75G Build, First Timer

[coffeetwitch]

I haven't noticed a loss besides the two that where in the bag.

 

[Patterson333]

I haven't noticed a loss besides the two that where in the bag.

Good to hear! Thanks!

Oh and is there any specific reason for the emerald crabs that you recommended? I think they're pretty awesome so ordering some would not be an issue at all lol.

 

[coffeetwitch]

if i recall correctly they are still a beneficial part of the clean up crew. their main job is bubble algae but will also spend all day cleaning rock and bits of left over food too. and pretty to look at

 

[Patterson333]

A thought just occurred to me. I've got a nice deep sand bed in my fuge, but does that mean I should get some Nassarius snails for my fuge? Or something else to keep my sand turning over?

 

[coffeetwitch]

good question. i would like to know too.

 

[Patterson333]

Well, anyone got any advice on this one? Nassarius snails/sand stirring critters in a deep sand bed fuge or no?

 

[carey]

I have a dsb in my refugium and don't have any snails in there. Not sure if it's right or wrong just how I have my setup. I do have a hermit crab that hitched a ride on a piece of live rock though.

 

[Patterson333]

I have a dsb in my refugium and don't have any snails in there. Not sure if it's right or wrong just how I have my setup. I do have a hermit crab that hitched a ride on a piece of live rock though.

Thanks! Always good to hear from experience!

 

[Patterson333]

Got another question for you guys. I'm going to test the water again today, and if my cycle is complete, I'll be ordering my CUC from reefcleaners.org this week. But should I also order the macroalgae for my fuge or should I wait? If so, what kinds? How much? Sorry for all the questions lol. I'm at a complete loss as far as the fuge algae goes...

 

[carey]

I would order the macro when you get the cuc, saves time and money.
I currently only have chaeto and caulpera in mine with some live rock and sand. You can also add some pods if you want.

 

[Patterson333]

I would order the macro when you get the cuc, saves time and money.
I currently only have chaeto and caulpera in mine with some live rock and sand. You can also add some pods if you want.

Ooh pods! Good idea! I kind of want a mandarin down the road (when my tank could support it) so the earlier I get that pod population going the better lol.

Thanks!

 

[NanoNerd]

Wow great thread!! Keep it up!

Question: what are you shooting for aquarium wise? FOWL? And what is you cumulative GPH?

 

[Patterson333]

Wow great thread!! Keep it up!

Question: what are you shooting for aquarium wise? FOWL? And what is you cumulative GPH?

Ultimately, I hope to turn this into a reef. It might start off as a FOWLR with only reef safe fish and then progress into a reef in due time.

As far as the GPH, I get 950 from my return pump (probably a little less actually), and I've got two Koralia 1050s, so on paper I get 3,050 GPH, though in reality it's probably less than that.

I'm using this thread as a tool for asking all these questions that come up and also for keeping track of progress in my build. Speaking of which, for anyone following along, I added an extra 20 lbs of sand yesterday (giving me a semi-deep sand bed of about 3.5"), and I swapped out those marineland circulation pumps for the Koralias I just mentioned (thanks for the tips!)

 

[NanoNerd]

Wow, that's a ton of movement! Lol

I have a 10g nano and use a ecotech mp10 set on half. Good range for a healthy tank is between 10-20 times the capacity of your tank. ie. 10g x 15 =150gph. I stay a bit above the rec range only because I don't use any type of filtration and mostly rely on circulation, the inverts, pods within my tank, and religious WCs.

Keep it coming! Lol

 

[Patterson333]

Lol yea I tend to overdo things too. If I find I have too much flow, I could always swap one of those Koralia 1050s out for a 750. Hopefully it won't come to that though. I've also got a ton of rock, so part of the reason why I have so much flow is to try to reduce the likelihood of dead spots.

 

[NanoNerd]

As long as you do your research on the corals and the placement they need you will do just fine I am sure.

I had a 75g long once and had Maxi jet 1200s on each side as well as a mag drive 9.5 driving my sump and I still seen some dead spots. Thats until I drilled my tank and added different sized PVC with ball joints sticking out every where lol

 

[Patterson333]

Actually, speaking of corals and flow, I've got a nice piece of kind of flat live rock that I've used for one of the shelves in my tank. But it's right by one of the outputs for my return pump, so it's in a really high flow area.

Are there any corals that require really high flow and really high light? Because I feel like I could glue such a coral here and the conditions would be perfect lol.

 

[coffeetwitch]

yes please do tell, ive got 2 spots like that.

 

[Patterson333]

Just checked my parameters, and my tank is finally cycled! Here are my results:

Ammo: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
pH: 8.2
SG: 1.025

Also, I got my refractometer in the mail and calibrated it and man is this thing cool! I'm now setting up my order from reefcleaners.org for my CUC. Here's what I've got in my cart so far:

Quick Crew w/Hermits (40 Breeder)
Chaeto
Cactus Caulupera
Pods+
Emerald/Ruby Mithrax Crab
5 Red Mangroves (good idea?)

Should I get anything else? Anything I should take out? If you guys could give me some advice rather quickly I'd really appreciate it. I'm hoping to place my order tonight.

 

[coffeetwitch]

that looks great to me. i wish i was far enough along with my build to have ordered all that.