New 75 Gallon Reef System

[knpjdad]

What would be a top of the line, 75 gallon setup? (brand names or links)
I'm getting the tank from LFS, but don't like the filters, and lights he has on hand, so I was going to order on-line.

What else will I need to get this thing up and running?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

Is it pre-drilled or standard?

If it's pre drilled, I would save money and not buy a wet dry. Use a 20 gallon tank, preferably acrylic to eliminate possible leakage. Stick filter floss or filter pad on top of a mess of bio-balls in the overflow.

Since your starting from scratch, I would deffinately opt for a very strong pump with a return manifold plumbed in with 4 or 5 returns. I hate my powerheads! I use a Mag 7 pump on my 72 gallon which pumps 400+ gallons per hour at 5 feet of head, which is what you will be running at. I have two returns, but I still have to use powerheads to get enough flow. If I were you I would get a Mag 9 or a quiet one with a GPH rating of at least 500 at 5 feet of head...maybe more! Your tank will look much nicer without those ugly power heads. Plumbing a multiple return manifold can be daunting to a beginner, but do look into it; the couple of hours of effort will make your tank much better in the future.

Don't skimp on a pump and get a Rio! Stick with Mag pumps or Quiet Ones.

Get a decent skimmer too!


In short, if there are three things you should not skimp on in a reef tank, they are circulation (large high quality pump), skimming (no HOT), temperature stability (no cheap heaters...spend the extra $30 on a good quality heater.


Good luck

 

[1937 Waco]

Hello:

A tank is just a piece of glass and most places can glue together glass. I had my tank made by the local fish store. What exactly do you want to put in your tank? Tons of fish? or just a couple with a bunch of coral? On the subject of the filter and lights, my guess is that setup is mostly for freshwater fish only tanks and you would need to upgrade to what you want to put in the tank. In a nut shell, what is your grand plan for this tank?

Bob

 

[Jolieve]

Well... I dunno that mine is top of the line, but this is what I have for my 75.

75g acrylic tank (and I do recommend that you get glass, not acrylic). 2 250 watt double ended metal halide pendants. Dual ballast with built in timers. Lights and ballast from Sunlight Supply. My tank is 24" high, a standard 75 gallon tank is not. You may not need such bright lights over your tank. Do research this.

sump by Rubbermaid (It's a standard 35 gallon rubbermaid tub) with a mag 9.5 return pump. CPR cs100 overflow box (there are better overflows out there, the built in overflows made in tanks are a far better choice than a hang on. This overflow box requires some fiddling around to make it quiet).

250 watt visitherm heater. I had to buy this heater on really short notice. I really wanted one of the pro heat titanium heaters, and will purchase one as soon as the visitherm gives up the ghost.

Euro-reef ES5-3 protien skimmer sits in the sump. And... I've got a white pinpoint LED for a moonlight that I use for night viewing. Not sure who made it.

This set up will get me into keeping sps corals, clams and fish and... well.. all the stuff I want.

The big question for you, is the question Bob asked. You should set up your system for what you want to keep in it. I wanted clams and sps corals and possibly an anemone... I set up my system with that in mind.

Hope this helps give you some ideas for your tank.
J.

 

[knpjdad]

I would really like to setup a system that has sps coral, fish, and some anemone thrown in also. I have gotten a wish list together. what do you think so far?

75 Gallon - NOT REEF READY All Glass Tank 48x18x20
Heater (Ebo Jager 150 W) x 2
Lighting 48" Model at this link. http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/po ... sMoon.html
Wet/Dry System: CPR CY900 (really SYS900 kit includes hose/powerhead/and overflow) http://www.marinedepot.com/a_fl_wetdry.asp?CartId=
PowerHead - (INSIDE TANK) RIO2100
75Lbs - Live Fiji Rock
75Lbs - Live Sand
Captive Purity Refractometer
Master Saltwater Test Kit
200Gallon IO Mix

What am I missing? Anything.

 

[Jolieve]

Ditch the wet dry. You don't need the filter media, that stuff will build up nitrates and needs a lot of regular maintenance which, you really don't want. Just switch that out for a rubbermaid tub or a 20 gallon glass tank.

Two things for your list. If you want sps corals and anemones, you are going to need more light than you can get from power compacts. You're going to need metal halides. Ask about these on the board in a separate thread. Some of the folks here can probably help you get into an mh lighting set up for a price that you are comfortable with.

Don't skip the protein skimmer. Skimmers are highly valuable in this hobby, and... for this size tank, you're going to end up spending about 250$ for a good one. If you need to, wait a little while and save the money to get the skimmer.

You also don't mention any kind of ro/di unit. You can get one of these cheap on e-bay.

J.

 

[knpjdad]

So just a 20 Gallon Tank? Would I just hang the Skimmer, Heater ETC, on that? Or would there be some sort of filter that would go in there also.. I'm from the 'ol school... Saltwater setup was last done in 1987.. So a lot of things have changed. No bio balls, or nothing huh? Hmmmm?

Ditch the PC, and go with MH $$$ I'll research that some more on here.

RO/DI unit already have!! YEAH!!! That's one thing at least I dont have to buy. already had one for my FW system.

Thanks for the input!!

 

[Jolieve]

If you get a euro reef skimmer, it would sit in the sump.

Things have changed a lot. Bioballs are.. well useless in reef tanks since it was discovered that they produce nitrates over time. You have to clean them out regularly and that sort of defeats the purpose of using them, so why use them at all?

Your mechanical filtration is provided by the protein skimmer. Think of it as a really super charged power filter and you have the right idea. You don't really need anything else on top of what was already suggested... well... and probably a different return pump, I don't like rios. Have heard no end of stories of these breaking down...

J.

 

[vsmith]

I have heard bad things about the quiet one pump as far as reliability issues. They are supposedly the quietest pump out there. can't vouch for that because never used it nor do I know anyone who uses it. I've had a mag 7 for 3 years it runs a little hot, but I'm running it inline (most recommend running it submersed) The only complaint I have is the vibration (its really loud) you can avoid this I've heard by placing a pad or something under it when you set it up.
Don't skimp on the lights I bought regular flouresent at first and now I want to upgrade to metal halide.
good luck and happy reefing.
V