Well here we go Dennis 's 75 gallon saltwater reef tank journal

[denniscoy420]

well I am finally going to built a 75 gallon reef tank I just went out and got a 4 stage RO unit, I have a 30 gallon tank for about 3 years and I have never had a journal of that tank so I figure I would have to have one for my next tank.
stocklist
75 gallon tank and stand
20 gallon tank for sump
filters and heaters and timer for the light
T5 lighting 216 watt 4 leds
NEED
60lbs of sand or so not sure I want a 2-3inch sand bed
50lbs of rock I am buying asap say monday next week
powerheads and clean up crew something small to start
Vertex IN 80 protien skimmer for the 20 gallon sump
I plan on having 3 different tangs (not sure what kind yet)
2 clown fish hosting to a anemone
and lots of other 2-3 inch small fish say 5more
here are some pictures of me mixing up the 75 gallon's of water
and one of my 30 gallon tank 3 years old
also sorry about the bad picture used my cell phone was in a hurry

 

[jc germ]

Hi Dennis
I love your rock work looks real cool,
the photo of the tank is that your current tank, or is this the reef you are talking about, and I see there is one more tank that looks murky is that the new tank ??
as for the fish I really like the yellow tang hippo and naso tangs they all have great personalities
well good luck with your project

 

[denniscoy420]

the picture is of my 30 gallon reef tank 3 years old I will post some pictures this weekend

 

[denniscoy420]

Well Here we go I got everything cleaned out and got the T5 lighting hook up and the water almost mixed up, all cleaned out I got 80lb of sand of a 75 gallon tank not sure if I am going to have to buy more hope not. also got a power head and some other things
I will up date with more pictures this week sorry about the quality of the photo used my phone

 

[jc germ]

looking good

 

[denniscoy420]

well I just spent some money I bought some dry rock online today
I got 100lbs of dry rock I plan on using puddy for sticking the rocks together before I place them in the tank I will be updating with pictures later this week wed thurs look's to be fun days for me
also I have been thinking about what kind of stock list I should have....
Powder brown tang
yellow tang
Regal tang(dora)
pair of clown fish not sure what kind yet( girlfriend demends a pair of clownfish hosting )
1 blennine ( MIDAS )
royal gamma
a angel fish that doesnt eat corals
PLease Post some comments on my list also please help me chose a angel fish( keep in mind that I have a flame angel in my smaller tank)

 

[jc germ]

All 3 tangs you mentioned are awesome, love the yellow and the regal ,I also like the scopas tang but powder brown is also nice .
As for the clown's I think the clarkii clowns are cool but it’s up to you black and white is also cool who am I kidding I like them all LOL if memory serfs me right the only reef safe angel is the Blacktail Lemonpeel Angelfish the other I know is with Caution but hay you could be lucky

 

[denniscoy420]

I went to lowes and got them to cut me a sheet of acryllic, and the pipeing
(1/2 thick) for the pump and powerhead, got the glue from the lfs,
took me a little while( 20min) I plan on going with a razorblade to clean up the glue when it dry's
then I will test it
The powerhead 1200 290ish gph and the pump 295gph 1/2 thick line
plan on putting a vertex 100 protien skimmer, and the middle will be for a
refugium to grow copepods, maybe plants and mud to reduce nitrates
let me know what u think

 

[jc germ]

looking good keep us updated with your build

 

[denniscoy420]

Well I am going to make this short I rinse off the rocks and r placing them inside the tank
plan on running the plumbing for the sump tank in the morning the will post more picture's in the morning

 

[denniscoy420]

PLEASE POST SOME IDEAS ON A STOCK LIST
Do u think I have enough room for 4 tangs?
also can I cycle the tank using
1 sixline
1 royal gamma
2 clowns(clarkii clowns)
I did 2 small water changes on my 30 gallon reef tank and place that water into my new tank
do u think it will help the tank cycle better?

 

[6stokes]

Lookin good Dennis! For tank cycling, I think the wrasse and clowns are a good choice, as they can handle pretty poor water quality. I'm not sure about the gamma though. I don't think the water from the other tank will help it cycle, but would be good for transfer of the fish since it will have all the same chemical values (provided the existing water quality is good). Are you able to use any of the sand, rocks, or filtration from your 30 gallon? That would help it cycle quickly.
Sorry I can't help with your list of Angel fish, but I only have experience with the flame angels and have heard that it is difficult to get other species of angels to co-habitate.

 

[denniscoy420]

thanks so much I plan on taking the main rock out of my 30gallon
i would say the rock is about 15lbs and pure purple
I plan on adding next week with all my coral i plan on moving
all of my corals to my new tank because the lighting is better in the new tank
( also I dont plan on moving the flame angel to the bigger tank)
I want 3tangs and a different angel but i guess I will just go 4 tangs not sure

 

[mell]

I've got a coral beauty who I've had for almost a year and she hasn't touched any of my corals...she's a dear.

 

[denniscoy420]

Well after 2 days of messing with the pumps and ball valve I think I got it
I went to the local hardware shop and got a check valve so if the bottem pump
ever goes out the tank will not empty itself and I just check it for leaks
bad news I had to glue it again ( with tank safe silicone)

hopefully it will take,

 

[denniscoy420]

I think i like the way I set it up not sure I am sure I will change it in a week or so
when I add all my corals from my other tank, also I plan on adding a Big 15lb Pure purple rock
in that spot all the way to the right

 

[6stokes]

Hey Dennis, I'm not sure your check valve will work once it get fouled up, and it will rather quickly. It may still close, but won't have a tight enough seal. A simple air break will work. There's actually several ways it can be done. Maybe you can post a pic of your schematic or let us know how you're trying to do this.

 

[denniscoy420]

well I have a small pump in the tank pumping it down I am using the ball valve to adjust the flow of water coming in,
the pump inside the sump has a check valve in case of the pump burning up the tank wont empty itself,
the valve with the red handle is the water adjustment, that is coming inside the sump, the pump inside the sump has no adjustment so the only thing I can do is adjust the water coming in the sump
also the check valve works great I unhoook the pump and no water started pouring into the sump,
so my only problem is getting the flow right and NO LEAKS....
hopefully when I wake up I will try it again....

 

[6stokes]

I really think you should consider a hang on the back overflow. That way you only need one pump and if the power goes out, it will break the siphon and stop the flow into the sump.

 

[ryancw01]

Ever thought of doing more of a coral rock island structure with the rock instead of the stonehenge look? I think what you have looks pretty cool, but it is stressful to look at. Looks unstable.