Im the new guy trying to get started

[JoshsReef]

I recently purchased a 75 gallon glass aquarium that is siting in my house empty. I am waiting on my suppliles to come in. I have orded sand , salt , testing equipment and all the basics. I also order a seaclone skimmer and a marineland emperor 400 powerfilter. I plan on seting up my tank this weekend and early next week purchasing roughly 100 pounds of live rock to cycle the tank. I also ordered a three powerheads and a timer for them. My question is how do i set these up in my tank for the best results? Also do i need an air pump and air stones or would that be unessary. I am attempting to set up a reef aquarium, i would like one yellow tang, 2 blue hippo tangs, and bw 4-7 blue green chromis, and 2 clownfish(not sure which kind yet) along with a wide range of corals and invertebres. Am i going overboard and would i be overloading this system? Will my filtration meet my demands? and how do i go about organizing my powerheads to be as efficient as possible. all three powerheads combined should move about 900 gph. Should the be place toward the top or bottom of my aquarium?


Thanks, in advice on setup would greatly be appreciated

 

[mike3epanda]

For your filtration.. I can say that U need a much better one than emperor.. maybe get fluval fx5 or other canister filter that is rated for 200 gal. and up.

I think tangs are too big for your tank... I have a 75 gal myself and people told me that I should get rid of 'em.. so I did.

U should be fine with 100 lbs of LR but 150 is safest. and just add raw shrimp for cycle, then get cured or uncured LR.. I believe that this is the best method.

I think since u are a newbie u should go with FOWLR first.. then when u get comfortable enough, you can switch to reef..

I have seaclone 150 and I think It does alright. I got another skimmer just to help it a lil more.

I dont think u need air pump with your waterflow.

I know I didn't cover all but HTH

 

[roka64]

WELCOME TO AA!!!

Please do not cycle your tank with live animals.

I'd stick with the one yellow tang and think about replacing the hippos with other types of fish. Three tangs in a 75 is asking for trouble. I had an emperor and it lasted less than 6 months. I bought the fluvial FX5 and it is a beast of a filter. Some folks like the 1.5-2LBs of rock per gallon and a skimmer. I'm not a skimmer person and like the filters, for adding media. Keep in mind chromis are jumpers (I had three and now have none) so you may want to invest in some eggcrate as a covering. No air pumps are needed in SW. Invest in two good heaters, and some phs. I like the Hydors, other good ones are Maxi-Jet, SEIOs. Lighting will be important on what type of corals you will want to keep.

 

[austinsdad]

You not doing a sump? Good place to hide the heater and phosphate reducing bags and stuff like that.

I totally agree on stopping at the yellow tang, but put him in last since they can be nasty sometimes to newcomers.

The chromis are good choices as are the clowns. I've never had a chromis jump in my 5 yrs. Look at blennies and gobies too. Both very hardy IMO and will give you some variety.

Good luck! Take your time.

And welcome to AA!!!!!

 

[melosu58]

Read this article on the Cycle. I agree that maybe the yellow would be OK but three tangs is asking for trouble. IMO LR and a skimmer is really all you need. The emporer will be OK for running GAC if needed.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Keep in mind chromis are jumpers (I had three and now have none) so you may want to invest in some eggcrate as a covering.

I didn't realize this either until I bought three! But looking at austinsdad's comment, it must be an individual fish thing.

One night, after the lights went out, I was checking something out in my tank with a flashlight, I must've startled one of my chromis because I heard this "plunk" noise - like the sound of a fish hitting glass. (I have a partial glass cover over the top.) I look up to see my biggest chromis laying peacefully on TOP of the glass. It wasn't flipping around or anything, just laying there. So I just quickly but gently scoot him across the glass until he plops back into the tank. He then swam off into a corner to ponder his little "out of tank" experience.

He must've told the other chromis about his experience because I haven't had any issues since. Oh... and I'm also very cautious when I approach the tank after the lights are out. They spook really easy.

 

[JoshsReef]

phosophate reducing bags? lol there is so much i dont have any idea about. Thanks for the help with picking which fish to go with. i hope emperor works longer than six months (made my same people as seaclone skimmer) i think i will add another emperor which will give me 800 gph of filtration.

 

[mike3epanda]

I wouldn't invest filtration on emperor anymore.. like most ppl said in this thread... canister is better. or if you can't get it right now.. just go with LR and skimmer for awhile.. I learned it the hard way.. don't buy cheap stuff that you will use for the long run. as for seaclone skimmer.. I have it but I think it does ok so I added another skimmer. try getting some AquaC remora skimmer..

 

[Ziggy953]

I agree with the others about the tangs...one yellow is more then enough for a 75.

I'm a big proponent of natural filtration, I have a 72g bowfront and use lots and lots of LR and a skimmer as my source of filtration. I have a 20g refugium that houses tons and tons of macro algae that helps reduce nitrates and other trace elements in the tank. The fuge also creates a safe place for thousands of pods to grow as a natural food source. If you have the means and the space under your stand I would suggest adding a simple sump to house your heaters and other things you will eventually need. A cheap tank from Wal-mart will work as that is what I use. There is another added benefit in having the sump, additional water volume. The more total water volume you have the easier it is to maintain temps, CA, PH, and other levels.

 

[JoshsReef]

I wish i could set up a sump or use a canister filter but realisticly i cannot. i have invested 1100 into this system so far and have yet to buy any live rock. to get roughly 100 pounds of rock it will be another four hundred dollars. sump and canister filter will have to be sometime down the road. My question is about fiter media. When they talk about things such as activated carbod isnt that standard. filter cartridges i have use carbon. Is this the same thing or am i missing something.

 

[chase33]

One way to save money is to look into buying what you can use. Might be a good idea to find a local reef club where you're likely to find good deals on used equipment, LR and other necessities. A some may have mentioned, a cannister is not necessary but can be used. Many will tell you that a skimmer is more important for reef tanks. I use a cannister. I only run purigen and rowaphos which I use to lower the phosphates. You may not need this as you should test your water levels first.

Welcome to AA and good luck.

 

[Innovator]

For the most part, Marineland Emperor filters are well made and function appropriately. I do; however, prefer Hagen. Canisters come in a variety of sizes and functions, but a pain to service in comparison, imo. It might not be a bad idea to go find an lfs that runs a canister filter on one of their tanks to get a idea of functionality. They are not that expensive unless you purchase ones with built in temperature sensors and heat exchangers. Otherwise, another Emperor or Hagen brand would be fine.

Most hob filters run their media either through a plate that holds carbon with filter floss wrapped around it and an added bio-wheel (Marineland) or a sponge with a bag of carbon on top (Hagen). I prefer Hagen due to the ease of modifications such as a combined refugium (search for it) and greater water flow. Quality made canisters can provide various media in stages and tend to run more efficiently since water is forced through the media and not around it. Here's a couple links on carbon:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000918...om/fish2/aqfm/1998/may/features/1/default.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/20000918...m/fish2/aqfm/1998/june/features/1/default.asp

 

[JoshsReef]

maxijet powerheads are completely summersible? so the cord can be in the water? just seems so unsafe

 

[saywill]

Yes, the powerhead is completely submersible. Read the directions, it explains how to put a drip loop in the cord. Don't forget, your heater's cord is in the water as well. I have the maxi jet 1200 and 400 in my tank it moves a lot of water.

 

[JoshsReef]

i assume there has been no problems with them malfunctioning and releasing electricity into the water? They can be placed all the way near the bottom of the tank with no problems?

 

[saywill]

I have my heater laying on the bottom of the tank in the back, hidden behind the live rock. I have never had any problems.