Want to get back in to the hobby

[djskott]

Hello,

Used to have a 29g Reef back in 2k1-2k4. Id like to pickup the hobby again. Its been so long I dont know where to start. I want to do it right this time. My old tank was so "JerryRigged" with componants. I dont want something HUge, but i dont want a meer 29g either. I was thinking 50-75g. I have found a 50 Gallon Acrylic Half Back Hex with Built in Wet/Dry online for $165. Here are some photos.



I like the tank since i can use a hang on skimmer and its out of view.

I am clueless these days on what to get, should I avoid a Wet Dry for a reef and look for a drilled tank?
Im not having any luck finding drilled tanks that are in my budget. then the addition of a sump tank and all the piping can be a lil overwhelming, Im scared of going the overflow box route in fear of a power issue or pump failure.

any help to get me prepared on what i should be looking for would be great. thanks in advance

Skott

[gregony]

That looks like a pretty nice tank, provided its not scratched up (acrylic does that rather easily). There's already an overflow built into that tank. Because its acrylic you could just drill out in the back on the bottom or out the back itself where the overflow is (if you want a sump). If you can fit an Aqua C remora in the back there somewhere (though I don't think you can because of the center brace) you would have a sump already built into the back of the tank and you wouldn't really need a sump anyway. Though you might be able to fit something on the top plate that sits to the right of the bio balls (as you look at it from the rear). You'd want to get rid of the bio balls, thats a terrible place to try to get to to clean.
Check the dimensions of that filter compartment. Then check to see if you can fit a skimmer in there. If you can, it might make for a nice setup. 165 for an 50g acrylic tank with a built in filter compartment isn't a bad price.