start of my 75 gal!

[newtanksynd]

i have always wanted a saltwater tank. i finally went and decided to start one. i have talked to a lot of people and everyone recommends doing it there way.
the biggest debate i have is what filter will work best for my fish and invert setup. i dont plan on getting any anemones. so im not to worried about light. i would just like to get some starfish, urchins, tang, butterfly, puffer...
i know i only should be put 7 fish in to the tank. i also need to do a little more research on what fish are compatible with each other. i was told that canister filters are the way to go and to get a protein skimmer with a uv sterilizer right off that bat to avoid any and most common problems.
i was also told that if i had an emperor 400 filter that i would be fine and that a canister filter is a lot of hassle. i plan to get 2 boxes of base rock and a lot of live rock. i would like to make a twin peak aquascape. i also plan on taking the money from live sand as apposed to reg. substrate and spending it on the live rock and just letting the base rock and non live sand turn live from the live rock.
here is my set up so far.
75 gal tank
hydor 300w heater
32w strip light
instant ocean 160gal mix
marine aquarist book
what way do i need to go with the filter, power head?
thanks in advance

 

[shinobi9119]

welcome to the boards!!

I am also in the process of setting up a 75 gallon tank. I have two Hydor koralia powerheads (600 gph) + my return pump for flow. Hydor koralia are good powerheads for flow so that may be a good place to start. General amount of rock is 1-2 pounds per gallon, so check to see how much you will get per box.
Many people on here will prob say that tangs need at least 6 feet of swimming room

. There may be one or two that are a little more laid back but I think 6 feet is what most people go with. You may want to look into a dwarf angel fish. (flame angel, bicolor angel) are really cool looking fish. I really like butterfly fish and im pretty sure one would work in a 75. I too am looking into a puffer, the smaller ones seem good, but you just have to watch out because they may eat ur inverts. I dont know much bout urchins or starfish.
As for the filter im not to sure, I have a sump tank that does all the filtering, I have never had any experience witth other types of filtration. So sorry I couldnt help with that. I hope someone else can
Much luck to you with the tank.

 

[kevin34]

Hello and welcome to the boards. Its good that you are asking questions before starting the tank because in this hobby you cant rush things. Like Shinobi said most tangs need at least 6 feet of swimming room (125 gallons+) so I would pass on that fish. If you dont want to spend a lot on lights and want a butterfly, starfish, urchin, and puffer then I wouldnt get any corals. For filtration I would use a protein skimmer along with lots of live rock and flow. Live rock serves as a natural filter if you have enough of it. Is your tank drilled? You will also need a quarantine tank. If you have any questions at all just ask. There are a lot of helpful people here.

 

[newtanksynd]

thanks much thats a good start. the plan i have is to get the base rock down in the tank then the sand the bottom .add pre mix conditioned water to the tank . check all my temp 78degrees for a few days along with sality. then once i have that set i want to add the live rock. am i asking for to much with such for bacteria with an unlive substrate 80lbs . and a base rock ? would i be better off with a bag of live sand and a few unlive. Aragamax Sand is what i plan to use. i also plan to change water 20% / 15gal every 2 weeks.

 

[newtanksynd]

my tank is not drilled. i just dont think a emperor 400 filter is really what i want . seems to be the cheap way out. but i may be wrong

 

[kevin34]

I would use more live rock than base rock and add it in all at the same time. If you waited to add the live rock then you would have to drain some of the tank because adding the rock will cause water displacement. Live sand is nice but non live sand is fine too and it will become live over time being in your tank with the live rock. Adding the live rock will also make your tank cycle. The live rock will cause your ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels to spike and this is a good thing. During these spikes its best not to do any water changes. After a few weeks the water params will come down to normal. After they are back to normal your cycle has completed and you are ready to add livestock.

 

[newtanksynd]

with a 75 gal tank do i need to add a cheap fish to help cycle ?? or will the live rock do it just fine? if a fish would help is one Damsel to small for my 75? im not in any hurry i want to do this right the first time. any help with a filter sigestion?

 

[kevin34]

well if you buy the live rock fulled cured and bring it from the water it was in right to your tank then you will need a fish or piece of shrimp to help cycle. If you order the live rock and its shipped to you then there will be some dieoff from the shipping. This dieoff on the rock will cycle your tank. For filtration a hang-on-back protein skimmer along with lots of live rock and lots of flow should do a good job.

 

[shinobi9119]

Originally Posted by newtanksynd
with a 75 gal tank do i need to add a cheap fish to help cycle ?? or will the live rock do it just fine? if a fish would help is one Damsel to small for my 75? im not in any hurry i want to do this right the first time. any help with a filter sigestion?
live rock will kick off the cycle fine, if not you can add a piece of raw shrimp for a little.

 

[maxalmon]

It's fine to mix a bag of LS with non-live sand, it'll seed the sand with bacteria. I would add all the base and LR at the same time and let all the items cycle at the same time. Don't use a live fish, use a raw shrimp from the grocery store. Just toss it in and wait for the Ammonia levels to spike to around 1.0, then do a water change, your just trying to tease the bacteria into a bloom, not kill everything with a toxic ammonia bomb, thats why you do the water change when the levels reach 1.....Once you see the levels drop then your ready for an actual fish.
As for the filters, skip on the UV sterilizer, it's not really needed, can't hurt, but not needed.

 

[newtanksynd]

well i have decided to keep the Emperor 400 . i plan to change filter paks every 2 weeks for like 6 months . in this time i want to really figure out what filter i want.then i will more then likley change to a cartidge filter. i have also desided i want to go with the hydor korallia power head. but dont know of the turnover rate i will need. i know the filter is 400gph . will 2 korallia's be to much ? i read they flow 600gph tank will be fish and few invert. with live rock . 1600gph flow rate 21x the tank size. is that to much for mainly a fish only? or if i put the filter on one side and one #2 on the opp. side 1000gph will that be ok ? or filter and 2 nano 880gph

 

[newtanksynd]

bump