new 65g future reef tank w/ pictures! specs, costs, stocking list, etc. :)

[clee521]

hey everyone..
i just setup a new 48" 65 gallon tank.. currently curing 85lb. of "pre-cured" live rock
specifications and costs:
$220 used 65 gallon acrylic seaclear system II tank 48" x 15" x 20" (no sump--built in
overflow, filter, 350gph pump)
black stand and canopy
hamilton 2x96w power compact retrokit
generic skimmer w/ rio 600 ph (not being used)
$180 cherrypicked 85lb. fiji + tonga live rock (some of it is in one of the filter partitions.. i'll
get some chaeto to start a small refugium in the other free partition)
$160 aqua c remora protein skimmer w/ maxijet 1200 ph
$90 (2) rio seio m820's (1640gph)
$50 aquarium pharmaceuticals ph, amm, trite, trate test kit, salifert ca & alk.
$40 coralife salt mix + deep six hydrometer and free shirt
$30 40lb aragonite sand
$30 novus acrylic stratch remover 1,2,3
$20 20lb aragalive sand
$20 grounded light timers
$15 200w titanium heater
$15 kent reef starter kit
$10 digital thermometer
$10 tap water + amquel (i know..replacing it with lfs seawater 10g/wk. water changes..)
$10 kent kalkwasser
$10 gravel vac
$10 buckets
$5 magfloat
$5 filter sponge
$5 carbon
$5 nets
$1 airline tubing
$941 grand total spent before adding livestock.. not bad i guess?
current readings (aquarium pharmaceuticals test kit)
ph 8.0
ammonia 0
nitrite 0.25
nitrate 10
it's been running for about 6 days now..
cycle started with live rock dieoff.. but the rock still isn't fully cured..
1. will i keep getting successive ammonia spikes as more dieoff is produced?
2. approximately how much longer will i have to wait until i add fish?
3. is 192w pc in a 65gal. enough for all soft corals? i might be able to add a few vho bulbs or one more 96w pc bulb.. no plans to get mh for now..
4. what size reef invert package should i order from swf? the package i'm looking at has 40 crabs, 30 snails, and a few shrimp.. does that sound about right for this size tank?
5. when can i start adding soft corals?
6. what are some low light corals or anemones that can host clowns?
future fish choices:
(2) clowns.. true percs (bonded)
(1) green clown goby
(1) barbershop shrimp goby w/ pistol shrimp
(1) midas blenny
7. how long do i have before they'll outgrow this tank?
pictures:

any suggestions or comments welcome. thanks.
chris

 

[milomlo]

I have to say this looks great to me. I am a newbie so I can't give much input other than everywhere I have read you should wait 30 days or so before you add anything. But that is just what I have read. I am sure someone will come along shortly to give you the info you are looking for.
I am glad you posted this as I am in the market for a 65 gal and have no idea what to put with it. So I can use your list to go by Did you purchase most of your items at the lfs or did you purchase online?

 

[reefnut]

Looks great!! The only comments I have is, it looks to me like you're low on your lighting for most corals... if you have no sump, what is the overflow being used for??

 

[sundance1]

I've had a 65 reef setup for 2+ years now with 192 watts of PC lighting and had leathers,mushrooms,blastmussa,bubble coral,and a orang and a green montipora(placed on the highest rock work and they all did great.I was not able to keep an anemonie long term.so I made the jump to a 125 with a MH system.Tank looke good thgouh! :happyfish

 

[clee521]

i did my second 10g water change last night.. tested levels just now:
aquarium pharmaceuticals tests:
ph = 8.0
ammonia = 0
nitrite = 0
nitrate < 5
salifert tests:
calcium = 430
dKH = 9.8
alkalinity = 3.5 meq/L = 175ppm
i'm not sure if my rock is finished curing yet though.. will my ammonia spike again? how much longer should i wait before adding fish? the tank has only been running for one week so far.. but i've already had my ammonia spike and cycle.. and after two water changes of about 10 gallons each, the levels look pretty good.
am i good to go?? i think the live rock and live sand helped to speed things up a lot..

 

[87]

I have just bought a new 55 gallon tank. I also bought about 75 pounds of live rock. Is this to much rock? I also have live sand mixed with regular sand. Is that a problem? Extremely new to this, but hopefully I will master it. Also, how many fish can I put in my new tank, and how long should I let my water cycle considering that the rocks came out of a 100 gallon tank of about 2 years?

 

[clee521]

Originally Posted by ReefNut
Looks great!! The only comments I have is, it looks to me like you're low on your lighting for most corals... if you have no sump, what is the overflow being used for??
i don't have a sump.. it's a seaclear systemII tank with built in wet/dry.. this is the back of a 40g tank, but since mine is a 65g, i have an additional chamber the same size as #5:

but since I have a good amount of LR and LS, I decided not to use any bioballs or ceramic pieces..
this is what i'm using each compartment for:
1. overflow
2. sponge w/ carbon prefilter
3. titanium heater
1st #5. aquaC remora protein skimmer
2nd #5. less attractive LR and LR rubble + chaeto.. (basically a small refugium)
this design is ok i guess.. i like the fact that i can't see the hang on skimmer or heater in my tank.. the background is already black.. and no microbubbles can make their way into the tank from the skimmer..

 

[clee521]

Originally Posted by 87
I have just bought a new 55 gallon tank. I also bought about 75 pounds of live rock. Is this to much rock? I also have live sand mixed with regular sand. Is that a problem? Extremely new to this, but hopefully I will master it. Also, how many fish can I put in my new tank, and how long should I let my water cycle considering that the rocks came out of a 100 gallon tank of about 2 years?
i think that sounds about right to me.. i have 85 in my 65g and i think it looks pretty good. my sand is also live aragonite mixed with mostly regular aragonite. i'm planning on putting at the most between 5-6 fish.. if you plan on keeping a reef tank, you could probably handle the same number. i'm not sure how long the cycle will be.. mine looks like its already over.. but it's only been one week. use some shrimp to start your cycle.. test your levels every other day until you see an ammonia spike and subsequent nitrite and nitrate readings.. change out some water.. test again.. repeat.. and basically, when everything reads zero, you should be ready for fish. my rock was partially cured, which seemed to speed things up.. with your established live rock, you should be able to cycle just as fast as long as you use something to start the cycle. good luck

 

[salty tank]

Dont do any water changes until it is cycled. Once it is cycled do a 30% (20 gallon) water change. I have a 65 gallon too. If you arent using bio balls in that chamber then whats in there? Put a fuge in there if you can. I added a small one to my tank and its the best thing i have dont for it so far.

 

[mudhauler]

Slow down grasshopper. This hobby requires patience you've worked hard to get here let the system catch up with you. If you want to add anything start with some cleaners. Don't jump the gun and send you're tank into another cycle with new fish and lose them. Think long term stick to a plan and don't be an impulse buyer. You'll buy something that was a great deal at one time but alters your plan and you won't be happy.

 

[fishmamma]

HI! Your rock work looks awesome, nicely done! Any cool critters on there?
As for the clean-up crew start small. You don't have a ton of cleaning up to do at this point, so a handful of snails and hermits will get the job done. Cleaner shrimp are always a fun addition too once your cycle is complete. Using live rock to cycle I would say to give it two weeks or so. Maybe start 'feeding' the tank a little everyday too, this will help prepare the tank for any fish additions that occur.......definatly helps if adding a pair at once for the first fish.
Your stock list looks great except for the clown goby, they are very timid fish and may starve in your system with more aggressive feeders, especially the clowns. Would you consider another type of goby?