Starting a 75 Gallon Reef, need some advice! :]

[codyo]

I'm looking to setup my first saltwater tank, preferably reef.. (actually, definitely reef). I'm probably gonna end up purchasing the 75gal RR tank by Deep Blue Professional, and I guess I'll have to suck it up and pay more for their stand too considering I can't find a reasonably priced stand where I can used the drilled tank in it. I'm gonna use a DIY wet/dry / sump system that a local store has instructions on how to do. (And i'm hoping that it fits in the deep blue stand's cabinet). I was wondering for what to do about lights... I can't seem to find any 6-bulb T5 fixtures locally, and the prices are outrageous for them as it seems, but they also seem to be the most widely used/best outcome as far as cost and quality/efficiency goes. Just looking for opinions for lights, the tank's reviews/feedback, and where I could possibly purchase a reasonable stand. I'm not really 100% sure of what I'll keep in the tank but I'd like a wide variety of corals for sure (even though I don't 100% get how you tell the difference between LPS and SPS, I know that they're both hard, one's large, and one's soft polyps xD) and I don't know a ton about soft coral species but I'll definitely research once the tank is setup before purchasing anything. Thanks in advance!

 

[denniscoy420]

Well I have a 75 gallon tank with a sump, check it out also when it comes to lighting
I have to say this that soft corals can handle 3 watts per gallon BUT u need to have live rock to place them on to get them closer to the light
to have anyother corals, or other photogenic creature in the tank
U must get the watts per gallon up to at Least 5 watts per gallon

 

[gemmy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Denniscoy420 http:///forum/thread/384637/starting-a-75-gallon-reef-need-some-advice#post_3370581
Well I have a 75 gallon tank with a sump, check it out also when it comes to lighting
I have to say this that soft corals can handle 3 watts per gallon BUT u need to have live rock to place them on to get them closer to the light
to have anyother corals, or other photogenic creature in the tank
U must get the watts per gallon up to at Least 5 watts per gallon
Watts per gallon is not that important. It really boils down to the type of lighting that is used and the par of the lights. Power compacts of the same wattage do not penetrate like t5's of the same wattage.
Since the OP wants to keep a variety of corals, I would strongly recommend a halide/t5 combo or a good t5 set with at least 6 bulbs.