ZeeSparrow's 75G LPS tank build

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by mmittlesteadt

That is really nice! I walk past a 75 gallon tank every day at work, and it is one of my favorite sized tanks. Not too big, but a great footprint for a reef tank. It's basically the same as my 40 Breeder but a foot longer. Very, very cool. I bet you are really getting impatient to add things to it now huh?

Mine is now starting in on the cycling process. I just dosed some pure ammonia (3ppm) last night and because I'm using all dry rock in mine I added Seachem's Stability to kick start the biofilter. I do want to add a bit of live rock to my sump soon though too. So I'm just a bit behind you.

Noticed your circulation pumps. The right one looks to be towards the back and the left one looks more towards the front. That should produce a very good gyre effect, keeping the flow going in a circular motion around your rockwork (which is already nice and open).

Also noticed you have a heater in the display tank. I have three heaters in my sump (one in each chamber) but none in my display tank. The temps are at 78 degrees in both my sump and my display tank. I'm thinking you could just keep the heater in your sump so you don't have to see it in the display. Just a thought.

It's very difficult to wait to add stock. Very difficult. Luckily for me, one LFS isn't open on Monday or Tuesday and the (new) LFS closed until its Grand Opening on Friday so I have no choice but to wait. Though I must admit to stopping in to another place last night hoping they'd have some chaeto or maybe a snail. No such luck. No point in going there again!

I need to do a little repositioning with my PH now that the sand has settled down as I have some bare spots in the right corners. As for the heater, that was placed in there when I was setting up the rocks and didn't have circulation to the sump. Now that I do, I intend to move it to the sump as you have. I have one in the bubble trap and will put this one into the fuge.

Tonight I'll do a small WC and take care of those things. May also rearrange my power cords as they're still a mess.

[mmittlesteadt]

I think your circulation pumps are pretty close to ideal for a gyre. The one on the left maybe could come towards the front more.

If you wanted to, you could move it forward and lower, but point it more up. Then you could point the one on the right (leaving it where it is) and point it down a little.

What that will do is create a gyre that goes around your rockwork, but also kind of a up/down and down/up as the water flows around the rock.

I've been reading a lot about circulation and came across an excellent article on water flow...Water Flow

[ZeeSparrow]

I made a couple changes tonight. Moved the heater to the sump, the pump on the left a bit forward and tilted up, and rearranged the rocks on the right. Again. It's stable now so I will leave it alone. I'll get a new picture of it once it's cleared up again.

Also did a small water change. Not enough to really make a difference but didn't have enough water to do a larger one. I want to bring nitrates down under 20 this weekend with another water change. Hopefully the LFS will have chaeto so I can let that soak up more of it.

[mmittlesteadt]

Cool. Can't wait to see the pics.

If you find you really do need a heater in the display tank, a lot of people put them in their overflow. Word of caution if you do that...make sure that if the power goes out and the tank drains down to your lowest drain bulkhead (your main drain on the Herbie) that your heater is still under water. I can't do that as my main drain sits too low.

[ZeeSparrow]

If I do need a heater in the display then I'll just put it in back. Lower and hopefully behind the rocks.

Here are some pictures of the new scape.

[mmittlesteadt]

That looks really cool. Nice and open and I like the small arch. I'm a big fan of arches, overhangs, tunnels, etc. because I really love the light and shadows it creates (being an artist) and it gives various creatures places to hide (at least they think they are hiding) and get out of the sun (as it were).

There are also lots of various levels and areas to place coral...i.e.- in strong light, weak light, high flow, low flow so you have room to play with placement.

Now you just have to wait for your new LFS to open and give you great "Grand Opening" pricing on corals.

[ZeeSparrow]

Thanks. I hadn't planned on rearranging things at all, as I was happy with how it looked before. I think I mentioned that right structure wasn't very stable previously. I knocked the rocks off the top when leveling the sand and then ended up spending a good portion of the evening trying to fix it.

That "arch" is a piece I was hoping to use as an overhang but I couldn't get it to fit anywhere as well as I'd done before. I tried to imagine the structure as if it were just naturally created, which caused me to tear most of it down and start over. I set each rock in place, turning and tumbling them around until I found a place where it fit naturally. If it didn't, I set it aside and tried another one. Then I was left with that one. It's different than the rest. I buried it half in the sand, half under this rock or that, but nothing looked right or was stable. I set it aside and considered taking it out altogether when I realized it looked good where it was. A little shift to test stability and that was it.

The left structure got an extra piece for the top so now it's taller than the right.

I hope those "Grand Opening" prices aren't too tempting. I don't want to be one of those that adds too much, too fast. After months of methodical research and planning, that could be unfortunate. I think I'll set a limit before I go in... one or a pair of fish for QT, small CUC, and ... X number of corals.

Now to solve for X.

[mmittlesteadt]

Yeah, stacking rock is like working with 3D puzzle pieces with a lot of variables. Sometimes you just know when it's the perfect spot because it almost seems like the rock shape was intentionally designed to be in that one spot.

One of the nice things about corals is that while they are sensitive to water parameters, so long as the parameters are acceptable, unlike fish they do not add to the bioload very much at all.

Go for it! Stock your tank with a bunch of them. From what I have read it is the stocking of fish that require only adding a few at a time because they quickly produce too much waste that can overload your biofilter.

Maybe ask in a thread about that, but that is what I've found to be the case. I'd rather put too many corals in at once than fish. Maybe I'm wrong though.

[mmittlesteadt]

About a previous comment you made...

I actually already knew this from my freshwater experience, but get chaeto in your fuge to reduce your nitrates.

The key is exporting some of your nitrate that is built up in the chaeto by occasionally
pruning a bunch off causing it to want to continue growing. Make sure you use a good low kelvin light (like 4000k to 6000k) as that macro algae likes that kind of light source to grow (along with nitrates and phosphates). Those bulbs are super cheap and require no special fixture. Who knows, you might grow enough of it to trade it to your LFS for some things.

[ZeeSparrow]

Yep that's what I forgot to mention in my previous post: I'll also be getting chaeto from the LFS (and if they don't have any, I'll see if they know anyone who does!).

I already picked up a 5000k light from Walmart. Just need the clamp light to put it in. I'll stop by Home Depot and get that this weekend also.

[RingingEars]

Originally Posted by ZeeSparrow

Hi Neighbor! Aquarium Solutions is one; the other is Aquatic Dreams. They're moving (back) to Spokane from Post Falls, Idaho with new ownership. Grand opening next weekend!

Another neighbor.
I used to frequent there when they were on Pines. i never did visit their Post Falls store.
I'm just getting back into reefing so I'm glad to see they are reopening.

[mmittlesteadt]

It's always good to check out your thread here. It's a bit like looking into the future with my own tank.

I'm on day four of my cycling (or is it year four? LOL.). Patience is being tested, so all I can do now is read a lot and look into future stocking ideas for compatibility and interest.

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by RingingEars

Another neighbor.

I used to frequent there when they were on Pines. i never did visit their Post Falls store.

I'm just getting back into reefing so I'm glad to see they are reopening.

I only went once to Post Falls but they were in decline at that time. I'm really looking forward to this new store with new owners!

What did you have before and what are you doing now?

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by mmittlesteadt

It's always good to check out your thread here. It's a bit like looking into the future with my own tank.

I'm on day four of my cycling (or is it year four? LOL.). Patience is being tested, so all I can do now is read a lot and look into future stocking ideas for compatibility and interest.

Ha! I hear you. Have you made any stocking decisions or created a short list of possibilities yet?

For fish I'm planning on a tangaroa goby, wheelers shrimp goby, white banded possum wrasse, orange-back fairy wrasse, two o. clowns and a bristletooth tomini tang. Depending on availability for specific species. Additional planned inhabitants include LPS, scarlet skunk cleaner/banded coral/Venus anemone shrimp, hermits and a variety of snails. I realize hermits may attack snails.

[mmittlesteadt]

Originally Posted by ZeeSparrow

Ha! I hear you. Have you made any stocking decisions or created a short list of possibilities yet?

For fish I'm planning on a tangaroa goby, wheelers shrimp goby, white banded possum wrasse, orange-back fairy wrasse, two o. clowns and a bristletooth tomini tang. Depending on availability for specific species. Additional planned inhabitants include LPS, scarlet skunk cleaner/banded coral/Venus anemone shrimp, hermits and a variety of snails. I realize hermits may attack snails.

You are lucky to have a larger tank than me. Gives you a little more space for things.

So far, I'm planning on mainly soft corals. I might...actually go with (believe it or not) xenia, GSP and mushrooms only. They spread rapidly (to the point of taking over) yet they all can sting each other so as not to allow any one of them to completely take over. I know that kind of reef is not popular on this board. SPS and LPS are the cool thing to have, and even one guy here where I work (the coral guru) HATES soft corals.

I realize I'm in the minority but I've seen some very cool looking soft coral only tanks. I even saw one completely overrun with xenia and GSP and it looked amazing (to me anyway).

For fish, I am going to get a Diamond Watchman Goby and a Lawnmower Blenny. Other considerations are a Royal Gramma, Firefish, Some type of Clownfish pair (haven't decided yet), and (because I'm going with fast growing soft corals) some kind of Dwarf Angel...Flame, Coral Beauty or Lemonpeel. I've read where the Dwarf Angels cannot be trusted as reef safe, but because I'm going with some pretty fast growing soft corals, I'm not as worried as if I was going with SPS or LPS.

I also want various shrimp, hermits and a wide assortment of snails (Nassarius Snail being my favorite).

[mmittlesteadt]

One man's trash is another man's treasure...

This is ALL Xenia and GSP. I, personally think it looks really cool. But that's me. And it all moves (pulsing xenia and the GSP is long and flows in the current)...

[ZeeSparrow]

Truth be told, I will likely have some mushrooms and Xenia also. My husband and I really like the pulsing action of the Xenia. They may just be my first corals.

I will be sure to place the Xenia in such a way as to not completely take over.

[mmittlesteadt]

Originally Posted by ZeeSparrow

Truth be told, I will likely have some mushrooms and Xenia also. My husband and I really like the pulsing action of the Xenia. They may just be my first corals.

I will be sure to place the Xenia in such a way as to not completely take over.

I've read that the best way to keep xenia and GSP in control is to put (or keep) them on separate rocks, so you can move them. If you put them on your solid (immovable) rock structure then it's almost impossible to move or remove later.

I can think of worse things than THIS taking over a tank.

[ZeeSparrow]

GSP on the back wall and/or overflow....

[mmittlesteadt]

Originally Posted by ZeeSparrow

GSP on the back wall and/or overflow....

That would look very cool. Of course I'm coming from a history of heavily planted freshwater tanks so I probably look at reefs with a different idea than most.

And really my perspective is about the same when it comes to my yard versus my neighbor's yards (well, really most people's yards)...

I LOVE weeds. Most people hate them. They grow randomly, have gorgeous flowers and require no harmful pesticides to culture.

So when it comes to reefs, while I can see the appeal of LPS, SPS and why most would hate xenia and GSP, I absolutely love them.

[Grizz717]

Pulsing Xenia and GSP has always been a wish of mine also in the past. i think i'll get a variety and then mix in some Zoas and maybe even Dragon's Breath Macro.

[mmittlesteadt]

Soft Corals (Xenia and GSP in particular) seem to be a bad thing on this message board. I understand why many feel that way, based on what I've read. But I still love them both eough that being overrun with them might be kind of cool.

Almost makes me want to start a group "Soft Coral Weeds Anonymous". "Hi, I'm Mark and I love coral weeds." LOL.

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by mmittlesteadt

Almost makes me want to start a group "Soft Coral Weeds Anonymous". "Hi, I'm Mark and I love coral weeds." LOL.

All together now, "Hi Mark!"

Can't wait to see your coral garden of weeds.

[Grizz717]

"Hi Mark!"

Can't wait to see your coral garden of weeds.
LOL

Just posted my build thread. Still learning how to post pictures. Grizz717

[Swope2bc]

SooOoo??? How was the grand opening!!?? I just got back to this side of the world (in post falls tonight). So might try to take a peak tomorrow. Where are they located?