getting back into a reef, need some help

[kcharm]

It's been about year since I took my lumps and sold my 29 gal reef. I learned a lot by making a lot of mistakes.

Well, now it's time to try it again. My thought has been to do a pico, 2 to 3 gallons but with a large sump, 5 to 10 gallons. But, with all the plumbing and buying the right pumps and doing everything I did wrong last time correctly, it won't save me much money over doing something larger (except on live rock and corals and such).

This is what I've come up with...

A 10 gallon tank with a bowed false wall made out of thin acrylic (so I can bend it). The false wall would be set between the long sides (traditionally the front and back of the tank) about 1/3 of the way along them creating an approximately 3 gallon display with a 7 gallon fuge. The minimal bioload will allow me to not skim and just run chaeto. It also allows me to use several small subermisble for flow. For lighting I can use a desk lamp with a 20w screw in 50/50 bulb for the display and a 5000k flourescent bulb for the fuge.

Here are the questions...

Where I want to put the tank is only about 16 inches deep, not 20 inches like a 10 gallon tank. Can a 10 gallon tank handle, structrually speaking, having both short sides hanging off of the stand?

I seem to recall that running the fuge light the display light on opposite schedules reduces pH swings. I either need to devise a way to block the light from the fuge from leaving the fuge or run the lights on the same schedule since the tank is in my bedroom and I really don't want a 75w nightlight, any ideas?

Finally, and this question goes for a 1 gallon planted tank I'm setting up at work as well as the proposed reef, can I just use deionized water purchased from the grocery store in 1 gallon jugs? The convenience factor on that is huge considering the size of the tanks I'm dealing with. If the RO part is critical, I'll go to my LFS and buy it that way, but it's not as easy as just buying the prepackaged DI stuff from the water aisle.

Thanks for the help, suggestions, and comments...

and it's good to be back playing with warm water

 

[Meche]

Can a 10 gallon tank handle, structrually speaking, having both short sides hanging off of the stand?

I think it would be safer if you cut a piece of 1/2" plywood to size and put that under the tank.

really don't want a 75w nightlight, any ideas?

You can paint the outside of the tank so that light would not escape through the glass, and then device some sort of hood that would have ventilation and block the light coming out the top.

As far as the water is concerned: The best water you can use is distilled. That is readily available at any grocery store.

Oh yeah, Welcome back

 

[redrooster]

Why are you going small?? Not enough room?? All the accessories, filter, pumps, and lights and so on only cost a little more when you go bigger and tanks up to 55 are pretty cheap. Basically I'm saying you could probably do a 29 again for only about $100-$150 more than a 10 and have so many more options. Just an idea.

Oh and its a real bad idea to have part of the tank hanging off IMO.

 

[kcharm]

I'm going small for several reasons. First is space.

Second, I found that as soon as I started adding sumps and such, the good quiet pumps got expensive, small submersible pumps that are also quiet are much less expensive. The cost of live rock in a large tank would go up big times since I'll be scrounging all of my rock and all of my corals from friends (I could still get the corals from friends if I went with a larger tank).

With what I've researched, going small will save me a few hundred dollars in setup, save money in operation, and the economic risk of a massive crash is very low since I'm looking at investing about $35 in my livestock. Since I'll be getting frags from prolific corals of friends, if a crash occurs, those corals will still be prolific (I hope). So, I figure I'm saving a lot of money over the life of the tank by going small...plus it fits in the space I have for it.

I'll hack up some half inch CDX and stick it under the tank to support the ends (I might paint it black first too).

 

[redrooster]

Understood. I only mentioned it because in my area it doesn't cost much more to go bigger. For example a Seio 620 is like $60, but a 920 is $70 and 100 or 200W heater isn't much more than a 15 or 50W heater. The cost of stocking is a concern, but so is upgrading when you run out of room. If you know this will keep you happy for at least 2 or 3 years then I think your going the right way. I wouldn't worry about crashing your tank. It seems to me like only high tech tanks "crash" due to an equipment malfunction (usually) or a mismeaurement due the the high # of things many people add in the pursuit of a faster growth rate. The only other thing that can cause a crash is a complete lack of husbandry where PH, or salinity get way out of wack.