My Long Term Reef Build Diary!

markw

markw

Member
So Ive decided that I want to set up a 75g reef aquarium. I sat here for a while and made a list of all the equipment I was going to have and a rough stocklist. Im going to post it here and any and all suggestions of changes will be greatly appreciated if necessary. Like I said, this will be a long term project and I dont think it will be up anytime soon. I want to buy all the equipment first in excess to make sure I have everything when I need it. I will buy one piece at a time and pile it up until I have all of it (with lighting being last so I know the bulbs are still good), then set up the tank. Anyway, here is the list of what I was thinking. Tell me what you think about it. Ive probably made mistakes, but thats why I posted it now so that any corrections can be made before it comes time to actually put the tank up. I want everything to go right. I dont plan to be cutting any corners with this. So here it is:Tank Equipment
•Nova Extreme 8x54W T5HO Light Fixture
•ASM G1x or G2 Protein Skimmer
•Visitherm 300W Deluxe Aquarium Heater x2
•Instant Ocean Reef Crystals
•Pure Flo II 3 Canister RO/DI system
•Koralia 3 Powerhead
•(2x) Koralia 2 Powerhead
•Some type of external overflow box
Fish
• (5x) Green Chromis
• (2x) Pajama Cardinal
• bicolor Blenny
• Yellow Watchman Goby w/Tiger Pistol Shrimp
• Yellow tang
• Pair of Clowns
Invertebrates
•Bubble Tip Anemone**-reference coral.
•Squamosa or Deresa Clam
•(3x) Emerald Crab
•(5-10x) Scarlet Hermit
•(20x) Turbo/Astrea Snail
•(10-20x) Nassarius snail
•Sally Lightfoot Crab
•(3x) Feather Duster
•Lettuce Nudibranch
•Cleaner Shrimp
•Peppermint Shrimp
•Red Frilly Sponge
•Fire Shrimp
Coral
•Lobed Leather
•Colt
•Xenia
•Yellow Button Polyps
•Torch
•Various Mushrooms including Ricordia
•Bunch of different Zoos
•More to come. Lots of corals if possible.
•**Bubble Coral If this would be better than the BTA.
Dont hesitate to tell me if there is something wrong here. I want to get all this down for sure before I start buying anything.
Thanks for looking! Ill keep updating this same thread throughout the buid of my tank, so keep checking back!
Mark
 
markw

markw

Member
Everythings looking okay? Its not too overstocked? Id really like to have a hippo instead of a yellow, but I think they get kind of big for this tank and I dont want to risk having to take them to the LFS once theyre that big and have grown in the tank for so long. Itll be rough on them as well as myself lol. I sat here looking through SWFs for sale sections to the left for about 2 hours and made the stocklist. Ive had the equipment down for about a week. I just finished reading The Conscientious Marine Aquarist my Robert Fenner cover to cover yesterday
. I was so proud of myself.

Mark
 
markw

markw

Member
My LFS has a 46 Wave (shape of the tank, as opposed to rectangle I mean.) saltwater tank with a pair of clowns, mandarin goby, yellow tang, 3 chromis, a bunch of corals and a serpant star. Quite a beautiful setup. Onve I daw how relatively small the yellows were, I thought I could have one in my 75 as it is wide and long. I was thinking either yellow or sailfin. My first follower!

Mark
 
nissan577

nissan577

Active Member
yellow sure but i will cut down fish to this. well this is me what i will do:
• (5x) Green Chromis
• (2x) Pajama Cardinal
• bicolor Blenny
• Yellow Watchman Goby w/Tiger Pistol Shrimp
• Yellow tang
• Pair of Clowns
 
markw

markw

Member
Originally Posted by nissan577
http:///forum/post/3111665
yellow sure but i will cut down fish to this. well this is me what i will do:
• (5x) Green Chromis
• (2x) Pajama Cardinal
• bicolor Blenny
• Yellow Watchman Goby w/Tiger Pistol Shrimp
• Yellow tang
• Pair of Clowns
Sounds good to me. Having the bicolor blenny means the lawnmower and royal gramma are out. Maybe down the road I could try another small, peaceful fish?
Mark
 
big

big

Active Member
Mark, I think holding off on the Bubble Tip and maybe the Lettuce too for a while might be a good idea.
We know one of the big fascinations is having an Anemone in a Reef tank, but waiting a while might be in order here till things have time to sort themselves out.........Also although I have never tried a Lettuce, I think he may do better in a tank that has time to mature.
One more observation, would be at least two smaller heater than one big one. Several good reasons, but I am yawing and off to the sack for the night.......
 
markw

markw

Member
Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/3111786
Mark, I think holding off on the Bubble Tip and maybe the Lettuce too for a while might be a good idea.
We know one of the big fascinations is having an Anemone in a Reef tank, but waiting a while might be in order here till things have time to sort themselves out.........Also although I have never tried a Lettuce, I think he may do better in a tank that has time to mature.
One more observation, would be at least two smaller heater than one big one. Several good reasons, but I am yawing and off to the sack for the night.......
Well sure. I was posting everything I would ever want to be in the tank. All the way to the last animal put in. I dont mind waiting at all to put either of those in. I was only going to put the bubble anemone in for the clowns to hopefully host. Other than that, I sont have any use for it, really.
I was going to put the heater in the sump, so I figured only one would work. I would have a spare on hand, but only one in the sump at all times. Would it still be benifitial to have two smaller ones even though it would only be in the sump and not in the actual aquarium?
This brings me to my next question. I was wondering what was the best order at which I should be adding the fish. I was thinking the chromis first.
Mark
 
mech-a-nic

mech-a-nic

Member
Carful with your leathers too they will "fight" witheach other if too close. Might want a G2 If you plan to stock it that heavy I have a G3 on my 120 and a g2 on my 55 Love them both
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
I have questions/observations for ya-
1st-
Power heads. I don't think that those koralia 1s are gonna do anything for you. The more flow the better. Personally, I would just get 2 koralia 3s and put one at each end. one point toward the opposite end, and the other on the other end, pointed toward the front corner of the tank (so you get good flow there to keep your glass clean.) Then I would get a koralia two and put the smack in the middle of your tank for surface aeration and a bit more flow. the 1s will do nothing for you (I know because I put some in my 45 gal with is skinnier than other 45s and it did nothing, and I wasted money on 1s and went and get 3s later.)
2nd- I use instant ocean and I know other users that do too. I like it, never had a problem, for your info.

3rd- If you're buying a tank and don't want to cut corners, why are you getting an external overflow? I started out with my 45 (running on a canister because it isn't drilled) and now I am upgrading less than 6 months later because I don't want to deal with canisters and external overflows. It's costing me a lot.
I asked around a lot about HOB units and externals and most LFSs told me "what if the power goes out?" They leak all over and it's bad news bears. I would say get a tank new that is "Reef ready" and drilled for a sump/fuge and go that route... IMO If you can't afford it from an LFS, Go on craigslist. There are steals for huge tanks and sometimes they come with equipment for like 1500 bucks... (I see them in PHX, but I dk about your area).
t5 lighting- I have the exact same fixture you plan to get. It's about 4 months old and I am selling it now (because of my upgrade and new tank). You may have an issue keeping anemones under that. I have a nova with 6 bulbs totaling ~240 watts and in my 45 that is barely 5 watts per gallon. After it penetrates the water, it is probably only like 3 1/2 toward the bottom of the tank. It may be hard for you to keep an anemone and maxima clams happy. Generally those are under the "needs MH lighting" category. I would say that you will need more light. The watts per gallon measurement is garbage. it's not exactly, or even close to what it actually is in the tank. Since I have that on a 45, I would say you will need more to get into that 75gal for corals. IMO, I would go for the 8 bulb fixture, or ideally, 2 of the nova extreme pros (6 bulb guys). That way, you never have to worry, and you can keep whatever you want under it, and it'll grow like crazy. (Just be weary of cooking corals too close to the top, I have that issue now. Make sure your placement is correct.)
emerald crabs are nice. I like mine... keep them with shrimps and various corals/inverts. They're great, and eat algae 24/7.

Chromis- I would say no, if this were my tank. I have heard many cases were people say they are just as mean as damsels. If you browse the sight, you should find out quickly what people think of damsels. If memory serves me correctly (it may not), they are in the same family, or close to each other. Once they are in, unless they die, or are eaten, they are wicked fast to catch (nearly impossible) and you may regret putting them in for a long time, if not forever. Just so you know.
I don't see why you can't have pj cardinals... That is the same stuff I do stock and I plan on getting PJ cardinals and was told it was alright, so I see no reason why you can't too.

If you do get deresa or squamosas, wait til the tank is about 6 months matured (IMO). Those are expensive and you don't want to lose those for not waiting.
Cleaner shrimp- I had a hard time keeping him alive. None of the fish would let him clean them anyway, and he eventually died. Now I have 2 peppermints, and a fire shrimp and they are healthy and living great. They were much less fragile and less $$$ too. It may have been my fault that he died but these guys are more useful for aptasia and getting left overs off the sand, so I am happier with them anyway.

Stars are cool and all. I had one, my clown ate a whole in him. (I have no idea why) but I hear they are hard to keep. Also, I was always paranoid that mine was dead because he would never move, he was sooooo slllllooooowwwwww. So I was always looking, going "he hasn't moved in 4 hours.. could he be dead?" And I hear that most people have trouble keeping them. I tried a red fromia star and he only lived about a week in a semi mature tank. ( but they may be due to the fact that the clowns were constantly picking at him, and finally I came home to only 5 pointy legs and no middle of my star.
I think everything else looks good. These are just suggestions that I thought could help because I have the same stock, and equipment (some of it) that you do, and I know that they way I set up my tank at first worked fine, but there are things that annoy me now, and I can't wait to get rid of it. Happy fish keeping! I'll be tagging along.
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
OH- FYI- I have also heard that they Arrow crabs are mean and my LFS has them in a tank only with an anemone and some snails/small hermits. They ate corals in his store's display. I don't have any, but I hear they can get pretty mean and start eating everything that they aren't supposed to.
 
big

big

Active Member
Markw;3111794 said:
Well sure. I was posting everything I would ever want to be in the tank. All the way to the last animal put in. I dont mind waiting at all to put either of those in. I was only going to put the bubble anemone in for the clowns to hopefully host. Other than that, I sont have any use for it, really.
I was going to put the heater in the sump, so I figured only one would work. I would have a spare on hand, but only one in the sump at all times. Would it still be benifitial to have two smaller ones even though it would only be in the sump and not in the actual aquarium?
This brings me to my next question. I was wondering what was the best order at which I should be adding the fish. I was thinking the chromis first.
Mark[/QUOTE
Mark make the Clowns close to the last being put in..... The little beast can be aggressive towards new additions. Especially if they are already Hosting........
Also do not worry about if they will host. I saw someone question having Cleaner shrimp, because they could not keep them alive........Daaaaa. I can't for the life of me understand that.......Have Cleaners
Oh I do agree one the PH issue.. Have at least 2 # Korilas maybe 3 but adding one latter is no issue.
Got to run busy day
Click to expand...
 
markw

markw

Member
Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/3111946
Mark make the Clowns close to the last being put in..... The little beast can be aggressive towards new additions. Especially if they are already Hosting........
Will do.
Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/3111946
Also do not worry about if they will host. I saw someone question having Cleaner shrimp, because they could not keep them alive........Daaaaa. I can't for the life of me understand that.......Have Cleaners
Also, will do.
Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/3111946
Oh I do agree one the PH issue.. Have at least 2 # Korilas maybe 3 but adding one latter is no issue.
Got to run busy day
Fixed.
Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3111845
1st-
Power heads. I don't think that those koralia 1s are gonna do anything for you. The more flow the better. Personally, I would just get 2 koralia 3s and put one at each end. one point toward the opposite end, and the other on the other end, pointed toward the front corner of the tank (so you get good flow there to keep your glass clean.) Then I would get a koralia two and put the smack in the middle of your tank for surface aeration and a bit more flow. the 1s will do nothing for you (I know because I put some in my 45 gal with is skinnier than other 45s and it did nothing, and I wasted money on 1s and went and get 3s later.)
Fixed, Thanks.
Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3111845
3rd- If you're buying a tank and don't want to cut corners, why are you getting an external overflow? I started out with my 45 (running on a canister because it isn't drilled) and now I am upgrading less than 6 months later because I don't want to deal with canisters and external overflows. It's costing me a lot.
I asked around a lot about HOB units and externals and most LFSs told me "what if the power goes out?" They leak all over and it's bad news bears. I would say get a tank new that is "Reef ready" and drilled for a sump/fuge and go that route... IMO If you can't afford it from an LFS, Go on craigslist. There are steals for huge tanks and sometimes they come with equipment for like 1500 bucks... (I see them in PHX, but I dk about your area).
I already have the 75 and it is not plumbed. I can see if I can find a plumbed one while I am buying all the equipment.
Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3111845
t5 lighting- I have the exact same fixture you plan to get. It's about 4 months old and I am selling it now (because of my upgrade and new tank). You may have an issue keeping anemones under that. I have a nova with 6 bulbs totaling ~240 watts and in my 45 that is barely 5 watts per gallon. After it penetrates the water, it is probably only like 3 1/2 toward the bottom of the tank. It may be hard for you to keep an anemone and maxima clams happy. Generally those are under the "needs MH lighting" category. I would say that you will need more light. The watts per gallon measurement is garbage. it's not exactly, or even close to what it actually is in the tank. Since I have that on a 45, I would say you will need more to get into that 75gal for corals. IMO, I would go for the 8 bulb fixture, or ideally, 2 of the nova extreme pros (6 bulb guys). That way, you never have to worry, and you can keep whatever you want under it, and it'll grow like crazy. (Just be weary of cooking corals too close to the top, I have that issue now. Make sure your placement is correct.)
Changed to the 8x54W flourescent and 4x Lunar system. Thanks.
Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3111845
emerald crabs are nice. I like mine... keep them with shrimps and various corals/inverts. They're great, and eat algae 24/7.

Good to hear that they are good to keep with corals and shrimp. That was going to be my next question.
 
markw

markw

Member
Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3111845
Chromis- I would say no, if this were my tank. I have heard many cases were people say they are just as mean as damsels. If you browse the sight, you should find out quickly what people think of damsels. If memory serves me correctly (it may not), they are in the same family, or close to each other. Once they are in, unless they die, or are eaten, they are wicked fast to catch (nearly impossible) and you may regret putting them in for a long time, if not forever. Just so you know.
I have heard that said about damsels, and they are closly related, but I also read that with a bigger school, you lose the agression. Thats why I opted for 5. I really wanted a schooling fish in the tank. If I got rid of the chromis, could I put in more PJ cardinals so they could school? If not, are there any other schoolers I put in if I took out the chromis?
Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3111845
If you do get deresa or squamosas, wait til the tank is about 6 months matured (IMO). Those are expensive and you don't want to lose those for not waiting.
I planned to. The same goes for the anemone and Nudibranch(s).
rlablan;3111845 said:
Cleaner shrimp- I had a hard time keeping him alive. None of the fish would let him clean them anyway, and he eventually died. Now I have 2 peppermints, and a fire shrimp and they are healthy and living great. They were much less fragile and less $$$ too. It may have been my fault that he died but these guys are more useful for aptasia and getting left overs off the sand, so I am happier with them anyway.
{/QUOTE]
Ive took it down to one cleaner just incase. I also added a peppermint and fire. I really like the fires.
Originally Posted by rlablan
Click to expand...
rlablan;3111845 said:
http:///forum/post/3111845
Stars are cool and all. I had one, my clown ate a whole in him. (I have no idea why) but I hear they are hard to keep. Also, I was always paranoid that mine was dead because he would never move, he was sooooo slllllooooowwwwww. So I was always looking, going "he hasn't moved in 4 hours.. could he be dead?" And I hear that most people have trouble keeping them. I tried a red fromia star and he only lived about a week in a semi mature tank. ( but they may be due to the fact that the clowns were constantly picking at him, and finally I came home to only 5 pointy legs and no middle of my star.
They would be on the wait list also. I would get them after the anemone, but before the clowns. I would only have one, so if the clowns start picking at him, Id take it out. I was also thinking brittle, but SWF says they could possibly be bad for the reef..
Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3111845
I think everything else looks good. These are just suggestions that I thought could help because I have the same stock, and equipment (some of it) that you do, and I know that they way I set up my tank at first worked fine, but there are things that annoy me now, and I can't wait to get rid of it. Happy fish keeping! I'll be tagging along.

Thanks alot! Especially for the light upgrade.
Mark
Click to expand...
 
markw

markw

Member
Ive changed my original post to accommodate all the changes so far. Would still like my questions in my previous post answered though.

Mark
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
The only ?s I could find were regarding the chromis? I think ex the chromis (IMO) and get a few more pjs or you could get like 3 reg. Cardinals and then some pjs too. Either they will school together or stay separate. This will give you two sets of fish with a really great shaped body but in two different colors. And then you also get the school and grouping effect you want. That is exactly what plan to do in my upgrade. You caN still get the chromis, I just thought I would let ya know about the Aggression.
IF you get the chromis, I would guess that because they are aggressive, I would add them later. I have Always added my clowns first And never had a problem but have only kept ocellaris, and they are docile. Maybe an expert will give us some attention here and chime in.
 
nissan577

nissan577

Active Member
wrong! chromis! are fish that are peaceful. so your wrong sis!
IMO get chromis 5 of them. and the pajama cardinals get them as well. im 100% they will not fight. i have 3 in my tank and they dont fight with other fish at all. trust me
 
big

big

Active Member
Nissan, what are you referring to? " peaceful Damsels"
Have I missed something here in the translation.??????
Mark as to PJ " schooling I just read that part.........
Mine do anything but school, except when fighting over food. Mine stay as far away from each other as they can........
 
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