Jay's 75gallon build. -My first salt tank :)

WT_JayJay · 11/03/2009, 02:58 AM

I just got into this hobby (all fresh water) in the last 8 months. I've had multiple tanks now with all differnt set-ups. I've always wanted to do a salt reef tank but never did much reading on it. Well after looking at my buddys set up, I did some reading and decided to take the plunge. So ive got rid of everything but one 55gallon that houses my huge red devil and pleco.

So I was trying to save some money and peice everything together slowly and it turned out for the best on the deals ive gotten on alot of stuff. So far I have everything but a sump/refuguim, return lines, and stand.

-75 gallon drilled w/corner overflow

-4x54watt hamilton fixture

-120lbs of dead aragonite

-5 gallon bucket of instant ocean salt

-megaflow overflow accessory kit

-gen-x pcx40

-24'' coralife 2x24watt t5 for refuguim

-Seaclone Protein Skimmer 150

-TWO Hydor Koralia #2 Powerhead's 600gph. -goin to get two more later

-ViaAqua Titanium 300 Watt Aquarium Heater

going to start building my stand next week and ill post some pics of the progress on it was well.

for my sump/refugium i might be useing a 40gallon breeder, buttt it depends on how i end up building the stand so may just end up useing a 20gallon long. my only concern about useing that 20gallon is it being able to hold the overflow water if the pump goes out. what do you guys think i should do??

heres a pic of the tank and lights i got a few days ago. the rock inside a buddy traded me for some drift wood i wasnt useing anymore. he brought it down from one of the lakes up north a few summers ago and its some pretty sick looking rock. is dirty right now but i plan on cleaning up and boiling all the bad stuff out before i try and turn it into live. whats the best way to go about doing this? and picture about double that much rock in the tank in the end (the rest being live rock) how long do you think it would take the dead to turn live?

btw is there an actual tank build thread on here? did see it :P

jflick345 · 11/03/2009, 07:54 AM

For your sump, if you can go with the 40 breeder then do it. You can't go wrong with more volume and it'll give you more room to upgrade your skimmer. (You're going to want to as you stock the tank.)

My situation is a little different since I use a HOB overflow and a smaller tank but I was actually able to find a balance between how much water will back drain through the return line until the siphon breaks and how much will continue down the overflow until the level drops low enough in the tank without overflowing the sump. I also have the return portion of the sump small enough that if the feed to sump is stopped the pump won't overflow the tank. It's risking a burned out pump and results in lots of topping off but it gives some piece of mind. All that being said the 40 is probably going to provide more flexibility and the 20 will be hard to work with, especially to keep the floor dry during any mishaps. (Your floor is going to end up wet at some point anyway so may as well minimize the changes. lol)

You also might want to consider adding a ro/di unit to your list. I was impatient and used some tap water in addition to the ro/di and I'm fighting a bryopsis outbreak right now that just won't die. It's literally taking over.

GTboosted · 11/03/2009, 10:51 AM

Yeah a 40g would be better than the 20.Lol you cant go wrong with more gallonage. That being said, you can still use a 20g if you can't make the 40 fit.

Here is a pic of my 20 underneath my 65 display. Even after I turn off the pump, the water level in the sump never gets closer than 1" to the top rim.

You might want to get something finer than the aragonite. The big particle size means more gaps in your substrate wich in turn more detritus accumulation. As for the rock, dont sweat it. You will technically have live rock once your cycle is over. What makes live rock "live" is mainly bacteria population. If you are thinking coloration than thats corraline algae wich will start growing once you introduce a little spec of it. Also you might want to get a Calcium supplement. Instan Ocean is good salt but low on calcium,unless you are talking about Instant Ocean Reef Crystals.

oh and +1 on RO/Di

BANANAHANDS · 11/03/2009, 02:31 PM

Why not a 29g tank for the sump? Its the same footprint as the 20L but you get the extra 9g for back-flow.

WT_JayJay · 11/03/2009, 02:34 PM

because i already have access to a 40breeder and 20L ;P.

but thanks for the advice guys ive decided useing the 40 would be a much better idead.

WT_JayJay · 11/03/2009, 02:38 PM

oh and im deff getting an r/o system a little later. OH and GTboosted, where is your return chamber in your sump?? and are those UV sterilizers on the right?? and are they a good idea do have as well?

WT_JayJay · 11/05/2009, 09:37 PM

ended up pick up a 30 gallon for my sump today. it already had a 1'' bulkhead drilled in the top corner for the intake too

. she also gave me 4 precut glass baffles, so all i have to do is sillicone them in place and get a hole drilled for my pump and im good

11/03/2009, 07:54 AM	#2
jflick345 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 884	For your sump, if you can go with the 40 breeder then do it. You can't go wrong with more volume and it'll give you more room to upgrade your skimmer. (You're going to want to as you stock the tank.) My situation is a little different since I use a HOB overflow and a smaller tank but I was actually able to find a balance between how much water will back drain through the return line until the siphon breaks and how much will continue down the overflow until the level drops low enough in the tank without overflowing the sump. I also have the return portion of the sump small enough that if the feed to sump is stopped the pump won't overflow the tank. It's risking a burned out pump and results in lots of topping off but it gives some piece of mind. All that being said the 40 is probably going to provide more flexibility and the 20 will be hard to work with, especially to keep the floor dry during any mishaps. (Your floor is going to end up wet at some point anyway so may as well minimize the changes. lol) You also might want to consider adding a ro/di unit to your list. I was impatient and used some tap water in addition to the ro/di and I'm fighting a bryopsis outbreak right now that just won't die. It's literally taking over.

11/03/2009, 10:51 AM	#3
GTboosted Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Van Nuys, CA Posts: 140	Yeah a 40g would be better than the 20.Lol you cant go wrong with more gallonage. That being said, you can still use a 20g if you can't make the 40 fit. Here is a pic of my 20 underneath my 65 display. Even after I turn off the pump, the water level in the sump never gets closer than 1" to the top rim. You might want to get something finer than the aragonite. The big particle size means more gaps in your substrate wich in turn more detritus accumulation. As for the rock, dont sweat it. You will technically have live rock once your cycle is over. What makes live rock "live" is mainly bacteria population. If you are thinking coloration than thats corraline algae wich will start growing once you introduce a little spec of it. Also you might want to get a Calcium supplement. Instan Ocean is good salt but low on calcium,unless you are talking about Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. oh and +1 on RO/Di

11/03/2009, 02:31 PM	#4
BANANAHANDS Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 116	Why not a 29g tank for the sump? Its the same footprint as the 20L but you get the extra 9g for back-flow.

11/03/2009, 02:34 PM	#5
WT_JayJay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kennesaw, Georgia Posts: 100	because i already have access to a 40breeder and 20L ;P. but thanks for the advice guys ive decided useing the 40 would be a much better idead.

11/03/2009, 02:38 PM	#6
WT_JayJay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kennesaw, Georgia Posts: 100	oh and im deff getting an r/o system a little later. OH and GTboosted, where is your return chamber in your sump?? and are those UV sterilizers on the right?? and are they a good idea do have as well?

11/05/2009, 09:37 PM	#7
WT_JayJay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kennesaw, Georgia Posts: 100	ended up pick up a 30 gallon for my sump today. it already had a 1'' bulkhead drilled in the top corner for the intake too . she also gave me 4 precut glass baffles, so all i have to do is sillicone them in place and get a hole drilled for my pump and im good