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First, some background...
I ran a 70 gallon hexagonal reef tank for about 3 years. The tank was largely successful, but some deficiencies finally led to its demise. The tank was run with VHO lighting, an EcoSystem filter, and B-Ionic to control calcium and alkalinity. I used only fans to keep the tank cool. The tank crashed disastrously, at least partly as a result of some undiagnosed problems with heaters. A heater stuck on killed some corals outright and probably started a chain reaction that killed the whole tank a few months later.
The lessons I learned from this experience changed my approach to my new 210 gallon tank.
- The tank was too small. It did not take long for the corals to outgrow the aquarium and maintenace was an exercise in contortionism. I like tangs and other larger, territorial fish and they need a lot of room.
- Although I successfully kept SPS corals under VHO, I did not set the coloration and growth rates that I would have liked.
- Complacency invevitably set in and problems were only seen when too much damage had been done to the inhabitants of the tank. Automation is essential for those with short attention spans.
- Some corners cannot be cut. I ran the tank without a chiller, but I had several acros that suffered every summer. Full-blast central air is not a cost-effective option, at least in my house.
- Two-part additive (a.k.a. BIonic) are very effective, but too expensive on a sizeable tank.
- I had a deep sand bed (DSB) in the tank and it worked well for the first two years, but I experienced chronic cyano problems after that. I think that a DSB needs to be periodically renewed and this is impossible when used in the display tank. The recommended protocol for the EcoSystem calls for partial replacement of the mud bed in the sump/refugium every year, which I suspect averts the problems commonly seen with DSBs after a few years of operation. The new tank will have no DSB.
- I had several instances during the operation of the tank when pumps, ballasts, or heaters failed. This resulted in a mad scramble to replace the dead component. A late evening trip to the local aquarium store for an emergency replacement can be stressful and expensive. Redundancy can remove adrenaline from equipment failures.
- Failed thermostats destroyed or damaged many times their cost (emotional and financial) in livestock. No single thermostat should be relied on.
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