First Saltwater Tank.. Well.. First Tank Period.

[MrPiGuy]

Hello,

I’m not expecting many to read this but build threads seem like a right of passage so here we go.

I originally thought I’d start with a 40 gallon breeder. I then decided I’d do a 55 gallon tank. Then yesterday, a guy practically gives me a stocked 75 gallon tank (not drilled) and here begins my journey. The tank is 3 years old and has a juvenile emperor angelfish and tail spot blenny. I will be giving the angelfish away soon sadly due to size requirements. It also came with a 29 gallon sump which is accessed using an external overflow. I have a skimmer, and 1 large filter sock. There is also a refugium section which I have not done anything with.

The next steps for me right now are working on my aqua scape. I have about 90 pounds of rock that is already cured but just thrown in the tank for now to get it up and running. I moved it in some pretty cold weather and wanted the fish to have a fighting chance. I will put up pictures of where it started and where I am right now. I am planning to put coral in and restock as well.

My fish stocking list is...

- Tailspot Blenny (keeping the one currently in the tank)
- Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
- Royal Gramma
- Squaretail Bristletooth Tang
- Melanurus Wrasse (gamble with being too aggressive) or coral beauty (gamble with eating coral)

I also want to add an Urchin, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, and a few more snails/hermits.
If anyone has advice on adding any other CUC I'm listening.

My idea for Coral is
- GSP island rock
- Toadstool up top
- blue Xenia island rock (opposite GSP)
- Small zoa garden
- Acan
- Rhodactis mushroom on the lower rock formations
- Euphylia (unsure of what exactly yet)

 

[muggle0981]

Good luck and welcome-patience

 

[OrchidMiss]

Can't wait to see how your journey begins!
Sounds like a great beginning!

 

[BanjoBandito]

Hey, we read threads over here! Welcome!

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Welcome! Looking forward to seeing your progress!!

 

[BanjoBandito]

Hello,

I’m not expecting many to read this but build threads seem like a right of passage so here we go.

I grew up with the desire to be a marine biologist. I read a whole book series by Jacque Cousteau (been awhile since I’ve seen his name so excuse my misspelling if present). From everything I learned, I knew I loved the sea and everything in it. So what do I do? I went and joined the navy. Didn’t actually end up on a boat either which is remarkable when you think of it. Anyways, ended up a Marine base in Hawaii and fell in love with scuba diving and all the underwater sights. Fast forward some years and I find myself next to a large lake…. Don’t get me wrong, I love where I live but it isn’t the ocean. So here I am recreating a little bit of heaven in my basement. Spent the last couple years really researching and making sure I acompletely prepared for such an endeavor.

Now to the start of an actual build.
I originally thought I’d start with a 40 gallon breeder. I then decided I’d do a 55 gallon tank. Then yesterday, a guy practically gives me a 75 gallon tank (not drilled) and here begins my journey. I already have a 25 gallon tank I picked up off of someone so I’m debating just using that for my sump. I’d have to get a kit for it or buy the acrylic seperate but I feel comfortable enough with such a task. Only thing that stinks about it is I’d like a bigger sump. Just don’t want to pay for a tank.
Anyways, I’ll keep this updated as things progress (painstakingly slow) but I am excited about this adventure.

There's no set size for sumps, but the main thing you need to figure out is once all the plumbing is done and you have a power failure, can the sump hold the volume of water that will drain down? This is a painful lesson to learn. Trust me.

Drilling isn't that big of a deal if you have the tools, depending on where you live you can ask glass cutting services to do it for you or have another reefer "assist". There's HOB options too, but they don't work nearly as well and seem to be leaky problems.

The hardware/setup is one leg of the journey. I try and keep my tanks pretty simple, but on a tank that big you'll want a skimmer and some other hardware. Don't feel the need to add it all at once, and don't skimp on powerheads or skimmers.

Good luck!

 

[MrPiGuy]

So I’ve made quite a bit of headway lately. Turns out I had to move the tank again due to wife wanting it in a different spot. So I got to actually do an aquascape this time as well.

Before that I painted the back of the tank black which was a game changer. Photo below of what I used. 4 coats seemed like overkill but that was recommended so i did it anyways. Would have worked with 3 coats easy I think and could have even gotten by with two if you don’t clean the back glass. I do so that’s why I decided to.

I also was able to off load the emperor to a good home and am going to go get some new fish this weekend. I’ll probably get a pair of clowns.

I also am going to switch out my lights soon for the viparspectra I have. Before I do that I need to run a wire dedicated to the tank since it is in its permanent position now. No more extension cords!

 

[MrPiGuy]

Here is some pics before and after black background.

 

[MrPiGuy]

Also, it just finished so it is still a little cloudy but here is the new aquascape. Any advice or comments are appreciated.

 

[Fishy888]

So I’ve made quite a bit of headway lately. Turns out I had to move the tank again due to wife wanting it in a different spot. So I got to actually do an aquascape this time as well.

Before that I painted the back of the tank black which was a game changer. Photo below of what I used. 4 coats seemed like overkill but that was recommended so i did it anyways. Would have worked with 3 coats easy I think and could have even gotten by with two if you don’t clean the back glass. I do so that’s why I decided to.

I also was able to off load the emperor to a good home and am going to go get some new fish this weekend. I’ll probably get a pair of clowns.

I also am going to switch out my lights soon for the viparspectra I have. Before I do that I need to run a wire dedicated to the tank since it is in its permanent position now. No more extension cords!

How do you like the vipsrspectra? I’m considering getting one. Clowns are always a good choice unless you have a pico tank. The cloudiness should subside in a day or so. I really like your aquascape.

 

[MrPiGuy]

The jury is still out with the Viparspectra. I’ll update you this Wednesday when I get them up. I got them because I’ve heard it is the cheapest light I can get that can still allow me to effectively maintain LPS and softies.

The tank is already clear as of this morning. I’ll get a pic and post it later.

 

[Buckster]

Welcome to R2R! I have a 180 and I have a sump that will handle all the water from the overflow and probably then double that!

 

[MrPiGuy]

How do you like the vipsrspectra? I’m considering getting one. Clowns are always a good choice unless you have a pico tank. The cloudiness should subside in a day or so. I really like your aquascape.

So I have actually decided that I am a big fan of the viparspectras. The one thing that isn't as ideal is they do not have a ramp up or ramp down setting. So instead I set my blues an hour before and after my whites go on. The settings are only at 35 blue and 3 white but I have to borrow a par meter to tell whether or not it would be suitable for SPS in the future.

 

[MrPiGuy]

I actually ended up getting a melanurus wrasse since it was a steal at my LFS on black Friday. I also jumped the gun and grabbed some coral for the same reason. Currently I have stocked a Wrasse, Blenny, skunk shrimp, conch, and some snails and hermits. I think I am going to have to go get some more snails. They are awesome at clearing up spots on the rock that are breaking out in gha. But there are not enough of them.

As a result of that and dinos I'm getting a temporary Green Killing Machine 24W UV sterilizer from petco to help clear up some algae.

Due to keep a budget on this thing (wife's demands) I am taking the stocking of coral and fish slow. Lord knows I'd like to just stock it and get to the growing stage of everything. But so far my list is...
- Red Montipora
- green tipped branching hammer
- red and green blasto merletti
- yellow candy cane coral (trumpet coral)

I do have an idea on what I think I'd like to do with coral stocking. I am not set to it so any advice/alternative recommendations is always helpful.
Here is the rockscape I have decided to go with.

Here is my ideas on coral placements. (I have since this picture moved the powerhead on the back to the left side of the tank for better flow)

I found this picture on another thread but I cannot give credit as I do not remember where it was. If you know/can provide credit I'd appreciate it. Until I can figure out par myself I used the parameters of a fellow reefer and am using these PAR as a general gauge of what mine should be roughly. I am using the same settings and same lights so it should be close.

 

[MrPiGuy]

So it has been quite awhile since I have logged on and I have learned and experienced so much since then. Firstly, I have successfully learned how easy it is to just not do water changes when things are looking good! I had to convince myself to do them anyways haha.

I have also seen tremendous growth in some of my corals already compared to when I got them! YAY! I thought for sure that this would be a struggle. I believe a part of the reason I'm so successful is because the tank is many years old and the person who I bought it from did a great job with it!

My stocking list in the order they went in now is..
- Tailspot Blenny
- Melanurus wrasse
- cleaner shrimp
- Convinct Tang (Got this guy for FREE so I couldn't pass it up since it is still small)

I have officially killed my first fish too... My wife thought I was depressed for a couple days haha. I bought a diamond goby and I loved watching this little guy.. When I introduced the convict.. he got stressed and found the 1" gap in the back of the tank and plunged to his death.

I also just had my first live sale experience and it was a SUCCESS! If you have never done a live sale on here I highly recommend it.. Lots of time and energy spent but so much fun and definitely worth the prices.

Coral list now is
- green tipped hammer
- milka stylophora
- Cherry Garcia Monti Cap
- bizarro cyphastrea
- ARC Jeff's blasto Merletti
- Neon Green Candy Cane
From the sale this weekend
- ARC Lavendar Acan
- Spicy Lemon Favitie
- ARC Pomegranate Acropora
- ARC Glitzy Gonipora

Overall I'm super happy with the progression however I have had an issue with Dino's.. I am a teacher and have access to microscopes and ID'd it.. When I got the goby and installed a UV filter they went away. But once the goby passed they came back. I have the UV filter back installed and hopefully just a matter of time before things are back to being pearly white and deep purple rock.

Last thing is that I got the finger rock (dead coral??) from someone on FB marketplace for free. I think it is really cool and adds a neat dimension to the tank for now. I know that once the gonipora and the SPS take off I won't really need it for that look anymore. Should I just let it be or are there any cool ideas I should do with it?? Thanks in advance!

 

[MrPiGuy]

I'll post an updated picture here in a couple days once I get all the coral in!