What I'd do differently next time.

[Snappy]

If I could do it again I would start with a much bigger tank (at least 400 or 500 gal) and go straight to 400 watt MH's. I would also build a fish room first.

[MikeP]

Depending on the look you want, maybe a PVC structure for aquascaping your rock.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I would think real long & hard about whether or not this is the best "black hole" for all my money to get gravitationally pulled into

Actually, over the years, I've run the gamut (woohoo, first time using this word) from total KISS to fairly high-tech reef setups. Its been interesting & educational to find that it is possible to be successful & have nice tanks using many approaches, from the ultra low-tech to the easier, but more expensive high tech tanks.

If I had to start up a new tank, I would want to get a 30" or 36" wide tank to have a more open sandbed. I know that this would have the drawback of making it hard to reach the stuff in the back though. Still, a wider tank would be soooo sweet, evn though I'm very happy with my current 210g setup.

Anthony

[trilinearmipmap]

1. I would have a single overflow with Herbie's silent overflow system.

2. I would feed the pipe from the overflow directly into the protein skimmer.

3. I would not buy any fish that require frozen food, due to nutrient issues.

4. I would have redundancy: two return pumps in case one failed, two heaters, basically take some steps to avoid a tank catastrophe.

5. LED lighting.

[Buccaneer]

So here is the planned space ... it is 12 ft long and 4'2" wide ( in the middle of the basement to the right side ) ... to the left is the stairwell ... farthest away is the home theater/bed/bath and closest is the gym ... I have my old sink and refugium planned for the far right area

So that leaves me just enough space for a 96"W X 42"W X 31"H ... it will be viewable from the gym side as a inwall ... I was originally going to have it viewable from both the gym and theater but in retrospect it would be too bright for the theater as it is a front projection screen.

I figure dual overflows ... I used to have a Dual Beckett and could probably still fire it up but more inclined to go with a large needlewheel ( or 2 ) ... still have 4 X 400W MH light hood ( may want to scale back on these as my electricity bill used to be outrageous ), VHO actinic/daylights. calcium reactor, eductors for a closed loop and DIY denitrator

So all I have to do first is finish the basement ... then I get my tank

[Buccaneer]

Here is a overhead shot ... gotta love sketchup

[Buccaneer]

Here is a overhead shot ... gotta love sketchup

[EmilyB]

You gonna do all that and only see it from the gym?? Holy fitness, Batman !

[untamed]

Leave it open on the theatre side...I think closing that off is a HUGE mistake. If you are concerned about light entering the theatre room, you could rig up some sort of shutter or curtain system to block it off.

I would also recommend access to the tank from both sides, even if you choose not to view it from the theatre.

Are you planning to house the entire filtration setup under the tank? Think hard about access to all the components.

[Psyire]

I would have went with no sand just HDPE/Starboard. This is my biggest regret in setting up my 180g.