75 gallon reefs....

Kengaroo131 · 04/04/2007, 03:11 PM

ok so here the deal. i'v always wanted a pretty nice sized reef tank setup but have always been troubled about how much it would cost to maintain. hopfully by summer time i will have a good chunck of dough and start one but i want to do it right this time the tank will be a 75 gallon aga. i was just wondering if some people could maby give me a few pointers to the right way of acctualy setting one of these aquariums up. after the cycle i would like to put corals in it so maby if i can get some suggestions that would be great!Thanks in advanced for the help!

Blown 346 · 04/04/2007, 03:17 PM

Once you cycle the tank and the levels are stabile, you can add corals. But you have to have the right type of lighting, what type depends on what type of corals you want to keep.
You will want to do lighting once otherwise its getds really expensive. I myself like halides and wont change over to anything else.
Once you have everything in place, you will want to add things slowly. Waterflow is also another thing you have to look at, certain corals require more or less. I have a closed loop that does the trick for me.

BurntOutReefer · 04/04/2007, 03:32 PM

agree on MH's.....just dumped my T5's and went back to MH's....
just a better quality light (IMO)

Craig Lambert · 04/04/2007, 03:56 PM

Spend a good deal of time thinking about the design and equipment you'll want. I think the best advice I could give you to start off with is to plan on having a sump. This will add additional water to the system (making it more stable). It will also provide space for a high quality skimmer which is the most important piece of equipment you'll be purchasing. In addition, you can place your heater(s), pH probe, temp. probe, and anything else you would like which will give your display tank a nice uncluttered look. You migh also consider a "Reef Ready" tank.

Kengaroo131 · 04/04/2007, 04:37 PM

what exactly is a reef ready tank?i heard alot on them but dont know what the differance is to a normal tank?

Craig Lambert · 04/04/2007, 04:38 PM

RR tanks have a built in overflow. The bottom of the overflow is drilled to drain to a sump. No need for drilling the tank and purchasing an overflow.

Kengaroo131 · 04/04/2007, 04:54 PM

ooh alright. then im guessing you would just have it come out of that hole into the sump and put a power head or somthing to get the water back in?

Craig Lambert · 04/04/2007, 04:57 PM

For a 75G with a sump you could drill the sump for an external return pump, or you could use a submersible pump. Something like a mag 7 would work nicely.

Kengaroo131 · 04/04/2007, 06:05 PM

is there a specail tube i should put on the tank to go into the sump to cut down noise maby instead of hearing like a waterfall constantly? ha can i just use pvc?

Craig Lambert · 04/04/2007, 06:19 PM

Most come with something, but you can make a "Durso Standpipe", or a "Stockman Standpipe" out of pvc.

04/04/2007, 03:11 PM	#1
Kengaroo131 Fish Crazy Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jupiter, Florida Posts: 1,361	75 gallon reefs.... ok so here the deal. i'v always wanted a pretty nice sized reef tank setup but have always been troubled about how much it would cost to maintain. hopfully by summer time i will have a good chunck of dough and start one but i want to do it right this time the tank will be a 75 gallon aga. i was just wondering if some people could maby give me a few pointers to the right way of acctualy setting one of these aquariums up. after the cycle i would like to put corals in it so maby if i can get some suggestions that would be great!Thanks in advanced for the help!

04/04/2007, 03:56 PM	#4
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	Spend a good deal of time thinking about the design and equipment you'll want. I think the best advice I could give you to start off with is to plan on having a sump. This will add additional water to the system (making it more stable). It will also provide space for a high quality skimmer which is the most important piece of equipment you'll be purchasing. In addition, you can place your heater(s), pH probe, temp. probe, and anything else you would like which will give your display tank a nice uncluttered look. You migh also consider a "Reef Ready" tank. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic Last edited by Craig Lambert; 04/04/2007 at 04:12 PM.

04/04/2007, 04:37 PM	#5
Kengaroo131 Fish Crazy Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jupiter, Florida Posts: 1,361	what exactly is a reef ready tank?i heard alot on them but dont know what the differance is to a normal tank? __________________ ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef, 12 gallon bookshelf reef

04/04/2007, 04:38 PM	#6
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	RR tanks have a built in overflow. The bottom of the overflow is drilled to drain to a sump. No need for drilling the tank and purchasing an overflow. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

04/04/2007, 04:54 PM	#7
Kengaroo131 Fish Crazy Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jupiter, Florida Posts: 1,361	ooh alright. then im guessing you would just have it come out of that hole into the sump and put a power head or somthing to get the water back in? __________________ ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef, 12 gallon bookshelf reef

04/04/2007, 03:17 PM	#2
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	Once you cycle the tank and the levels are stabile, you can add corals. But you have to have the right type of lighting, what type depends on what type of corals you want to keep. You will want to do lighting once otherwise its getds really expensive. I myself like halides and wont change over to anything else. Once you have everything in place, you will want to add things slowly. Waterflow is also another thing you have to look at, certain corals require more or less. I have a closed loop that does the trick for me.

04/04/2007, 03:32 PM	#3
BurntOutReefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 4,376	agree on MH's.....just dumped my T5's and went back to MH's.... just a better quality light (IMO)

04/04/2007, 04:57 PM	#8
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	For a 75G with a sump you could drill the sump for an external return pump, or you could use a submersible pump. Something like a mag 7 would work nicely. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

04/04/2007, 06:05 PM	#9
Kengaroo131 Fish Crazy Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jupiter, Florida Posts: 1,361	is there a specail tube i should put on the tank to go into the sump to cut down noise maby instead of hearing like a waterfall constantly? ha can i just use pvc? __________________ ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> ><((((º> Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef, 12 gallon bookshelf reef

04/04/2007, 06:19 PM	#10
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	Most come with something, but you can make a "Durso Standpipe", or a "Stockman Standpipe" out of pvc. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic