What I learned from my build.

jbfloor · 10/25/2012, 11:05 PM

Three months ago I started thinking about getting back into the aquarium hobby due to a chance conversation with one of my colleagues about his fish tank. I had never done a reef tank before, so I know I had a lot of learning to do. I came across the Reef Central forums and started reading. Then I decided to join the many people who did a build thread. In this build thread I describe my build.

This is not a build thread, this is a thread where I want to share what I learned in the last three months. Simple things that could hopefully help someone new to the hobby like myself.

I encourage everyone else to add their own experiences to this thread.

My build experience boils down to three P's:

Patience
Preparation
Practice

Patience

Probably the best thing that happened to me was that the tank took over six weeks to arrive after I had ordered it. This left me with a lot of time and no tank to work with. I could not rush anything, but I wanted to stay busy, so I spent countless hours on forums, ordered some parts and pieces and tinkered with the aquascape for over three weeks.
I know myself and therefore I know that if I had a tank from day one, it would not have taken me more than a couple of hours to "aquascape" and I would probably not have bothered installing the closed loop system at all. Instead, because of the many hours reading about other people's builds, I learned about the importance of water flow, the difference between wet/dry filtration and refugiums, chaeto usage, substrate and DSB's, hitchhikers and lighting.
When the tank finally arrived six weeks later, I was in "taking it slow" mode and did not feel the need to rush anything. Also, this time allowed me to get a lot of stuff prepared properly, so all I had to do is follow my own instructions once all equipment arrived. Which brings me to:

Preparation

Prepare, prepare, prepare and when in doubt, prepare some more. Make a clear plan and then execute on it. Sort out your toolbox. There's nothing I hate more than being in the middle of building something and then have to spend 15 minutes scouring the entire house for a tool that got misplaced. This kind of stuff will lead to cutting corners. Tip: buy cable ties in all shapes and sizes. I could not believe how many times I ended up using them in my build. Repair a small tear in a net?: cable tie. Rock a little loose?: cable tie. Hard time getting wires to go where you want them?: cable tie. Keep 110V cables away from water?: cable tie. Need a quick fix for a loose tube?: cable tie... and so on.

Read the forums. If you're reading this post, I bet you're already better prepared than the vast majority of the "finding nemo" crowd. I have had so many people at my office warn me about this hobby and about how they "have to buy new fishes every four weeks" because they keep dying. When I ask them about water parameters and filtration they stare at me blankly.

Browse the internet and compare equipment. Read reviews, check your budget and decide what to buy. A lot of websites have clearances and sales and even daily deals, which can get you great discounts if you are patient and willing to check every day for a couple of weeks.

If you decide to do PVC work, find out which parts are hard to find. Whye's, Barbed tee's, side outlet 90s and true ball check valves are not readily available in hardware stores. You'll have to order those. If you make a clear plumbing plan, you'll know exactly which parts you need and how many.

Also, this is the ideal time to get yourself a small tank to play with, which can later function as a quarantaine tank. You can start the nitrogen cycle early and test out some of the equipment you bought (no fish though!). Which brings me to:

Practice

Starting a new tank is a perfect time to pick up a new skill or brush up on an old one. My old, rusty skill was soldering, which I quickly refreshed while building the DIY LED lighting setup. A new skill was PVC plumbing, which turned out to be surprisingly easy. I encourage you to practice before spending tons of money building something that will be in your tank for a long time. I built a number of PVC structures before I started plumbing the closed loop, so by that time I had confidence that I could make it leak free. Also, this is the perfect time to test out the tools for the job and get familiar with them. Tip for PVC: Get a PVC cutter! Do not use a saw, but buy a cutter for between $10 and $20 at your local hardware store.

Other tools that are invaluable:
Cordless screwdriver and a complete bit set.
Strong scissors
Heavy duty cutter
Duct tape

Assortment packs of screws, nuts, bolts and washers
As mentioned before: Cable ties!

Other people, feel free to add your own tips for starting a new tank.

10/25/2012, 11:05 PM	#1
jbfloor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 250	What I learned from my build. Three months ago I started thinking about getting back into the aquarium hobby due to a chance conversation with one of my colleagues about his fish tank. I had never done a reef tank before, so I know I had a lot of learning to do. I came across the Reef Central forums and started reading. Then I decided to join the many people who did a build thread. In this build thread I describe my build. This is not a build thread, this is a thread where I want to share what I learned in the last three months. Simple things that could hopefully help someone new to the hobby like myself. I encourage everyone else to add their own experiences to this thread. My build experience boils down to three P's: Patience Preparation Practice Patience Probably the best thing that happened to me was that the tank took over six weeks to arrive after I had ordered it. This left me with a lot of time and no tank to work with. I could not rush anything, but I wanted to stay busy, so I spent countless hours on forums, ordered some parts and pieces and tinkered with the aquascape for over three weeks. I know myself and therefore I know that if I had a tank from day one, it would not have taken me more than a couple of hours to "aquascape" and I would probably not have bothered installing the closed loop system at all. Instead, because of the many hours reading about other people's builds, I learned about the importance of water flow, the difference between wet/dry filtration and refugiums, chaeto usage, substrate and DSB's, hitchhikers and lighting. When the tank finally arrived six weeks later, I was in "taking it slow" mode and did not feel the need to rush anything. Also, this time allowed me to get a lot of stuff prepared properly, so all I had to do is follow my own instructions once all equipment arrived. Which brings me to: Preparation Prepare, prepare, prepare and when in doubt, prepare some more. Make a clear plan and then execute on it. Sort out your toolbox. There's nothing I hate more than being in the middle of building something and then have to spend 15 minutes scouring the entire house for a tool that got misplaced. This kind of stuff will lead to cutting corners. Tip: buy cable ties in all shapes and sizes. I could not believe how many times I ended up using them in my build. Repair a small tear in a net?: cable tie. Rock a little loose?: cable tie. Hard time getting wires to go where you want them?: cable tie. Keep 110V cables away from water?: cable tie. Need a quick fix for a loose tube?: cable tie... and so on. Read the forums. If you're reading this post, I bet you're already better prepared than the vast majority of the "finding nemo" crowd. I have had so many people at my office warn me about this hobby and about how they "have to buy new fishes every four weeks" because they keep dying. When I ask them about water parameters and filtration they stare at me blankly. Browse the internet and compare equipment. Read reviews, check your budget and decide what to buy. A lot of websites have clearances and sales and even daily deals, which can get you great discounts if you are patient and willing to check every day for a couple of weeks. If you decide to do PVC work, find out which parts are hard to find. Whye's, Barbed tee's, side outlet 90s and true ball check valves are not readily available in hardware stores. You'll have to order those. If you make a clear plumbing plan, you'll know exactly which parts you need and how many. Also, this is the ideal time to get yourself a small tank to play with, which can later function as a quarantaine tank. You can start the nitrogen cycle early and test out some of the equipment you bought (no fish though!). Which brings me to: Practice Starting a new tank is a perfect time to pick up a new skill or brush up on an old one. My old, rusty skill was soldering, which I quickly refreshed while building the DIY LED lighting setup. A new skill was PVC plumbing, which turned out to be surprisingly easy. I encourage you to practice before spending tons of money building something that will be in your tank for a long time. I built a number of PVC structures before I started plumbing the closed loop, so by that time I had confidence that I could make it leak free. Also, this is the perfect time to test out the tools for the job and get familiar with them. Tip for PVC: Get a PVC cutter! Do not use a saw, but buy a cutter for between $10 and $20 at your local hardware store. Other tools that are invaluable: Cordless screwdriver and a complete bit set. Strong scissors Heavy duty cutter Duct tape Assortment packs of screws, nuts, bolts and washers As mentioned before: Cable ties! Other people, feel free to add your own tips for starting a new tank.