tjm80's 75 gallon build thread

[PrettyFishies]

I just orders some light equip from aquacave.com. I got 2 ati 80w t5 blue plus, 1 aquablue special and 1 purple. Plus tek2 reflectors and endcaps and standoffs I already have ice cap ballasts from the system I purchased. You would news ballasts, connectors and a couple of fans. All if you are going to DIY.

It's much cheaper compared to a $500-$700 fixture.

 

[tjm80]

So... important lesson learned last night...

DRILLING A SIPHON BREAK IN YOUR RETURN PLUMBING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!

 

[uscamaro]

yeeeeeeea, it's a good idea to have it, haha

 

[tjm80]

Went out of town for the weekend, and after thinking my nitrItes would never drop, I get home last night and immediately test for nitrites. I couldn't believe it when the test tube stayed blue!!! I added another 2 ppm ammonia about 15 hours ago and when I got up this morning 0 ammonia as expected, and my nitrites are closing in on 0!

I've got saltwater already made up and waiting to change about 10% then heading out to get my 2 clowns. (assuming nitrates are acceptable)!

Getting PUMPED

 

[PrettyFishies]

Went out of town for the weekend, and after thinking my nitrItes would never drop, I get home last night and immediately test for nitrites. I couldn't believe it when the test tube stayed blue!!! I added another 2 ppm ammonia about 15 hours ago and when I got up this morning 0 ammonia as expected, and my nitrites are closing in on 0!

I've got saltwater already made up and waiting to change about 10% then heading out to get my 2 clowns. (assuming nitrates are acceptable)!

Getting PUMPED

Sounds like you're good to go. Hopefully you're nitrates are in line, but it doesn't seem like they should not be based on your cycling strategy.

What kind of clowns?

 

[tjm80]

Either Ocellaris or Percula. Doesn't really matter. Depends mainly on what the LFS has. With my luck they won't have any. lol

 

[PrettyFishies]

I would just try to get tank raised as they are hardier. The species difference break down to looks and it's not a dramatic one.

 

[uscamaro]

Went out of town for the weekend, and after thinking my nitrItes would never drop, I get home last night and immediately test for nitrites. I couldn't believe it when the test tube stayed blue!!! I added another 2 ppm ammonia about 15 hours ago and when I got up this morning 0 ammonia as expected, and my nitrites are closing in on 0!

I've got saltwater already made up and waiting to change about 10% then heading out to get my 2 clowns. (assuming nitrates are acceptable)!

Getting PUMPED

Instead of assuming, I would make sure both ammonia and nitrites are 0 before getting any fish. Your tank may be going through a mini-cycle which could take another week, in turn possibly harming/killing your fish.

 

[tjm80]

When I said assuming, I meant that I'd go get the fish if nitrates were acceptable, not getting fish then testing!

But needless to say, after doing a 30-40% water change once nitrites hit 0, I got my nitrates to an acceptable level.

My first fish are as follows:

2 percula clowns. I'm assuming they're percula, that's what the LFS told me. If they aren't then they are ocellaris, which is fine.

1 bi color dottyback. He is staying hidden inside the live rock, only seen him about 3 or 4 times.

I will post pictures after work!!

Note to self: Don't forget to turn off the RO/DI before bed. It causes a big, wet mess in the morning.

 

[Hinds04]

pics

 

[pat8you]

Note to self: Don't forget to turn off the RO/DI before bed. It causes a big, wet mess in the morning.

Yeah i have done this a couple times now. I set an alarm on my cell phone for before bed that way when it goes off i remember to shut the filter off.

 

[tjm80]

Here they are! Sorry for the low quality pics, the cell phone camera doesn't do them justice!

The Clowns:


The Bicolor Dottyback:

 

[tjm80]

Yeah i have done this a couple times now. I set an alarm on my cell phone for before bed that way when it goes off i remember to shut the filter off.

This was my second time. I will follow your lead on the cell phone timer.

 

[PrettyFishies]

Beautiful! I'm happy for you and I know you're ecstatic. Mine come in on Thursday so I expect 2 sleepless nights.

 

[uscamaro]

Note to self: Don't forget to turn off the RO/DI before bed. It causes a big, wet mess in the morning.

I did this just last night! lol. My flow is really slow, so I figured it would take a few hours... ended up having a nice puddle in the driveway floor.

 

[tjm80]

Luckily I have the stained concrete floors instead of carpet or hardwood. My RO/DI is in my guest bathroom, and I drag the BRUTE out from the guest bedroom to fill it up. But fans have been blowing on the baseboards for about 24 hours now. I got about 4 gallons up with the shop vac.

 

[tjm80]

So I took the dottyback out and took him back to the LFS. The owner wasn't in when I bought it, and I got it confused with the royal gramma. The LFS had it labeled correctly, it was just my mistake, and the owner's girlfriend apparently was unaware that they can be pretty mean little guys.

After re-arranging my tank, and returning him to the LFS I'm out 10 bucks and have a cloudy tank. But at least my clowns can have some peace. He was already starting to harass them.

 

[uscamaro]

Were you able to get store credit for him or a future trade?

 

[tjm80]

Yeah I took him up there and got 12 more members for my CUC and a hand full of chaeto as a swap out.

 

[tjm80]

My nice fiji pink sand is covered in diatoms!!! It's ugly, but it's a welcome sign (from what I've read on here) that my tank is maturing as expected.

So I've had the two clowns in there for about a week or so. When can I add some more fish and does anyone have any suggestions for reef-safe fish for a 75 gallon?

I eventually want a Kole and/or Scopas Tang, but know they need to be added last and together.