Need practical reef advice

champ3000

champ3000

Small Fish
#1
Mar 20, 2007
24
0
0
Western Kentucky
#1
I'm diving into saltwater reef tanks, and after doing a lot of research (books and internet), I had a few questions. Sorry if they had been answered in other threads, I'm sure a couple have.

1. I am thinking about purchasing a 75g E aquarium. The dimensions are 48.5" L x 18.5" W x 21.4 H. The tank is not drilled. Would using an overflow box be a mistake or should I get it drilled? Don't really know if there is a place around my town that would do a quality job. Or should I just get a different aquarium?

2. I understand that corals requiring a high amount of light need around 7-8 watts per gallon. If i was using compact flourescents that get 4-5 watts per gallon, be good enough if the corals were placed higher on the live rock aquascape?

3. Can I double my sump as a refugium? If so, should I get a bigger than recommended sump? Or should I get the biggest sump that will fit under my stand anyway?

4. Will packed wet sand, that claims to be loaded with bacteria, give me the necessary organisms to have a quality living sand bed? Time is not a factor here as I intend to approach this entire process with patience.

5. Is it easier to introduce a couple of fish after the cycle and then the coral, or vice-versa?


Any help would be appreciated. I hope to chronicle my set-up once it gets going. Equipment selection for this is the most challenging step in my opinion! Thanks.
 

zoalover34

zoalover34

Superstar Fish
#2
Jun 5, 2006
1,269
2
0
43
Kent, OH
#2
Welcome to the salty side first off! As far as overflow box vs. drilled its all a matter of opinion really.. Personally I would get it drilled if your handy and have a drill you can order the bit online and drill it yourself it's pretty easy! Not all corals require alot of light! It really depends on what you want to keep to figure out what kind of lights you want to use.. Check out T5's they are abit cheaper than MH and you can keep just about anything with those.. You don't need to buy any special sand! Once you get your LR your sandbed will become live with worms etc... Again it's up to you weather you wanna get your fish or corals first.. Remember when your picking fish make sure they are reef safe!
 

S.Reef

S.Reef

Superstar Fish
#3
Dec 1, 2003
1,830
0
0
36
Michigan
#3
champ3000 said:
I'm diving into saltwater reef tanks, and after doing a lot of research (books and internet), I had a few questions. Sorry if they had been answered in other threads, I'm sure a couple have.

1. I am thinking about purchasing a 75g E aquarium. The dimensions are 48.5" L x 18.5" W x 21.4 H. The tank is not drilled. Would using an overflow box be a mistake or should I get it drilled? Don't really know if there is a place around my town that would do a quality job. Or should I just get a different aquarium?

2. I understand that corals requiring a high amount of light need around 7-8 watts per gallon. If i was using compact flourescents that get 4-5 watts per gallon, be good enough if the corals were placed higher on the live rock aquascape?

3. Can I double my sump as a refugium? If so, should I get a bigger than recommended sump? Or should I get the biggest sump that will fit under my stand anyway?

4. Will packed wet sand, that claims to be loaded with bacteria, give me the necessary organisms to have a quality living sand bed? Time is not a factor here as I intend to approach this entire process with patience.

5. Is it easier to introduce a couple of fish after the cycle and then the coral, or vice-versa?


Any help would be appreciated. I hope to chronicle my set-up once it gets going. Equipment selection for this is the most challenging step in my opinion! Thanks.
Click to expand...
1. To answer your question of overflow boxes, externals always have the risk of failing and overflowing...they are nice because you dont have any holes in the tank incase you sell it or use it for something else. Drilled holes are nice because it gives a very clean look and they dont stop siphon. Drilling holes in glass can be risky.

2. the wattage per gallon system for corals is not very accurate. Whats best is to research what corals you want and to focus the lighting around them. Ex. 7-8 watts of CF wont be adequate for sps let alone 4-5 watts

3. A sump can double as a refugium. again research designs and see what fits what you want to do. bigger is always better

4. Skip the wet and get dry

5. When cycling buy uncured live rock...this will cycle your tank. Do not add anything for at least a few weeks. monitor your water conditions during this time as well. Once your Ammonia and nitite levels are stable you can add a few fish at a time. While we are on the subject QT is always recommended. Corals can be added a few months after the tank is set up. Dont rush things
 

champ3000

champ3000

Small Fish
#4
Mar 20, 2007
24
0
0
Western Kentucky
#4
Thanks. Very helpful advice.

On the topic of overflows. I was checking out glass-holes.com. I am fairly certain after viewing their instructional videos that I can handle installing an overflow.

I figure the 700gph overflow kit that they offer will get me the 10x turnover rate.

Should the box be placed in the middle? And where should the return line go assuming that the overflow box is in the middle of the tank I assume the right corner of the tank would be appropriate... I also assume I would need another 1.5" bulkhead for the return along with loc-line, etc..

Here is the link to what I'm referring to..

Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff : 700 gph Overflow complete kit

Also, here is what I am considering for lighting.. any better suggestions?

T-5 Aquarium Lighting: Nova Extreme T-5 Fixtures w/Lunar Lights
 

Last edited:
Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#5
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#5
If you haven't bought the tank yet, you should seriously consider getting a reef-ready tank, which already has the overflow built in. It will save you drilling/installing the overflow, and it's already designed to give the right overflow for your tank.
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#7
if the tank hasnt been purchased yet i say 100% to get one already drilled! ive used HOB overflows, ive had my tanks drilled afterwards, and ive bought already drilled and never again will i buy anything but a drilled tank with builtin overflows and all that good stuff! ;) you cant really go by watts per gallon because differant tanks (depths) require differant lighting! lower light corals ie. softies should be fine towards the top but one thing ive learned in this hobby is save your money and buy the right equipment the first time and save money in the long run! for example i went thru 3 differant sets of lights before getting the ones i have now and iff i did a little more research i could have avoided all the rebuying... i went with the biggest sump i could fit but only problem with that is i have no room to work with under my tank and when i upgraded skimmers i had to go with an external cause the one i wanted wouldnt fit so the answer to that one is yea u can double the sump as sump/refugium and id go big to add to water volume but just dont go over board! :p the whole live sand thing unless yur only guna need a bag or two IMO isnt worth it, the sand will endup "live" on its own within a few months and personally i went with dry sand ;) and the usual order of adding livestock after the cycle is clean up crew, a few fish, than corals and id wait at least a week in between each
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#11
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#11
only differance between cured/uncured is just cured means it has already sat in a tank for atleast a month or so to make sure any die off has already occured.... personally id prefer to skip that whole process if possible ;)
 

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