NEW 75G waiting to be setup!

[bronco300]

hello, now my questions concern the 75 gallon saltwater tank i want to set up in about a 1yr-1.5yr...when i settle in a new city for good, or for longer than this apt for college, lol.....so my question is concerning the mechanical devices. I was hoping to get some advice for anyone who has had years of experience on what you would recommend, what is necessary and what is not. I am reading books and doing alot of online searches on reviews of products.
So the list goes as follows, what is needed and not needed, and what brands are preferred:
Canister Filter---i was looking at Rena, or Ehiem....
SKimmers---I've heard some people say these arent actually necessary....dont
know anything about them...all i ever see is the seaclone-?
Powerheads---I've been told that i should use two lesser powered
powerheads instead of one main one to do it all...i was thinking
would it be smart to have two different powers...that way you could
have a more low flow side and high flow, or is that just silly??
I dont know any brands for this
Undergravelfilters--Someone told these were very necessary, but i dont see
the point of having one under sand...doesnt make sense how
it would work very well without getting clogged after two minutes??
Lighting---I like the satellite light i have on my 10 gal...so i would two dual
65W be enough for that? I'd like to have corals like xenias....or
should i go up a step?? I do like satellite however I suppose itd
be smarter to buy just a long stripe instead of two?
Heaters---would one heater that is for 75+...or would it be smarter to get
two a little lower and put them on the seperate sides?
Live Sand--- I've heard that 1lb per gallon is whats needed...is there any
live sand better than another?
Live Rock---1.5-2lbs per gallon? dont know much about differences in rock,
like premium fiji, etc.
Is that it for the maintaning part of the aquarium?? besides testing like crazy. Oh wait, forgot one thing, the Reverse Osmosis....I dont really understand how you set these up even...would it save money in the long run instead of going and buying R/O water to mix...or to but saltwater mixed already?
Its alot i know, i'm just trying to see what other people think about their products and what pleases you guys instead of what these sellers are trying to get me to buy from them. i want to get what i need, not how much they can get from my pcoket

suggest any good books to get?? I have some about tropical fish/plants and i just love reading about it all...thanks!

any help is apprecaited and thanks!!!!
Luke P

 

[feixjai]

dont set up a undergravel filter. skimmers are good IMO. they take out things that filters cant. IMO i would buy premixed water it is easier than mixing your own and letting it sit for 24 hours. are the lightings pcs? you need about 2-5 watts per gallon.

 

[bronco300]

yea, the lights are pc....so that would be270W total....maybe not quite enough then since 4 per gallon would be 300 already? but 2 per gallone would only be 150...but i do want to keep some corals that like a lot of light, like xenias....soo i dont know..
Luke P

 

[bronco300]

anyoneeeeeeEE?

Luke P.

 

[sinner's girl]

NO UGF!!! Ugh, we had one in the 55gl for a long time, before we knew better, when we moved, everything got screwed up. Of course we didn't put it back it. And UGF limit the amount of lr you can have. and lr is good.
I've never bought premixed water, that would be a pain, esp to start a tank. We went to walmart and bought 50gallons of water. that was fun, I think we may have mixed the salt in the tank since NOTHING was in the tank but water, but I'm not sure. I take my gallons and refill them at walmart, it can be a pain, but I don't have any place for a unit.
I have a 75gl, I have two powerheads, I used to only use one, but had a bad brakeout of crap growing, so now we have two. I have cc not ls, goof up when we set the tank up, when we got the 75, it was already set up, so we couldn't switch. I have one heater in the corner of the tank by the filter. In the winter we don't have central heating (just a space unit in our bedroom), the one heater was able to keep the tank at 78.
I don't have a skimmer, and I just have regular lights, which overheated and burned the carpet so currently I have no lights.
Live rock is good. Since your not setting up your tank for awhile, you could make some of your own rock now. (see DIY) That way you wouldn't have to buy as much real lr.
Read the posts, you'll learn a lot and prevent simple mistakes that can cause problems, never use tap water, add fresh water for top offs. Don't trust lfs, know more than they do you make the real choice for you and your tank.

 

[bronco300]

why would buying premixed saltwater be a pain?? wouldnt that be a bit more simple than making sure the salt is correct to your water?? what type of filter did you use??
Luke P

 

[blu11]

Don't buy premixed...unless you're bling$$. It is very easy & waaaay cheaper to just mix your own. The only reason it would be a pain if you do want to spend more is going out to buy it every time you need it. If you can't afford an R/O unit you will have to buy distilled or R/O water from a Walmart or something...its not too bad I do myself & just stock up when I go. As far as skimmers check out the AquaC's are considered some of the best on the market, be sure to at least check them out before doing any decision making. As far as powerheads, the Maxijets are considered very good...you would probably want to look at a couple of the 1200's. I would say two lower wattage heaters would be better than one in a 75 gallon. As far as undergravel filters...that a big NO. According to everything I have read they are way outdated. Your most important asset to your tank will be to get yourself a quality skimmer and LOTS of live rock...1-2lbs per gallon. There are lots of different types but favorite are Fiji & Marshall Island...they both have really nice shapes. It is even cool to mix types if you want. Check out different websites & take a look at what's out there....they're a re many different types and it mainly just depends on what you like aesthetically. As far as sand...just check out what your local fish store has...as long as its established it should be pretty good. Your lights would def be okay for fish only maybe a fe low light corals, but I would def upgrade if you want anything serious. Anyways...hope that helps...I am no expert but just giving you advice based on the dozens of similar q's I have asked on several of these fishy boards....that & reading my brains out over the last few months

Good Luck!!!

 

[sinner's girl]

First I'd have to drive 40mins to get the water, then drive home. Pain. Plus, it would caused more. Walmart is less thats 5min from me, water is .33. It's just as easy to mix it. 1/2 per gallon and I'm good to go.

(test, is he dancing? because I don't see him dancing.)
Honestly, I don't know what our filters are. One has bio wheels, but it's on the 55gl with fresh water fish (Sinner's doing). Millium, or Whisper...I think we have one of each...I don't know they come with the 75gl or we bought them used from a lfs.
live sand, you can buy some live and some regular. Your ls will seed your regular and the regular will become ls. Same with lr, buy some, add base rock, and the base rock will be lr in time.
base rock is cheaper than lr, regular sand is cheaper than ls, if you're on a budget.
Best advise, hang out here for the next year, read all you can, in a year you'll be more than ready to start. In the mean time, keep an eye out for good deals, visit lfs, get to know them. we had a guy that knew us (we went every weekend), if he got something, he'd tell us, that how we ended up with one of the filters. Another lfs had a great deal on a 75gl tank stocked, if you have time, you never know what great deals you can find.

 

[bronco300]

well i didnt know as far as premixed goes, because i have a store that sells it 5 for 5gallons...and so i thought it would be cheaper buying a mixing it myself, but then second guessed myself...how does an R/O system work? where do you set it up and what not..i dont know anything about em...but wouldnt that save more money in the long run to? i dont know, thanks for your help so far, its been helpful indeed :joy:
Luke P

 

[bronco300]

thanks sinners girl...too bad i dont like out fist stores we have around here...people arent all that friendly...but anyways, i've been looking up around here about makin my own rock, sounds pretty neat and fun...as for the water, id have to drive at least 40 mintues too...but i would just stock up a ton of it maybe, and plus i like their store so i go there anyways because they have a much better selection than what i have here in town....sad, but true.
test positive, he is dancin away. lol
i have a penguin on my 75 freshwater...just thought id add that since yo mentioned it.anyways...i',m tryin to soak in all i can and learn with my 10 gallon i have right now.
Luke P.

 

[johngebw]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
hello, now my questions concern the 75 gallon saltwater tank i want to set up in about a 1yr-1.5yr...when i settle in a new city for good, or for longer than this apt for college, lol.....so my question is concerning the mechanical devices. I was hoping to get some advice for anyone who has had years of experience on what you would recommend, what is necessary and what is not. I am reading books and doing alot of online searches on reviews of products.
So the list goes as follows, what is needed and not needed, and what brands are preferred:
Canister Filter---i was looking at Rena, or Ehiem....
SKimmers---I've heard some people say these arent actually necessary....dont
know anything about them...all i ever see is the seaclone-?
Powerheads---I've been told that i should use two lesser powered
powerheads instead of one main one to do it all...i was thinking
would it be smart to have two different powers...that way you could
have a more low flow side and high flow, or is that just silly??
I dont know any brands for this
Undergravelfilters--Someone told these were very necessary, but i dont see
the point of having one under sand...doesnt make sense how
it would work very well without getting clogged after two minutes??
Lighting---I like the satellite light i have on my 10 gal...so i would two dual
65W be enough for that? I'd like to have corals like xenias....or
should i go up a step?? I do like satellite however I suppose itd
be smarter to buy just a long stripe instead of two?
Heaters---would one heater that is for 75+...or would it be smarter to get
two a little lower and put them on the seperate sides?
Live Sand--- I've heard that 1lb per gallon is whats needed...is there any
live sand better than another?
Live Rock---1.5-2lbs per gallon? dont know much about differences in rock,
like premium fiji, etc.
Is that it for the maintaning part of the aquarium?? besides testing like crazy. Oh wait, forgot one thing, the Reverse Osmosis....I dont really understand how you set these up even...would it save money in the long run instead of going and buying R/O water to mix...or to but saltwater mixed already?
Its alot i know, i'm just trying to see what other people think about their products and what pleases you guys instead of what these sellers are trying to get me to buy from them. i want to get what i need, not how much they can get from my pcoket

suggest any good books to get?? I have some about tropical fish/plants and i just love reading about it all...thanks!

any help is apprecaited and thanks!!!!
Luke P
Hi Bronco,
I also have a 75 gallon Reef tank now. I had a 20 Gallon on my first adventure in a reefing. Many mistakes & a lot of information & research. I have it down to a science now and with the least amount of $$ spent a year. My tank is doing great and something growing new everyday. My corals and my fish are doing wonderful. Needless to say what I do now is from many years of trial and error. The main thing I did this time is “make it simple" and do what Mother Nature does with a little help since it's not the ocean. If you would like to see my setup and how I do things I would be glad to e-mail you once I get a chance to create it. But I will promise you this, you will have a thriving, clean and colorful system year in and year out if you do as I do. I'm one of those that think I can never do it. Well, this time I did.
John

 

[bronco300]

lol, thanks...i'd love to see the tank sometime