75 Gal Project

[dmcdonald]

01/17/11
Brand new to the game and here is where I'm at ...
Equipment
- 75 gal glass aquarium
- Deep Blue Professional lighting; (2) Actinic-03 lamps, (2) T5 10,000K day lamps & LED moon lights
- 250 watt Visi-Therm Marineland Heater
- Digital Thermometer (78 - 80 degrees)
- Hydor Koralia Power Head 1050 gph (only one for right now)
- AquaEuro Protein Skimmer (hang on back)
- Blue back ground
Sea Life
- 40 lbs of live sand
- 100 lbs of cured Fiji live rock
*** Water checked clean Jan. 20th. ***
01/20/11
- Snails (5)
- Hermit Crabs (5)
*** Clean water once again w/ zero's across the board (Jan. 23rd). ***
01/23/11
- Green Chromis (3)
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- Firefish Goby (1)
01/26/11
- Peppermint Shrimp (4)
- Emerald Crabs (2)
- Mexican Turbo Snails (5)


- Watermelon Mushroom? I found this guy around day 2 or 3, he is still going strong.

- Already existing color currently spreading throughout the tank. Goby is a picture whore.
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- Mexican's hard at work.

- Goby hole.

- My favorite pieces.
Please feel free to critique. Again, this is my first project and have already become totally obsessed. As of now I'll hold steady for a few weeks / month, I know my bank account will be appreciate it.
I'll continue to post questions and more pictures are they arrive.
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Thanks in advance,
Dave

 

[deejeff442]

looks pretty sweet.i like the rock work.i have alot of those mushrooms,probably a few dozen.very hardy and they will multiply over time easily.

 

[meowzer]

Nice looking tank....I'd be a little careful with the rocks on the left...make sure they are sturdy
IMO things are moving a little fast, but glad to hear you are going to sit back and wait now.....What test kits are you using?
I would also suggest more powerheads....at least one on the other side of the tank to circulate the water better, what type of filter do you have? I didn't see one listed...
OH...WELCOME TO SWF

 

[dmcdonald]

I almost threw live rock out the window attempting to set up a satisfying appearance. The rocks on the right actually puzzled together nicely after hours of work. Worst puzzle ever.
The shop I've been dealing with suggested the live rock act as my filter. Many of his much larger display tanks followed the "1 to 1 1/2 pound of rock per gallon w/ a good protein skimmer" rule (if there is such a thing). He stated I may eventually need a overflow box w/ a sump under the tank, he stated "just keep an eye on water values". Any thoughts on this?
The shop tested my water twice and this afternoon I used PetSmart reef kit. Everything still fell well within balance.
My next purchase will be a second 1050 gph power head (this weekend). Rule of thumb for water turn over in an hour?
Side note, aiptasia. A few rocks I bought had the lil' sucks in numerous areas. Lemon juice worked decent, Aiptasia X worked great but the four peppermint shrimp dominated what was left over night. Also, two of the rocks had a pretty bad infestation - drying them out did the trick all together. Gotta' love this forum.
Thanks!

 

[meowzer]

LOL...YES, I love this forum

There are plenty of people who use LR as filtration....I am not one though.....As your shop suggested though....just watch your water parameters and go from there
Do you use tap water? or ro/di? ALSO as far as gph per gallonage.....I personally don;t have an equasion....I have 6 powerheads in my 225G with 2 canisters that operate 2 flow bars, and a sump/refugium....I have no clue how many gph's of turnover I have....I just place things to make sure I have no "dead" flow areas
IMO though you will need more then 2 powerheads....do you have any water movement at the top of the water? that is very important....

 

[jstdv8]

I just use live rock, Live sand and a turf scrubber and that's all I've got for filtration.
about 150 lbs in my 120g
I think good flow should also be used if you are going to lean heavily on LR for filtration.
It probably can't filter alot if the water isnt coming to it and being forced into all the little holes and crevices

 

[dmcdonald]

Funny thing about "water movement at the top of the tank". First thing out of my buddies mouth as he came over to see the set up, "Why the hell isn't water moving at the top?!". I have moved the power head north as kindly suggested.
I bit the bullet and filled the tank initially with pre-mixed salt water from the shop. Since then I have used RO water to top off the tank once. Eventually I think I'll invest in a RO system, it'll keep my eyes off fish and coral every time I enter the store.

 

[slice]

So this tank was initially filled with water on 1/17 and 6 days later put in the livestock? Or did I read that wrong?
Has your LFS advised you on how to properly start the nitrogen cycle?

 

[dmcdonald]

Nope. You read right.
The Fiji rock had been cycled and pulled from a tank as I bought it. Once the live sand, water and rock werel put together the "LFS" told me to give it a week before adding live stock to see if the nitrogen cycle would run a full course. After multiple water tests (throughout that week) from the professionals. 'Zero's' found in all the important areas, fish were added.

 

[slice]

Please forgive my poor manners in the above post; should have added
Welcome to the site!

 

[deejeff442]

its just like moving a tank then.thats why there was no cycle.you should have a good set up there.i only use lr and a scrubber on my 250.alot of powerheads also.

 

[dmcdonald]

On topic of power heads, I'm having trouble finding info on gph in relation to tank size.
Just as two small heaters are better than one large one ... With one 1050 gph making decent flow, is a second 1050 opposing too much for a 75 gal? Should I consider buying two smaller power heads and focus more on placement?
Thanks!
FYI The turbo snails, snails and hermit crabs have all been hanging on the left side of the tank (opposite of the power head). Obviously due to visual algea growth. The need for good water flow has become very obvious!

 

[sapper577]

Nice live rock. I have never seen any info on how many gallons of flow you should have for tank size. It's going to be up to you to determine how much flow you need. As your addiction grows, and it will, the type and kind of livestock you are going to have will finally determine your flow needs. For example, I had several soft corals that flowed and swayed in the current in my first build. I didn't enjoy seeing them nearly laying down all the time and it seemed to stress them out. So I adjusted the size of powerhead I had and changed its position. On the other hand I had SPS corals that reqiured higher flow to be healthy so I aimed the higher flowing powerhead towards the top portion of the water column where they were positioned. When you purchase livestock, the flow and lighting requirements are usually part of the care level in the description. You will just have too direct your flow based on the requirements.
As far as your flow for filtration goes, just keep an eye on your parameters as Meowzer stated. You should eventually install an external overflow and sump with mechanical filtration. Use the return lines to create surface flow and your internal powerheads for biological filtration and livestock needs. I believe you will be much happier with water clarity as your tank matures.
These are just my opinions

 

[florida joe]

Power head turn over IMO 15-20 times per hour but more important is movement in all areas of your tank. and one needs to understand there is a difference between flow and movement
oh and i LOVE your rock work

 

[dmcdonald]

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas! I'll continue to play with it tomorrow.
The live rock continues to amaze me everyday w/ all the new colors developing!

 

[gemmy]

I really like your aquascape. Nice job!

 

[jstdv8]

reminds me of the flintstones house

 

[dmcdonald]

Another Koralia 1050 gph power head has been added ...
Working on best position. When I initially placed them on the right and left walls facing each other, it seemed not enough flow was reaching the bottom of the tank.
... so this is where I have moved them. Any thoughts?


... and yes, jstdv8 - I'm thinking about moving the top rock on the far left more to the center. Its been bothering me (OCD), not really feeling the 'stacked' effect.

 

[mkroher]

I like the rock work on the left side of the tank. I'm not a huge fan of the "even" stack across the tank though. I like an imbalance. That's just my opinion.
Your rock work looks a little delicate. I would putty them together just to be on the safe side.

 

[dmcdonald]

mkroher, I added the second power head and ... yep; various instabilities were brought to my attention throughout the tank.
Has anyone used the live rock putty to assist w/ formation of live rock?
Thanks!