75G Reef Build

[Dad & Matt]

Hi everyone. My son and I are putting our 75G tank back together after a 5-year down time due to a move to a new house. (My wife and daughter have been after me the whole time to get it done. I had other things like painting, finishing the basement, landscaping, etc that took priority.) It was fish only with a wet/dry sump before but now I want to a reef tank.

Here's what I have so far:

75G tank with pre-drilled overflow
20G three-stage sump
Mag 7 return pump
Aqua-C EV120 skimmer with Mag 5 pump
2 Max-Jet 900 powerheads with wavemaker powerstrip
48" Nova Extreme light kit with 2 acitinic and 2 10000K lights

At this point it's all hooked up, water is in (SG: 1.024), with a shallow sand bed. I just got 50# of dry rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Cool rock, lots of holes. Pictures below. Once I'm happy with the aquascaping I'll add more sand/crushed coral to get the bed 3-4" deep. My plan is to add 50# LR, once I figure out where to get it. A couple of questions:

My son and I like the aquascaping with the dry rock. I tried to add some height. It's solid, but now I'm wondering if I should keep the dry rock lower and use the LR to add height? Any advice?

I'm thinking I'll buy the live rock in 2 shipments of 25# each. Does that make sense? Any suggestions on where to buy LR online?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Zer0]

That tank looks awesome. It really does. I wish my rockwork was like that.. -_-

As for the way you want to stack rocks and give them height.. your best option would be to put the larger pieces on the bottom and the smaller ones on top. Weight distribution makes all the difference. Larger and heavier rocks have more surface area to support any rocks smaller than itself. You can do it reverse.. but it would not be all that sturdy unless you caulked the rocks together. But that's no fun is it.. But as far as whether the live or base rock should go on top or bottom.. it really does not matter. Whatever you like will be fine. There's nothing set in stone stating live rock has to be on top of base rock and vice versa.

I forgot the name of a site i ordered from which has excellent rock.. and once i remember i will post it up here. This is just my opinion, but i would stay away from liveaquaria.com contrary to what anyone else says. They shipped me the worst pieces of live rock i ever seen.

 

[Dad & Matt]

Thanks. I've got the larger pieces on the bottom. I guess I'll just wait to see what the LR looks like and then re-arrange if necessary.

 

[bbecher]

MANY people have been pleased with MacroRocks

www.marcorocks.com/http://www.marcorocks.com/

 

[goisles1]

MANY people have been pleased with MacroRocks

www.marcorocks.com/

Never bought LR from them, but their Base Dry Rock is excellent !

 

[austinsdad]

Stick with the sand. No crushed coral. Most likely will have nitrate issues down the road with it.

For a better reef environment, you're gonna need at least twice the amount of rock pictured IMO. Try to create holes/swim thru areas with the rocks. Don't be afraid to lean the rock on the back wall and wedge them into each other for stability. I like to keep mine off the side walls enuf so that I can clean there too. If it were me, I'd find a nice big piece of rock or two to stack on top of those two rocks in the pic such that there'd be a large hole there. Agian lean on the back wall if you have to.

If you imagine getting burrowing critters (pistol shrimp, some gobies, etc) make sure the rock is touching the glass bottom.

Good choices on the hardware. I love the Aqua C skimmers. Most with 2 powerheads would mount them on opposite sides of the glass and have the current crash at the front glass.

What's the plan for cycling?

 

[Dad & Matt]

Austinsdad,

My reason for the crushed coral was to keep the sand from getting stirred up so much. Maybe I should just find some grainier sand.

The dry rock is sitting on egg crate on the bottom of the tank; it's pretty stable but I'll wedge them around a little more. There's 50# of dry rock there now, I was going to add 50# of LR. Are you saying I should put another 50# of dry and then add the LR? I want to make sure I have room for the LR. I was thinking I would put the LR on top of the dry rock.

Still working on the plan for cycling. I'm thinking I'll add the LR, then throw in a couple of shrimp. Will that work?

I'll post a pic of the sump later tonight (when I'm not at work ).

 

[austinsdad]

Yeah, look around and search on posts about crushed coral. Folks are often trying to switch it out down the road and have all kinds of problems since the tank is already established then. They all say they can't keep nitrates in check. ya see, all those nooks and crannies in curshed coral accumulate stuff over time. I'd also consider removing the eggcrate too. Not sure, but it can harbor nasties too that can create problems later. What made you use it?

The live rock and base will all look the same over some months. After a year, you likely won't be able to tell the diff, so let how the pieces fit together to give you caves and swimthru, and etc drive your rockscape work now.

Yep, the shrimp works. Check out the fishless cycling article at this site for more help. A Nitrite and Ammonia test kit is imperative during cycling.

 

[Dad & Matt]

Will do on the crushed coral. I read another post a while back that recommended adding the egg crate to keep some of the sharper edges of rocks from hitting directly on the bottom of the tank. I'll have to rethink that if it will cause nitrate problems in the long run.

Already have a test kit, just haven't started using it yet.

 

[fishmonkey]

nah, the eggcrate is fine. and definitely use it, because the rock can crack the bottom of the tank if you dont use it and youre not careful

 

[Zer0]

I don't use eggcrate and i know a lot of people that don't. As long as you have a decently deep sandbed, the rocks won't have enough force to break the glass beneath the sand if they happen to fall because the water will slow them down. I have dropped a pretty large sized piece of fiji live rock from the very top of my tank, and when it hit my sandbed.. it hardly even made a dent in the sand. I have a 2.5" sandbed so if you have that or around that you should be fine. Anything less and i would be a little concerned. But hitting the sides of the tank is a different story. And that's why a sturdy formation is necessary.

 

[fishmonkey]

if you were really paranoid about them falling and breaking the glass, you could silicone the rocks together, but it makes re-aquascaping a pain.

 

[melosu58]

I keep my LR on the back glass. It helps to force the fish to swim out front. I also agree that the eggcrate in the sand is not needed. The sand will hold it enough. Good luck on the build and enjoy the ride.

 

[Dad & Matt]

Does anyone know anything about "The Package" from Tampa Bay Saltwater? That's where I got my dry rock, and I like it. He sells a package deal (LR, sand, crabs, starfish, etc) that looks pretty good. I'd be interested if anyone has any experience with it. Live Rock - Tampa Bay Saltwater Aquacultured Live Rock - The Package

Because I already have 50 lbs of dry rock I was thinking of getting his 50G package (which includes 100 lbs of live rock).

 

[mdaniel2882]

Does anyone know anything about "The Package" from Tampa Bay Saltwater? That's where I got my dry rock, and I like it. He sells a package deal (LR, sand, crabs, starfish, etc) that looks pretty good. I'd be interested if anyone has any experience with it. Live Rock - Tampa Bay Saltwater Aquacultured Live Rock - The Package

Because I already have 50 lbs of dry rock I was thinking of getting his 50G package (which includes 100 lbs of live rock).

That seems like the best start I have ever seen to a new tank. It would be like taking a chunk of the ocean floor and putting it in your tank.

The Pluses:
1. lots of live critters to discover on the rock and sand
2. virtually no cycle with the rock and sand being harvested and shiped air freight same day.

The Minuses:
1. 50 gal package costs around $850 plus at least another $300 in shipping!!!! (1150)
2. lots of love critters to discover on the rock and sand. we do not want everything in the ocean in our reef aquariums. i.e. aptasia, some crabs

Stay away from the cucumbers they will nuke your entire tank if they die. 50 hermits and 50-100 snails seems excessive. peppermints like to be in groups of 3 or more. you will never see 1 but 3-4 will be out all the time.

Here is a picture of my tank. It is about 9 months old. I have about $1100 in it including all equipment, lights, LR, sand, fish, corals, inverts..... EVERYTHING. Started with about 25lbs LR and 25lbs base and 25 lbs of sand. nothing fancy, no skimmer just HOB filters filled with LR. This hobby does not have to be expensive for great results

 

[Dad & Matt]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think I'm going to take the eggcrate out, order another 25lbs of dry rock and then 50lbs of LR, or maybe just 75lbs of LR. Still working that out. I've heard good things about LiveAquaria.com.

Another question: I've got a lot of what I think are microbubbles in my tank from the return. Any ideas on how to get rid of them? I think it's because there are lots of bubbles in my sump, but not sure how to get rid of those, either. (I'll try to post pics of my sump tomorrow; having camera troubles today.)

And one other question: My sump is set up for a fuge. What kind of lighting does it need?

 

[goisles1]

Another question: I've got a lot of what I think are microbubbles in my tank from the return. Any ideas on how to get rid of them? I think it's because there are lots of bubbles in my sump, but not sure how to get rid of those, either. (I'll try to post pics of my sump tomorrow; having camera troubles today.)

And one other question: My sump is set up for a fuge. What kind of lighting does it need?

Without seeing or understanding your sump layout it would be difficult to advise. However, I'm going to bet that you do not have a "bubble Trap" in the 1st chamber. The water coming from the DT is pouring into the sump and makes lots of bubbles. Those bubbles are making it to the return pump which are blowing them back up to the DT.

Post a pic or explain the sump layout and we can advise.

FYI - I do NOT have a bubble Trap in my sump/fuge and I need to use a filter sock on the hose. It virtually stops all Microbubbles in my tank. But I have to change it quite often.

As far as a light for the fuge, I'm all about DIY. I found a link on the web and built a DIY fuge light for about $20. I'll search for the link and post it here

 

[Dad & Matt]

Pics of the sump below. (And one pic of "helper dog" Lily. She insists on being right in the middle of everything. )







Not the best pics - I need some lighting under the tank. I used a 20G tank for the sump. As you look at the pic, fuge is on the left, return pump is in the middle, skimmer is on the right. Overflow from the tank goes into fuge and into skimmer section. Return pump send water into tank and into skimmer section (so I can control flow back into tank without restricting the pump output). Comments appreciated.

I've decided to add 75 lbs of live rock to the 50 lbs of dry rock. Still looking for a place to order the LR. Another question: Once I get the LR, my plan is to rinse it off by swishing it around in SW and squirting it with a clean squirt bottle to try to get rid of dead critters and otehr stuff. Because I have a new tank set-up I can then just put it right into the tank, right? And how long after that should I wait to add the clean-up crew.

 

[Dad & Matt]

I have a bubble trap between the skimmer section and the return. Hard to see in the pics. I have a drawing that I'll find and post.

 

[Dad & Matt]

Okay, here's the drawing of the sump. I have a bubble trap between the skimmer and the return but not between the fuge and the return. When I look in the return section with a flashlight there really aren't that many bubbles.