75 gallon!

[Masoniac]

Excited to be doing a upgrade. I won't be doing the actual upgrade until about October, I still need to build a stand. I picked up a 75 gallon for $133 I thought that was an amazing deal. I want help on equipment. I'm thinking of going with a 55 sump/refugium, I think it will give me plenty of room for everything needed. I'm not sure on the rock just yet I have been looking at dry rock I've never used it before so I think I'm going to give it a try. For lights I'm going with AI sol, again never went with LED's so I'm going to be testing them out. Any ideas equipment wise would be great.

 

[carey]

What you have in mind sounds great. Just make sure when you build the stand that you leave enough room for the sump, a 55g is kinda large and almost as deep back to front as the 75g. You'll hava about 6 inches left but you have to consider the 2x4's size as well.

You'll need a skimmer, I'd recommend a reef octopus one, pretty good quality and they have a huge selection in terms of price. You want to aim for a skimmer rated for twice the tank size, that will give you a great skimmer with excellent skimming ability.

I used dry rock on all my builds but included some live rock as well to help the dry rock to become "live". You could go with a 50/50 mix if you aren't on too much of a budget as live rock can be quite expensive, anywhere from $5 to $11 a lb.

 

[Masoniac]

The stand will be 2" wider and 2" longer than the 75 for the reason I want to use a 55 as the sump/refugium. As far as reactors go what should I put in them?

 

[carey]

You could consider a gfo reactor but I wouldnt count on needing one unless you end up with algae. Definitely not a necessity.

gfo=granular ferrric oxide used to suck up phosphates

Are you going to invest in a ro/di unit to make your water? That is much more needed than a reactor and will ensure that you have the best water quality you can get. You can also buy water from your lfs but I'd just get the unit, they are less than $200.

 

[Masoniac]

I have a ro/di unit I've currently have a 20 gallon setup. Was going to upgrade to a 55 but found this killer deal.

 

[Masoniac]

Okay so the 55 gallon sump/refugium is out. I don't want to take up all the space in my stand. I'm considering a 38 gallon.

 

[Masoniac]

So here is a list of equipment I may be going with.
-glass holes overflow rated for 700 gph, reef octopus 4" protein skimmer, two koralia 1050 wave makers, koralia wave maker, reef breeders 48 photon LEDs. Not sure on the return pump yet , I still don't know much about them really. I'm not sure what rating I should get since I know I'm going to have some head loss.

 

[JustinKBreen]

I think most pumps list the head loss, just measure from the floor to the top of the tank for a ballpark idea for headloss.

I love the live rock from bulkreefsupply, I have two of their huge shelf pieces that are awesome for placing coral and providing some overhangs. I also bought some of there dry tonga branch for a nice variety. It is just as live as any live rock now.

I also bought rock from reefrocks which was a good deal, not as good looking imo but great for a base and the sump.

 

[Masoniac]

So when it says max head 10.17 ft 991gph. Does that mean at 10.17ft it's pushing out 991gph?