"Less is More"

[pscott99]

Since you are dreaming this big a bio cube will disappoint and bore you pretty quickly. Reason being you will have it stocked and won't get to play with anything on your list. Have you costed out your list. Can you put money away towards it including the bio cube money. There are also lots of full used setups for sale for those on a budget.

 

[xCry0x]

Since you are dreaming this big a bio cube will disappoint and bore you pretty quickly. Reason being you will have it stocked and won't get to play with anything on your list. Have you costed out your list. Can you put money away towards it including the bio cube money. There are also lots of full used setups for sale for those on a budget.

Agreed on this, when I read the original post I was under the impression that your budget was tight. Any reef tank is an investment and the bigger the tank the bigger investment. And by investment I mean money pit, as investment usually implies some sort of return.

So from what you are really asking by saying less is more, is less clutter in your tank. That is the general goal of any reef tank, which is why people use sumps or AIO setups.

If you want a clean tank then invest in vortech powerheads, they are best in class and have the smallest footprint.

If you are on a budget and think you will move then I would HIGHLY recomend getting a smaller AIO cube type tank. You can get something like a 34g Solana which is a VERY nice looking tank or shop craigslist for a used cube.

Get the cube, cycle the tank, throw some dry rock & sand in, let everything develop and grow slowly. If you end up moving you will feasibly be able to move the smaller tank, and if you end up setting up a big tank you will have a tank full of live rock & sand to seed your new tank with to get it up and running quicker. Also if you end up moving out of state and cannot transport everything you wont be stuck trying to sell off a 75g full of corals & fish.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

3-5 Green Chromis

I do not understand why, but it is rarely discussed on this forum that schools of green chromis rarely last long term. They dwindle, likely by fighting, and perhaps only at night, until there are only a couple left. I went through that recently from a school of 14 to only two after a year. So I then checked with a group of the big name fish keepers and they confirmed that it is common and rarely do such green chromis schools work out.

So I'd limit the chromis to 2.

 

[xCry0x]

We have two chromies in our ~400g tank in my office and the larger one guards a piece of fake coral and basically attacks anything that comes near it including the other chromie.. the other spends most of its time hiding.

 

[Paul B]

I agree with Randy. I keep chromis but always end up with one or two which lasts long but I don't know where the others go.

 

[purplereef]

When you said less is more I thought you were talking about going minimalist. By your stocking list it appears like you will have to use a shoe horn to get all of those coral/fish in a 75 gallon tank.

 

[SushiGirl]

2nd stock list looks more reasonable, but I'd still skip the mandarin. Also, cleaner wrasses usually don't live very long in aquariums, either.

 

[reefgeezer]

A stock list is a good place to start but the tank parameters will tell you when the fish limit has been reached... as long as you add them slowly.

Also, the 1 lb per gallon of rock is and old paradigm. If you are going to use a RDSB and a lighted fuge, you could get away with very little rock. This is the way it seems that most are going. This allows you to have a very open aquascape so detritus is less like to build up and cause problems. It also leaves more room for corals and fits into your less is more plan. Securing the rocks together and not stacking them against any of the glass seems to be a common practice now. I'd use dry rock from BRS. Yep, you'll find most here really like BRS. I think I've sent some of their kids through college!

In a 75, a closed loop may be over-kill. +1 on at least one MP40. It is a lot of money, but you won't regret the purchase. Maybe the $ saved on rock could go toward it. Save your pennies. You don't have to buy it right away, but don't waste cash on lesser products.

Look at the DIY forum before you build your LED fixture. 60 3W Cree's sounds about right for a kick-a$$ 75 SPS tank, but there are some other issues like dimming and programming to consider, particularly if you are going to use a controller. If I knew how to post a link I would. Maybe someone else will help us out with that.

 

[A_Z]

I would go with mostly dry rock and a few choice LR to seed. also I would recommend QT the Live rock until all possible pests can be taken care of.

also don't forget a QT tank in general, 1-2 is fine but 3 is optimal; one for fish, one for corals/inverts and one for any live rock. 10-15g tanks are fine.

also don't buy anything until you have researched everything and I mean everything you will find people saying A, some saying B and even some saying C. I would define equipment as good, better and best. Good quality equipment is neither cheap nor extremely expensive but still good quality. You will often hear such brands as Tunze, Sicce and Ecotech touted and for good reason.

just save up for the 75 and no cube or AIO if you know you will get bored fast.