Building 75g Reef Tank

Kinnu · Dec 2, 2020

Hello!

I am currently building a Saltwater tank and would like some experienced eyes to see if I am missing anything. I currently have a Marineland 75 Gal tank that my wife surprised me with. I am new to saltwater builds, so please bear with me.

Current list to buy:

LiquaGen New Super Flow Reverse Osmosis and Deionization RO/DI Water Filter System | Pressure Gauge with Float Valve - 100 GPD
Bubble Magus BM-Curve 5 Protein Skimmer or AquaTop Xyclone Protein Skimmer
Marineland Magniflow Canister Filter for Aquariums
EPTTECH Aquarium Marine Reef Fish Tank Automatic Auto Top Off
1. I plan to have 2 sealed buckets in the stand to hold a reservoir of water for it to pull from
Eheim Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater
AQUANEAT Aquarium Circulation Pump

Optional:

Fiji Cube AIO Box All-in-One Kit 3rd Gen
1. Just to keep most things hidden

I'll have the two test kits (Aquarium/Reef), Refactor, Thermometer, Siphon kit, scraper. I'm not sure which sand to get at this time, I would prefer to get it in black if I could. I also need to find some good Reef to grow the coral on. I did not go with a Sump tank this time due to space. The stand, as you can see in the link, doesn't have a good area for it that I could find. I figured, as long as I mix the correct water in the Buckets for the auto top off, it should be fine.

I plan to have fish, coral, and Inverts. An eel would be cool but I don't think the tank would be appropriately sized and I figured they would munch on the fish. I am unsure as to the combo of fish, coral, and inverts as I have not fully looked at the compatibility chart.

I am here asking for suggestions on if this build is appropriate and some possible combinations on the fish coral and Inverts.

I appreciate any and all help.

Kinnu · Dec 3, 2020

Is bumping allowed? Hopefully :3

Ckdada · Dec 3, 2020

Sounds Fun! Starting a reef tank is not cheap. But, if I could go back in time, I would buy the quality equipment first. When you keep having to buy "cheap" equipment over and over it gets frustrating and pricey. A 75 gallon seems perfect to start, you will also need lighting. Look on offerup or craigslist to find a lot of used equipment. Some AI primes or Kessils would be great on that tank! For sand, caribsea has a black sand that looks nice, there is some downsides but sand is sand, as long as its not too fine its good.

Ckdada · Dec 3, 2020

Ckdada said:
Sounds Fun! Starting a reef tank is not cheap. But, if I could go back in time, I would buy the quality equipment first. When you keep having to buy "cheap" equipment over and over it gets frustrating and pricey. A 75 gallon seems perfect to start, you will also need lighting. Look on offerup or craigslist to find a lot of used equipment. Some AI primes or Kessils would be great on that tank! For sand, caribsea has a black sand that looks nice, there is some downsides but sand is sand, as long as its not too fine its good.

Also binge watch Bulk Reef Supply on youtube.

nereefpat · Dec 3, 2020

75 gallon is a great tank. Reef or fish only?

Are you going to have a sump? The skimmer you picked needs to be in one. I would do a regular sump over that Fiji thing.

Skip the canister filter.
I would look at some different powerheads. Those are really small. You want to start with at least 20x turnover, or 1500 gph total from powerheads/wavemakers.

argiBK · Dec 3, 2020

Welcome to the hobby and Reef2Reef!

Overall, I think you're heading in the right direction, I do have a couple suggestions:

Since you'll be running a sump (which is required for your skimmer), I'd recommend nixing the canister filter and upgrading your protein skimmer.
- I ran a Curve 5 on my old 30 gallon tank, for which is was more than adequate, for a 75 gallon, it may squeak by, but if you want to eventually go with more demanding corals, a Curve 7 would keep you in a safer zone for exporting waste and nutrients (I run a Curve 7 Elite and it works great on my 80 gallon mixed reef).
- Ultimately, you can run all the filter/scrubbing media from the canister filter in the sump and have more flexibility/control over how you're positioning the media in the line of the water flow as well.
Great choice on the heaters, I would purchase 2x 150w heaters as that will give you more control over the temperature and contingencies/insurance in case one heater fails
Also would recommend upgrading your powerheads. I used to use Aquaneats to mix salt for water changes, and they probably didn't last more than 4-6 months each.
- Hydor Koralias or Tunze Turbelles are great and not as expensive as Ecotechs or AIs

Also, be sure to check the Dry Goods Classifieds here on R2R (or your local Reef Club board), there's often great, lightly used equipment for sale at a fraction of the price for new.

Best of luck!

Kinnu · Dec 3, 2020

Ckdada said:
Sounds Fun! Starting a reef tank is not cheap. But, if I could go back in time, I would buy the quality equipment first. When you keep having to buy "cheap" equipment over and over it gets frustrating and pricey. A 75 gallon seems perfect to start, you will also need lighting. Look on offerup or craigslist to find a lot of used equipment. Some AI primes or Kessils would be great on that tank! For sand, caribsea has a black sand that looks nice, there is some downsides but sand is sand, as long as its not too fine its good.

Ill definitely look into those suggestions! I just thought black sand would look aesthetically pleasing!

nereefpat said:
75 gallon is a great tank. Reef or fish only?

Are you going to have a sump? The skimmer you picked needs to be in one. I would do a regular sump over that Fiji thing.

Skip the canister filter.
I would look at some different powerheads. Those are really small. You want to start with at least 20x turnover, or 1500 gph total from powerheads/wavemakers.

Both Reef and fish! Is there an issue with the canister? I was reading that it is a good way to filter it all. As for the skimmer, Ill have to choose a different one since I don't have room for a sump yet sadly. Thank you for the suggestion on the Powerheads!

ARGiBK said:
Welcome to the hobby and Reef2Reef!

Overall, I think you're heading in the right direction, I do have a couple suggestions:

Since you'll be running a sump (which is required for your skimmer), I'd recommend nixing the canister filter and upgrading your protein skimmer.

I ran a Curve 5 on my old 30 gallon tank, for which is was more than adequate, for a 75 gallon, it may squeak by, but if you want to eventually go with more demanding corals, a Curve 7 would keep you in a safer zone for exporting waste and nutrients (I run a Curve 7 Elite and it works great on my 80 gallon mixed reef).

Ultimately, you can run all the filter/scrubbing media from the canister filter in the sump and have more flexibility/control over how you're positioning the media in the line of the water flow as well.

Great choice on the heaters, I would purchase 2x 150w heaters as that will give you more control over the temperature and contingencies/insurance in case one heater fails

Also would recommend upgrading your powerheads. I used to use Aquaneats to mix salt for water changes, and they probably didn't last more than 4-6 months each.

Hydor Koralias or Tunze Turbelles are great and not as expensive as Ecotechs or AIs

Also, be sure to check the Dry Goods Classifieds here on R2R (or your local Reef Club board), there's often great, lightly used equipment for sale at a fraction of the price for new.

Best of luck!

I sadly don't have room for a sump currently. I will look into a different skimmer, maybe a hang on one that The Fiji can cover? Would a hang-on Skimmer plus the Canister be a dumb idea? I read today about the heater issue, so I am definitely getting 2!

nereefpat · Dec 3, 2020

Kinnu said:
Is there an issue with the canister? I was reading that it is a good way to filter it all.

For the most part, people with salt tanks don't use 'filters.' Powerheads, rock, sand, skimmers, and sometimes algae scrubbers are the standard practice.

argiBK · Dec 3, 2020

Kinnu said:
I will look into a different skimmer, maybe a hang on one that The Fiji can cover? Would a hang-on Skimmer plus the Canister be a dumb idea?

If you're going to go All In One (AIO) through the Fiji Insert it will serve the same/similar purpose of the sump, albeit you'll be limited the size of skimmer you can use (if you want to put one in one of the Fiji's chambers).

For me, AIO would still override the need for a canister filter as you can drop media in various places in the water flow still. While they work great for FW systems, they end up being redundant for most SW systems because of the sump or back chambers in AIO.

What I would consider in place of a cannister (if/when the need arises) might be a media reactor, if you want to maximize media's effectiveness (e.g. Carbon). These can be purchased as HOB as well.

For the skimmer, not super familiar with the AquaTops. As 75 gallons, I'd recommend taking a look at the Reef Octopus HOBs, they're more expensive, but a much better investment in the long-run. I don't think the Fiji would inhibit the use of a skimmer, just make sure the skimmer's intake/pump submersed!

Kinnu · Dec 3, 2020

nereefpat said:
For the most part, people with salt tanks don't use 'filters.' Powerheads, rock, sand, skimmers, and sometimes algae scrubbers are the standard practice.

I was unaware of that. When you look at videos explaining everything you just always see multiple multiple filters of all kinds it seems haha

ARGiBK said:
If you're going to go All In One (AIO) through the Fiji Insert it will serve the same/similar purpose of the sump, albeit you'll be limited the size of skimmer you can use (if you want to put one in one of the Fiji's chambers).

For me, AIO would still override the need for a canister filter as you can drop media in various places in the water flow still. While they work great for FW systems, they end up being redundant for most SW systems because of the sump or back chambers in AIO.

What I would consider in place of a cannister (if/when the need arises) might be a media reactor, if you want to maximize media's effectiveness (e.g. Carbon). These can be purchased as HOB as well.

For the skimmer, not super familiar with the AquaTops. As 75 gallons, I'd recommend taking a look at the Reef Octopus HOBs, they're more expensive, but a much better investment in the long-run. I don't think the Fiji would inhibit the use of a skimmer, just make sure the skimmer's intake/pump submersed!

I do like that skimmer. The comline looks like it would fit Fiji as well. Regardless, the Fiji would still hide the hob. Ill probably go with This one or the one below it if I can find them in stock.

As for lighting, since I'm assuming the light that came with the Tank will be unable to grow coral, I was thinking of going with This one. Reading the reviews it would seem it does the job and it won't break the bank right away.

As for the wavemaker, This one seemed to meet the GPH target to work for now and I would upgrade in the future. Unless that's stupid haha. I really do appreciate all of you taking your time to help me here. I am excited to get it started.

Jrexasaurud · Dec 9, 2020

I got the same aquarium on Black Friday and have been trying to figure out what I need too. I was going to use a canister filter but after doing some research it looks to be the wrong direction. The problem I’m having is that the stand doesn’t offer that much room for a sump. Looks like I’ll have to figure out a way to cut the stand up without it looking terrible. For the lights I’m going to go with Visparspectras at Amazon. They seem to be that that sweet spot of cost to performance. That’s about as far as I gotten.