New Build – 70g Bowfront

[Jeff3D]

Hi Everyone,

Im new to the forum and reef tanks in general. You all seem like an awesome group so I wanted to join. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Last weekend for Father's Day I got a 70g MarineLand Bowfront Reef Ready with Corner flow. It also came with a canopy and Marineland sump. We got a great deal on it at Wet Pets in Norman! Awesome Place and staff!

We plan to keep a healthy mix of corals, a few fish and invertebrates.

Some of the challenges I have are:
Small sump so not much space for a bigger/better skimmer. Skimmer area is 13in wide x 4 3/4in long x 4in deep.
My wife laid down the law of no altering the canopy and it stays on.
Not a huge budget

There are still quite a few items left to buy and will list what I have VS what I plan to buy.

What I already have:
Tank "“ 70g MarineLand Bowfront Reef Ready with Corner flow
Sump "“ Marineland C3
Return pump "“ eheim compact+ pump 3000
Heater "“ Eheim Jager TruTemp 200 Watt Fully Submersible UL Approved Heater
Thermometer "“ Lifegard Aquatics Little Time Or Temp

What I need:
Lights - Ecoxotic Panorama Pro LED Light Fixture - 24 Inch (95 Watt)
Skimmer - Marineland In-Sump Protein Skimmer 100 (Any other in-sump suggestions?)
Powerhead - Hydor Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump/Powerhead 550 gph
Rock "“ 50lbs of Key Largo Rock (MarcoRock) and 10lbs of live rock
Sand "“ 60lbs of livesand

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also I would love to check out a meeting! Please let me know when and where!

Thanks!

 

[cwinn]

Hey Jeff, welcome to the forums! Thats a beautiful lookin tank to start!

Here's my 2 cents on how I'd approach it

Everything that you have so far looks to be a good start.
-Take the time to plan out your plumbing. Do a lot of research on comas and reefcentral in general. Union valves wherever you can and ball valves! Dont skimp or rush in this area!
-I'm not too familiar with those compact, smaller wet/dry sump designs so maybe someone else can help here

What you need:
Lights - Ecoxotic Panorama Pro LED Light Fixture - 24 Inch (95 Watt)
-I ending up doing a custom DIY LED tank. Prior to that I looked into these Ecoxotic and they look great. $$ was biggest issue. Not sure what the dimensions on your tank are but just make sure the coverage from that unit will be sufficient. Wouldn't be the best if you spent alot on a unit and it didn't have enough coverage. From what I've seen, a lot of the better LED units on the market cover a 24" area (lengthwise) per module.
Skimmer - Marineland In-Sump Protein Skimmer 100 (Any other in-sump suggestions?)
-Don't know that much about these in-sump skimmers as I've had mostly larger ones. Have you considered an external skimmer? Only input I would have is the Marineland 100 seems to be designed to go with the sump you have and it is rated for 100g so that is a plus!
Powerhead - Hydor Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump/Powerhead 550 gph
-Depending on the type of corals you go with, flow inside the tank is pretty important. Not only for corals but for oxygen flow and avoiding dead spots (built up detritus). I would probably go with 2 powerheads, one on each side. (thats just my opinion, start with one and see how that goes, can always add another). I have a Koralia 750gph (or two) that I used for only a few months, upgraded to a bigger tank so its just sitting around. Send me a message if you're interested ($25)
Rock "“ 50lbs of Key Largo Rock (MarcoRock) and 10lbs of live rock
-Good idea going with dry rock and some live rock to seed the tank! Sometimes members will sell pieces of live rock from their tanks for only $2-3 a lb. Look out for that as it can save you some money!
Sand "“ 60lbs of livesand
-From my experience, you don't get much benefit from "live sand". You normally want to rinse out your sand a few times so your tank doesn't look like milk when you add water. If you do that it defeats the purpose of getting "live" sand. I'd go dry. Also I went with sugary fine sand on my first tank build cuz I liked the look. Bad idea, gets blown up way to easily and makes a mess. I went with the Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand on my latest build (on Drs Foster & Smith for $35 for 40 lb bag, should be sufficient) and I love it. Has great reviews from other reefers. Looks much better in person than in the picture

Few other last tips:
-Start slow! (especially when it comes to fish) Hard to resist at first but you will benefit long term.
-Since you have a 70g I would invest in an RO/DI unit. (Bulk Reef Supply has one for about ~$130 I wanna say and its plug and play, super easy and great unit). Believe me, it WILL pay itself off! Plus you can't beat the convenience of making water in your own home whenever you need to
-There's a lot of chemicals, etc that claim to miraculously fix issues (ex: algae). Some are good but most not so much. Just do your research before you spend money hoping for a quick fix
-I've said it a few times but I'll say it again. Research! Tons and tons of great information on this entire forum and others as well. So much to learn! Knowledge is power in this hobby (will also save you alot of $$ too!) Lots of great videos on mrsaltwatertank.com Some of his most recent videos and many of his archived videos from years ago have some great tips. Most are short 2-5 min, but easy to follow and definitely helpful
-Last, just enjoy it! Things can get frustrating but everyone goes through the learning curve to some degree.

I'm sure I missed some stuff but I'm sure others will chime in. Good luck!

 

[Jeff3D]

Thanks for the quick response and I definitely appreciate your input. That’s great advice and will definitely help! I especially like the extra tips at the end. Give me a week or so and I will get with you on the powerhead.

 

[Tek]

Looks good Jeff! I can't wait to see it all setup.

 

[Jeff3D]

Thanks Mr. Vu!

After careful research and good advice I made a few modifications to my list.

Swap out:
Marineland In-Sump Protein Skimmer 100 for Reef Octopus Recirculating Protein Skimmer (External)
Live sand for Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand

and I added
Additional Hydor Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump/Powerhead 550 gph

finally for the ATO:
SpectraPure® Power Liquid Level Controller and Tom Aquatics Aqua-Lifter Dosing Pump, Suction Pre-Filter & 25 Feet of Flexible Air Line Tubing

Now I just need to win the lottery to pay for it all!

 

[cjilge]

pretty good advice above. and nice looking tank. I would suggest visiting a few "members" tanks and see how they are set up. Can help u from making the easy mistakes early on. Dont skimp on lights, skimmer, and flow in the tank. also IMHO i would look at a differnt sump. the biowheels are a disaster if you plan on keeping corals. Paul has touched on this many times in his talks. You can make one or have one built for reasonable. Mine is a custom built out of a std tank. just do lots of research and asks questions. Go slow on the build and you will be happier long term.

 

[madkat]

If you decide you want to do a DIY LED system, I am sure myself or Greg would be willing to help. Greg has several tanks with DIY LED's and I just finished mine for my 180 gallon.

It is alot cheaper to DIY.

 

[Jeff3D]

I definitely appreciate the advice about the sump, Cjilge. I'm glad you mentioned that because now I’m thinking about removing the bio wheels and adding some chaeto algae to the middle level replacing the bio wheels all together. Also, adding a basic incandescent light to the sump for the algae. Would that work?

Madkat, my problem with lighting is 2 fold. Space above the tank and depth.
The open “square” space above the tank is about 27inW x 10in L and the total depth of the tank is 24in deep. One thing to note the width goes up to about 40in in the canopy and could probably fit 1 36in led/t5 and definitely 4 30in lights, but if you were to consider it a large square area to hold a fixture its only 27x10in. I hope that’s not too confusing because I almost confused myself!

The depth issue is a problem because when I read the specs on different lighting setups they simply aren’t adequate to light the bottom half of the aquarium. That’s why I choose the Ecoxotic Panorama . It was the one light that would get the job done, fit in the canopy and wasn’t MH. As we all know they cost a bazillion dollars so I'm all for cutting cost!

Do you think we could come up with a DIY led and/or t5 lighting system that I could mount in the top of the canopy and would provide adequate lighting?

Thanks again for everyone advice and opinions! I really appreciate the help!

 

[ghellin]

My DIY led fixture is 16" above the water and I am growing SPS corals on my sandbed in 18" of water and i am using 60 degree optics and only running my LEDs at 50%. So I am sure we can get your desired par with diy LED

 

[Jeff3D]

Awesome! Thats what I like to hear! I saw the recent post of your and Madkat's DIY and it looked great!

 

[BigPurp]

Just my 2cents:

1. Def try to get a fuge for the tank, as big as you can fit. Benefits I've found from having a fuge:
a. Lots of copepods to feed the entire tank, including corals. My mandarin is healthy, and fat.
b. The fuge provides me a 'banishment' area in case someone is being bad/disturbing corals. Also a good place to grow out frags that require minimum light.
c. Nitrate/Phosphate reduction comes with having a large fuge. On my 75, I have a 40 gallon fuge. Big? Yes, but it keeps my nitrates and phosphates at almost 0, with the occasional use of carbon to polish the water. I don't run GFO or any sort of reactors, and the tank does just fine. Mainly, I find that mixing SPS LPS and softies etc. causes chemical warfare-- the carbon helps absorb most of this.

d. My fuge has only live rock/chaeto in it. The diurnal ph swing is somewhat minimal in my tank.

I dose calcium/magnesium and a buffer once every two weeks. I won't hazard a guess at how my calcium levels are maintained, as I have a few stony corals. I'm no chemist, but I'm willing to bet that the aragonite/fine particle DSB has something to do with this. I would imagine that sedimentation of the rock/sand bed particles at least releases some sort of calcium into the water... I'm not a chemist so maybe someone else could clarify.


Overall, I find a fuge to be all the rage. At night, I sit in front of my tank and watch all the tiny critters in the fuge. It seems that every week or so I discover a new species of copepod that I didn't know existed. As far as chaeto is concerned, just buy some off of different people. Make sure to ask them if they have bad bugs though. Getting bad bugs can be worse than the clap-- most of the time, you can't get rid of em, and end up losing a colony or having to tear down a tank.

Also: Aptasia. It is NOT unavoidable. My tank went 6 years aptasia-free. Miracle, I know, but the previous tank owner was very meticulous about it. Just make sure to ask when buying any sort of rock or frags if it is aptasia free. I stupidly forgot to check my first coral frag, and the battle began....

That brings me to another point: Copepod/ critter diversification. You want to try and get your hands on as many different species of detritivore as possible. My tank is a well established one 8+ years, and it has been well maintained, and has a diverse population of benthic organisms. Featherdusters (which I want more of), worms, starfish, the list goes on.... A refugium only helps bolster these populations. Well cured, and AGED live rock is always a good start. Try and get your live rock from a well established tank with minimal pests.

You may also want to look into an ATS (algae turf scrubber) . From what I've read (and considered switching over myself) it can substitute for a skimmer. honestly, my skimmer (reef devil deluxe, rather old downdraft skimmer) requires bi/tri-weekly maintenance, skimmate removal. It does skim quite a bit ( a gallon every 2 days) but then again, I HEAVILY feed my tank. I feed at least 8 pieces of small sized cocktail shrimp a day, along with cyclopeeze (2-3x/week) and phytoplankton dosings (50+ml/ week), not to mention the addition of flake and pellet food for both the display and refugium.

I read an article online about how most of corals nutrient uptake actually comes from rotifers, phytoplankton, and copepods that they are able to capture during feeding time. While most of them are photosynthetic, this energy is apparently like processed 'sugar' to them-- almost all corals with mouths need solid, meaty food. So, this only further supports reason for a refugium. You still have the option now, while you're in the beginning stages, to try and work one in. My tank went 4-5 years with only mechanical filtration, and functions better now with a well-seasoned fuge.

I had an in-sump marineland protien skimmer. I'm working with a reef devil deluxe now... Definitely, when I get a new skimmer I'll go with a cone shaped, needle-wheel impeller design. I find the bubble size is better. But, my reef devil gives me the option of really WET skimming.

What else... Save your pennies and invest in a wavemaker of sorts. I cannot tell you how beneficial they are for corals-- and fish. Getting ALL types of flow in your tank is most important.

I prefer a DSB in the display, keeps my nitrates at 0. Just have to make sure that I don't disturb it, and that I stay away from fish/inverts that will do damage. Aquascaping with a DSB can be tricky, but if you're careful, it should be fine. If you decide on a DSB, DON'T bury the rock in the sand. Invest in some epoxy to stabilize the rock, and just set it on the sand bed.

Bristleworms: No, thank you. They attack and compete with other organisms, including corals for food. If I could get rid of mine, I would. I had a big six line wrasse, but a recent power outage killed her. So, the bristeworm army is attacking my anemone(s). Just last night I had to defend the anemone from a fleet of BW that were reaching INTO the mouth of the anemone for food. NOT good.

My next point: Insurance policy.

Have at least 40 gallons of pre-mixed (preferably ro/di )saltwater, ALWAYS on the ready. Maintain it covered, with a powerhead and heater. My neighbors tank had a recent crash. Her stealth heater blew up, a piece of plastic lodged in her return pump, and the pump leaked copious amounts of oil into the display. The whole house wreaked of kerosene. She came knocking on my door at 8am, panicked, and needed water. We ended up saving 4-5 fish out of 10-15. She lost nearly $3,000 in livestock that day. Had I not had pre-made saltwater ready, it would have been worse.

Invest in a battery-operated AirStone. My power was out for 2 days-- I lost 4 fish. Temperature swings on fish are stressful, but its the lack of gas exchange that kills them in outages. Never mind the corals-- they are actually pretty hardy. But, I failed to think and put my air stone in the display-- lost a 4 year old tang, wrasse, cleaner shrimp, and a rare blue eyed squirrelfish. The thing the all had in common: fast movers. They all used more oxygen than my other fish, so they were the first to suffocate. Fish need oxygen too! And when the power is out, an air stone beats having to create gas exchange yourself. .

Always have at least 50 gallons of salt mix on the ready

Try to have a nano/QT tank. Not only is it good for frags, but if disaster strikes, you've got a safehaven for your expensive and beloved pets. Nano Cubes are easy to come by cheap off Craigslist, or other places. I bought a 29 gallon NanoCube for about $100 with live rock and a few fish. Most people who buy them realize that saltwater just isn't for them, then they wanna get rid of them. I would never recommend someone buy a nano tank unless they have experience with a large 55gal+ tank. But alas, fish stores need their business too.


Umm... Ro/Di. i have an extra Air/Water/Ice 5-Stage Ro/Di filter sitting around not being used. It will need new di resin and new micron filters, but I think they're something like $40. It is no older than 5 months and the RO membrane has only filtered about 10 gallons of water-- i think it's a 75GPD size. If you're interested in buying it, let me know.

I also have an older Marineland in-sump protein skimmer that I'd like to sell. PM me, and we can work out a deal if you're interested. It works well, gets about a cup of dark skimmate every 3-4 days. It just has a long break in time. Microbubbles can be prevented with a sponge.


BEST of luck with the tank; I'm so happy and excited for you.

 

[Jeff3D]

That's great info Bigpurp! I like your tips to help avoid disaster and to be prepared when it does. Since my tank is basically a trapezoid I will have to bust out the calculator to determine how much sand is needed for the DSB. I may take you up on the skimmer and or RO/DI filter!

I really appreciate your help and everyone offering up unused parts for cheap to help save some cash! Once I finalize my list I will reach out!

 

[BigPurp]

Awesome! You've done the right thing by coming here. I wish I would have when I first started-- could have saved a lot of money. Most people in the hobby are extremely generous, and willing to offer advice, equipment, livestock, and help.

I went slow with equipment-- it is easier on the pocketbook!! Very few people start their reef tanks with ALL equipment included. Most simply add over time. For me, buying equipment is part of the joy. It's always exciting to get a new powerhead, or a new pump or skimmer. It's more exciting to go slow and steady. Develop a relationship with your tank. Even now, as you begin to contemplate and research where you want to go with your tank, I suggest spending time with it. Examine the overflows, the seals, the cabinetry. Knowing your tank is just as important as what you put in it. It helps to memorize your dimensions/models/ etc. Most of the poor buys I've made in Saltwater were due to a lack of this knowledge.

Some other things to consider:

A quality UV sterilizer. Aqua makes great, yet rather expensive ones. Some people swear by them, myself included. I've seen ich 2x on 2 fish in the last year, and both times, the UV zapped it. But, they're expensive and definitely not essential.

When it comes to the DSB, check out this article on particle size.
http://www.ronshimek.com/deep_sand_beds.html

Here's another with lots of links to other topics, including a DSB calculator. http://www.chucksaddiction.com/rock.html


Good Luck! I look forward to watching your progress!

 

[cody6766]

My general newbie advice:
An RO/DI unit is a must. Buy a quality salt and mix your own stuff.
Buy a refractometer. It's much more accurate than a swing arm
Don't skimp on light, flow or skimmer. Top dollar is not needed, top quality is. Research and buy accordingly.
Get an ato. They're absolutely invaluable and save tons of time and buttache
Research DIY 2 part. Its easy and MUCH cheaper.
All the equipment in the world won't make up for patience and proper routine, especially in the first 6 mos.

Oh, also, a $100 controller can save you time and terror. A stuck heater can cost you way more than that. I like my reef keeper lite.

 

[premilove]

i purchased the ecoxotics fixture and sold it off. I wasn't a huge fan of it. it's ok but if you do some shopping you might find a great price on a radion. if you check my build thread you can see some pics of the ecoxotics vs the radion. the ecoxotics only has 2 dimmers vs the radions user interface to fully customize your lighting schedule. \

if you decide to go with vortechs (which you def should) you can sync them with your radion. for example, during lightning storm mode, the radion causes a vortech to simulate waves as if it were in an actual storm. another example- as you create your night cycle, the radion turns your vortech into night mode. i just witnessed that for the first time 15 mins ago.

overall i was much more impressed with the radion vs the ecoxotic (you get what you pay for).

 

[Jeff3D]

Thanks for the suggestions and help, Cody. I will definitely check out the all the equipment and especially the RKL.

Premilove, thanks for the advice, but at this point $750 for lighting is over my budget. If I spent that much I would be able to buy corals until 2015. JK! I know they are awesome LEDs and if I could I would. Thanks again for your opinions.

 

[cjilge]

You should be able to make the sump work and I use a cpfl bulb in a clamp on light from Ace hardware. I to run a controller and an ATO and they are invaluable IMHO, also a good RODI is a must. keep asking questions and looking for deals on new and used equipment. You can save a lot of money.

 

[Jeff3D]

Thanks again Chris! Dont worry Im the question king and will ask more than my share. I appreciate the priceless info and will pick up the equipment in the near future. Over the weekend I will update / finalize my list and send more pics.

 

[madkat]

Let's do a custom DIY LED for that bad boy

 

[ghellin]

LOL +1 for DIY! Controllers are great you can get a basic one for around $100 all the way up to the Cadillac like a profilux like $1000. I use a Neptune Apex, several even allow for remote control via a website or phone app. For instance I get texts and emails from my tank if anything goes wrong. Then I can control the tank right from my phone