Im new,

N

n00ze

Guest
So I've been looking around and researching equipment for a 75G FOWLR tank I'm putting together soon.
-75G Tank
-Aqueon PRoflex Modular Filtration (sump tank) (25G)
-Reef Octopus skimmer OCT NWB110 (sump)
-Danner MAg-Drive Supreme 9.5 950GPH Pump (sump)
-Hydor Koralia Evolution 1050 Powerheads (x2)
-Titanium heaters 100W (sump)
Running a refugium...
How is that for starting up?
Anything else needed equipment wise needed for the first month of cycling?
OR is there any problems with anything I have or what could make it better?
Thanks for any input.
-Kyle
 
fishmaster78

fishmaster78

Member
Welcome to the forum................best of luck on your new setup.....go with at least 3"-4" live sand and i like to go with 1lb live rock per gall of water
 
N

n00ze

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishmaster78 http:///t/391821/im-new#post_3476678
Welcome to the forum................best of luck on your new setup.....go with at least 3"-4" live sand and i like to go with 1lb live rock per gall of water
3-4" in my refugium? I only using 1" in my tank. And I already have the rock picked out at the LFS.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member

3-4" in my refugium? I only using 1" in my tank. And I already have the rock picked out at the LFS.
Fishmaster is also a new hobbyist. Just pointing that out.
In a refugium, you can go with any depth of sand or even no sand. The purpose of having a 4" sand bed is for natural anaerobic denitrification in your fuge. However, this process breaks down waste into nitrogen gas which dissipates out of the aquarium and hydrogen sulfide which is left behind as ugly black and brown streaks on the side of the tank under the sand. Hydrogen sulfide is poisonous. If your sand bed is ever disturbed, it will nuke your tank. If you are going to have sand, a 1" to 2" sandbed is fine. Remember, however, that you need to keep it maintained over time with critters and the occasional gravel vac.
Another option is to make your fuge barebottom and add some live rock rubble and macroalgaes. A slow flow through a refugium lets detritus settle out of the water column for benthic creatures to eat. Slow flow also lets mactoalgae have more time to collect waste and grow. Barebottom refugiums can be easily maintained with a siphon hose occasionally for excess detrital buildup.
You doubled your skimmer size,... Any particular reason? Are you going to have a heavy, heavy bioload? If you oversize your skimmer too much, it will become inefficient.
Other than that, you look like you are on the right track to a healthy tank.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Hi and Welcome!!
Is the 75G tank Reef Ready (drilled with overflows)?? If so, cool!! If not, you will need to buy HOB overflows. Other then that you look pretty set up. The Proflex sumps are cool, a bit pricy but they do a nice job. I would just make sure that your skimmer choice would fit in the skimmer chamber. You will LOVE the Reef Octopus skimmer, they are real good at pulling nasty junk out of the water.
I agree with Seth here on the sand in the sump. Personal choice. I go bare bottom in my sump with LR rubble. It is very easy to gravel vac the sump during a water change ( I should prob do it more often, lol). The one thing you will find with salt water is that you can do things many different ways.
So, are you planning on this to be FOWLR long term, or any plans for a reef??
Best of luck setting it all up!! Make sure you post some pics when you get it going
 
N

n00ze

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweatervest13 http:///t/391821/im-new#post_3476713
Hi and Welcome!!
Is the 75G tank Reef Ready (drilled with overflows)?? If so, cool!! If not, you will need to buy HOB overflows. Other then that you look pretty set up. The Proflex sumps are cool, a bit pricy but they do a nice job. I would just make sure that your skimmer choice would fit in the skimmer chamber. You will LOVE the Reef Octopus skimmer, they are real good at pulling nasty junk out of the water.
I agree with Seth here on the sand in the sump. Personal choice. I go bare bottom in my sump with LR rubble. It is very easy to gravel vac the sump during a water change ( I should prob do it more often, lol). The one thing you will find with salt water is that you can do things many different ways.
So, are you planning on this to be FOWLR long term, or any plans for a reef??
Best of luck setting it all up!! Make sure you post some pics when you get it going
The 75G is drilled friend, I just hate the look for HOB's...
So its best to put LR rubble instead of sand in the refugium?
Also a skimmer rated for 100g tank is fine? I just thought counting sump water and all that adding up bigger would be better, but oh well. thanks.
Ummmm as of right now its strictly FOWLR for now.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by N00ZE http:///t/391821/im-new#post_3476718
The 75G is drilled friend, I just hate the look for HOB's...
So its best to put LR rubble instead of sand in the refugium?
Also a skimmer rated for 100g tank is fine? I just thought counting sump water and all that adding up bigger would be better, but oh well. thanks.
Ummmm as of right now its strictly FOWLR for now.
Agreed!!
Sweet. I think your skimmer will be fine as far as water volume goes. What Snake was saying was that if you go way oversize for a skimmer it can become ineffective. So like if you had a skimmer rated for a 250g tank on a 75g, it may not work as well as one rated for 100g. Make sense?
When you ask, "its best to put LR rubble instead of sand in the refugium"? That's the thing, there is no one right way to do things. LR rubble can work very well, but so can a deep sand bed. There are many different ways to skin a cat as they say. Check out some of the build threads and see what others have done. ReefkprZ has a 125g build thread going on and he has a sump that is something a bit off from the norm. Its pretty cool. Check it out.
Sounds like you could be talked into a Reef!! It would be pretty sweet. 75g is a good size for a nice reef.
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
Reef tanks require special care. They need great parameters, great lighting, good water flow, and the corals need to be fed.
 
N

n00ze

Guest
After working with the Fowlr tank and get my barrings with that for my first saltwater tank, I'll be very interested to go into make a reef tank. :D
 
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