Upgrading to 75g

avar2005 · Nov 20, 2021

Hey all!

First time poster (and builder).

I currently have an Innovative Marine 38g nuvo mini. It's getting cramped thanks to a split happy nem and large leather toadstool. This tank has been running since about early 2017 and has been a great little unit. I think I will use it as a quarantine tank once I get the new tank running.

Current Stock:
Fish / CUC:
2 paired clowns
1 yellow watchmen goby with his buddy pistol shrimp
1 starry blenny
Assorted snails with 3 Emerald Crabs (had a bubble algae outbreak that these guys helped clean up)

Coral:
4 rose bubble nems (started as 1)
1 leather toadstool that's outgrown the tank
Assorted rock mushrooms that are spreading like weed, but my clowns host them (Have I mentioned the bubble nems? Frigging clowns)

The 38g I've been pretty hands off for the last couple years, we have a growing family, and the tanks been stable short of the occasional water change to replenish minerals / get rid of some nuisance algae. I'm dealing with some aiptasia, so I'm not sure what I want to move over to the new tank. I'd hate to lose the beneficial bacteria from the live rocks. Any suggestions here friends?

Onto the new build!

I picked up a new to me 75g aquarium. Got it drilled for an Eclipse overflow (1000gph / Large). As well as two returns:

I'm in Canada, so ordering from BRS is cost prohibitive. Most everything I've ordered from reefsupplies which seems to be the go to for us Canadians. Ordered a bunch of plumbing supplies as well as black sand (120lbs, love the look of it).

My brother in law is welding me up a stand for the cost of the material, he's doing it in aluminum so should stand up well to the saltwater. I have him putting in a divider for the electronics, and he's wrapping it as well. Sweet.

The sump I bought a brand new 40g, and using a sump kit from ebay. Solid kit, I'm super excited, especially coming from an AIO with barely any room.

The idea right now is using two return pumps, I picked up a Vertex 150 Omega skimmer from a fellow reefer that was shutting down, from everything I've read it should be a solid skimmer.

I'm also planning on setting up a refugium in one of the chambers.

Would love any feedback / lessons learned from more experienced folk.

blaxsun · Nov 20, 2021

Looks like it will be a great setup when finished. I think you'll probably be fine with a single return pump and Y-return. A Sicce SDC 6.0 or 7.0 would work great. Something I'd look at from the outset is a UV (probably a 25-watt) that you can run through the main return for the most efficiency.

If you plan to setup a refugium I'd probably do it in the first chamber after the filter socks and place the skimmer in the other one after.

Not sure what you've planned for heaters but the BRS titanium heater/Inkbird combo is excellent.

Zach B · Nov 20, 2021

Welcome

Nice upgrade!

avar2005 · Nov 20, 2021

blaxsun said:
Looks like it will be a great setup when finished. I think you'll probably be fine with a single return pump and Y-return. A Sicce SDC 6.0 or 7.0 would work great. Something I'd look at from the outset is a UV (probably a 25-watt) that you can run through the main return for the most efficiency.

If you plan to setup a refugium I'd probably do it in the first chamber after the filter socks and place the skimmer in the other one after.

Not sure what you've planned for heaters but the BRS titanium heater/Inkbird combo is excellent.

Thanks! Appreciate that. I’ve been considering a UV sterilizer. Might see if i can snag one up on one of the Black Friday deals.

I was going for redundancy on the returns in case one clogs up, but I might go with a single better quality (and quieter) pump in the end.

No plans on heaters yet, I’ll check out the suggestions

avar2005 · Nov 20, 2021

Zach B said:
Welcome Nice upgrade!

Thank you!

avar2005 · Jan 10, 2022

It’s been a busy holiday, got a lot of work done on the tank.

Got the stand from my brother in law, gave it a couple coats of primer and flat white.

Also picked up some Marine grade sheets of plywood that I’m going to use for the top and sump bottom. I decided to paint the back black - this actually isn’t the 75 gallon I had drilled in the original post.

I saw that the used tank I picked up was made in 2008, and it looked like the bottom was resealed. For the $200 Canadian it cost me to buy a new 75 gallon and drill it, I just decided to eat the cost and have a new tank.

The plumbing I think I will redo the pvc for the primary and secondary with flex tubing. The extra 90 I have to get to the sump makes it so I have to screw with it to get the primary suction to kick in. I painted the white pvc with a Krylon cherry red.

Picked up a screen frame kit at Lowes and made a top.

Cycled the tank with Microbacter, but have since also now decided to move some of my old live rock into the new tank. I originally was not going to as I have some aiptasia in the old tank, but I’ve had the old tank established for 5+ years, it seems silly to have all the good bacteria go to waste.

Got the lights mounted today

thanks @WVNed for the idea on the frame for the lights from one of your posts.