75g upgrade

[geckoejon]

hello,

figured i would start a thread for my 75 gallon i purchased a couple days ago. it came with sump, t5's, reef octopus dual circulating skimmer, and ect....

i am planning on tweaking it a little this is only my second tank, and i'm still a newby, so any advice would be appreciated. i have done a bunch of research, but there is a lot to reefing. there are also a lot of different viewpoints. i am definitely going to take this one slower then my cube though. i am looking forward to having more room to aqua-scape, more fish, and more room to work in the sump area! seems like a win / win. the wife doesn't seem to mind me getting into reef tanks. she is just glad that i sold off some snakes to pay for it. lol it's all about perspective

i scraped the black paint off tonight and plan on painting the background sky blue.

next step will be to put the fuge together and make sure everything is water tight.

i am going to sell the t5's and get some led's to light it up. i will have to modify the hood for new lights.

i also thought about trying to go from a 20 to a 30g fuge. thoughts?

it came with a bunch of dry rock. i have read mixed reviews on cleaning it. i thought maybe 50/50 water bleach, rinse in roi water, then dry in the sun for a couple days. thoughts?

thanks... and wish me well. lol

 

[imsalty]

We have a 30 fuge on our 75. I like the space if it for shimmers/ pumps. Dry rock....I'm a new fan if acid bath. Did it for our 120 and love the peace of mind of good clean rock. Just my .02

 

[Sethjamto]

I bleached all the rock in my 90 and it turned out great! I've read great stuff on the acid baths too. If you bleach it, make sure you rinse real well. I even let it soak in de-clorinator too to help out. Then after a few rinses in RODI, I let it air out on the tailgate of my truck in the sun for about 4-5 days before starting to cure it in SW in the garage.

 

[CoralReeForrest]

I also just for a 75 last week and just finished my 20H sump. Will enjoy seein how yours comes along!

 

[geckoejon]

:bounce1:i gave the rock a vinegar bath, pressure washed, painted the inside of the stand with marine paint, and hard piped the plumbing.

finally got the tank moved in the house, rock in it, and water brewing! i'm really digging this tank already.

now, i just need to figure out what to do with the lights. i want to go with led's. possibly a couple rb photon 16's. the cap is only 9" tall, and flips up on top for about 6". i am contemplating cutting holes in the top and mounting the fixtures to the top, but not sure about the flip up lid part interfering. i might end up just building another top. i also thought about buying a kit and mounting it inside the cap. not sure about buying the kit, controller to be adjustable/programmable, and ect... seems like i might be just as well off buying a fixture. either way... i have 6 weeks or so while the tank cycles.

i have also been contemplating the idea of getting a couple small tangs and throwing them in once it cycles. once they grow too large for the 75g in a couple yrs, it would be justification for me to upgrade to a larger tank just don't mention that part to the wife. lol

 

[geckoejon]

apex, skimmer, fuge lite...

apex, skimmer, fuge lite...

hello,

just thought i would update.

i got an apex lite, and have to say it is great! tech support is good and helped me remedy an issue with it. i have the fuge lights, float switches, and heater hooked up for safety. great addition!

i bought an led fuge light from reef breeders, and have awesome chaeto growth! went from 2 fist size balls of chaeto to a soccor ball in 10 days!!! awesome light!

i fired up my skimmer, and ran into an issue. it's a 6" reef octopus dual recirculating skimmer piped outside my sump. the water depth is 9" and they recommend 5-6". i might have to chop another hole above to raise it.

still cycling... working on making a list of fish and corals... any suggestions???

in my 29g that i am going to transfer over, i have....

1 - tailspot blenny
1 - purple firefish
1 - orange spot goby
1 - manderin, female that chows down on frozen food :celeb2: saw her eat before i bought her

debating on adding...

1 - kole or tomini tang
2 - mated pair of clowns
2 - maybe a couple different wrasses??? melanurus wrasse & ???

want to try and keep it peaceful and reef safe. i really like my lps - acans, scolies, plate, ect...

thoughts?

 

[geckoejon]

well, my tank has cycled enough that it is ready to switch everything over from my 29g!!! unfortunately, i won't really have time until next weekend to make the switch.

i did reinforce the top, cut holes for ventilation, and added 1 of the photon 16's. the other is on my 29g at the moment.

not sure if i like the optics... problem is that the light is only 6" off the water. it was the only way i could do it without building a new hood. i could raise it another inch or so, but that's about it. the front door eliminated putting them on top. i really like the shimmer, but it kind of has a spotlighting effect.

both of the photons came with 90 degree optics. thinking about either going with 120 degree optics or taking them off altogether. thoughts? pros / cons?

 

[geckoejon]

finally got it set up!!!

finally got it set up!!!

well, i finally got the 75g set up tonight. i pulled the optics off of the other photon 16 and have them both installed in the hood. i had to pretty much drain the 75g, haul it into the family room, and then fill it back up. then i switched all the livestock over from the 29g. man.... what a pita!!! took about 6 hrs and i still have stuff spread out all over! lol at least the 75g is set up and running properly. my coral have just about all opened up already and are looking great! i still need to glue down the frags, but that will wait until tomorrow. i never payed attention to how many frags i had until i had to pull them all out. there is a bunch! lol now... i get to look for more frags and fish! saweeeet!!! lol

at first the wifey was complaining that stuff was strung all over. then she got over it, and chipped in to help! i couldn't believe it! she picked out snails, crabs, and caught fish. i think she might have even gotten into it a little. lol

the best part is that everything is soooo easy to access on the sump. the skimmer is also a beast!!! it pulls out some serious crud. hopefully this tank will stay beautiful long term for me and be fairly easy maintenance.

today is going to be cleaning up, and installing the tunze ato.

here are a couple pics from breaking down and a couple set up. i will have to admit that the tank looks great!!! crappy pics, but you get the idea...

 

[Almondsaz]

Jonathan: looks great and sounds like you have been really busy moving the tank. What did you decide on the wrasses for your system? A very peaceful wrasse that I am partial to is the Leopard Wrasse and if you have 2 females and 1 male you have a great combination (IMO). I collect acans and other LPS and never have an issue. Like your choice on the tailspot - they have a lot of personality.

 

[geckoejon]

Jonathan: looks great and sounds like you have been really busy moving the tank. What did you decide on the wrasses for your system? A very peaceful wrasse that I am partial to is the Leopard Wrasse and if you have 2 females and 1 male you have a great combination (IMO). I collect acans and other LPS and never have an issue. Like your choice on the tailspot - they have a lot of personality.

hello,
i haven't decided on the wrasse yet. i am hesitant about the leopards. they are beautiful, but have a reputation for being difficult to keep. i also have a manderin, so i am leaning towards something that will not compete with it for pods. my manderin has a fat belly, and i would like to keep it like that. lol thanks for the suggestion though...

beautiful acans in your avatar. if you ever frag any and have some to part with, feel free to pm me.

 

[RatReef]

Nice work!!! Looks like a nice upgrade over the 30..

 

[geckoejon]

new pics!!!

new pics!!!

my friend erik came over last night and took some great pics of my tank! i'm very grateful to have some nice pics to show off some of the beauty. here are a few....

 

[geckoejon]

few more

 

[geckoejon]

pic heavy...

 

[geckoejon]

and a few more...

 

[geckoejon]

i got a jaebo wp-25 wavemaker the other day. i have to say that so far this thing is awesome!!! it works great, silent, powerful, and inexpensive. i am very pleased!

i will note that it is more powerful than i thought it would be. i have it set on the lowest speed and the else setting. i had to have it bounce off the front glass and adjust it to shoot slightly upward. seems like every square inch of my tank has a great alternating flow now. the fish seem to like it. last night the firefish and clown were playing directly in front of it. they would get blown around and come back for more. lol

if you are thinking about getting a jaebo wp, then i say go for it! they made me into a believer

 

[CoralReeForrest]

i got a jaebo wp-25 wavemaker the other day. i have to say that so far this thing is awesome!!! it works great, silent, powerful, and inexpensive. i am very pleased!

i will note that it is more powerful than i thought it would be. i have it set on the lowest speed and the else setting. i had to have it bounce off the front glass and adjust it to shoot slightly upward. seems like every square inch of my tank has a great alternating flow now. the fish seem to like it. last night the firefish and clown were playing directly in front of it. they would get blown around and come back for more. lol

if you are thinking about getting a jaebo wp, then i say go for it! they made me into a believer

That's good to know! Mine is sittin at home waiting to be installed! Just came in yesterday evening!

 

[JMorris271]

friend

friend

You have a very good photographer for a friend. Nice pictures.