Reefing on a Budget: 75g Tank Build

[Travis L. Stevens]

I thought that I would make a thread about my current work on a 75g tank. I plan on making this as cheap as possible and keep detailed steps. I hope that everyone enjoys it.

First off, I would like to explain what I will be doing with this system. I have decided that I am going to do a Montipora Only tank in this system. All the livestock in the tank will be chosen to help eliminate potential predators. Livestock that is being considered are things such as Mandarinfish, Six Line Wrasse, Molly Miller Blenny, Peppermint Shrimp, etc.

Next, I would like to create a list of the components that will be going into this system and the estimated prices.

Item.............................Price........Acquired?..
75g Tank (Undrilled)........$80.........Yes
-(Thanks indoreefer)
Stand and Canopy..........$100........Yes
-(Thanks JimmyS)
Overflow.......................N/A..........Yes
-(Thanks YoungSilver)
1.5" Bulkhead.................$10..........No
Plumbing.......................$10..........No
LocLine.........................$10.........No
DownDraft Skimmer.........$20.........No
Mag 9.5 Pump................$45.........Yes
-(Thanks JasonF)
Refugium.......................$10..........Yes
(4) T5 Bulbs...................N/A..........Yes
-(Thanks Cichlid67)
Ballast..........................$30.........No
Waterproof Endcaps........$40..........No
***Basic Endcaps...........$10..........No
(4) T5 Reflectors.............$80..........No
***VHO Reflector...........N/A...........Yes
~75+lbs of DIY Rock........$20...........Yes
~150lbs Reptilite Sand......$50...........No
**Silica Sand..................$15...........No
(2) MaxiJet 1200 w/ Mod...$20..........No
------------------------------------------------
Total - ~$400

** - An optional choice that I decided to go more expensive on. Mainly for aesthetic looks.
*** - Denotes what I will use to get the tank running. These items will later be replaced with the option directly above it

Lastly, I would like to explain that there are many other ways that things can be done. For example, I want aragonite sand for looks. But silica sand could be used without a problem. As well as building your own stand and canopy might be cheaper, but I don't have the tools to do it.

Here is what I will start with - 75g tank, stand, and canopy; (4) 4ft bulb T5 lighting with standard endcaps and VHO reflector; Oceanic Model 2 sump modified for a large refugium; Mag 9.5 Return with Locline; (2) MJ1200s.

Here is what I will end with - 75g tank, stand, and canopy; (6) 4ft T5 lights with parabolic reflectors on two ballasts with the option of two additional bulbs; Oceanic Model 2 sump with downdraft skimmer and large refugium; Mag9.5 return with Locline; (2) MJ1200s modified into streams.

Here are a few links to DIY Projects and other fun reads.

Tank Drilling - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=603816
MaxiJet Stream Mod - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=611354
DIY Rock - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=807988
Downdraft Skimmer - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=618586
"55g Reef on a Budget" by adnup - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=831994

Pictures to come later.

 

[ReeferKeith]

Cant wait to see your progression Travis! :thumbsup:

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

I guess I should give a running total as of right now. It's funny though. My current running total is about as much as a brand new 75g tank.

Tank - $80
Stand and Canopy (with VHO Reflector) - $100
Overflow - N/A
(4) T5 Bulbs - N/A
Mag 9.5 Pump - $45
(2) Fans - $4
DIY Rock (Components) - $20
Refugium (Needs to be modified) - N/A
(2) MJ1200 (Needs to be modified) - N/A
-----------
Current Total - $249

 

[adnup]

Sounds good to me! Now we need pics!

 

[Russ Braaten]

Travis, Silica sand often causes constant diatom outbreaks. If you eventually want aragonite sand, spend a tiny bit more now rather than a huge problem later. As you have seen here, swapping out the tanks bottom causes huge losses of corals. The loss of one coral will pay for the aragonite. Silica sand is one of the basic no no's. You do not need to try to disprove this in a cheapo tank. You need to go with proven setups. They are far cheaper in the end.

 

[Dtking]

you dont understand how much this is going to help me!!! thank you for posting this!!!! hehe, this 44 gal i am doing is going to be a pain, well, untill now, i did find a ballast and end caps and a ext cord all for 75 dollars!!!

thanks again for this posting!!!!

 

[luvabunny]

Travis - I want you to take this as it is intended, for info purposes only, and Russ, not discrediting you, again, info only.

My Dad has 2 large tanks, both are 90g or better, and he has silicon sand in both of them. At least, for clarification purposes, I think it is silicon sand. It is the medium grain sandblasting sand.
They have been set up now for over 4 years with no diatom problems. You can't tell the difference between it and an aragonite bed. If anything, his sand is whiter. I think all told, the sand for both of his tanks cost about $20.

Here comes the fine print - these are basically FOWLR tanks. He does not have any SPS corals in either of these tanks, nor does he have big, fancy lighting. In fact, I think he has (2) - 4 ft flourescent fixtures over one of them. I have no experience as to whether either one of these would cause more diatom outbreaks.

Like I said, it's for info purposes only. If you really want the aragonite, I think I would splurge the money now and get it, rather than having to re-do at a later date and cause a new cycle, etc, etc. but a successful FOWLR tank CAN be done using silica sand. I don't know about a montipora tank.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7654602#post7654602 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Russ Braaten
Travis, Silica sand often causes constant diatom outbreaks. If you eventually want aragonite sand, spend a tiny bit more now rather than a huge problem later. As you have seen here, swapping out the tanks bottom causes huge losses of corals. The loss of one coral will pay for the aragonite. Silica sand is one of the basic no no's. You do not need to try to disprove this in a cheapo tank. You need to go with proven setups. They are far cheaper in the end.

Actually, that's all a myth. Though diatoms do use silica in their shell, the silica sand that we put in our aquariums does not leech silica back into the aquarium, and it also does not cause problems with corals. I'll try to dig up some successful reefs and articles for you. It might be a little later this afternoon before I get a chance to do that, though.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7657086#post7657086 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by luvabunny
Like I said, it's for info purposes only. If you really want the aragonite, I think I would splurge the money now and get it, rather than having to re-do at a later date and cause a new cycle, etc, etc. but a successful FOWLR tank CAN be done using silica sand. I don't know about a montipora tank.

For what it's worth, I do plan on doing Aragonite Sand. I just like the looks of it so much more than Silica Sand. I'm willing to splurge a little bit more. This will obviously not be the CHEAPEST 75g tank, but it will definitely be comparable

 

[poke75]

FWIW:

My first tank was a 75g and I put put silica sand in it. I had no problems with diatoms until I upgraded my lights to VHO's.

I changed it out to southdown when I moved to a 125g.

I do think the corals I had liked the Diatoms though.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7657364#post7657364 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
Actually, that's all a myth. Though diatoms do use silica in their shell, the silica sand that we put in our aquariums does not leech silica back into the aquarium, and it also does not cause problems with corals. I'll try to dig up some successful reefs and articles for you. It might be a little later this afternoon before I get a chance to do that, though.

I stand corrected with the articles below, but might I add that silica sand does not dissolve an amount that is higher than natural seawater and is actually lower than that of what is found in most of our synthetic salt mixes. In short, the amount that is dissolved is rather neglegable; not "does not leech silica" at all

Here are some articles. The abstracts below are intended to any reader. Not just you, Russ. :thumbsup:

SILICON â€" FOE OR FRIEND? by Craig Bingman, Ph.D.
--This article gives a better understanding of Silicon and Diatoms. It also debunks many myths that are associated with it. It does not mention anything about Silica Sand, but should still be read.
--Silica Sand contains Quartz Crystal (SiO2) and as quoted here: "The other extreme end of silicate hydration is quartz, SiO2, which could be thought of as completely dehydrated Si(OH)4. Quartz is the least soluble form of silicon found in nature." Although Silicic Acid can easily be used by diatoms.
--Just because you may use an RO unit does not mean that you are completely eliminating silicon, diatoms, or both in your aquarium: "So, silicic acid passes through many reverse osmosis (nanofiltration) membranes fairly readily. Some newer membranes have higher rejection rates than older cellulose triacetate (CTA) or thin film composite (TFC) membranes, and they are available on the aquarium market." Luckily an RO/DI unit should eliminate various silicon forms.
--For those that are concerned about keeping specific organisms such as sponges: "Diatoms are the main consumers of silicate in the ocean, followed by sponges and a number of protist groups. Some higher organisms have small requirements for silicon, which will be described later."
--Tap water can be a leading cause of silicon forms and even diatom outbreaks: "“Mean tap water” has a composition similar to “mean river water” and the concentration of silicate in mean river water is about 40 times higher than the silicate concentration in surface seawater in the tropics. So, here is our first problem and one that the aquarium community seems quite familiar with: Some tap water is loaded with silicate and it can certainly promote diatom blooms in reef tanks."
--Because I don't want to take up much time, definitely read all of the topic "Silicon and Aquarium Husbandry" with a main focus on paragraphs 1-4

Silica in Reef Aquariums by Randy Holmes-Farley
--This article does talk about Silica Sand in the Reef Aquarium
--It looks like soluble silica is easily taken care of: "I’ll also show with dosing experiments that soluble silica is rapidly depleted from my reef tank (about 50% per day)."
--Randy did tests on a few different sands and here were his conclusions: "From these experiments, I conclude that: 1. The “silica” play sand that I purchased from Home Depot can substantially raise the dissolved silica concentration in seawater. 2. The dissolvable portion of the silica sand cannot be completely removed by several rinses with either fresh or salt water, although it may be decreased somewhat by that process. 3. Southdown calcium carbonate sand (likely aragonite) can release soluble silica, but about ten fold less than the “silica” sand."
--Here is where a bunch of speculation occurs between aquarists: "Is it OK to use silica sand? Probably. Many people do so. I also believe that not all “silica “ sands will be the same for the reasons described above relating to processing of the sand and the nature of the mineral inclusions present. So the fact that many people successfully use some (or many) types of silica sand does not necessarily imply that all people can use any type of “silica” sand without a problem. "
--Randy dosed soluble silica in his tank and this is his conclusions: "From these experiments, I conclude that: 1. Silica can be a limiting factor for diatom growth in some reef tanks 2. Adding soluble silica can increase diatom growth 3. The increased diatom growth was not apparently in addition to, but in place of, green algae growth 4. Added soluble silica is rapidly depleted from some reef tanks 5. Taken together, these facts suggest that silica supplementation may be desirable."

These two articles show that, yes, silica sand can leech soluble silica back into the aquarium, but not at a concentration higher than natural sea water. It also shows that silica is quickly and easily consumed by marine organisms and their sacrifice feeds other marine organisms or is readily skimmed out. Silica dosing is recommended by Randy Holmes-Farley. The dosage amount of silica is close to that of what is dissolved out of the silica sand. Silica is already in our tap water, can be in our RO water, is most likely not in our RO/DI water, and is even in our synthetic salt mixes. One illustrations shows that RC (assumed to be Reef Crystals) is actually far above natural seawater in soluble and insoluble silica. It is believed that not all silica sands will dissolve the same amount of silica. Diatoms are a large consumer of silica, but most herbivorous snails actually consume diatoms and so should readily be controllable if sufficient thought and planning is taken.

In short, Silica Sand is safe to use, but your milage may vary. In my opinion, using a silica sand most likely can add an extra "cycle" in a reef tank. Almost all new reef tanks go through the nitrogen cycle, a cyanobacteria cycle, and an algae cycle. Adding silica sand just might add a diatom cycle if there aren't enough organisms to compete with diatoms

 

[NewBeReef627]

Travis.

I have quite a bit of sand in the pool, its live. You can have some if you need it. If your DIY rock is dry/cured you can put it in the pool for a while to make it live.

I will be going to calif. 7/6 - 7/17. Let me know if you need anything.

Lori

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7657914#post7657914 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewBeReef627
Travis.

I have quite a bit of sand in the pool, its live. You can have some if you need it. If your DIY rock is dry/cured you can put it in the pool for a while to make it live.

I will be going to calif. 7/6 - 7/17. Let me know if you need anything.

Lori

Thanks, but I'm good. If the offer is open to anyone else, I'll be more than happy to help them

 

[NewBeReef627]

Yes please let me know. I will see what I could do.

Lori

 

[Russ Braaten]

Lori, You have to explain this, are you saying you have a pool where you are using biological filtration? Like you even have fish in the pool?

Travis, You als missing the other point. You say you want aragonite eventually. If you are lucky you will only loose 50% of your SPS corals in a sand swap.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7658151#post7658151 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Russ Braaten
Lori, You have to explain this, are you saying you have a pool where you are using biological filtration? Like you even have fish in the pool?

Travis, You als missing the other point. You say you want aragonite eventually. If you are lucky you will only loose 50% of your SPS corals in a sand swap.

Oh no. I meant eventually as in "in the future" because i still have to acquire it. My initial sand placement will be aragonite. I'm not going to start with silica in my tank. I just can't stand the look of silica sand in the display tank.

I might use silica sand in my refugium though. I'm still thinking about that one though.

 

[ReeferRyan]

Travis, I have a downdraft skimmer if you want it. I can not guarantee how wel it works, and it does not have a pump, but its yours free if you think you could use it.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Sweet ReeferRyan. You got PM.

 

[adnup]

Any updates? Pics?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

I have pictures, but I don't have them in my photobucket account. It's on my to do list. I have the tank drilled, the overflow siliconed in, the sump/refugium, and I acquired the T5HO ballast. I now need to redo the doors on the stand because the sump is 36" long in a 48" stand. I should be able to redo the doors for no more then $10. Just get a little wood. I already have the hinges that I need. Later tonight I'm going to plumb everything together and do a leak test. I'll take pictures of it filled with water as well. I'll also update the costs.