Help with new tank builds

[lifeoffaith]

I've been hanging back a little bit because I've been having trouble with my 24 gallon reef (finally starting to turn around) and we are moving in the near future (May 14 we start the moving process). The plan at the new house is to have three tanks as soon as possible.

The 24 gallon will become my quarantine tank. I've never had a quarantine tank set up, and may even quarantine all of my current fish and allow the new tank to stay fallow while I allow it to cycle. The fish I have currently show no signs of anything, but I'm wondering if I should run a little copper in the QT tank while I have them in there. The fish are two occelaris, fairy Wrasse, pygmy angel and one chalk bass (I know there are too many fish as it is).

The problem is that I'm still fighting hair Algae on my current rock, and I plan on adding a bunch of dry rock to the new tank, which may actually encourage the hair Algae with possible phosphates in the dry rock. I do plan on building an Algae scrubber in place of a skimmer on the new tank, which hopefully will take care of this problem.

The new reef will be a 90 gallon drilled (already have the tank), and I plan on waiting until there is a $1 per gallon sale at Petco and get a 40 breeder for a sump/refugium. I have a return pump already, and will be getting some Koralias for additional circulation within the tank. I will be lighting with two reefbreeders and a 48 inch two bulb T5. I will be building my own stand and hood, probably out of 2x4s and plywood.

I also plan on setting up a 75 gallon hex tank for seahorses. I think I'm going to use some of the rock from the 24 gallon, along with some branching rock I have that is dry to get the tank cycled. I am hoping to run a HOB overflow on this one with a 5 gallon bucket in the stand as a refugium/Sump. I will still need to buy a return, but plan on not adding too much in the way of circulation to avoid blowing the seahorses around too much. This tank will be a heavily planted macro Algae tank with up to 4 pairs of seahorses in the long run, starting out with just one pair after cycling. I also hope to run an Algae scrubber on this one. Lighting will be a 4 bulb T5 with 6500K and 10000K bulbs.

The long term goal is to also have a 250-300 gallon tank in the basement which will be a FOWLR focusing on Angels, Butterflies and possibly a snowflake eel or two with the possibility of a couple of other interesting FOWLR fish.

The main thing I'm looking for from you all is 1. Critique of my current plans for the quarantine, reef and seahorse tank and 2. How many angels/butterflies can I keep in a 250-300 gallon tank when I get to that point, and has anyone had trouble with snowflake eels and larger fish like the angels I currently plan on?

 

[Highweigh]

You could get the dry rock and let it cure for a few weeks in a rubbermaid bin so it doesn't leech any phosphates into the new tank.

Also idk if I'd replace a skimmer with a scrubber, I feel like they should be used together.

And finally the Petco $1 a gallon sale is on now, ends May 7th

 

[GilliganReef]

When I knew last year I was moving into our new house I started cycling the rocks I would be using for my new build 2 months prior. I would go out and buy all the dry rock you are going to use and put it in a tote like what highweigh stated. Just throw the rocks in the tote and watch the chemistry. Each day ghost feed the tote the same amount you feed your fish.

I would recommend on buying a better protein skimmer if you think that's the issue. I would not use any of the rocks in your current tank. When it was time to move everything from my your old DT, I would take the rocks in your current setup and throw in a tote. Let that cycle for a month or two. I had the same issue with my prior tank before I built my new one. But my issue was with Dino and hair.

Another thing you can do with your old rocks is to take a spray bottle and fill it up 2/3 with peroxide and the rest with water (RO/DI). Have one bucket filled with ro/di water and one empty. Spray the rocks and scrub with a tooth brush. Dip and rinse in the RO/DI bucket and place in the empty bucket. Once your done with this process, place them in a tote for 2 months. Just let them cycle and kill the hair algae. I let mine sit for 3 months, now all that rock is in my sump and refugium. I barely have algae at all. Now only algae I battle with is the dime size hair algae on the rocks every once in awhile and the green film algae on my glass.

 

[lifeoffaith]

I plan on setting up an oversized Algae Scrubber that will be enough for 500 gallons (I am hoping to tie the two 300 and 90 gallon together now as I picked up a 100 gallon stock tank last night to use for a sump/refugium.

Gilligan, much of the rock has some coral on it, so I don't want to let it cycle. I'm hoping with some scrubbing and the algae scrubber that I should be able to get it under control.