tjm80's 75 gallon build thread

[tjm80]

Hi guys, I figured it was time to make a build thread.

I have a 75 gallon tank, and a 20 gallon tank that will be used as a sump. Working on getting it put together right now. Here's a tip for all you future sump-builders. Don't get silicone on your hands. 20 minutes of hand washing, half a bottle of gojo, mineral spirits, and a scotch-brite pad later, i got 90% of it off. lol

Anyway, I have the two tanks, my stand is built and the paint is drying, RO/DI is sitting on the table waiting to be setup, display tank drilled, and not nearly enough funds to keep going at the pace I want!

I will be getting a pump for the sump here in the next few days, then filling it with water and letting it cycle.

Here is a picture of my home built stand. Also my first woodworking project. It was built with a chop saw, circular saw, and nicotine.

Should I put a layer of styrofoam on the top of the stand for the tank to sit on?

 

[Sqasnatch]

Hey. Good work on the stand. In building my own as well. Iv had my tank on the stupid metal frame that came with it for a year. You defiantly want ur tank on some kind of foam. My stand will be having thc helping it on it's way...lol

 

[tjm80]

Ok it's been a while since I've updated. I have the tank set up, I put in approx 90-100 lbs of sand (CaribSea). I also have approx 35 lbs of base rock, and 15 lbs of live rock as of now. I put in 2 tablespoons of ace ammonia two days ago, and yesterday was getting a 1ppm reading. Should the initial spike be higher?

Also, I had to take the sump out and redo the baffles. Should have bought a 10 gallon and just siliconed some glass to it to get some experience. Man, it was UGLY - silicone everywhere. But the baffle between the DSB and the return pump had a TINY little leak that had silicone bulging from it because I couldn't seem to fix it, yet kept trying anyway. Haha. So I took it out last night and it's got about 8 more hours or so before I hook everything back up. I will post pictures then.

I'm going to start out doing a FOWLR with reef safe fish, because I want corals eventually. So the expensive lighting isn't needed now, and I don't have a protein skimmer yet. Should I skip on the protein skimmer for now and go on and get the lights I will eventually need? Or should I just get a cheapo light for now, and get the protein skimmer when I add livestock?

When I say "now", I'm obviously talking about after the cycle is completed

 

[David S]

skimmer now,lights later

 

[pat8you]

+1 skimmer will be important to keep your water clean while you are waiting to put the coral in. A good skimmer is really handy to have for the coral anyway.

 

[tjm80]

It will be a good long while before I get any corals. Also keep in mind I have no lighting at all right now. When I got the tank it didn't come with any lights. I do have a glass top for it though. I also got a 30% discount for the lack of lighting.

 

[tjm80]

Ok, so.... I've been researching the crap out of skimmers and lighting. More than likely, I will get a Reef Octopus NWB 150.

As for lighting, cheap is the last word to describe it. Anyway, I am very intrigued by the Marineland Reef Capable LED setup. Is this a good lighting unit? Here is a link to the light. Reef Aquarium Lighting & LED Lights: Marineland Reef Capable LED Lighting System

Or these lights. http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5112


Here is a picture of the tank, right after I filled it up. A lot of the cloudiness has settled, you can actually see all the way through it now! I used Ace ammonia and my ammonia PPM is around 4 right now, so I've got the cycle started!

 

[PrettyFishies]

Have you tested how much water goes into the sump when the pumps shut off? Looks like you have a lot if water in there.

Just in case you didn't know, you drill a hole in your return spout to break the siphon as high as possible for when you have a power outage. Or you make sure you have room in the sump to accommodate all that water till the siphon naturally breaks

 

[tjm80]

Actually, I took the sump out and redid it, there was a small leak between the sand bed and return area. Got that all fixed up and it's back up and running. I actually have more water in it now than before. With the power off, the water level in the entire sump is the height of the highest baffle. Over an inch from the top.

I just have some vinyl tubing stretched over the end of the 90 degree PVC joint for now. I need to order some LocLine. Went to the LFS and they don't carry it... But the sump has enough room in it to handle the siphon when I cut the pump off. Just checked it and it has about 2 inches to spare. Also, after I redid the sump, I made the sandbed about an inch or so longer.

I know it's recommended to get your skimmer first, but I wanted to get the cycle completed, and needed the sump in place to do that. I figure I won't be getting a skimmer that will take up over 1/2 of the sump. The Octopus skimmer I'm planning on getting is approx. 12x8 footprint, and I have plenty of room in the first section for it.

 

[pat8you]

A skimmer isn't required right when you set up your tank. Especially during the cycle you really don't need it. Once you start stocking the tank it would be a good idea to pick one up before to long.

 

[David S]

its a shame you didn't use up all the space for the sump under the dt,dont worry about a ps when cycling as pat said,As for the lights go cheap until you start getting corals,if you use the glass top just make sure the sump isn't covered.

 

[tjm80]

I used the 20 gallon rather than using all the space in the stand because I already had the 20 gallon tank. I can always upgrade. It'll be easy when I do because the front panels are the doors, with both of them open I have unobstructed access underneath. When I get this going I may do a DIY acrylic sump that fits like a glove under the stand. But for now this is better than nothing.

 

[tjm80]

So, I went to the LFS today to look at lighting, they didn't have ANY 48 inch lights, so I went to take a peek at their LR. They had one piece that I couldn't miss out on. It is a pretty long piece, all cave. Had to get it. I ended up getting about 25-30 lbs. of LR, both covered in purple coralline (Their scale is broken and the girl rang it up as 18 lbs). My ammonia is getting close to 0, and I haven't had much of a nitrite spike, but the nitrates are climbing.

I added some ammonia 2 days after the first that I put in, and I don't think I should have. I think I was almost cycled, due to the previous live rock I had. I'd been keeping it in a bucket with a powerhead and heater to keep it cured. I added it before I put a couple of spoonfuls of ace ammonia in the tank to kickstart the cycle. I figured it'd give me about 3 ppm reading on the ammonia, but 2 days later it was only 1. So I added another and it jumped to about 3-4, 2 days later it's back to 1, with minimal nitrite spike.

Do you guys recommend a PWC now, or wait till ammonia and nitrite both read zero?

 

[tjm80]

Also, I got a light fixture off Amazon.com. 4x54 T5HO, 2 10K and 2 actinic bulbs, with a moonlight.

I will post a picture of the LR once the water clears up. The dust storm finally settled a week after the initial saltwater fillup, then I go and stir it up by re-arranging my liverock and baserock.

 

[tjm80]

So I've got 7 total pieces of rock in the tank. The two with arrows pointing to them are base rock. They were free! My parents went to Hawaii and found this on the beach and brought it back last year. They offered it up for free when I told them I was doing a reef tank. I figure I've got about 80-90 lbs in so far. Here is a picture.

Any advice on aquascaping is more than welcomed. This is what I've done, but I'm sure it will be re-arranged when the wife gets home!

The water is still a bit cloudy, I just added them less than an hour ago. I noticed something growing on the two newest at the store, and was told that it is brain coral. He said it may survive, who knows.

 

[tjm80]

Got my lights on Saturday! Lights are Catalina Aquarium 4x54 with 2 10,000K and 2 actinic T5HO bulbs.

I decided to re arrange the live rock. Not sure if I'm liking it this way or not.... I'm sure it'll be rearranged again.

 

[tjm80]

Also, the cycle is on it's way. Not sure if I should do a PWC or not. I've been adding ammonia to 2ppm every day, and it's nearly 0 in less than 24 hours. My nitrIte reading is off the charts. Deeper than the deepest purple on the API test kit, which means it's at or above 5ppm. And my nitrAte readings are very high but I'm not concerned about it yet because I've read that a high nitrite reading will cause a false nitrate reading. Last night my pH was about 7.8 or so, and it's been a consistent 8.0-8.2.

 

[uscamaro]

The tank looks great! I sometimes really wish I had gotten a 75 gallon instead of my 55, but I'm making it work. The lights are really nice, however you won't be able to keep any high light corals, but you can still have a gorgeous tank. What kind of fish/inverts do you plan on getting? Keep us posted on the progress!

 

[tjm80]

Do you mean like SPS corals? I personally like soft corals and LPS better. But this light is mean to "get by" until at least one of several things happen:

1. LED prices come down
2. I understand LED enough to DIY
3. I decide that I want the SPS and other high light corals.
4. I save enough to buy the ridiculously high priced LEDs.

But out of curiosity, is it a bulb (Kelvin temp. and/or quantity of bulbs) issue or a ballast issue? Everything I've read says that a 4 bulb fixture would do well.

My LFS suggested to use the bulbs it came with for now, but when they need replaced, to replace the 10,000K bulbs with another actinic and a 75/25 bulb. What do you think?

 

[uscamaro]

Do you mean like SPS corals? I personally like soft corals and LPS better. But this light is mean to "get by" until at least one of several things happen:

1. LED prices come down
2. I understand LED enough to DIY
3. I decide that I want the SPS and other high light corals.
4. I save enough to buy the ridiculously high priced LEDs.

But out of curiosity, is it a bulb (Kelvin temp. and/or quantity of bulbs) issue or a ballast issue? Everything I've read says that a 4 bulb fixture would do well.

My LFS suggested to use the bulbs it came with for now, but when they need replaced, to replace the 10,000K bulbs with another actinic and a 75/25 bulb. What do you think?

Yes, I did mean SPS corals. I 100% agree with you on your points 1-4, LEDs would be amazing to have, but the money isn't worth it now. The lighting has to do with pretty much the entire fixture (ballast, bulbs, reflectors), as for bulbs, get ATI brand... have heard great things about those bulbs. I currently have 0 experience with advanced lighting fixtures because I still have stock lights on mine now, yet I have been researching heavily for the past 3 months to make sure I get the biggest bang for my buck. Remember, you get what you pay for (don't go with Oddysea! haha)