doing an actual upgrade? Maybe a 30 or 40 gallon? Upgrading from 15 to 20 is almost pointless.

I can sell you a 65 gallon if your interested. I think I also have a 30 gallon and stand somewhere that I can give you for free.

jessp · 03/03/2007, 02:06 PM

congrats on the upgrade. i think the point was pretty clear of why she changed to a twenty,it made sense to me.

NanoKat · 03/03/2007, 03:47 PM

The other reason (that I did not mention) is that the table the tank is on will only accomodate a 24" tank also. The substantial increase in water volume will be a big plus. Randy (the hubby) should be getting his 29 back from a friend and we'll get that one going again. I still want to stick to the "nano" size myself.

REDDAWG43 · 03/03/2007, 05:19 PM

Cool Kat....
I have a 20g too, definately post some pics...

racermike27 · 03/03/2007, 05:54 PM

Good luck Kat, Post some pics when you get it setup!

Rogger Castells · 03/03/2007, 09:07 PM

You will love that ecosystem it is going to make your tank almost maint free

NanoKat · 03/12/2007, 04:08 PM

Well, had a busy day yesterday! I seriously don't know how you people with those big tanks do it. It must have taken a solid 3 hours to do this little switcheroo.

Here's the 15 and the 20 side by side with the contents removed from the 15 and the sand and a bit of water transferred into the 20. Luckily I had a good bit of extra sand around, so I ended up with a deeper sand bed that I preferred:

One of three buckets containing the "good stuff"...this one with a couple of rocks and my mated pair of banded coral shrimp:

The second bucket with the good goodies...thus the heater and powerhead...they were first out and last in.

The last bucket with my "centerpiece" rock that holds my toadstool, green & red caps, and lots of "pink zoanthids of death"...

Now, I have most of the water in the new tank and am transferring the base rock into it (filters are up and running). I purchased three new pieces from Exotic Aquatic...had lots of coralline and other nice growth...

You know it's hard to arrange rocks in a "sandstorm"...to be continued...

NanoKat · 03/12/2007, 04:58 PM

Wow, I just had a thought...I should really paint that wall before I get the EcoSystem on the back of this tank. The samples of paint on the wall behind the tank in the pics just reminded me of that!

Anyway, on to the rest of the adventure...

Base rocks in and light on...not much to see yet...

Got adventurous and fabricated a "flying fish" guard...may add some fiberglass screening also, since my fish tend to be small (I've had a firefish, bar goby, and a peppermint shrimp jump in the past year)...

All of the rocks in and water clearing...had to arrange everything essentially by feel, and will straighten up later...

Still clearing...

We were going out with a friend to see the movie "300" and have a bite to eat, so had to leave it like that...didn't see the results of my labor until today when I got home from work...

Water still a tiny bit cloudy, but I need to dust everything off now. Did a bit more arranging since it was tough with the sand all stirred up before.

Overall, I am very happy with it and am enjoying the larger tank size. The nice thing is that this tank is 2" shorter than the 15, so it's easier for me to stick my hands in there! It's on an antique (not good, just antique) table that also sits lower than a typical tank stand. I was amazed that when I took the 15 off the table, it is still very sturdy (wanted to check it before putting so much more weight on it)...didn't even wobble. Of course, since it's old, it's made very well...couldn't do that with today's particle board furniture! I think it's solid teak wood, so it stands up well.

I'll be coveting the EcoSystem until I can save up some $$ to get it. I'll update when I put it in.

Thanx to Eco Reef Aquarium for the tank and to Exotic Aquatic for the rock!

ReefWreak · 03/12/2007, 05:50 PM

Already looks like its fitting in perfectly into the 20g. Hope everything settles just fine in the new tank!

illal · 03/12/2007, 06:00 PM

youll be much more happy in this tank for sure...looks good

Bret61081 · 03/12/2007, 06:00 PM

Looks great Kat...and enjoy the movie! I saw it Sat...It was amazing!!!

REDDAWG43 · 03/12/2007, 06:21 PM

Really nice looking tank....

NanoKat · 03/12/2007, 06:29 PM

The fiberglass screening didn't work well...blocked too much light...I had a feeling that it would. Hopefully the eggcrate will stop any would be jumpers. Maybe I'll get adventurous and get another fish soon too. They had another bar goby at Eco Reef and some sweet Firefish at Exotic Aquatic (including a Helfrichi!). We'll see.

Bret61081 · 03/12/2007, 07:51 PM

hey Kat...the way I did my light was kinda Ghetto but I didnt want to put the eggcrate under the T5 fixture, between the legs...I felt like it blocked out too much light just covering the whole tank...so I put it around the base of the light fixture and it covers pretty much all of the front,back and sides. So if they jump they hit it at an angle and bounce back in...I have some glass still on there but its mostly covered...I'll try and post a pic for you tomorrow!

db_triggerfish · 03/12/2007, 10:13 PM

good job, your aquascaping looks nice.

Ryanqk · 03/13/2007, 09:50 AM

good job kat the corals look very happy!

scubasteve247 · 03/13/2007, 09:58 AM

those rocks you picked out look awesome in there, nice aquascaping kathy, and i agree with rogger, im a huge advocate of refugiums/skimmers your tank will look amazing.

NanoKat · 03/13/2007, 06:40 PM

Thanx for your compliments! I am enjoying it alot...since it's bigger, it can be seen really well from our couch (and is right at eye level too)...I catch myself looking at it rather than the TV!

Oh, and just a funny thing that happened during my "redo." I have had a lawnmower blennie that has been quite shy since I got him about 6 months ago. He would always hide and wouldn't eat anything except what was on the rocks/glass (I have a picture somewhere of his "lip prints" all over my front glass!). I recently added Cyclopeze to my routine and to my surprise, he gobbled it up! He loves it and comes right to the top when I put it in. Then, all of a sudden he wasn't shy anymore, came out more, and perched right in front of the tank rather than hiding. When I was unloading the 15 the other day, I felt something kind of "nibbling" on my hand, I assumed it was one of my peppermint shrimp, since they have a habit of doing that. I looked to shoo it away and there's my blennie right next to my hand! Then he perched right in my hand...it was so funny!

jessp · 03/13/2007, 06:45 PM

how do your coral banded shrimp get along w/ your other shrimp? i was curious because i see you have peppermints and coral bandeds in the same bucket. i'm assuming they are from same tank.

thanks for any info,
jess

jessp · 03/13/2007, 06:56 PM

btw the new tank looks great, awesome aquascaping.

NanoKat · 03/13/2007, 06:58 PM

Actually, I've never seen problems with my peppermints and the banded coral shrimp. I got the last batch of peppermints about the same time as the blennie and when I put them in, the bandeds went after them a little bit, but as soon as the pepps learned to respect them, everything was fine. I've found the same for the fish I add...they usually get nipped a couple of times before they figure out to stay away too. That's another good thing about this new tank...more space for the bandeds.

jessp · 03/13/2007, 07:03 PM

i would love a cleaner shrimp but i'm afraid to spend the money, maybe i'll experiment w/ a peppermint first.

NanoKat · 03/17/2007, 08:15 AM

I love my peppermints...I usually have 2-4 at any given time. I had one in the 15 for almost 2 years and he was huge and a very dark red color...then he jumped! I was very sad to lose him/her. I've had a couple of instaces of introducing aptasia to the tank and the pepps made quick work of them. I do have some tulip/majano anemones that they don't touch though. I also haven't seen them eating anything I don't want them to. I know some give them a bad rep.

I'd also love to get a cleaner shrimp, but don't want to add too many more shrimp while I have the banded coral shrimp pair. I'm either going to transfer them or trade them in at some point...they're getting too big for my tank.

Pico Keeper · 03/17/2007, 09:46 AM

Wow, the new tank looks great!!! Good work, love the aquascape and coral placement!!! Only thing I would do would be to paint the back black so that you don't see all the equipment.

03/03/2007, 01:46 PM	#1
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	I'm Gonna Make a Big Upgrade! Well, after much trials and tribulations with my 15g tall not being compatible with many accessories, I've decided to make the big upgrade to a 20g! The problem with the 15 is that it's the same footprint as a 10g (10x20), just taller (18), so many items such as lighting, hang on refugiums, etc. don't fit well (my 24" light hangs off both ends). The 20 I am looking at is 12x24x16, so I lose 2" in height, but gain in width and depth. Of course, not to mention the additional water volume (33%) and then even more volume when I add my Eco System hang on refugium/skimmer combo (which is also too big for my 15). The great thing is that my 24" T-5 fixture will fit perfectly and my light penetration to the bottom of the tank will be 2" better. I'll post pics as I do the (big) upgrade. __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/03/2007, 02:06 PM	#3
jessp Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Miami Posts: 2,747	congrats on the upgrade. i think the point was pretty clear of why she changed to a twenty,it made sense to me. __________________ i'm jess and i'm an addict! Current Tank Info: No tank at this time :(

03/03/2007, 03:47 PM	#4
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	The other reason (that I did not mention) is that the table the tank is on will only accomodate a 24" tank also. The substantial increase in water volume will be a big plus. Randy (the hubby) should be getting his 29 back from a friend and we'll get that one going again. I still want to stick to the "nano" size myself. __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/03/2007, 05:19 PM	#5
REDDAWG43 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Miramar, Fl Posts: 2,893	Cool Kat.... I have a 20g too, definately post some pics... __________________ Love my piece of the Ocean!!! Current Tank Info: Red Sea 525 XL

03/12/2007, 04:08 PM	#8
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	Well, had a busy day yesterday! I seriously don't know how you people with those big tanks do it. It must have taken a solid 3 hours to do this little switcheroo. Here's the 15 and the 20 side by side with the contents removed from the 15 and the sand and a bit of water transferred into the 20. Luckily I had a good bit of extra sand around, so I ended up with a deeper sand bed that I preferred: One of three buckets containing the "good stuff"...this one with a couple of rocks and my mated pair of banded coral shrimp: The second bucket with the good goodies...thus the heater and powerhead...they were first out and last in. The last bucket with my "centerpiece" rock that holds my toadstool, green & red caps, and lots of "pink zoanthids of death"... Now, I have most of the water in the new tank and am transferring the base rock into it (filters are up and running). I purchased three new pieces from Exotic Aquatic...had lots of coralline and other nice growth... You know it's hard to arrange rocks in a "sandstorm"...to be continued... __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/03/2007, 01:56 PM	#2
Pico Keeper Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 437	How about doing an actual upgrade? Maybe a 30 or 40 gallon? Upgrading from 15 to 20 is almost pointless. I can sell you a 65 gallon if your interested. I think I also have a 30 gallon and stand somewhere that I can give you for free.

03/03/2007, 05:54 PM	#6
racermike27 Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Cooper City, FL Posts: 958	Good luck Kat, Post some pics when you get it setup!

03/03/2007, 09:07 PM	#7
Rogger Castells Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Weston, FL Posts: 7,495	You will love that ecosystem it is going to make your tank almost maint free

03/12/2007, 04:58 PM	#9
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	Wow, I just had a thought...I should really paint that wall before I get the EcoSystem on the back of this tank. The samples of paint on the wall behind the tank in the pics just reminded me of that! Anyway, on to the rest of the adventure... Base rocks in and light on...not much to see yet... Got adventurous and fabricated a "flying fish" guard...may add some fiberglass screening also, since my fish tend to be small (I've had a firefish, bar goby, and a peppermint shrimp jump in the past year)... All of the rocks in and water clearing...had to arrange everything essentially by feel, and will straighten up later... Still clearing... We were going out with a friend to see the movie "300" and have a bite to eat, so had to leave it like that...didn't see the results of my labor until today when I got home from work... Water still a tiny bit cloudy, but I need to dust everything off now. Did a bit more arranging since it was tough with the sand all stirred up before. Overall, I am very happy with it and am enjoying the larger tank size. The nice thing is that this tank is 2" shorter than the 15, so it's easier for me to stick my hands in there! It's on an antique (not good, just antique) table that also sits lower than a typical tank stand. I was amazed that when I took the 15 off the table, it is still very sturdy (wanted to check it before putting so much more weight on it)...didn't even wobble. Of course, since it's old, it's made very well...couldn't do that with today's particle board furniture! I think it's solid teak wood, so it stands up well. I'll be coveting the EcoSystem until I can save up some $$ to get it. I'll update when I put it in. Thanx to Eco Reef Aquarium for the tank and to Exotic Aquatic for the rock! __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/12/2007, 05:50 PM	#10
ReefWreak Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Astoria, NYC Posts: 10,159	Already looks like its fitting in perfectly into the 20g. Hope everything settles just fine in the new tank!

03/12/2007, 06:00 PM	#11
illal Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Tamarac, Fl Posts: 5,700	youll be much more happy in this tank for sure...looks good __________________ -AL

03/12/2007, 06:00 PM	#12
Bret61081 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,078	Looks great Kat...and enjoy the movie! I saw it Sat...It was amazing!!!

03/12/2007, 06:21 PM	#13
REDDAWG43 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Miramar, Fl Posts: 2,893	Really nice looking tank.... __________________ Love my piece of the Ocean!!! Current Tank Info: Red Sea 525 XL

03/12/2007, 06:29 PM	#14
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	The fiberglass screening didn't work well...blocked too much light...I had a feeling that it would. Hopefully the eggcrate will stop any would be jumpers. Maybe I'll get adventurous and get another fish soon too. They had another bar goby at Eco Reef and some sweet Firefish at Exotic Aquatic (including a Helfrichi!). We'll see. __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/12/2007, 07:51 PM	#15
Bret61081 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,078	hey Kat...the way I did my light was kinda Ghetto but I didnt want to put the eggcrate under the T5 fixture, between the legs...I felt like it blocked out too much light just covering the whole tank...so I put it around the base of the light fixture and it covers pretty much all of the front,back and sides. So if they jump they hit it at an angle and bounce back in...I have some glass still on there but its mostly covered...I'll try and post a pic for you tomorrow!

03/12/2007, 10:13 PM	#16
db_triggerfish Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,127	good job, your aquascaping looks nice. __________________ FMAS - Florida Marine Aquarium Society Member . Current Tank Info: AGA 75g RR 6 x 54w T5 overdriven (510w) with 2 x Icecap 660, DAS EX-1 Skimmer, OR 2500, Reefkeeper II

03/13/2007, 09:50 AM	#17
Ryanqk Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,381	good job kat the corals look very happy! __________________ MOM! I'm God Of The Sea People! Behold my tiny minions gloveling at my likeness! Current Tank Info: 75gl display, 20gl long fuge, CPR overflow, Octopuss NW150 skimmer, 4 x 110w VHO T12's and supplemental actinic, ongoing projects...

03/13/2007, 09:58 AM	#18
scubasteve247 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: south florida Posts: 1,142	those rocks you picked out look awesome in there, nice aquascaping kathy, and i agree with rogger, im a huge advocate of refugiums/skimmers your tank will look amazing.

03/13/2007, 06:40 PM	#19
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	Thanx for your compliments! I am enjoying it alot...since it's bigger, it can be seen really well from our couch (and is right at eye level too)...I catch myself looking at it rather than the TV! Oh, and just a funny thing that happened during my "redo." I have had a lawnmower blennie that has been quite shy since I got him about 6 months ago. He would always hide and wouldn't eat anything except what was on the rocks/glass (I have a picture somewhere of his "lip prints" all over my front glass!). I recently added Cyclopeze to my routine and to my surprise, he gobbled it up! He loves it and comes right to the top when I put it in. Then, all of a sudden he wasn't shy anymore, came out more, and perched right in front of the tank rather than hiding. When I was unloading the 15 the other day, I felt something kind of "nibbling" on my hand, I assumed it was one of my peppermint shrimp, since they have a habit of doing that. I looked to shoo it away and there's my blennie right next to my hand! Then he perched right in my hand...it was so funny! __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/13/2007, 06:45 PM	#20
jessp Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Miami Posts: 2,747	how do your coral banded shrimp get along w/ your other shrimp? i was curious because i see you have peppermints and coral bandeds in the same bucket. i'm assuming they are from same tank. thanks for any info, jess __________________ i'm jess and i'm an addict! Current Tank Info: No tank at this time :(

03/13/2007, 06:56 PM	#21
jessp Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Miami Posts: 2,747	btw the new tank looks great, awesome aquascaping. __________________ i'm jess and i'm an addict! Current Tank Info: No tank at this time :(

03/13/2007, 06:58 PM	#22
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	Actually, I've never seen problems with my peppermints and the banded coral shrimp. I got the last batch of peppermints about the same time as the blennie and when I put them in, the bandeds went after them a little bit, but as soon as the pepps learned to respect them, everything was fine. I've found the same for the fish I add...they usually get nipped a couple of times before they figure out to stay away too. That's another good thing about this new tank...more space for the bandeds. __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/13/2007, 07:03 PM	#23
jessp Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Miami Posts: 2,747	i would love a cleaner shrimp but i'm afraid to spend the money, maybe i'll experiment w/ a peppermint first. __________________ i'm jess and i'm an addict! Current Tank Info: No tank at this time :(

03/17/2007, 08:15 AM	#24
NanoKat Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hot 'n Sunny South Florida Posts: 1,036	I love my peppermints...I usually have 2-4 at any given time. I had one in the 15 for almost 2 years and he was huge and a very dark red color...then he jumped! I was very sad to lose him/her. I've had a couple of instaces of introducing aptasia to the tank and the pepps made quick work of them. I do have some tulip/majano anemones that they don't touch though. I also haven't seen them eating anything I don't want them to. I know some give them a bad rep. I'd also love to get a cleaner shrimp, but don't want to add too many more shrimp while I have the banded coral shrimp pair. I'm either going to transfer them or trade them in at some point...they're getting too big for my tank. __________________ -kAt. Join The Florida Marine Aquarium Society! FMAS1955.org Current Tank Info: 20g glass tank, 96w Current Nova Extreme T-5's, Eco System Pro 40, Reef setup w/ LR, LSB, Frogspawn, Green Trumpet, Zoos, Xenia, Superman Monti, Watchman Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, and Green Spotted Mandarin (and many assorted inverts)

03/17/2007, 09:46 AM	#25
Pico Keeper Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 437	Wow, the new tank looks great!!! Good work, love the aquascape and coral placement!!! Only thing I would do would be to paint the back black so that you don't see all the equipment.