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When is it enough already?

I wanted to start this thread before I saw we had a new forum. Think it is the right place for it.

So it was almost exactly one year from the start of our reef tank. We had a vague idea that we wanted to upgrade and then I stopped at Bills for a group buy pickup. That was the push I needed.

So I planned things out, some as I went along some well in advance. I had my fires that I put out and still get little sparks now and then.

That being said when we started we had an idea of what I wanted to look like inside (Bills me, and Baxter my wife) but more modern looking on the outside(not saying you guys are old or anything ;)). So our stocking is mixed reef, we agreed to the fish we wanted, and made most of the decisions together. (OK my wife could care less about equipment)

So with all that said ....wheewww I am long winded.....last night I bought a RBTA from Jon(thanks very much).
Making room for him I realized that for the most part maybe I should be done stocking the tank.

OK OK here are the questions already.
At what point did you all say: I have enough in the tank? How long did it take? Do you occasionally add something extra anyway? Did you decide to add another tank because you just couldn't resist?
Do you just let things grow out? Fragging as you go to control growth? Whats next?

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our tank!!!!

PS I am adding a ACjr so still adding to the tank but looks like most things are getting settled.
 
JRWOHLER said:
OK OK here are the questions already.
At what point did you all say: I have enough in the tank?

NEVER! ;D

OK, so let's get serious. For me the answer depends on two factors; time and money.(OK, maybe 3 - my wife's patience)

My upgrade to a 180 was driven primarily by the desire to simplify my maintenance schedule. I had five or six tanks going which means 5 or 6 water change schedules; 5 or 6 testing schedules; etc.

The plan called for one large tank, but that was modified slightly based on another important factor; the welfare of the animals I want to keep. Mixed reefs are great! Everyone has either had one or has one now. But I believe focusing on a biotype has big advantages.

Everyone know that I love LPS corals and soft corals. I have found over time that both do better in somewhat different environments. So instead of mashing them both together into one tank, I moved my LPS from the 75g I had into the 180, and I moved my softies from a 55 to the now vacant 75. My LPS are my babies, but I have some leathers and an anemone that I am very fond of, so I decided to go with two displays.

OK, so that's three factors; the welfare of the animals, time and money.(Oh year, and the spouse factor!)
 
Yep, we did the upgrade thing from a 24G to the 120G....I suggested another tank to my wife last night. Lets say I was met with a somewhat icy look and a sarcastic remark.

We have discussed a future species tank...like pipefish or seahorses when one of the kids gets mature enough to take some responsibility for it. I do have the Aqua Pod just as a QT which is a bit of a technical overkill.
As soon as the last couple fish get out I am going to break it down so I don't have to run the pumps and stuff in it.

Automation has been the focus of all the upgrades I have done lately ATO, ACjr, and the last one eventually will be a dosing system of some sort. I like the somewhat dummy proof two part dosing system. Have to agree that simplification/automation allows for more enjoyment of the tank.
 
I have the opposite problem. My wife has announced that we need a tank for some large angelfish. ;D

Now I have to figure out how to pay for that!

I'd really like to retire the softie tank if we do that, but it has my 11 year old clown, 10 year old LTA and a 5 year old toadstool that I want to grow as large as the 20+ year old 'Steve' at Pet Shanty. And she has told me I can't get rid of any of those. :eek:
 

danthemanj

FRAG SWAP VENDOR
It's never enough. I went from a 24 gallon to a 90 gallon to a 215 in wall in about 3 years. Now I'm itching for an even larger tank but my restriction this time is that I do not have the place in my current home for what I'm looking at getting (a 1000+ gallon), so I'm contemplating buying a bigger home ;D
 
danthemanj said:
It's never enough. I went from a 24 gallon to a 90 gallon to a 215 in wall in about 3 years. Now I'm itching for an even larger tank but my restriction this time is that I do not have the place in my current home for what I'm looking at getting (a 1000+ gallon), so I'm contemplating buying a bigger home ;D

Will you be taking your Solar panels with you?
 

malulu

NJRC Member
JRWOHLER said:
... I like the somewhat dummy proof two part dosing system...

do you have any reference to this?
am currently using a Calcium reactor, and am interested to setup one for higher pH purpose...
;)
 

danthemanj

FRAG SWAP VENDOR
ricwilli said:
danthemanj said:
It's never enough. I went from a 24 gallon to a 90 gallon to a 215 in wall in about 3 years. Now I'm itching for an even larger tank but my restriction this time is that I do not have the place in my current home for what I'm looking at getting (a 1000+ gallon), so I'm contemplating buying a bigger home ;D

Will you be taking your Solar panels with you?

If I do move to a bigger house, I wouldn't sell my existing home. I'd simply rent it out and charge the tenant for both the rent and electricity :)
 

danthemanj

FRAG SWAP VENDOR
malulu said:
JRWOHLER said:
... I like the somewhat dummy proof two part dosing system...

do you have any reference to this?
am currently using a Calcium reactor, and am interested to setup one for higher pH purpose...
;)

David,

Once your Kalwasser goes online, your Ph will rise substantially.
 
malulu said:
JRWOHLER said:
... I like the somewhat dummy proof two part dosing system...

do you have any reference to this?
am currently using a Calcium reactor, and am interested to setup one for higher pH purpose...
;)

No I mean just the two part ESV....I dose by hand so unless very drunk it is hard to really screw up the dosing...then I usually just forget. It is just probably my paranoia that if I do either a calcium reactor or kalk I will at some point crash.
 

malulu

NJRC Member
i keep telling myself at least a 100 times - "i think i am good enough for now..."
after few thousand $ spent afterward, and still not see the end of the other side of the tunnel! auto water change, bigger sump, bigger pump, fast cati-ani water system, best salt, better light, big chiller, calc reactor, wave-maker, phophan reactor, two part dosing, energy-saving-unit... (the list went on and on!)

- my goal would be to have Excellent colors on the corals (still long way to go)

- i don't want fast grow, it want them grow as slow as possible (am tired to trimming and fragging them), if i want to be profit from this reef business, it would have been a sure lost business venture for me.
 

malulu

NJRC Member
i do have a LitemeterIII as auto water change, i think it is over killed. may be i should switch them as doing the two part dosing, and re-do the auto water change with something else.

BTW:
the concept of using LitemeterIII for auto top off, is not good! and they are too expensive! it have to be program as how many liters/gallons that you want to top-off per day, which is hard to calculated due to cold or hot day, and how many/(high-low-setting) fans i have them on at a given period...


as for the RBTA, i would recommended that are on a seperated Softies only tank. i had one RBTA before, and it keep splitting to 2, and 3...etc. then stink everyone around them, when it get to a size of 10 x 12! that is the time i decided to get rids of them all. missed them just a little bit, all other hard corals are must happy now.
 
For me it was easy.....My wife made me sign a contract that says I wont buy any more tanks till after we move.

Its hanging on my refrigerator in plain sight for everyone to see.

I can understand her point though..... I started out with a 46 bow and am now up to a 125 (I cant remember all the different tanks in between but she can list them off in chronological order if you ask her to)

The last upgrade was the final straw for her. I had to build 2 platforms and support the floor with support jacks. It was an adventure to say the least.

Plus I had to take the 42" plasma out of the living room ( no one watches it anyway unless its hockey season ) and its now in the bedroom.

I'm still slowly tweaking my equipment (Korlia's to hopefully controllable powerheads and I really want a MSX skimmer)

I guess its always a work in progress
 
My stopping point will be time, space & spouse. Once the maintenance time is to prohibitive, I run out of space to reasonably place tanks, and my wife is starting to mention moving so justifying spending money on a huge tank that I'll have to figure out how to move is out.
 
Well I temporarily solved my problem..waited till the lights went out and moved some things around. All sticks are on one side hill...RBTA on the other. Looks like the RBTA has settled in hopefully for a nice while. Our clown has been sniffing around maybe it will start to host one of these days, the other clown is in QT for a little while maybe when she gets out they will decide to make it a home.

Few more days till we get our stuff from PA...I am looking forward to the new toys.
 
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