My First Reef Tank! 75 gal Build

[Dragonreef202]

Hello to a fellow 75 gallon reefer. I have 2 75 gallon aquariums. One fowlr the other is my mixed reef mostly with Zoas 1 Sps green birds nest hope he does well. I'm sure after you get your tank up and running you'll have growth and excitement from your progress

 

[Scrappy RN]

Hello and thanks for the encouragement! I can't wait to get started!

 

[Scrappy RN]

O.k., I'm finally plumbing the thing! I ended up just unscrewing the brace and moving it over. It was a lot easier than I expected!

So how straight does the drain line from the tank to the sump need to be? I was sent home with an over 2ft length of hose but it literally could only take 8" if it's plumbed straight down. I'd rather have room to move things around if it's ok not to plumb it straight in.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bronc]

O.k., I'm finally plumbing the thing! I ended up just unscrewing the brace and moving it over. It was a lot easier than I expected!

So how straight does the drain line from the tank to the sump need to be? I was sent home with an over 2ft length of hose but it literally could only take 8" if it's plumbed straight down. I'd rather have room to move things around if it's ok not to plumb it straight in.

Thanks in advance!

However you want to run it is fine.

 

[Scrappy RN]

It's up and running!! Everything seems to be working correctly. Since this is my first drilled tank/sump setup I was very nervous getting it going. I was afraid I'd either overflow something or run the pump dry, lol. But it went pretty smoothly! Can't wait for the water to clear and the temp to get up! Oh, my 16 yr old son, Connor, did the rock stacking and I had to leave the room, lol, because I was so afraid he was going to drop something! Lol! I thought he did really well for having never done this before. We left plenty of space for hiding and swimming and plenty of options for different corals to sit.

Questions:

1) The "water line" is marked on the sump by the pump end (see pic below). Is that a minimum? A max? Or just a try to keep it right here? (Aside: Whoever writes instructions for products like this should be forced to constantly attempt to assemble things following similar directions while in purgatory.)

2) The water coming out of the return is keeping up fine with the drain but doesn't seem very powerful. Is that normal or should I get a stronger pump? It's rated for 650 gph at a height of 6.5 feet--which is higher than my return is. I don't have the internal pumps/powerheads yet but will get them soon.

3) On average, about how often will I need to top off the tank? I have glass over the top and will keep the doors closed below. Setting it for 78 deg to start with. I keep my house temp around 70.

4) Do you guys buy the majority your fish locally or online? If online, who are your favorite dealers?

5) How soon do I start using the protein skimmer? I'm assuming I won't need it until after I add fish?? But then do I start it immediately or wait a little while?

Back tomorrow to straighten out those wires and make it pretty down below! Can't stand the mess but I'm too tired to keep going this evening.

 

[Timothy Butler]

A 75 gallon tank is a good starting place I know the mini cubes everybody has those are cool place I buy and sell corals to has his preference of no smaller than 75 gallons for a good reef tank to have room for corals to grow you're getting into a great Hobby especially if you enjoy it I have for 17 years and I've also known people to do it for 3 years abandon everything be proud you do a special service to the environment people are talking about home reef tank hobbyists when the oceans are right for the corals to read Zoom growth and sustainability they say weed the reef tank people we'll give them the seeds 4 new reefs all around the world we are keeping a dying breed of animal alive in our tanks that cannot make it in most circumstances like you very Barrier Reef I am proud of what I do and I will share my knowledge with anyone who has an open mind always Google and always I don't know how many people on here don't understand and isolation tank I use mine every time I am going to introduce a new specimen isolated for 10 days to look for parasites and disease it's too easy and I've seen it a lot people buy Coral from the store go home put it in there main tank then they get a coral kill off if you don't learn anything from what I have to say learn to keep a thriving tank that takes care of itself if you have the right clean up crew and feed fish limitedly and Target feeds your corals so you can bud aquaculture split corals two make many many of the same endangered species I sell back to my Coral dealer love the hobby urine have a great passion for it but remember after all the work and time you can sit back at night and watch a beautiful ecosystem working in harmony

 

[Timothy Butler]

I had to Fluval 25000 Kelvins LED lights and it was burning my SPS corals and providing too much light to the bottom or my LPS are they gave me a Wi-Fi timer it didn't work I went back to metal halide I do miss the power savings with the LED and the heat that won't sink into your tank from the cool LED light but I found it very difficult and I've been in this hobby for 17 years to maintain any type of a healthy specimen under LEDs they would all shrink up my LPS and my SPS is we're getting burned at the tips I could not find the equilibrium so I went back to what I know 17 years of metal halide never let me down so good luck if you decide LEDs and if you want I got a pair for sale

 

[Scrappy RN]

Thank you, Timothy. I've been fish keeping for around 15 years but this is my first reef tank. I had a small FOWLR tank quite a while back but it didn't survive a move and I never set one back up. The majority of my experience is with freshwater fish. I still actually have a couple of small freshwater tanks set up and running.

I am definitely going to be using an isolation tank. I've read too many horror stories about crashed tanks and dead fish/corals and I'm a pretty cautious person by nature anyway, lol. I've actually had the QT longer than I've had the 75 gal DT because I had the whole DT setup on layaway for almost a year!

Part of the attraction of the hobby is definitely the opportunity to help with reef conservation. I know that at first I will be getting easy-to-keep corals but eventually I would love to be able to help propogate some of the more complex ones.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Kellie

 

[Timothy Butler]

Thank you, Timothy. I've been fish keeping for around 15 years but this is my first reef tank. I had a small FOWLR tank quite a while back but it didn't survive a move and I never set one back up. The majority of my experience is with freshwater fish. I still actually have a couple of small freshwater tanks set up and running.

I am definitely going to be using an isolation tank. I've read too many horror stories about crashed tanks and dead fish/corals and I'm a pretty cautious person by nature anyway, lol. I've actually had the QT longer than I've had the 75 gal DT because I had the whole DT setup on layaway for almost a year!

Part of the attraction of the hobby is definitely the opportunity to help with reef conservation. I know that at first I will be getting easy-to-keep corals but eventually I would love to be able to help propogate some of the more complex ones.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Kellie

It sounds like you're going into this with knowledge and experience aula plus but Reef tanking is a whole different game in itself corals are very aggressive amongst each other and will kill one another for room to grow I had a Haitian pink tip an enemy $29 take out my $500 Hammer Coral in four hours it was just a skeleton so if you have any questions about Roofing I have a lot of knowledge I breed Coral and sell it back to the suppliers that sold it to me so if you have anything don't be afraid to ask better to ask and no then don't ask and have a calamity

 

[Scrappy RN]

I have the Fluval 25000K too. Did you try moving the light further away from the water?? I got this setup before I really knew a lot and by the time I ended up wanting the nicer Radions or Kessils I had already spent my budget. I just can't do MH lights. They are way too hot and way to expensive on the electricity bill for me to deal with. What kind of LED's are they that you are wanting to sell?

 

[Scrappy RN]

It sounds like you're going into this with knowledge and experience aula plus but Reef tanking is a whole different game in itself corals are very aggressive amongst each other and will kill one another for room to grow I had a Haitian pink tip an enemy $29 take out my $500 Hammer Coral in four hours it was just a skeleton so if you have any questions about Roofing I have a lot of knowledge I breed Coral and sell it back to the suppliers that sold it to me so if you have anything don't be afraid to ask better to ask and no then don't ask and have a calamity

Oh no! I didn't realize corals would attack each other?! In all the reading I've done over the past year to get ready for this tank I don't remember seeing that, lol. I'll have to be careful!!

 

[Timothy Butler]

Thank you, Timothy. I've been fish keeping for around 15 years but this is my first reef tank. I had a small FOWLR tank quite a while back but it didn't survive a move and I never set one back up. The majority of my experience is with freshwater fish. I still actually have a couple of small freshwater tanks set up and running.

I am definitely going to be using an isolation tank. I've read too many horror stories about crashed tanks and dead fish/corals and I'm a pretty cautious person by nature anyway, lol. I've actually had the QT longer than I've had the 75 gal DT because I had the whole DT setup on layaway for almost a year!

Part of the attraction of the hobby is definitely the opportunity to help with reef conservation. I know that at first I will be getting easy-to-keep corals but eventually I would love to be able to help propogate some of the more complex ones.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Kellie

If you want it real good starting Coral get pulsing Xenia photosynthesis only very Hardy and will reproduce without help beautiful to watch in the water they have no current flow over them although they sway back and forth and the Hand pulse is up and down it is a good starter and I would suggest a open Brain very easy to keep very beautiful colors from Red with Titanic edging all the way around it it glows in the dark and is very easy to Target feed and keep healthy number one problem I see on this website is people don't want the truth sometimes it hurts but most of the time it will help you maintain a thriving Aquarium

 

[Timothy Butler]

Oh no! I didn't realize corals would attack each other?! In all the reading I've done over the past year to get ready for this tank I don't remember seeing that, lol. I'll have to be careful!!

Corals are very able to kill anything it comes across it will sting it to death when you feed an anatomy it sticks to your finger that's the stinging cells shooting into your finger just to swipe with one tentacle can take out an entire Coral an hours and always remember isolation tank nobody in here has a clue the best way to save yourself from a disaster people on the site just don't get it I've been doing it for 17 years I love every minute the torture of cleaning all the filters and skimmers glass you name it you put lots of hard work into it be sure to enjoy it all your friends will be amazed

 

[Scrappy RN]

I saw a pulsating xenia in the LFS the other day and I absolutely loved it. The staff said they can be very invasive and to keep it isolated on its own rock to keep it from growing all over everything else. How far away does the rock need to be from the other rocks?? I really love the look of them but I don't want them taking over!

 

[Timothy Butler]

I have the Fluval 25000K too. Did you try moving the light further away from the water?? I got this setup before I really knew a lot and by the time I ended up wanting the nicer Radions or Kessils I had already spent my budget. I just can't do MH lights. They are way too hot and way to expensive on the electricity bill for me to deal with. What kind of LED's are they that you are wanting to sell?

Yes I tried raising and lowering it I built a hood for it it's just the diodes put out so much more light then you think it's giving my LED I ran one at 30% power and the other at Full authentic 10000 Calvin I could not get a good response from the corals I gave it time I moved them around I adjusted the power finally went back to metal halides I've used them for 17 years so if you think you have a problem with light talk it over with your supplier and get fax Google it will help you in every way possible Google doesn't lie people on this site are misinformed and give you inaccurate information I'll leave it at that

 

[Timothy Butler]

I have the Fluval 25000K too. Did you try moving the light further away from the water?? I got this setup before I really knew a lot and by the time I ended up wanting the nicer Radions or Kessils I had already spent my budget. I just can't do MH lights. They are way too hot and way to expensive on the electricity bill for me to deal with. What kind of LED's are they that you are wanting to sell?

I have a pair of 30 236 inch expandable LED lights 25000 Kelvin each with the ability to have attended gliding also they are just not for me I tried and I tried but I got to go back with what I know tried new technology but I don't think it's quite there for corals yet it is there for fish but not for maintaining and breathing Coral good luck I'll take like 75 bucks a piece for my paid almost 300 I wouldn't recommend them to you but if you want to use LEDs you will benefit in places and lose abilities in other cases always try to use the newest Technologies available you never know when something you want technology will be right behind you to give it to you

 

[Timothy Butler]

I have a pair of 30 236 inch expandable LED lights 25000 Kelvin each with the ability to have attended gliding also they are just not for me I tried and I tried but I got to go back with what I know tried new technology but I don't think it's quite there for corals yet it is there for fish but not for maintaining and breathing Coral good luck I'll take like 75 bucks a piece for my paid almost 300 I wouldn't recommend them to you but if you want to use LEDs you will benefit in places and lose abilities in other cases always try to use the newest Technologies available you never know when something you want technology will be right behind you to give it to you

It looks like you got your fax just Google it some pet stores will push products because they make more money be sure you're making an informed decision not a whim Google always Fluval would not help me with their lights they told me

 

[Scrappy RN]

Thanks but I've spent my budget already on this tank and I will see how it goes with the light I have. Just wondered if you had the Radions or Kessils since that's what I really want, lol

 

[Scrappy RN]

Gotta go, have a good day!!

 

[Timothy Butler]

Gotta go, have a good day!!

You have a good day tonight is coral feeding night up late glad you are making informed decisions Google it a lot of people are misinformed on this site whether it's Lac of good quality information and facts they like to tell you how they do it Google anything anybody says to you I Google everything and I spend a lot of time at Coral dealers around Michigan gaining knowledge and information first hand and seeing it in news never take someone's advice and don't Google it it could lead to a catastrophic failure I have a lot of people on here telling me they don't use quarantine tanks number one way to kill everything in your tank once it starts to kill it does not stop