First Build... Need Advice!!!

bexlc

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Hi guys!

I picked up the WB Reef 70.2 and the Peninsula Mini 25 on Blue Friday (WB HD lights included). This is my first ever reef tank so please feel free to blow my plan apart lol. I have a lot of questions but I'll start with my plan and we can build up from there. I'm hoping to pick up most of my supplies during the Black Friday sales so I'm trying to hone in on what I need. This is going to be a slow build process, but that's ok. I travel fairly frequently for upwards of two weeks at a time, so the tanks need to be able to run autonomously.

Basic Plan
I'd like to tie them together into a common sump with a separate refugium. I'm planning on going with dry rock for both tanks but am still undecided on live sand. I want to minimize any hitchhikers. Any recommendations on dry rock brands or sand?

Common Sump
- Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer (size?)
- UV (size?/brand?)
- BRS 5 stage RODI 150 or 200 GPD w/TDS Monitor
- Calcium reactor (brand? size?) w/ Two Little Fish's media
- either Seachem Matrix or MarinePure plates/balls/blocks
- reef-pi controller
- AWC (brand?)
- ATO (redundant with the AWC?)
- Mixing Station
- Salt (brand?)

Refugium
- Algaebarn Ultimate Refugium Start Kit
- I have some spare 10-20 gallon tanks laying around that I could drill out for an overflow
- Return pump (size? brand?)
- Light

Reef 70.2
Mixed Reef Tank
- WB HD Light
- Powerheads (size? brand?)
- Wavemaker (size? brand?)
- Return pump (size? brand?) (QUIET is key. I've heard that SICCE are loud)
- Automatic feeder (brand?)
- Lid
Livestock
- CUC (any recommendations?)
Coral
- Toadstool
- Birdsnest
- Shrooms
- Leather
- Something that plates
- Frogspawn
- Torch
- Hammer

Peninsula Mini 25
Nem Tank
- Comes with the WB AI Prime 16HD Reef Light
- Powerheads (size? brand? nem guard?)
- Wavemaker (size? brand?)
- How am I going to tie this in? I really don't want to drill it. I could get a HOB overflow (any recommendations? size?)
- Return pump (size? brand?)
- Automatic feeder (brand?)
- Lid
Livestock
- CUC (any recommendations?)
- 2 (3?) clowns
- Rose tip or rainbow bubble nems
Coral
- Will anything survive in a nem tank?


Help me decide which tank to put the following livestock (this is just a wish list and some will have to be nixed) (in order of preference):
- Green and Ruby Red Mandarin
- Wrasse (Any recommendations on type? I love them all lol.)
- Midas Blenny
- Bicolor Blenny
- Anthias (Recommendations on type?)
- Watchman Goby and Pistol Shrimp
- Royal Gamma Basslet
- Flame Hawkfish
- Firefish
- Flame Angelfish
- Coral Beauty (maybe)
- Dottyback
- Damselfish
- Green Chromis
- Shrimp?
- Eel???
- Any other recommendations for what would work in the nem tank?

Thank you for your help! This is going to be a long awesome journey!
 
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bexlc

bexlc

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The 70.2 arrived! Just waiting for the rest of my Black Friday/Cyber Monday orders to arrive to get things started!
 

drewwCh

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hello and welcome! it's good that you've already started planning everything before starting your tank.

the only thing i'd like to is that i think that you should drill your peninsula 25 and install an overflow. as many have said in this forum and elsewhere, HOB overflows are prone to failing and backsiphoning if i'm not mistaken. and also after starting with dry rock myself, i'd reccommend that you start with live rock. getting that biodiversity with dry rock is HARD and would require a pretty long time, some hitchhikers are also pretty cool! if i were you, i'd get live rock directly from a local reefer or online from tampabaysaltwater etc.

if you really want dry rock, i would suggest going with something very porous, i myself took some rock from the beach and bleached everything.

for CUC, i've only ever had trochus snails (which are very hardworking ime) so that's what i'm recommending. i have 2 in my 30 gal they cleaned out a tank full of diatoms (i think) in just a few days! it would be better to have multiple types of snails to make sure every part of your dt is cleaned. maybe utilize ceriths or nassarius snails for the substrate, or maybe other snails for the glass.

for your nem tank, DON'T put 3 clowns in there. the least dominant one would certainly die once a pair is established. also, there is a chance that the anemones wont host the clowns, and the clowns will find another host, say a powerhead, that's totally normal.

and lastly, don't get a mandarin if you don't have a large enough pod population. that's one of the benefits of starting with live rock is that you'll jumpstart the pod growth.

good luck on your tank!
 

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