Hi I just wanted to introduce myself. My boyfriend and I just set up a 75 gallon system. This is our first attempt at marine/salt/reef keeping and we had a load of equipment but weren't sure how to connect everything. So we hired Alex from Absolutely Fish to come in a connect the system, tell us what we still needed to buy, and hopefully learn something. We were on line in front of "bad coffee" last night at AF's Midnight Madness sale, and that's how I ended up here on this forum.
So, a little background: We have both had success with a range of freshwater systems over the past 15 years (90 gallon cichild tanks, 80 gallon planted tanks, 55, 30, 20, and 10 gallon set-ups).
The bulk of the equipment for our 75g reef was acquired for free from a friend that was getting out of the hobby (new wife & new baby= no fish). Some of the stuff we had already, like RO/DI units.
This is what we are working with: 75g tank with built in overflow; custom built stand; 2 Maxxima Hi-S RO/DI units; Marine Technical Concepts HSA-250X protein skimmer with a PSW-10 automatic waste collector; Marine Technical Concepts MINICAL calcium reactor; 10lb C02 tank with C02 regulator; a variety of powerheads, several pumps, and a custom built sump that is adequate for a 250g system. Obviously our sump and protein skimmer are way bigger than necessary for the system we have but they were free and from what we've learned bigger can't hurt.
We just dropped some cash picking up the rest of the stuff we needed; Current 1/3 HP In-Line Tower Chiller; Coralife 492W 48" combo light; Aqua Ultraviolet Classic 25w UV Sterilizer. I am sure I am forgetting to list something but that seems about right.
We have the tank set up and are currently in the second day of cycling. We added 115 lbs. of live rock and 60 lbs of live sand. I can't give parameters of the water right now because my boyfriend is the one with the science degree and he handles all of the chemistry. As soon as I get the readings from him I will update.
Whew...
So please, since I came here to learn please send me some advice. We certainly don't want to start adding critters to this tank if we are missing something, either in terms of equipment or knowledge. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your help.
Also, how do you post pics in this post? I can sow some images of the set up so far...
So, a little background: We have both had success with a range of freshwater systems over the past 15 years (90 gallon cichild tanks, 80 gallon planted tanks, 55, 30, 20, and 10 gallon set-ups).
The bulk of the equipment for our 75g reef was acquired for free from a friend that was getting out of the hobby (new wife & new baby= no fish). Some of the stuff we had already, like RO/DI units.
This is what we are working with: 75g tank with built in overflow; custom built stand; 2 Maxxima Hi-S RO/DI units; Marine Technical Concepts HSA-250X protein skimmer with a PSW-10 automatic waste collector; Marine Technical Concepts MINICAL calcium reactor; 10lb C02 tank with C02 regulator; a variety of powerheads, several pumps, and a custom built sump that is adequate for a 250g system. Obviously our sump and protein skimmer are way bigger than necessary for the system we have but they were free and from what we've learned bigger can't hurt.
We just dropped some cash picking up the rest of the stuff we needed; Current 1/3 HP In-Line Tower Chiller; Coralife 492W 48" combo light; Aqua Ultraviolet Classic 25w UV Sterilizer. I am sure I am forgetting to list something but that seems about right.
We have the tank set up and are currently in the second day of cycling. We added 115 lbs. of live rock and 60 lbs of live sand. I can't give parameters of the water right now because my boyfriend is the one with the science degree and he handles all of the chemistry. As soon as I get the readings from him I will update.
Whew...
So please, since I came here to learn please send me some advice. We certainly don't want to start adding critters to this tank if we are missing something, either in terms of equipment or knowledge. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your help.
Also, how do you post pics in this post? I can sow some images of the set up so far...
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