2/11/2024 Updated List
Equipment List:
-Aquarium: Used Non Drilled 75 Gallon with CS50 Siphon Overflow (attached Kohler Aqualift 3 GPH Pump to prevent losing siphon)
-Wavemaker: 2 Hygger 2100 GPH Magnetic Powerheads
-Salt: Red Sea Fish Pharm Coral Pro Marine Salt
-RO Filter: Max Water 6 Stage 100 GPD RODI System
-60 lbs of Nature's Ocean Coral Base Rock
-1 Medium Piece of CaribSea Original Life Rock
-Cabinet: Custom made Wood Stand that came with Aquarium
-Amazon Basics Standby UPS 800VA 450W Surge Protector Battery Power Backup
-Display Tank Lighting: 2 SMATFARM 95 Watt G5 Aquastar LED's
-Sump/Refugium: Custom 3 section 15 Gallon (20 Gallon Total Capacity) Glass
*Section 1 of Sump:
-Mechanical Filter #1: Bubblefin Pre-Sump Filter Sock 4"
-Skimmer: IOAOI Hang on Protein Skimmer for tank up to 80 Gallons
-Sigma-1 In-Sump Media Reactor - Aquamaxx
-Mechanical Filter #2: 12 x 12 Filter Sponge before first set of baffles
*Section 2 of Sump:
-BioFilter Media: Little pieces of rock/shell/dead coral, and Fluval BioMax Filter Media scattered along the bottom
-Heater: 2 Hitop 100-Watt Adjustable Heaters
-Chaeto
-Refugium Lighting: Hygger 24/7 6 W LED mounted 6" above Chaeto on the outside of Refugium Lid
*Section 3 of Sump:
-30 PPI Foam pads in last set of sump baffles to keep Chaeto in
-Return Pump: Hygger 2120 GPH Saltwater Aquarium Submersible Pump 24 V w/ Controller
-ATO: F-Zone Auto top Off System with Dual Optic Sensor
-2 Gallon Reservoir
Livestock List:
Current stocking:
AlgaeBarn Copepods (Lots of different varieties added)
Daily dose of AlgaeBarn's Ocean Magik (Live Phytoplankton)
Coraline Algae (Pink bottle added 1/30/23, Purple Bottle added 2/17/23)
1 Ocellaris Clownfish (2/16/23)
1 Lawnmower Blenny (2/18/23)
1 Yellow Watchman Goby (Added 2/18/23 - presumed dead)
1 Royal Gramma (3/15/23)
1 Clarkii Clownfish (5/19/23)
1 Blue Green Mandarin (5/19/23)
1 Flame Angel (5/19/23)
1 Azure DamselFish (6/18/23)
1 Aiptasia Eating Filefish (11/2/23)
1 One Spot Foxface (11/2/23)
1 Rainbow Bubble Tip Anemone (3/1/2024
CUC:
7 Cerith snails, 8 Nassarius snails, 7 Margarite snails, and 8 Nerite snails (2/16/23)
1 Red banded Pistol Shrimp (2/18/23)
2 Mexican Turbo snail (2/18/23)
10 Hermit Crabs (6/18/23)
2 Pin Cushion Urchans (11/2/23)
4 Peppermint Shrimp (11/2/23)
10 Bumblebee Snails (11/2/23)
1 Berghia Nudibranch (12/13/23)
Coral:
Soft Coral -
Sinularia Finger Leather Coral (2/16/23)
Vargas Cespitularia (11/30/23)
Pulsing Xenia (11/30/23)
Candy Corn Clove Polyp (2/17/24)
Superman Mushroom (3/1/24)
Kenya Tree (3/1/24)
Zoas
Bob Marley Zoanthids (11/30/23)
Blue Hornet Zoanthids (11/30/23)
Fruit Loops Zoanthids (2/17/24)
Safecracker Zoanthids (2/17/24)
Large Polyp Stony Coral -
Flame Boi Favia (7/1/23)
Slightly Sinister Favia (7/1/23)
Hologram Hammer Coral (2/17/24)
Duncan (11/30/23)
Bicolor Frogsspawn (2/17/24)
Small Polyp Stony Coral -
HellFire Montipora (7/1/23)
Bubblegum Digitata Montipora (2/17/24)
Red Montipora Cap (2/17/24)
Blueberry Fields Montipora (2/17/24)
Green Birdsnest Coral (2/17/24)
Possible Future fish/Invertebrate additions:
Wheeler or Watchman Goby (future addition)
Yellow Tang (future addition)
Updated Pictures:
More pictures on page 2.
Original Post:
Hello everyone!
I am currently starting to cycle my 75 Gallon saltwater reef tank. My 10 year old, 29 gallon freshwater tank started to leak right before the Holidays, and I had been thinking about switching to a saltwater tank for a while now anyway, so I used that as an excuse to go to the salt side. I donated my remaining 3 freshwater fish to a local fish store, and I bought a 75 gallon tank on Facebook marketplace.
I sanded and painted the Wood grain trim a matte black, as well as the stand. I sprayed all the glass with vinegar a bunch of times and scraped it all down with a razor blade. I bought an RO filter, then used some cleaned 5 gallon kegs I had left over from home brewing beer to start making some pure saltwater. I rinsed the sand that came with the tank with RO salt water, then added 40 lbs of coral base rock and a few shells that came with the tank and some cleaned (sprayed with vinegar and scrubbed, then left in the sun to dry) ceramic skulls and a treasure chest from my freshwater tank. I also added 3 small pieces of imaginarium red lava rock I bought from Petco (Also sprayed and soaked with vinegar, then rinsed before adding to the tank).
I then filled the tank with 1.026 salinity RO water, and have a Rena Filstar xp 2 Canister filter, as well as a Penguin 350 double bio wheel filter going. I also ordered a protein skimmer but I haven’t added that to the tank yet. I added 2 100 watt heaters to get the water temp up to 78°, and just added a purple live rock tonight to kick start the Nitrogen cycle.
As I wait for the tank to cycle, do you see anything wrong with what I’ve done so far? If I did do something wrong will it even matter since I haven’t added any fish/coral to the tank yet? How long should I wait before I starting adding things to the tank (I.e. clown fish and sea anemone)?
I haven’t chosen exactly what fish I am going to add to the tank yet, but I have been thing of starting out with a clown fish and sea anemone along with some corals after that. I’d like to eventually build up to adding a snowflake eel, puffer fish, tang, and wrasse along with a bunch of different corals.
The last picture of the tank isn’t totally clear yet from the sand and rocks being moved around, but it is up to temperature and at 1.026 salinity.
Equipment List:
Aquarium: Used 75 Gallon
Cabinet: Custom made Wood Stand that came with Aquarium
Lighting: Woino 36 Watt 216 RGB LED with Timer
Filter1: Used Marineland Penguin 350b Double Biowheel
Filter2: Used Rena Filstar xp 2 Canister filter
Heater: 2 Hitop 100-Watt Adjustable Heaters
Skimmer: IOAOI Hang on Protein Skimmer for tank up to 80 Gallons
Wavemaker: 2 Hygger 2100 GPH Magnetic Powerheads
40 lbs of Nature's Ocean Coral Base Rock
1 Medium Piece of CaribSea Original Life Rock
4 Small Pieces of Imagitarium Red Lava Rock
Salt: Red Sea Fish Pharm Coral Pro Marine Salt
RO Filter: Max Water 6 Stage 100 GPD RODI System
Livestock List:
AlgaeBarn's Poseidon's Feast (Live Copepods)
Daily dose of AlgaeBarn's Ocean Magik (Live Phytoplankton)
2 Maroon Gold Stripe Clownfish (future addition)
CUC: 2 Cerith snails, 3 Nassarius snails, 2 Margarite snails, and 3 Nerite snails (Future Addition)
Bubble Tip Sea Anemone (future addition)
Royal Gramma (future addition)
Yellow Tang (future addition)
Tailspot Blenny (future addition)
Blue green Mandarin (future addition)
Paired Wheeler Goby and Pistol Shrimp (future addition)
Six line Wrasse (Future Addition)
Zoas (future addition)
Hammer coral (future addition)
Torch Coral (Future addition)
Acropora Coral (Future Addition)
Linckia Blue Starfish (Future Addition)
Maxima Blue Clam (Future Addition)
Equipment List:
-Aquarium: Used Non Drilled 75 Gallon with CS50 Siphon Overflow (attached Kohler Aqualift 3 GPH Pump to prevent losing siphon)
-Wavemaker: 2 Hygger 2100 GPH Magnetic Powerheads
-Salt: Red Sea Fish Pharm Coral Pro Marine Salt
-RO Filter: Max Water 6 Stage 100 GPD RODI System
-60 lbs of Nature's Ocean Coral Base Rock
-1 Medium Piece of CaribSea Original Life Rock
-Cabinet: Custom made Wood Stand that came with Aquarium
-Amazon Basics Standby UPS 800VA 450W Surge Protector Battery Power Backup
-Display Tank Lighting: 2 SMATFARM 95 Watt G5 Aquastar LED's
-Sump/Refugium: Custom 3 section 15 Gallon (20 Gallon Total Capacity) Glass
*Section 1 of Sump:
-Mechanical Filter #1: Bubblefin Pre-Sump Filter Sock 4"
-Skimmer: IOAOI Hang on Protein Skimmer for tank up to 80 Gallons
-Sigma-1 In-Sump Media Reactor - Aquamaxx
-Mechanical Filter #2: 12 x 12 Filter Sponge before first set of baffles
*Section 2 of Sump:
-BioFilter Media: Little pieces of rock/shell/dead coral, and Fluval BioMax Filter Media scattered along the bottom
-Heater: 2 Hitop 100-Watt Adjustable Heaters
-Chaeto
-Refugium Lighting: Hygger 24/7 6 W LED mounted 6" above Chaeto on the outside of Refugium Lid
*Section 3 of Sump:
-30 PPI Foam pads in last set of sump baffles to keep Chaeto in
-Return Pump: Hygger 2120 GPH Saltwater Aquarium Submersible Pump 24 V w/ Controller
-ATO: F-Zone Auto top Off System with Dual Optic Sensor
-2 Gallon Reservoir
Livestock List:
Current stocking:
AlgaeBarn Copepods (Lots of different varieties added)
Daily dose of AlgaeBarn's Ocean Magik (Live Phytoplankton)
Coraline Algae (Pink bottle added 1/30/23, Purple Bottle added 2/17/23)
1 Ocellaris Clownfish (2/16/23)
1 Lawnmower Blenny (2/18/23)
1 Yellow Watchman Goby (Added 2/18/23 - presumed dead)
1 Royal Gramma (3/15/23)
1 Clarkii Clownfish (5/19/23)
1 Blue Green Mandarin (5/19/23)
1 Flame Angel (5/19/23)
1 Azure DamselFish (6/18/23)
1 Aiptasia Eating Filefish (11/2/23)
1 One Spot Foxface (11/2/23)
1 Rainbow Bubble Tip Anemone (3/1/2024
CUC:
7 Cerith snails, 8 Nassarius snails, 7 Margarite snails, and 8 Nerite snails (2/16/23)
1 Red banded Pistol Shrimp (2/18/23)
2 Mexican Turbo snail (2/18/23)
10 Hermit Crabs (6/18/23)
2 Pin Cushion Urchans (11/2/23)
4 Peppermint Shrimp (11/2/23)
10 Bumblebee Snails (11/2/23)
1 Berghia Nudibranch (12/13/23)
Coral:
Soft Coral -
Sinularia Finger Leather Coral (2/16/23)
Vargas Cespitularia (11/30/23)
Pulsing Xenia (11/30/23)
Candy Corn Clove Polyp (2/17/24)
Superman Mushroom (3/1/24)
Kenya Tree (3/1/24)
Zoas
Bob Marley Zoanthids (11/30/23)
Blue Hornet Zoanthids (11/30/23)
Fruit Loops Zoanthids (2/17/24)
Safecracker Zoanthids (2/17/24)
Large Polyp Stony Coral -
Flame Boi Favia (7/1/23)
Slightly Sinister Favia (7/1/23)
Hologram Hammer Coral (2/17/24)
Duncan (11/30/23)
Bicolor Frogsspawn (2/17/24)
Small Polyp Stony Coral -
HellFire Montipora (7/1/23)
Bubblegum Digitata Montipora (2/17/24)
Red Montipora Cap (2/17/24)
Blueberry Fields Montipora (2/17/24)
Green Birdsnest Coral (2/17/24)
Possible Future fish/Invertebrate additions:
Wheeler or Watchman Goby (future addition)
Yellow Tang (future addition)
Updated Pictures:
More pictures on page 2.
Original Post:
Hello everyone!
I am currently starting to cycle my 75 Gallon saltwater reef tank. My 10 year old, 29 gallon freshwater tank started to leak right before the Holidays, and I had been thinking about switching to a saltwater tank for a while now anyway, so I used that as an excuse to go to the salt side. I donated my remaining 3 freshwater fish to a local fish store, and I bought a 75 gallon tank on Facebook marketplace.
I sanded and painted the Wood grain trim a matte black, as well as the stand. I sprayed all the glass with vinegar a bunch of times and scraped it all down with a razor blade. I bought an RO filter, then used some cleaned 5 gallon kegs I had left over from home brewing beer to start making some pure saltwater. I rinsed the sand that came with the tank with RO salt water, then added 40 lbs of coral base rock and a few shells that came with the tank and some cleaned (sprayed with vinegar and scrubbed, then left in the sun to dry) ceramic skulls and a treasure chest from my freshwater tank. I also added 3 small pieces of imaginarium red lava rock I bought from Petco (Also sprayed and soaked with vinegar, then rinsed before adding to the tank).
I then filled the tank with 1.026 salinity RO water, and have a Rena Filstar xp 2 Canister filter, as well as a Penguin 350 double bio wheel filter going. I also ordered a protein skimmer but I haven’t added that to the tank yet. I added 2 100 watt heaters to get the water temp up to 78°, and just added a purple live rock tonight to kick start the Nitrogen cycle.
As I wait for the tank to cycle, do you see anything wrong with what I’ve done so far? If I did do something wrong will it even matter since I haven’t added any fish/coral to the tank yet? How long should I wait before I starting adding things to the tank (I.e. clown fish and sea anemone)?
I haven’t chosen exactly what fish I am going to add to the tank yet, but I have been thing of starting out with a clown fish and sea anemone along with some corals after that. I’d like to eventually build up to adding a snowflake eel, puffer fish, tang, and wrasse along with a bunch of different corals.
The last picture of the tank isn’t totally clear yet from the sand and rocks being moved around, but it is up to temperature and at 1.026 salinity.
Equipment List:
Aquarium: Used 75 Gallon
Cabinet: Custom made Wood Stand that came with Aquarium
Lighting: Woino 36 Watt 216 RGB LED with Timer
Filter1: Used Marineland Penguin 350b Double Biowheel
Filter2: Used Rena Filstar xp 2 Canister filter
Heater: 2 Hitop 100-Watt Adjustable Heaters
Skimmer: IOAOI Hang on Protein Skimmer for tank up to 80 Gallons
Wavemaker: 2 Hygger 2100 GPH Magnetic Powerheads
40 lbs of Nature's Ocean Coral Base Rock
1 Medium Piece of CaribSea Original Life Rock
4 Small Pieces of Imagitarium Red Lava Rock
Salt: Red Sea Fish Pharm Coral Pro Marine Salt
RO Filter: Max Water 6 Stage 100 GPD RODI System
Livestock List:
AlgaeBarn's Poseidon's Feast (Live Copepods)
Daily dose of AlgaeBarn's Ocean Magik (Live Phytoplankton)
2 Maroon Gold Stripe Clownfish (future addition)
CUC: 2 Cerith snails, 3 Nassarius snails, 2 Margarite snails, and 3 Nerite snails (Future Addition)
Bubble Tip Sea Anemone (future addition)
Royal Gramma (future addition)
Yellow Tang (future addition)
Tailspot Blenny (future addition)
Blue green Mandarin (future addition)
Paired Wheeler Goby and Pistol Shrimp (future addition)
Six line Wrasse (Future Addition)
Zoas (future addition)
Hammer coral (future addition)
Torch Coral (Future addition)
Acropora Coral (Future Addition)
Linckia Blue Starfish (Future Addition)
Maxima Blue Clam (Future Addition)
Last edited: