2nd tank ever, suggestions?

[mhatt]

the time has come. i bought my current 20 g tank, already setup and running, about 2 months ago. this was my first attempt at keeping any kind of fish, and all in all, it has'nt gone too bad. definitly a learning experience. i took my first pictures the other day with my girlfriends camera, so i will post them as soon as she shows me how. The tank had a poor 15w light, and no coral. also 2 clowns, and a yellow tail blue damsel. i lost the damsel , havnt seen him for over a month, but he was very pale in comparison to the ones at the fish store , and had a hard time competeing for food with the bigger clowns. also a chocolait chip starfish, which i soon gave away. since then i have added a 2 foot coralife light fixture, i cant remember the wattage, but its good for softies, and maybe some sps placed higher in the tank. ive got 1 little mushroom, and 3 little green zoos, which, in about 2 weeks have grown into 6. also added a handful of blue leg hermits and misc. snails.
Now, im moving in about a month, so what better time to upgrade? i thought of a 29g, but i think what i want will be a wider, shallow kind of thing. i still want to use the 2 foot light, so ive come up with an idea for a tank that will be
2 foot x 2foot x 16 inchs high. i worked that out to be about 40g. i may go 18 high. i want at least a 4 inch sand bed, so that would give about a foot of water on top. i currently use a hang on back filter, and i have one small powerhead. together they move just enough water for the 20g, but it could really use another power head. for the 40g, i will definitly need a larger power head, or 2 smaller ones for a total of 3. i have no skimmer at this time, and it may be a while befor i get one. i dont know alot about them, different sizes, or models, and stuff, but i think i should have atleast a small one. if i bought one id probably end up going overkill, i dont know if that would be bad or not. is there such thing as too much skimmer?
Once all this is set up and running, i'll have an extra 20g to use as a sump/fuge. i'll need some help and ideas on how to plum that into the system, but thats a future project. Thats pretty much everything going through my head right now. any help, comments or suggestions? I would definitly appreciate any input.

[mikellini]

well, there are a lot of things i could suggest i guess... but the first might be about the tank dimensions. 2'x2' would be a bit of a challenge. First of all, with only 1' of water depth, you might have a hard time just seeing the corals in the back. And also, you would need to cover quite a bit more of the water's surface with light, which means quite a bit more $. I have a 29 gallon tank, with one 65w PC bulb that is about 24" long, so it's possible that your light is either a 55w or 65w (if it's a PC). I think I would have to add at least one or up to three more of the 65w lamps to properly keep many SPS varieties or clams. So, if you're planning on keeping the light, and it is what I think it is, a 29 gallon tank might be what you're looking for. If you want more, the 37 gallon tank is 4" taller than the 29, with the same length and width.

I find that the 24" light in the 30" tank is appropriate because none of the light is wasted, IMO. Once you decide on the tank, let us know! And if you're looking into buying a tank, see if it's an option to buy one that is drilled to accomodate a sump/refugium.

And welcome to TR!

P.S. Depending on the corals you have, a skimmer can be either a good or a bad thing. Some corals prefer nutrient rich water while others (can I say the majority?) often prefer nutrient poor water. Either way, frequent water changes can take the place of a skimmer in most smaller tanks.

P.P.S. If you want something shallower, the 20 gallon long is the same dimensions, just shorter than the 29

[mikellini]

sorry, I guess after 3 edits to the first post I should make a new one... I noticed in another post you made that you said your light was 130w, and this sounds like a dual 65w lighting fixture. This sounds like a great start for lighting, I actually have been contemplating one for my 29 gallon

[mhatt]

ya, thats it. its a good light, and i just got it a month ago, so i want to be able to use it. i'll probably end up with a 29. as for drilling it, and tying in a fuge, i'll have to research that some more. is it possable to add one later, or better to do it initially?

[mikellini]

you can do everything from drilling to adding a suction overflow to adding a HOB fuge, if you choose to wait. It just might be a good option to find a 29 with a built in overflow initially if the price is right. And you don't necessarily NEED a fuge or anything, just an option...

[mhatt]

That sounds like the best idea, to get a tank with an overflow. And can i use that ,for the time being without a sump/fuge, and just my HOB filter, like ive been doing? $$ is a big issue, so i'm trying to build it up gradually.

[mhatt]

i'm trying to attach pictures, but i cant figure it out