Any info would help.

[Josh47!]

Hi all, I am new to the forum and aquariums. I have been planning and researching for a couple of months now and I have purchased a 75 gallon aquarium that I am currently building a stand for.


I have small children so I am looking to do a fowlr set up and start out with some clown fish of course. And would like to eventually get some anemone for them to host.


Now through my research I have discovered that many people say a sump is the smarter way to go, rather than a canister filter. The other day while I was doing some thrift shopping I came across a perfectly good 29 gallon aquarium for 15$ so I bought it, thinking it would be a great size for my sump under my tank.


So I am writing to get people's opinions and as much information I can about peoples experiences with particular manufactures and setups.


So I have not purchased any equipment yet other then the sump tank it's self now it is just a bare tank. I have found some sump sets on eBay for a decent price and have also considered making my own by putting glass or plexiglass in to dived it up into sections. But still looking to see what the best layout for the sump would be. Any info on that would be great as well.


Also my tank is not drilled, my original plan was to go with a canister filter after talking to my LFS but after some research I decided on a sump instead, now I would love to drill my tank just to minimize a overflow box hanging off one of the sides. Was thinking on drilling it on the bottom corner to make everything less visible? Good idea...? not quite sure yet.


Now the other thing is amount of love rock I have read 1.5 pounds per gallon? Seams like a lot 112 pounds??


So any information on sump set up, protein skimmer yes or no and type or brand. Flow rate through tank and sump, return pump, heater and power heads. And light required to maintain some soft coral or anemone would be fantastic.


Thanks everyone.

 

[jay0705]

Iam not a sump master by any means, however you can not drill tempered glass. Alot of times the bottom is tempered

 

[beth]

You mentioned clownfish. Keep in mind that you can't really keep more than one clown (in that size tank) unless they are paired (mated). Very likely will have to look around to find a mated pair. The larger female clown will pick on the smaller male clowns, which could ultimately end in their lives. Clownfish mate and stay within families in the wild. They are aggressive to non-family.

Look for the best protein skimmer you can afford and will fit into your sump. A good skimmer is really the only mechanical filtration that you will need. Stay away from a canister filter like a plague, otherwise, you will be plagued with high nitrates.

Go with natural filtration staring with live rock and live sand. You might want to go easy on the live rock and not cover the whole tank because you could add a few soft corals down the road.

Also explore setting a refugium which could make a combo sump refugium.

 

[geridoc]

Jay is right - in a 75 gallon tank the bottom is likely to be tempered glass, which cannot be drilled. If the side panes are normal glass you could drill there, but imho it isn't worth the effort or risk. Using the 29 as a sump could be a good idea, providing that it hasn't been treated with copper in the past. If copper has been used it shouldn't cause the fish any problems, but could be lethal to any invertebrates you might add later (such as an anemone). Don't be too negative about overflow boxes. I used on on my 110 gallon tank for almost 20 years with no problems. Set up properly it will even prevent flooding in the event of a power failure - I'm an expert on that topic. There are many considerations to think about when setting up a sump. For example, what is the room temperature like? If the room gets warm in the summer you will want to drill the sump and use an in-line return pump to minimize heating the tank water. OTOH, if the room is cool then no drilling will be required as you can use a submerged return pump (I'm always looking for the easiest way).

If I were you I would find another good deal on a tank and set up a quarantine tank. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but it will save you endless grief down the line - and that's 45 years of fish keeping talking! So...keep asking questions. Its easier than replacing fish (or explaining to small children where Nemo disappeared to last night.)

 

[geridoc]

I just remembered - take a look at the overflow boxes at glass-holes.com. Their overflow boxes sit behind the tank, our of view. I used on one a 30 gallon reef for years and it was a pleasure. You will have to drill the tank, but at the top, and their directions are very clear. Good luck.

 

[Josh47!]

Jay is right - in a 75 gallon tank the bottom is likely to be tempered glass, which cannot be drilled. If the side panes are normal glass you could drill there, but imho it isn't worth the effort or risk. Using the 29 as a sump could be a good idea, providing that it hasn't been treated with copper in the past. If copper has been used it shouldn't cause the fish any problems, but could be lethal to any invertebrates you might add later (such as an anemone). Don't be too negative about overflow boxes. I used on on my 110 gallon tank for almost 20 years with no problems. Set up properly it will even prevent flooding in the event of a power failure - I'm an expert on that topic. There are many considerations to think about when setting up a sump. For example, what is the room temperature like? If the room gets warm in the summer you will want to drill the sump and use an in-line return pump to minimize heating the tank water. OTOH, if the room is cool then no drilling will be required as you can use a submerged return pump (I'm always looking for the easiest way).

If I were you I would find another good deal on a tank and set up a quarantine tank. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but it will save you endless grief down the line - and that's 45 years of fish keeping talking! So...keep asking questions. Its easier than replacing fish (or explaining to small children where Nemo disappeared to last night.)

Thanks for the information I really appreciate it. Now this quarenteen tank is something new to me I have only head that once? Is this something to put new fish and live rock and coral in to maybe acclimate it before you put it in your display tank?? How would this be filtered should it be on the same set up as the display tank or could you do a seperate set up in another room or something like that.

Thanks for the link on the overflow boxes I will defiantly have a look. Now I was also considering drilling holes into the side of the tank because i figured the bottom was tempered. So I was thinking if I plumb it with bulkheads and plumbing but make sure the plumbing is high enough in the tank, so in case of a power outage only an inch or so of the tank would drain into the sump causing no leaks?? Would this not do the same thing as an overflow box?

 

[jay0705]

A qt is generally just for fish. Its to make sure you dont introduce and disease into your main tank. In the display tank its much harder to treat diaease. A qt just needs a hob filter,heater, few pieces of pvc pipe for hiding