75gallon buildup newbie - PICS

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dlee300z

Small Fish
#1
Oct 30, 2007
15
0
0
#1
I promised my kids - 2 year old and 1 year old a nemo tank. Little did I know that it was going to unleash the child in me as well.

So we went to the biggest local shop here and decided on a small saltwater tank. We had a budget of no more then $500. LOL. After talking to one of the experienced guys there and being such a good salesman, I ended up spending over $1500!!!

Here is the stuff I got.

75gal Bow-Front Aquarium with built in Overflow
Stand
euro-reef RS80 protein skimmer
current sunpod 48" 300wH light
RIO 1100 powerflow
RIO 2500 pump
mega overflow kit
125 aqua clear w/ 125gl

So far I've added 60 pounds of live rock and 3 bags of live sand. Also added the water and salt. The hydrometer is at 1.022 - 1.024. Live rock has been in the tank for about 3 days now.

Suggestions on powerhead placement, live rock placement. Also what are my next steps. I don't have a QT but wanted to find out if it is even necessary. Thanks guys!!

I'm going to be buying 2 clownfish for sure hehehe

On to the pics.






 

1979camaro

1979camaro

Ultimate Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2002
5,862
2
0
42
San Ramon, CA
#4
Looks like a good start. My biggest thought at the moment would be remove the bio-balls and filter pad. All that is going to do is create excess nitrates. Let the live rock take care of the biological filtration!
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#5
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#5
Second Camaro.....remove the bioballs and possibly make that section into a refugium to grow some macro algaes. Great start, you may want to increase your sand depth to about 4 inches and create a true deep sand bed for denitrification and add some more rock say another 30 lbs or so.....make some islands of rocks stacke securely as some corals you will want to add later need to be placed higher in the tank and it is easier to scape the rock now than later. Let your tank cycle and don't be in a rush to add anything until all your parameters are in line. Get a good test kit and test daily until cycled. You may need stronger powerheads as you will want about 25x your volume turnover to keep detritus in suspension to be skimmed out by the protein skimmer. Please research every addition prior to buying it to make sure you understand the needs and compatability and suitability before you buy saving you heartache further on.
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#7
id ditch the bio balls and make a fuge in that section and if you really wanna do it right the first time id go with differant powerheads.... oh yea and dont let the lfs sell u damsels to cycle the tank
 

D

dlee300z

Small Fish
#8
Oct 30, 2007
15
0
0
#8
when could I start putting corals in and i found a seller locally who wants to sell live rock w/ coral polyps and sponges growing on them for $6.50/lb. Is that a good deal?

Thanks!
 

D

dlee300z

Small Fish
#10
Oct 30, 2007
15
0
0
#10
Thank TRE.

So when do you think I could start putting in some coral. When I put in the liverock, I did pour in a whole bottle of bacteria to help speed up the process.

The live rock has been in the tank for about 5 days now.

When should I start testing the water.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#11
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#11
No coral, no fish nothing except rock until this tank is fully cycled. All your parameters should be checked daily to monitor the ammonia/nitrite levels. all these should be zero for at least a week before you start adding anything. Bottled bacteria is pretty worthless as far as cycling goes. You need to let nature and time take it's course and not rush anything. Corals shouldn't be added for at least a month or maybe two.
 

D

dlee300z

Small Fish
#12
Oct 30, 2007
15
0
0
#12
Thanks Lorna.
I am going to buy a Koralia 4 pump today. Found a local shop selling it for $48.99 only. Best deal I've found so far new and local too.

Anyways, I am starting to see some algae on my sand. I'm thinking it fell off from the liverock since some parts of my liverock have it also.

My liverock that is close to my RIO 1100 powerhead seems to be clean but the other side where my two return pipes are pointing too seem to not have enough flow to blow off that algae.

I'm hoping the koralia will do the trick.
 

D

dlee300z

Small Fish
#14
Oct 30, 2007
15
0
0
#14
got the koralias 4 last night, Placed it on the right side of the tank. It looks like it's cleaning the liverock off pretty good. Now my only concern is the sand. Theres a little buildup of brown algae on the sand. Anyway I can get rid of that stuff?

Also, I dont know how I could create enough flow for the back part of my tank.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#15
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#15
Diatoms are normal at this stage and you can expect it, your cleanup crew will take care of it once you put them in. Though don't go putting anything in until all the parameters are measuring zero for over a week. Then you can think of a cleanup crew. Right now research what you want such as a mix of nassarius to clean sand, ceriths, nerite and turbos......a good mix of these 4 should easily take care of any algae issues you will encounter. Be patient....it is a virtue especially in this hobby.
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#16
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#16
As Lorna says, a diatom bloom is a normal part of a new tank. While there is the initial ammonia/nitrite cycle, the tank continues to have other kinds of cycles over the first year or so. These can include various kinds of algae, as well as increased numbers of hitchhikers.

As long as you're keeping up with water changes, testing regularly, and have a good cleanup crew and flow, the algae blooms shouldn't be too bad. Just don't get too discouraged with the blooms, they're part of nature. Most algae blooms can be dealt with fairly quickly. Diatoms seem to just go away on their own after a few weeks.
 

D

dlee300z

Small Fish
#17
Oct 30, 2007
15
0
0
#17
Okay, updates.
I have a decent amount of hair algae growing on my live rocks and on the glass. I bought a algae scrubber to clean the sides and it looks much cleaner now. The live rock has been curing for almost 4 weeks now to this day so I will be doing my first 20% water change.

Should I premix the water with salt or should I just add in the salt as I'm filling it back up? I will be using store-bought water for this change.

Also, can someone show me a picture of the RO unit as how it's setup and where to put it? I think that is a good idea.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#18
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#18
You need to premix your salt and water about 24 hours before hand to let the water age, brind it to the right temp and ph.....I do this in a rubbermaid garbage can that I use just for this purpose.....water storage....I mix it put in a heater, and powerhead then test it in the morning....adjust everything mix for another few hours then I do my change.....

everyone's r/o set up is different. I have mine hooked up to the laundry sink in the garage......
 

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