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[bdubb]

I've lurked around for several years off and on around the various reef tank forums. For a long time I've wanted to start a reef tank however my job tends to have me travel at sporatic intervals. I understand that once the tank is up and running healthy that it can tend to take care of itself, but I have concerns with this being a honest reality. Water changes etc. would be able to be done when I am home, but if I end up gone for several weeks or a month max I can see an issue being created. I have a few friends I would trust to watch the tank and work on it while I am gone, but I'd like to limit this as much as possible.

I guess what I am getting at with all of this is if a reef tank is still for me. Do any of you tend to travel a lot and what would amount to a low maint. reef tank?

 

[tektite]

Its possible, but it won't be cheap. You'll need to have a lot of things automated. You'll also want a reef controller like the Apex that you can monitor and control online. How easy/hard it'll be will depend a lot on the tank though. How big are you looking at? What fish and corals do you want to keep?

 

[bdubb]

Haven't made it that far into the decision making yet. I have a large living room that I believe will handle a large tank (150 to 200) without much issue. Up to this point and my on again off again approach to researching reef tanks has me more looking at all the cool tanks everyone else has worked hard to build up and not so much on me learning what types of fish and coral. I have a lot to learn to say the least.

 

[bdubb]

I'll continue reading around the forum and trying to learn as much as I can before deciding to dive in. I'd like for the tax season to pass before I start moving forward on this so I have a couple of months. Looked up the Apex controller though and it looks like a very neat piece of equipment.

 

[flipside]

I have an Apex, and it's a great tool, for sure. One of my favorite purchases.

Researching on the 'net is great, but if you really want to get educated in the hobby, meet up with someone close by your home and pick their brain. That's what I did, and I'm very happy that I did. For the most part, all of the people I've met have been extremely happy to show me how their setup's ticked... we all like geeking-out on our reefs like that from time-to-time.

 

[dayton]

One thing to remember the bigger the tank (such as what you were thinking 150g-200g) is easier to take care of that a smaller one. Water wont swing as much. Your soft corals such as zoas or mushrooms are alot hardier than other corals and have some great colors too.

 

[bdubb]

Thank you everyone. Going to run by the book store and see if I can pick up a couple of things to read after looking through some things today online. I'm sure I'll be around the forum a lot in the coming months as I put together a plan and equipment list. I tend to have the buy once cry once mentality so I prefer to buy the higher end and better reviewed equipment from the beginning. Knowing what corals and fish to keep will be another area of research. At the moment I lean more towards a tank that focuses on corals and lots of live rock and a live sand bed. The fish I would look to add would be a result of what works best with the corals and to keep everything such as the water balances out.

 

[bdubb]

Looking at the area I have in a corner of my living room it looks like I could have a couple options and remain within the space I'd like. One question however, is there a recommended distance from the wall(s) to keep the tank and will being too close cause any isses with the wall aside fram access to the back of the tank?

Could do a 180 gallon 72 x 24 x 25 Tall or a 240 gallon 72 x 24 x 31 Tall. At this stage I understand that the depth can create an issue with coral at the lower areas of the tank but is this an issue that is easy to resolve with planning and placement of coral?

My confines for the space is <72" long and <30" wide. I have a short wall that the tank would go into the corner of which is only 30". So if I need to keep a few inches behind the tank I would need to stay around 24" wide in order to stay flush with the end of the wall. Sticking out wont cause an issue with the room but would just look a little off I think.