Help me build a ultra low maintenance 75 gallon mixed reef!!!

[Jake55forlife]

Honestly, I wouldn't cycle with fish but clowns and other damsels are quite hardy. I used live rock and sand for four months, hermits for one month, hardy fish for another, then my baby eel for two months until I added coral. My parameters are near perfect and stable, lots of time but it did it

and do you have any tips on adding/keeping eels. i tried once in a 29 gallon with lots of rock and he died with in 2 day?????? i tried to tong feed him a shrimp but he wouldn't eat.

 

[Bryce M.]

Hm, with a new eel I wouldn't try to force feed them, especially if they are new to captive. I feed mine freshwater half shelled clams, I hand feed but only because we have bonded. How big was the shrimp? May of been too small or too big for it. Smaller pieces are hard for eels to find so bigger is better. I think krill is good but I prefer clams because it helps them crunch them and it's pretty cool to hear a huge crunch from the aquarium. What type of eel was it? With the rock don't just put a giant thing in there, aquascape it so there is a lot of caves, make sure their whole body is covered. A tight canopy is a must, I got mine very domesticated so he's never tried to escape but he's pretty weird and for the most part eels are escape artists, if you think a hole is small enough, it's not, it will get through. I was watching planet earth one day and some sally light foot crabs jumped across rocks, then a transeleta eel climbed up a 5 foot rock above the water and slipped right through a tiny crack and caught up with the crab. They can go anywhere they want. Good filtration is a must, they can be messy, like I said they can't go after small pieces. For a reef the only true reef safe is the zebra, they are super timid. As a juvenile, nothing smaller than 40-45, but as an adult they need about a 150. They can get about 5'.

 

[MSB123]

and do you have any tips on adding/keeping eels. i tried once in a 29 gallon with lots of rock and he died with in 2 day?????? i tried to tong feed him a shrimp but he wouldn't eat.

Eels aren’t a good fish for a ULM tank. They need to be fed food manually, and make a lot of waste.

 

[Bryce M.]

Eels aren’t a good fish for a ULM tank. They need to be fed food manually, and make a lot of waste.

Lot's of waste but my ULN tank is pretty easy to maintain honestly but it required a lot of money and initial work. Other than hand feeding and an occasional cave clean, he's not that bad.

 

[MSB123]

Lot's of waste but my ULN tank is pretty easy to maintain honestly but it required a lot of money and initial work. Other than hand feeding and an occasional cave clean, he's not that bad.

How ULM is your tank? What I think of a ULM tank is kind of like what I have. I touch the tank once a week to clean film algae and the once a month to refill my auto feeders and my fridge (for refilling bottles of phyto)

 

[Bryce M.]

I clean it about once a week, every couple month I replace filters, don't have to do water changes a lot, parameters stay steady for a long while without changes. Hand feeding every night but that's it. To me, it's not a lot.

How ULM is your tank? What I think of a ULM tank is kind of like what I have. I touch the tank once a week to clean film algae and the once a month to refill my auto feeders and my fridge (for refilling bottles of phyto)

 

[MSB123]

I clean it about once a week, every couple month I replace filters, don't have to do water changes a lot, parameters stay steady for a long while without changes. Hand feeding every night but that's it. To me, it's not a lot.

Ok. I run a full sps/lps reef with clams and anenomes so I try to completely minimize the things i need to do such as dosing and doing water changes. I have a AWC set up that changes 2.5 gallons a day (1%)

 

[Bryce M.]

Ok. I run a full sps/lps reef with clams and anenomes so I try to completely minimize the things i need to do such as dosing and doing water changes. I have a AWC set up that changes 2.5 gallons a day (1%)

I want an AWC but honestly I don't think there is a need for one

 

[Bryce M.]

Ok. I run a full sps/lps reef with clams and anenomes so I try to completely minimize the things i need to do such as dosing and doing water changes. I have a AWC set up that changes 2.5 gallons a day (1%)

For me at least

 

[Jake55forlife]

Just finished setting up my 75 gallon with a very nice stand and half inch glass for 400$ I just added a couple new peices of dry rock and and some very mature bio media. How long should a wait to break down my other tank add the live rock, fish and coral? And I added a bottle of bottled bacteria form Mr.tims

 

[Jake55forlife]

For me at least

Please read my post above

 

[Jake55forlife]

Ok. I run a full sps/lps reef with clams and anenomes so I try to completely minimize the things i need to do such as dosing and doing water changes. I have a AWC set up that changes 2.5 gallons a day (1%)

Same with you. You both seem very knowledgeable and it would help me out alot

 

[MSB123]

Same with you. You both seem very knowledgeable and it would help me out alot

No problem! Just reach out if you need any help/ info!

 

[Jake55forlife]

No problem! Just reach out if you need any help/ info!

thanks! so just finished setting up my 75 and added a bottle of bacteria and some very mature bio media. how long should i wait to break down my other tank and add that sand,live rock and a pair of clownish?

 

[MSB123]

thanks! so just finished setting up my 75 and added a bottle of bacteria and some very mature bio media. how long should i wait to break down my other tank and add that sand,live rock and a pair of clownish?

What test kits do you have? Who makes them?
I would wait at least 2 weeks, and then do a full water test, and then do a 20 % water change. If there is no ammonia or nitrite after the 2 weeks, then you can add fish.

 

[Jake55forlife]

What test kits do you have? Who makes them?
I would wait at least 2 weeks, and then do a full water test, and then do a 20 % water change. If there is no ammonia or nitrite after the 2 weeks, then you can add fish.

Api and nitrates, phos, alk, amoina. And i was planing on wating 48 hours testing and and if its all good im gooing to had a cery well feed 6 line and wait a couple weeks for it to srable out.