Jay Duke’s 75 or 90 gallon plan/build

[Jay Duke]

Greetings all.

I’ve just recently jumped in to the community here and have to say the group of people here has been extremely welcoming and helpful.

So, without further ado, here’s my tank:

Some of you may say, “hey, that’s not a reef tank!”

First of all, your right. It’s a 35 gallon that I just switched to sand and plan on planting some low tech plants soon.

Truth is, we (my wife and I and my 10 month old son) set this up a few months ago and have been enjoying it, but I have been longingly staring at the reef tanks every time I go to the local fish store.

So I’ve been doing my research and have settled on some of the basics.

75 or 90 gallon DT because I like fish most and would love to have a few of the bigger fish like tanks and butterflies.

30 or 40 breeder sump with a nice refugium and running triton or ATI Essentials. I love the idea of limiting water changes and having a fairly stable tank.

That’s about it for now. This’ll probably take me months before I even start a cycle. Because it’s an expensive hobby and and I have an infant at home so time and money are precious, I’ll be slowing acquiring gear, hopefully used or when good sales come around. I’ve been tucking away 100 bucks a month into a savings account so should be able to at least get started in a couple months from now, but some of the bigger ticket items like a controller may have to wait.

I’d like this thread to build a plan, and let others make recommendations if I’m going i the right direction, as well as to be able to map out what I want to do.

Can’t wait to actually get started, but maybe this lesson in patience will pay off long term.

 

[SPR1968]

Hi Jay and welcome to R2R!

And that’s a great looking tank you have there and keep us posted with progress and on your jump to reef tanks as well.

And whatever you need to know just ask!

 

[Jay Duke]

Been doing lots of research lately trying to come up with a plan.

I love the look of rimless and I’ll admit the IM Nuvo 75 looks like a nice set up and I’d love the extra deep footprint but the 1000+ price tag is a bit steep.

Also the 18 inch on a standard 75/90 would fit my room better.

So that said, if I do go with a 4 foot tank I’m leaning towards AI Prime HD. I like the low profile look and shimmer you get from LED

As it’ll be a mixed tank with only a few SPS, I’m hopeful that three AI Prime HD would do it.

Any feedback on that selection would be appreciated. I’d like to keep the cost down. Any other affordable LED options? I love Kessils but for a 48 inch spread it’s pretty pricy.

 

[Jay Duke]

So I picked up a used 90 RR with an internal overflow on the left. Also with it came a 75g sump. That’s a massive sump.

But they are... um... dirty.

As you can see, it only has the two holes and they’re in the bottom. Does that cause flood danger?

Would one be my overflow and one be the return? Or one overflow and one emergency with a return being plumbed externally over the top?

The 75 is not drilled so potentially I could get rid of the 90 and just drill the 75.

Luckily I got both tanks free, and he tossed in 3 Chinese black boxes, a 300w eheim heater, and a Jaebo wavemaker all for 40 bucks. He offered me rock for free but I won’t be wet for months yet, am limited on storage, and want to start with dry rock free of potential hitch hikers and take it slow.

I also went to Costco and picked up a case of vinegar. Might need a lot....

Any suggestions on set up?

 

[Kevin Jaako]

Nice score! Lots of tanks have their holes on the bottom. I'd definitely recommend a Herbie or a Bean Animal style overflow, which means, at minimum, 2 drains. You could potentially also drill a third hole in the 90 for a return?

KJ