Build thread - converting 75 gallons fresh to salty

[Idech]

Following!

I’m here for this journey; please try not to give up with saltwater. I know, easier said than done, but I just want you to know I’m here with you.

Curious, what dinos are you dealing with? Just curious. I won’t give any unsolicited advice.

The first time they responded to black-out and I never checked under microscope.

The second time I had a microscope and checked and they were prorocentrum (id’ed here). Black-out did not work.

This time I haven’t checked yet. I’m just a little tired of it. It’s slowly getting worse and not responding to my dosing silicates.

Really, if you have advice, shoot !

 

[Miami Reef]

The first time they responded to black-out and I never checked under microscope.

The second time I had a microscope and checked and they were prorocentrum (id’ed here). Black-out did not work.

This time I haven’t checked yet. I’m just a little tired of it. It’s slowly getting worse and not responding to my dosing silicates.

Really, if you have advice, shoot !

I don’t know anything about Dinos. All I know is that I don’t want them!


I’m mainly here for the ride.

 

[Idech]

I think dinos are slowly fading. Not sure and afraid to really look.

I have a new fish but it’s having problems so I won’t talk about it for now as I’m scared it won’t make it.

I also got a BTA today. I drove 30 minutes to get some frozen fish frenzy and while I was there, was looking for something to buy to make my trip worth it. Too early for more fish, corals didn’t appeal to me but they had really nice orange bubble tip anemones ! 25$ for a small, 45$ for a medium and 85$ for a large one. I chose medium.

It’s moving right now so I have no idea where it’s going to end up. I really like the spot I chose for it but hey, I’m not the one to decide !

Here it is in the bag :

And in my tank after a few hours. I had to remove the power heads to make protectors so it hasn’t had stable flow.

The protectors. They are ugly but will do the job until I find something nicer. No rush. Safety over looks.

 

[Idech]

The BTA has moved a little bit. It looks very pretty. I hope it stays where it is as it’s a spot I like very much, and it might help the xenia not grow as much.

 

[Miami Reef]

The anemone looks really good!

 

[AdamR0331]

That’s it, I’m hooked ! I set up my Fluval Evo 13.5 last February and it’s going well so I want bigger.

I’ve looked at many possible options but I’ve decided to convert my 75 gallons African cichlids tank to a reef tank. This tank was bought less than a year ago and it would have felt like throwing money out the window to get rid of it. It’s only con, no possibility of having a sump because there is no room in the cabinet.

After doing much research, I found a trio made by Tunze that is perfect for sumpless reef water tanks. It’s very popular in Europe, where they don’t use sumps as much. This pack, called Reefpack 500, is impossible to buy in Canada, so I’m buying all components separately.

What I have and will reuse :
- 75 gallons tank
- cabinet
- 2 x 200 watts Eheim heaters
- Inkbird temp controller
- 75 lbs of Florida rocks (I will clean it outside and dry it in the sun)
- 80 lbs of aragonite sand (I will do a very thorough cleaning and drying in the sun for many days as well)
- AI Nero 3
- AI Prime 16 HD
- About 15 lbs of rocks that are starting to grow coralline algae in my EVO
- Ground probe
- GFCI outlet
- Koralia 3rd gen 2450 gph powerhead (I might not use it)

For testing, I have so far :
- API master test kit (just for ball park)
- Salifert Phosphate test
- Hanna High range nitrate checker
- Hydrometer

What I need to buy :
- Another AI Prime 16 HD and support
- AI Nero 5
- The Tunze trio, consisting of :

Comline multifilter 3168 (ordered from Ebay, there are none in Canada)
Comline skimmer 9012 with controller
Osmolator 3155
And I also need a reservoir with a volume of 27 liters (7.1 USgal.) to hold the refill water.

All of this will cost me just a little under 2 000$ CAD. It seems like a lot for a conversion but I’m hard set on getting AI and Tunze products, which cost more but seem of greater quality and offer total control via user friendly apps (for AI).

My next steps :
- Rehoming the fish
- Emptying and cleaning the tank
- Refilling the tank with RO/Di and salt mix and keeping it moving
- Cleaning and drying the rocks and sand (will take at least a week)
- Building the aquascape
- Cycling with temporary filter until I get Comline 3168
- Installing equipment

Meanwhile, I’m also going to do research on what fish and cuc I want.

I can’t wait to start ! The rehoming should take place next week, so it will all start right after.

I just switched my 20 gallon from fresh to salt and its best thing I've ever done , I currently have a 75 in my room that's fresh with Oscar , redtail catfish , Bala shark , and other large fish but its getting old and I'm planning to possibly change it to salt , question for you are you going to do a sump on 75? or canister ? what's your filtration method for where you switch

 

[Idech]

I just switched my 20 gallon from fresh to salt and its best thing I've ever done , I currently have a 75 in my room that's fresh with Oscar , redtail catfish , Bala shark , and other large fish but its getting old and I'm planning to possibly change it to salt , question for you are you going to do a sump on 75? or canister ? what's your filtration method for where you switch

If you look at the first pages of the thread, you’ll see pictures of my equipment.

I have no sump, as it was not recommended to drill my tank. I also feel not having a sump is one less risk of a leak. Even though sometimes I wish I had one for the simplicity of it.

I wouldn’t use a canister in a reef tank. I always did with my freshwater tanks and I really like them. But in a reef, you need to be able to change your media often (poly fill or other) and I wouldn’t want to open a canister every 4-5 days to do so. It takes me 10 seconds to change my media with the filter I chose.

So I bought a Tunze docline 9012 DC skimmer and a Tunze 3168 comline internal filter. They work great as a pair and although not used very often in North America, they are popular in Europe. Tunze is a very reliable brand. I also got the Tunze 3155 ATO. In Europe they sell you all three pieces of equipment as a bundle but I had to buy them separately.

It’s been 16 months and I would definitely buy them again if I had to start over.

 

[Fish Styx]

That’s it, I’m hooked ! I set up my Fluval Evo 13.5 last February and it’s going well so I want bigger.

I’ve looked at many possible options but I’ve decided to convert my 75 gallons African cichlids tank to a reef tank. This tank was bought less than a year ago and it would have felt like throwing money out the window to get rid of it. It’s only con, no possibility of having a sump because there is no room in the cabinet.

After doing much research, I found a trio made by Tunze that is perfect for sumpless reef water tanks. It’s very popular in Europe, where they don’t use sumps as much. This pack, called Reefpack 500, is impossible to buy in Canada, so I’m buying all components separately.

What I have and will reuse :
- 75 gallons tank
- cabinet
- 2 x 200 watts Eheim heaters
- Inkbird temp controller
- 75 lbs of Florida rocks (I will clean it outside and dry it in the sun)
- 80 lbs of aragonite sand (I will do a very thorough cleaning and drying in the sun for many days as well)
- AI Nero 3
- AI Prime 16 HD
- About 15 lbs of rocks that are starting to grow coralline algae in my EVO
- Ground probe
- GFCI outlet
- Koralia 3rd gen 2450 gph powerhead (I might not use it)

For testing, I have so far :
- API master test kit (just for ball park)
- Salifert Phosphate test
- Hanna High range nitrate checker
- Hydrometer

What I need to buy :
- Another AI Prime 16 HD and support
- AI Nero 5
- The Tunze trio, consisting of :

Comline multifilter 3168 (ordered from Ebay, there are none in Canada)
Comline skimmer 9012 with controller
Osmolator 3155
And I also need a reservoir with a volume of 27 liters (7.1 USgal.) to hold the refill water.

All of this will cost me just a little under 2 000$ CAD. It seems like a lot for a conversion but I’m hard set on getting AI and Tunze products, which cost more but seem of greater quality and offer total control via user friendly apps (for AI).

My next steps :
- Rehoming the fish
- Emptying and cleaning the tank
- Refilling the tank with RO/Di and salt mix and keeping it moving
- Cleaning and drying the rocks and sand (will take at least a week)
- Building the aquascape
- Cycling with temporary filter until I get Comline 3168
- Installing equipment

Meanwhile, I’m also going to do research on what fish and cuc I want.

I can’t wait to start ! The rehoming should take place next week, so it will all start right after.

Congrats and welcome to the addiction!

 

[Idech]

I was treating the DT with Ruby Reef rally pro (received frozen, but still tried) for a bacterial infection on the new kole tang and Polyp Lab Medic for ich on the same fish.

The anemone wasn’t very happy and started retracting into its foot and being small. 2 days ago was the last of 3 doses of Ruby Reef rally pro and this morning was the last dose of Polyp Lab Medic. So yesterday I dosed Microbacter 7 (water was a bit cloudy), dosed plankton, waited 4 hours and turned the skimmer back on before going to bed. I also added carbon to my filter.

This morning the water is very clear and the BTA is displaying bubble tips again. It had lost them while I was treating with Ruby Reef rally pro. I am so happy about that !

I’m letting the carbon work again today and will do a small water change tomorrow.

The only acan left I have really hates Polyp lab Medic. It hadn’t gotten over the first time I dosed so this time it might just not make it. That was the price to pay to help this new fish. Sometimes we have tough decisions to make, but I’ll always choose a fish over a coral.

Oh, and by the way, I love Microbacter 7 and won’t ever be without it again. It made my water crystal clear again in less than a day.

 

[Idech]

I have done my second prazipro treatment, in case there are eggs. I did a 14 + 4 gallons WC after the first one, to help the anemone that had been closed up for 4-5 days. It opened up again and I was expecting it to close up again with the second dose. It did, but only partially and only for a few hours. I was really happy about that !

It has moved to the back of the rock where the non-pulsing xenia sits. I can’t see it but at least it will contain the xenia, lol !

I catched the kole tang and put it in a 5 gallons hospital tank where it is treated with copper. When I can I will move it to a 10 gallons since it’s going to be in there for 30 days. I am ramping up the Copper Power over 2-3 days so last dose tomorrow probably.

I don’t know what to do with it once it’s cured (if it heals). Rehome or attempt to put it back into the display ? I still have time to think about it.

Since losing most of my fish to disease I am pretty down about the whole thing and rethinking if I want to keep doing this. Time will tell.

 

[Idech]

I’m still going through a rough patch. After doing the second big WC after the prazipro, the BTA wasn’t happy and shrunk. I also changed salt and that made it worse.

Then I added zeolite to get rid of trace metals identified on my ICP test months ago. I didn’t rinse it enough and the water became cloudy. That ticked the BTA even more. Now it’s gone as high as it could by attaching to the pulsing xenia. Directly on it, not even in the rock. I’m wondering if I should increase light intensity, but I’m afraid to bother it even more if I do so. I’ll keep watching it.

After 17 days in copper (14 days at 2.0-2.5 ppm), the tang was starting to look worse and worse. I had read that 14 days was enough to treat so decided to put it directly into the DT. It had no signs of any parasite at all.

It’s been in the DT for 8-10 days now. After 2 days it got a few ich spots. The ich spots changed places every day and after about 7 days he had no more except maybe one spot on a fin. He was eating like a pig, 5-6 times a day. Frozen twice a day, spirulina flakes 3-4 times a day and he even tasted a little dry nori.

Now for 2 days-3 he has been darting in the rocks and hiding as soon as he sees me (before he would come up to the surface and beg for food and I would give him spirulina flakes).

Today, he stayed inside the rocks almost the whole time. He came out to grab a few bites of frozen but that’s very little food compared to what he was eating before.

I am very puzzled and worried with this behavior. I am wondering if maybe I made him sick with the flakes ? Is he getting another sort of disease in the tank ? If so why only him as the two other fish are fine ?

Besides that the big WCs brought back dinos. I have a small patch that keeps growing, near the BTA. I added silicates and it wasn’t happy about that either.

I am hoping for a break soon. It can’t always be that hard or nobody would be in this hobby…

 

[Idech]

Today the tang came out more but it’s still very skttish. I had a flash : twice in the last week I had 4 bottles of pods floating for half the day in the tank. Unfortunately I’m expecting another batch of 4 tomorrow because they weren’t all alive (both times).

I think it might be the cause of this problem. It’s probably going to make it worse again tomorrow when I get the pods but it should be the last order for a while.

The tang has a very nice deep purple color and 1-2 spots of ich, maybe. No clamped fins or anything suspicious. It might be breathing a little fast, but it can be explained by it’s fear and darting around the rocks.

More to come…

 

[Idech]

The anemone has died. Too many changes, all the time. The poor thing never stood a chance. I wish I had known before buying it.

I got a small pajama cardinal yesterday. It’s shy and staying in the corner, sometimes hanging with the big and fat banggai cardinal. It ate a bit yesterday but not today. I think it doesn’t like the garlic in the food so I’ll make some without tomorrow.

The kole tang isn’t doing its job of eating algae. I might be feeding too much spirulina flakes. He has trained me to feed him on demand. He positions himself right by the magnetic cleaner and that means he wants food.

I had lots of vermetids snails on a few corals that haven’t been doing well for so long. A frogspawn, a hammer and acan. I also had a duncan that fell, as well as the duncan. I took the opportunity to scrape all the vermetid snails I saw on the rocks, before glueing them back. I did the same for the others. Hopefully they can start growing now.

I have so much trouble handling and glueing corals. Every time I do, there is a high risk I will destroy part or all of it. I don’t know how people do it. Either I put my fingers where I shouldn’t, I put glue on their skin or polyps or I drop them on the table or even on the floor. It’s ridiculous. I probably killed 1 or 2 small heads on my hammer. :-(

Besides that I still have dinos, thanks to the 2 big WC I had to do after dosing Prazipro in the DT. Never again.

 

[seder710]

I just read through your build thread! what a roller coaster ride. I am leaning toward starting with just fish in a 40 gallon tank I already have (it was freshwater before I upgraded it to a 75gal) and get the Comline filter and ATO (that's why I started reading your thread).. after reading a little about your battle with dinos I'm a bit worried.

I hope you keep going and things start to get better.

A while back you got an eheim feeder and fluval ring for vacation... which one did you get? I'm a school so weekends and summer will be more difficult. I can come up several days a week over the summer, but its my main concern of starting into salt.

 

[Idech]

I just read through your build thread! what a roller coaster ride. I am leaning toward starting with just fish in a 40 gallon tank I already have (it was freshwater before I upgraded it to a 75gal) and get the Comline filter and ATO (that's why I started reading your thread).. after reading a little about your battle with dinos I'm a bit worried.

You have lots of patience, you will succeed in this hobby, lol ! Thanks for reading.

You won’t regret the Comline filter, it’s a great piece of equipment. I would buy it again. Don’t be worried after reading my story. As you see, I made some avoidable mistakes that you will not reproduce.

Everyone has a different journey. Start with easy corals, it is such a big part of the hobby and will bring you much joy. I try not to pay more than 50$ for one head so it’s not too bad.

I hope you keep going and things start to get better.

I will keep going. Things have been better lately because of stability. There is growth, although not amazing. It takes time. I will update and post pictures soon.

A while back you got an eheim feeder and fluval ring for vacation... which one did you get? I'm a school so weekends and summer will be more difficult. I can come up several days a week over the summer, but its my main concern of starting into salt.

I actually use both when I go on vacation. I position the ring feeder right under the Eheim feeder so the food doesn’t go all over the place and get lost in the filter or the power heads. I don’t remember which ring it was, but they all look the same. Find one at a reasonable price.

Don’t forget to do a build thread when you start and please tag me !

 

[seder710]

You have lots of patience, you will succeed in this hobby, lol ! Thanks for reading.

You won’t regret the Comline filter, it’s a great piece of equipment. I would buy it again. Don’t be worried after reading my story. As you see, I made some avoidable mistakes that you will not reproduce.

Everyone has a different journey. Start with easy corals, it is such a big part of the hobby and will bring you much joy. I try not to pay more than 50$ for one head so it’s not too bad.


I will keep going. Things have been better lately because of stability. There is growth, although not amazing. It takes time. I will update and post pictures soon.


I actually use both when I go on vacation. I position the ring feeder right under the Eheim feeder so the food doesn’t go all over the place and get lost in the filter or the power heads. I don’t remember which ring it was, but they all look the same. Find one at a reasonable price.

Don’t forget to do a build thread when you start and please tag me !

Thank you for the encouragement! I will definitely start a build thread once I get started and tag you in it. I need to refinish my tank first, its an acrylic and has some scratches before I realized what a danger the magnets were. I'm going to start slow with some fish only and then likely move toward corals. I got started with plants in my freshwater tanks last year and love the movement and natural look so I imagine I will very much want some "easy" corals.

 

[Idech]

Today I bought 2 common oscellaris clowns. A bigger one and medium one. I also got a bicolor blenny and a frag of cyphestrea while I was there. I wanted a fourth fish but didn’t see anything that I wanted. I almost bought a mandarin but it was a spotted one and I wasn’t crazy about the color.

My tank was empty with only 4 fish, especially with the firefish hiding most of the time. I’m hoping everyone will feel more at ease and come out more when the new fish have settled down.

The tang is still very skittish snd I’m hoping this will help him.

I will get another fish in a few weeks. The store is waiting for a new order that was delayed because of the heat.

I first went to my usual fish store but was appalled to see the tanks in poor condition, with some fish looking ill and even close to death. Some breathing fast, some skinny. Water was sometimes stagnant and full of debris. This is one of the main stores around here and it usually has good quality stock. I wonder what is happening. Maybe it will be closing soon. But if so, fish shouldn’t have to suffer.

So I left without buying anything and went to my other favorite store, about 20 minutes away. That’s where I bought the fish.

 

[Idech]

I This morning I bought 10 tiny frags (0,5 inch) online. They came to about 13$ each, shipping and taxes included so it’s a good deal. I bought corals I never had, except one more cyphastrea.

I should get them this week. It’s the first time I buy such small corals so we’ll see if I like it.

Here is the tank this morning. It’s 20 months old now.

 

[taulgrl]

I This morning I bought 10 tiny frags (0,5 inch) online. They came to about 13$ each, shipping and taxes included so it’s a good deal. I bought corals I never had, except one more cyphastrea.

I should get them this week. It’s the first time I buy such small corals so we’ll see if I like it.

Here is the tank this morning. It’s 20 months old now.

Your tank looks great! Fire fish made an appearance and is so cute

 

[Idech]

The blue eye kole tang is being a jerk with the clowns and the bicolor blenny. The clowns just keep going as if nothing happens after he smacks them but the blenny is scared and living in the crack between the filter and skimmer.

I knew I was adding them too late after having the tang but life happened and it was just not possible to do it sooner. I’m hopeful things will settle in a few weeks/months.

Here are my frags. I am terribly afraid they will die as it’s often hit or miss with corals in my tank. I wish I could start over without making all the mistakes I did. Oh well…