75 gallon fish only tank build

[mrjohnreed]

I am inheriting a 75 gallon tall tank setup that was a reef tank. I am going to have to clean it up as you can see in the pictures but once I get it cleaned up and the rock that's in it cleaned up, I am looking at making it a predator tank if possible. I'll pick up the tank this weekend and see what I got and what needs to be replaced. I am looking for ideas and recommendations on what fish may be able to go into this tank. This will be a slow rebuild to ensure I get it done correctly. This will be my second saltwater tank. I already have a 90 gallon. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[blaxsun]

I'd probably rule out tangs as they prefer more length for swimming.

 

[dwint]

I've had four scorpion fish and one of my favorites.They always eat whatever you give them and grow fast.Hardy fish also.I have a dwaft zebra lion and i plan on a fu man chu lion.Also i have a frog fish in it's own 20 gallon.They are hard to feed because they all eat differently.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I am inheriting a 75 gallon tall tank setup that was a reef tank. I am going to have to clean it up as you can see in the pictures but once I get it cleaned up and the rock that's in it cleaned up, I am looking at making it a predator tank if possible. I'll pick up the tank this weekend and see what I got and what needs to be replaced. I am looking for ideas and recommendations on what fish may be able to go into this tank. This will be a slow rebuild to ensure I get it done correctly. This will be my second saltwater tank. I already have a 90 gallon. Thanks for everyone's input.

Following along!

 

[mrjohnreed]

So tommorrow is the day that I pickup the tank that I am inheriting. The rock that comes with it was live at one time but has been dry for an extended amount of time. I will have to see the state that it's in and then setup a way to get it into some water to start to go from dry rock to live rock again. I have been researching this extensively since I usually just purchase live rock from my LFS. Has anyone had experience with old dry rock that was once live rock? What method did you use?

 

[Fish Fan]

So tommorrow is the day that I pickup the tank that I am inheriting. The rock that comes with it was live at one time but has been dry for an extended amount of time. I will have to see the state that it's in and then setup a way to get it into some water to start to go from dry rock to live rock again. I have been researching this extensively since I usually just purchase live rock from my LFS. Has anyone had experience with old dry rock that was once live rock? What method did you use?

Hello! I am far from an expert here, but I'm interested in your project as I'm toying with the idea of setting up a 65 gallon tank as a FOWLR. My suggestion is, if your rock was once live but has now dried out, all the rock's life including beneficial microbes have died, but it's still all in and on the rock. If you try to start a tank with the rock as it is, all the dead organisms will rapidly decay leading to a large ammonia spike. I believe the best thing to do would be to "cook" or cycle the rock first. I would throw it in a tub or Rubbermaid Brute garbage pail with heated saltwater and a circ pump, and I'd let it go for several weeks to a couple of months until all the dead stuff has decayed, at which time your rock will be essentially cleaned and ready to go for your new tank. You can help this process by dosing some Dr. Tim's One and Only or Microbater7 or another product that contains beneficial, nitrifying bacteria, and doing water changes regularly. Keep your container covered or in the dark so no photosynthetic pests like algae have a chance to grow.

Alternatively, you can try a bleach cure where you soak the rock in a solution of chlorine bleach that will chemically break down (oxidized) the dead material much more quickly than by just having it in the saltwater bath, but the bleach can be a bit more dangerous to work with, so do some research and be safe, work outdoors, wear eye protection and gloves for sure, and a respirator would be a good idea. I would personally go with the bleach cure as I think it would be fastest for you, but again, do a little research and decide if that's what's best for you. I don't think the whole "bleach cure" thing is as popular today as it was maybe 5 years ago, but to me it seems like a good fit for your situation.

I hope that helps and I am sure others will also have suggestions. Good luck with your project!

 

[Devaji]

the tank looks like it in ruff shape, I get it a free tank is a free tank. but sometimes one ends up spending more on life support than just getting a new tank.

I guess the weekend has come and gone. how did it go? did you get the tank.
I would water test it out side for24-48 hr make sure it level tho, or you could be the causes of the leak.
after that i would inspect the tank. those stands are not know for years and years of life. look like there has been some water damage or salt spray. give it a good cleaning and see if it up for the challenge of a few more years of service.

I agree with above about the rock. both options are good. there is another but VERY risky if not donr properly and safty gear is a must. that is muriatic acid. it will eat away the outer layer of rock and leave you with bright white rock.
But again read up on it. the stuff is no joke.

next I would think long and hard about what fish you want. give it a few weeks, this will save you time and money in the long run. IMHO 75 tall is somewhat of a small tank for a FOWLR aggressive build. but that's just me.
if you have the space pick up a 6' 125 from petco drill it and make a DIY stand. use the 75 tall as you sump or better yet a display macro algae tank tied into the 125

just me thoughts tho and what the heck do I know...

now to your question.
I like the idea of frogfish but ehy dont move around and you might get board with them after some time.
good luck!

 

[Fish Fan]

I agree with above about the rock. both options are good. there is another but VERY risky if not donr properly and safty gear is a must. that is muriatic acid. it will eat away the outer layer of rock and leave you with bright white rock.
But again read up on it. the stuff is no joke.

Great reply! I didn't want to mention the acid cure because, as you said, the muriatic acid is NO JOKE. I think it's more dangerous than the bleach cure method. And, I've tried it and I don't get it. Yes, it dissolves the outmost layer of rock and attached organics, but you are literally dissolving away your rock. You can lose from 10-25% of your rock in an acid bath very quickly. Now, the OP is getting their rock for free, but why buy rock by the pound only to lose as much as 20% or more of it to the acid bath? Furthermore, and again I'm no expert, but I believe organics can be bound up deep in the rock, not just on the outmost layer. For these reasons, I think the bleach cure is the better way to go. Of course, just using saltwater is the safest, most natural way to go. Either way, I think the OP needs to get the dead organics off of their rock before proceeding with a tank build.

 

[Devaji]

Great reply! I didn't want to mention the acid cure because, as you said, the muriatic acid is NO JOKE. I think it's more dangerous than the bleach cure method. And, I've tried it and I don't get it. Yes, it dissolves the outmost layer of rock and attached organics, but you are literally dissolving away your rock. You can lose from 10-25% of your rock in an acid bath very quickly. Now, the OP is getting their rock for free, but why buy rock by the pound only to lose as much as 20% or more of it to the acid bath? Furthermore, and again I'm no expert, but I believe organics can be bound up deep in the rock, not just on the outmost layer. For these reasons, I think the bleach cure is the better way to go. Of course, just using saltwater is the safest, most natural way to go. Either way, I think the OP needs to get the dead organics off of their rock before proceeding with a tank build.

100% agree

 

[mrjohnreed]

Thanks for everyone's replies on this build. I did pickup the tank over the weekend and began working slowly on finding out what works and what doesn't work with all the equipment that I was given. I did water test both the 75 gallon tank and the 20 gallon sump. Unfortunately the sump had a slow leak so I picked up a new 20 long from petco for $28. Not too bad of an initial investment. I have the kit to DIY the baffles for the new sump. I will be working on those this weekend.
The rock is already in saltwater and am curing it naturally. I have it in 2 big bins I had and added heaters and a power head to each bin. I'm going slow on this tank so I'm in no rush to get the rock into the tank. Once I have the sump together and in place, I'm going to finish cleaning the 75 gallon and hopefully get it on the stand this weekend and then start the plumbing portion of this build. The stand has been reinforced, cleaned and repainted also this past weekend.
I was looking at a predator tank but am still tossing that idea around. I was however thinking about going bare bottom on this tank. Any livestock that I place in the tank will not need sand.
So my next question would be, has anyone done a bare bottom Reef or FOWLR tank? If so, what is your experience on cycling the tank and maintenance on the tank?

 

[Fish Fan]

Thanks for everyone's replies on this build. I did pickup the tank over the weekend and began working slowly on finding out what works and what doesn't work with all the equipment that I was given. I did water test both the 75 gallon tank and the 20 gallon sump. Unfortunately the sump had a slow leak so I picked up a new 20 long from petco for $28. Not too bad of an initial investment. I have the kit to DIY the baffles for the new sump. I will be working on those this weekend.
The rock is already in saltwater and am curing it naturally. I have it in 2 big bins I had and added heaters and a power head to each bin. I'm going slow on this tank so I'm in no rush to get the rock into the tank. Once I have the sump together and in place, I'm going to finish cleaning the 75 gallon and hopefully get it on the stand this weekend and then start the plumbing portion of this build. The stand has been reinforced, cleaned and repainted also this past weekend.
I was looking at a predator tank but am still tossing that idea around. I was however thinking about going bare bottom on this tank. Any livestock that I place in the tank will not need sand.
So my next question would be, has anyone done a bare bottom Reef or FOWLR tank? If so, what is your experience on cycling the tank and maintenance on the tank?

Great to hear you picked up the tank! Sounds like you are very much on the right track, in my non-expert opinion. There's going to be a lot of work cleaning and testing equipment, and getting the tank, stand and plumbing setup. so it's a great idea to let your rock cycle or "cook" or whatever you want to call it while you're working on the rest of your build.

Good luck, and please post updates!

 

[mrjohnreed]

Update on tank progress. I have the new sump in place an awaiting plumbing at this moment. Got the display tank cleaned up and ready to go. Was working on the Durso pipe as well as the return pipe in the tank and when I added water to this area I found that the bulkhead for the return line was not holding water. The bulkhead is 3/4 inch but the hoke for it in the tabk is a 1 inch hole. So I had to go and purchase a new bulkhead so I just ordered 2 for the tank to change out the original 1 inch bulkhead that came with the tank. Should be here this week and hopefully will get plumbing done and put water in the tank! Fingers crossed.

 

[nuxx]

Dwarf lion?

 

[mrjohnreed]

Dwarf lion?

I live in Florida so shipping any type of Lion Fish from what I can tell is not able to be done due to the invasiveness of the fish. I did however see one in my LFS and found out it was someone who had the lion fish for a while and just turned it in. I was looking at Dwarf Lionfish for this tank but doesn't look like it will be doable.

 

[mrjohnreed]

Update on tank....
So we have finally gotten to a point in the tank rehab on this 75 gallon tank that I received for free. It has been a slow journey but we are working our way to the finish line. So the original thought was a fish only predator tank. But more and more I look at the tank I decided to go for a soft coral reef tank and I may just mix in some macroalgae also into the tank. I have really liked seeing the Caribbean Bio Tope tank setups so that may be an option as well. Anyway...I have included a couple after pics to see where the tank So far has progressed to from where it started earlier in this thread. Right now I am still working on eliminating some of the floating Oolite from when the sand was placed in the tank. (Will not use Oolite again) In the sump I will have a refugium in the middle and have room to add in a protein skimmer if needed. Right now just have pads in the first chamber to pull out as much debris as possible.

 

[lion king]

The term "predator" gets thrown around alot, a tall tank will be difficult for most predators. You could look at some scorps, maybe even an angler, the length is really limiting to even dwarf lions. Any of these predators will greatly limit the inclusion of many other fish that would be happy in that footprint. The best use of a tall tank is a seahorse tank. A tall tank is really a prerequisite for a seahorse tank, and this is usually the 1st mistake many make when they try.

 

[Readywriter]

When I was 15 I picked up a used 30 long that was in just as rough shape. Cleaned the snot out of it with vinegar, cut the silicone away without dismantling the glass and resealed it. Had it good as new and it turned into my favorite tank. So dont get discouraged about the shape the tank is in.

As far as footprint goes, thats small for most preds and really its small for a lot of things. If that was my tank to set up I would do it pretty much the same way that it is already aquascaped, an old school 1.5 lbs per gallon rock wall and stick with 3" as max fish size maybe throw some low light softies in it.

But if you are set on preds, a dwarf lion and a snowflake eel would be pushing it but I think it would work fine and they are both cool fish with a ton of character that can be trained.

 

[Readywriter]

Whoops didnt see this post. I agree thats going to be the most pleasant way to use this tank.

 

[Spare time]

So tommorrow is the day that I pickup the tank that I am inheriting. The rock that comes with it was live at one time but has been dry for an extended amount of time. I will have to see the state that it's in and then setup a way to get it into some water to start to go from dry rock to live rock again. I have been researching this extensively since I usually just purchase live rock from my LFS. Has anyone had experience with old dry rock that was once live rock? What method did you use?

EDIT: I just saw the date of the post, whoops. Anyways I'll keep this here haha

To turn used dry rock into live rock, you can do the following

1. Clean it with a powerwash and/or something like hydrogen peroxide, bleach, or acid to remove any dead matter on it. Rinse again if you use one of those

2. Put it in a bucket or bin with a heater (set to something like 81F to speed things up) and a pump. Add a bottle of some bacteria or live rock/rubble (if you prefer that route) and then simply wait till the ammonia and nitrate stop rising. Remember, if you add live rock/rubble and you want to keep anything photosynthetic alive on it, you need to have a light over the rock.

3. I like to run carbon. GFO isn't a bad idea to mix in if you think lots of organics are going to break down and release phosphate.


4. Good to go!