My 75 gallon Reef... a newbie's progress.

[dg3147]

Newbie here! Thought I would share my reef experience from the begining. Here are the construction photos so far. The stand is made out of Alder and then stained a dark espresso (it is being allowed to cure at the shop for another week or so).

The doors open on all three sides with magnetic touch latches.

[dg3147]

First, here is the look I am aiming for: I like a less cluttered tank --no overflowing, "busy" tanks. I hope to diminish how busy the tank looks by trying to coordinate just a few colors. I thought I would have one centerpiece fish (Kole Tang) and then two other basic colors for fish. I had originally thought about 3-5 Chromies and then a couple of another species, such as Anthias. I then crossed off the Anthias, because I wanted more character in the tank....enter the Midas Blenny. If I can manage to keep a few Blue Reef Chromis alive with one Midas and a Kole, I think this may look okay and still have plenty of character.

I also really dislike a messy sandbed...enter, the awesome Diamind Goby. Additonally, there's nothing like a freshly mowed rock...enter, the Tuxedo Urchin. (I am a huge fan of the clean-back-glass-look).

Near Final Fish List --the bold are the must haves (or at least the "really-want-haves"):
1 Kole Tang
3 Blue Reef Chromis vs. alternative of 3-5 Blue/Green Chromis
1 Midas Blenny vs. alternative of 2 Yellow Assesors(Assessor flavissimus) vs. Anthias
1 tuxedo urchin (add once coraline is established)
1 Diamond Goby (added once sandbed is established)
2 peppermint shrimp
1-2 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 scarlet serpent star (may need to supplement diet with krill)
crimson hermits w/extra shells
snails
Crocea Clams

Concerns:
-No one seems to have a picture of a Blue Reef Chromis as an adult so I am not sure how quick they may out grow the tank. Some sources say they may reach FIVE inches; others say 3-4". I spoke with one person that had a 3-1/2" the same size for several years (though he always only had one Blue Reef mixed with his Blue/Green Chromies).
-Midas Blenny might attack Diamond Goby (similar body shapes). I like the idea of this yellow fish contrasting with the Blue Reef Chromis.

And, of course some new photos of the tank that was finished yesterday... I went with a shallow tank (18") to have better success with corals under less demanding lights and added more width for better aquascaping. I plan on going for several interconnected islands rather than the "wall of rock" look. We'll see if I have much luck creating it. I am avidly stealing everyone else's ideas from this forum...it's a truly amazing resource.

Made mistake number one recently; though, it's a very small one: get the glass assembled with the darker, black silicone. I think it may look slightly better and more modern, IMO.

[BLKTANG]

Looks great.

Little off topic,but how did u "attach the thumbnails'?

[flying_dutchman]

Great start, did you build the stand yourself? What are you plan for corals? SPS? LPS? softies? or is it going to be a FOWLRfish only with live rock?
Tagging along.

BLKTANG, advanced reply, the paperclip next to the smiley and two arrows.

[dg3147]

Built it with the assistance of my father --he's a cabinet maker. It's sort of a house warming gift. And when I say "I built it with him", I really mean I fetched lunch and he built it from my sketches.

I plan on keep a mixed reef, likely with my SPS on one end and softies on the other end; though, the landscaping ideas evolve daily.

These forums have been great for ideas on getting the look of the tank:
-Shallow reef tanks:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1397288
-Minimalist Aquascaping:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1658490
-And then there is one on "reefers that clean the back glass", but I cannot find that thread right now.

I post the thumbnails by first saving the picure as an image via photoshop, etc. Then I upload it when I start the new thread. It's at the bottom below your message. It says:

Attach Files
Valid file extensions: bmp doc gif jpe jpeg jpg pdf png psd txt zip

Then you select the file from your computer and upload it. Let me know if this helps. If the file is too big, photo shop will let you save picutes as a lower resolution shot with less bytes as well.

[dg3147]

Okay, finally got the stand home. Here are the latest shots:

[BLKTANG]

Originally Posted by flying_dutchman

Great start, did you build the stand yourself? What are you plan for corals? SPS? LPS? softies? or is it going to be a FOWLRfish only with live rock?
Tagging along.

BLKTANG, advanced reply, the paperclip next to the smiley and two arrows.

TY.

That'l b all carry on.

[dg3147]

Okay, so I have the lights set up now and the sump is all hooked up. Tomorrow I add the rock and sand, but first I need to go buy the sand.
I just posted some of the contenders for the sand bed --we'll see what the opinions are from the crew here. Here are a list of options:
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expa...d&SortBy=Price
or something like this?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...26&pcatid=7326
Or this?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...4&pcatid=16764

Anyway, here are the pictures of the tank as of today --rock arrives pre-cured and pre-purpled tomorrow.

[Hagisan]

Go BB.

[scott26]

What is your bill so far jc?

[OldNemo]

Love the stand and canopy! Plans for them?

Give us some detail on the sump?

I agree go BB.

Taggin along as well

[JustinReef]

Love the stand! Nice work!

I like your idea's for stocking too. I have been trying to do something similar in my new tank.

[fefo23]

I will go with the last one. Is in my 75 and how much sand you plan to have.

[dg3147]

Okay, so some details on the sump. While I was at work today, I had a local guy help me get the intial set-up going; though, I think it requires some explanation, cause it don't make much sense to me. I will include a picture below. The real problem I have noted is that it is super loud in the sump. The DT drains into the hose on the right, which then cascades down into the sump, but first it passed through --what appears to be-- an area that you could place media. I happen to have some of my extra rocks in there right now. But it makes the sound of a babeling brook as it rains down. What's up with that? Anybody else have a sump like this?

Other than that, there is an ETSS downdraft skimmer that is just getting broken in. I think the water level appears to be to high on the skimmer, it may need to be elevated off the bottom by a few inches.

I also noticed that additional noise is comming from my DT overflow. As the water enters the overflow, it pours down about 16" before hitting the drains in the bottom. It sounds like a river in my living room!

The other bonus I had today: I came home and, after coming loose from the canopy, my lights fell onto the tank. One light broken and a small mess...but really not a big deal.

I'll post my latest aquascape attempt next.

[dg3147]

So, I am drying out my canopy before plugging it back in (salt water + electricity = potential for badness).

I will post my intial aquascaping pics for you to critique. I still have another 30lbs or so in my sump.

Also bought a test kit today and here are my numbers after24 hours of running. The rock was cured in a local tank here and moved wet, so I expect only a mini-cycle.

Parameters today:
NO3 5-10 ppm
SG 1.024-1.023 (the range on three samples with my cheapy hydrometer)

[flying_dutchman]

The snail in the 2nd picture looks a lot like a whelk, eats other snails and clams so be aware!
Some info:
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/whats_a_whelk.html

[bigffish]

I think the area you are refering to above the egg crate is or can full of bioballs or some other filter media i.e. floss or something with a very surface area. Biggfish

[reefscape15]

Tank looks very nice! I like the rock scaping alot.

[dg3147]

So, I bought a couple bags of this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...5&pcatid=16765

...the reef sand grade. But I think it's too brown in color. The particle size is nice though. I am thinking of getting this instead (the Special Grade Sand):
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...18&pcatid=7318

Is it a bit whitter? Anybody have this? Any pictures I can see of people's Special Grade Sand substrate?

Is there a better option?

[dg3147]

Today's status:

Fixed the one broken light. Apparently the lights are wired in series, so with on light broken, they all failed. Therefore, the tank was in the dark for 4 days and I think I may have lost some of my purple growth.

Below is a picture of my sump, which is a bit of a mess. No skimate after 4 days. I think the skimmer is too deep in the sump and there's a bunch of gunk on the floor of the sump from the extra rock. I may put a power head in there to blow it into filtration. I also think I am going to get rid of those bulky power heads in the back of the tank and go with two Vortech 40w's.

I will also re-check my parameters today.

[dg3147]

Another hitchhiker found on the glass today. This is the third of its kind I have found. I believe its Astrenia --an opportunistic eater of corals (that is, I think they conusme them when other foods are in short supply). I plucked him off the glass and banished him to eternity in a landfill.

BTW, here's a good link for starfish husbandry:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

[dg3147]

My first major shipment of tank goodies has arrived today, including substrate and Votech x1. I need to decide where to place the Vortech now. I prefer to put it slightly behing the rock work, but I think this may directly blast the corals to be place on the rocks.

I think 2 Vortechs will be a bit much --I may stick with just the one MP40w. The other two submerged cheap'o power heads are coming out.

Substrate to be added this weekend.

Parameters today:
NH3 0
NO2 0
NO3 10

Working on silencing the system still --I have a few seemingly good ideas to try out.

[Korrine]

ooo vortech should be nice. My mp10 is supposed to come Wednesday. Nice job

Have you thought about hosting your photos someplace like photobucket? It's easier to see them.

[flying_dutchman]

What is the thing in the middle, on the overflow?
Like the scape

[dg3147]

It's a water pump that the local "expert" put in my initial tank set-up. Super loud, so I've pulled it out and replace it with the Vortech 40w. I may keep it to help stir salt when I mix it. I though about using it for my sump, since I have a bunch of rock in there and am worried about junk building up. I think it's too loud for that though.

Not sure if I should get a second Vortech though for the right side of the tank. I don't want another bulky Vortech sticking out into the living room. Should i get one and put it on the back wall of the tank, or just get a small nano pump? Or is one Vortech enough? Keep in mind my tank is shallow and wide for a 75g; therefore, my Vortech is kept at low power to avoid blasting the tank too hard.

I'll post pics of the slightly re-aquascaped tank after the new sand clears a bit.