"Retirement" reef

chaneyford

chaneyford

New member
WELL folks, i decided at the ripe old age of 28 to cash out my state retirement and build a real reef. Now don't get all judgy, there are circumstances at play that mean i'll never decide to work for that particular state again, so it was pretty dang useless anyways. So with a $2500 head start, and a healthy mixture of hope and trepidation, here we go.

START STATS
Reef established 7/12/2016
75 gallon standard glass tank
Fluval FX6 (way overkill, but meh.)
Hydor Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump/Powerhead 1150 gph X2
Fluval Sea Marine & Reef 2.0 LED Aquarium Light
Some generic ceramic heater...
80 Lbs Aragonite sand
Reef Crystals salt
 
Day 1

Day 1

YAY!!! I just blew $1k on a glass box!!
But look at all the cool stuff i got, and how pretty it all looks!!
IMG_0113_zpsj6wx8l9s.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Day 3

Day 3

So... not sure how long this sand will stay "live" on my kitchen counter. Today, Water and Sand!!!
eew...
20160714_195325_zpsdgaaupih.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Day 4

Day 4

So i wake up all excited, what with this canister filter that's meant for a tank 5 time the size of this one, expecting water so clear as to rival the mose beautiful lagoon on the planet to find the following-
20160715_063645_zpslumjuvbv.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
I then realize that after i put in the 2 rocks i had purchased, i forgot to plug in said filter..... :headwally:
 
Day 4 (take 2)

Day 4 (take 2)

I walk in the front door to find that indeed, the filter is indeed, flipping amazing....
 
Day 5 (and all caught up)

Day 5 (and all caught up)

And here we are on day 5. Thanks to the magical interwebs, and the marketplace of Craigslist, i caught some poor soul tearing down his entryway aquariums because he had to move. He offered me his "90 pounds" of rock for a whopping $150. NOW, i know you're all thinking "Oh my god, DON'T DO IT!! PARASITES!!" I'm taking the risk, because, heck, anything thats in there is going to die anyways. For god's sake, we're on day 3 of brand new water...
ANYWHO
I get it all home in 2 massive totes i used to move all the books i decided to keep when i moved here. I use as much as i can fit in there, and still have as much sand bed as i want, and a shape that i'm sure will change 20 times in the next 30 days. I look down at the totes, and still have a TON of freaking rock left... So i call up PetLand here in Pensacola (WONDERFUL place. Ask for AJ in the fish department) and ask if i can bring in some extra rock. And of course, they said yes. To my surprise, after using up all that rock, i had 110 lbs left, and got $230 in store credit!! I CAME OUT AHEAD FOR ONCE!!! Good omen maybe?
Current aquascape below


Also, i wasn't thrilled with wasting the powerheads on surface agitation, so i rigged up a 1/2 inch PVC pipe across the back with 3 returns. The center one loses a lot of flow since it's largely in line with the rest, but the ones on each end do a fantastic job. The end pieces are parallel with the surface, so i get a good bit of stir from them. I plan to add on spinners (i forget what they're actually called) to this little rig for some more random flow.

Any thoughts as of yet folks??
 
Is it too late to return a couple items (light and canister filter) for something better suited to the reef environment you want to create?
 
madweazl said:
A sump/refugium is a much more maintenance friendly approach.
Click to expand...
I considered that route actually. PetLand had a deal with EVERYTHING i got, with the exception that it was drilled, and had an overflow/refugium. I'm one of those super lucky people that has a cat that likes to swim/lay in the water bowl though. Since ive found him everywhere from his water bowl to the toilet bowl, i figured it would be asking for trouble. And he helps the dog break out of the kennel, so i know a lid wouldn't do any good. To be honest, the SUPER overkill filter was my answer to replacing the refugium.
 
chaneyford said:
I considered that route actually. PetLand had a deal with EVERYTHING i got, with the exception that it was drilled, and had an overflow/refugium. I'm one of those super lucky people that has a cat that likes to swim/lay in the water bowl though. Since ive found him everywhere from his water bowl to the toilet bowl, i figured it would be asking for trouble. And he helps the dog break out of the kennel, so i know a lid wouldn't do any good. To be honest, the SUPER overkill filter was my answer to replacing the refugium.
Click to expand...

The only thing overkill about the filter is going to be maintenance with a successful reef.
 
madweazl said:
The only thing overkill about the filter is going to be maintenance with a successful reef.
Click to expand...
I'm hoping it won't be too bad. I'm used to cleaning a filter every month or so. I'm not going to have a lot of fish in here, mostly corals, so maybe less waste?
 
Day 7

Day 7

Well, it's officially been one week. Being the terrible person i am, i went and got the first 2 "Sacrifishes" to help the tank cycle faster. This morning, we are down to one.
Sacrifishes_zps5mdjflbu.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
DePinchGonze said:
I had two of those filters on my 250 Frontosa tank, they work good for freshwater, not ideal for reef tank application.
Click to expand...
I agree, the IDEAL situation would have been the sump option. But again, the cat is weird. This is the second best option available to me at the moment. I will of course end up having to get a skimmer now. Random thought, is it possible to make an "overflow" type box the length of the tank, and install it along the back? I'm thinking a shallow box, maybe only 6-8 inches, but it would allow for something akin to a micro sump. Never seen anything like what i'm describing...
Toothy intake spot on one end
Mechanical filtration area (maybe include skimmer here??)
Refugium area with rock and algae
Return pump area
Again, i'm experimenting with this one.
 
WELL folks, i decided at the ripe old age of 28 to cash out my state retirement

What????? Well I say good luck on the build. With the canister filter you better up that maintenance to every week. It will become a nitrate factory. Most importantly, next time you change jobs or get a copepod up your backside to buy a tank DONT use the retirement money!!! Did you have them hold taxes? Penalty from IRS for early withdrawal you know? Look into rolling it over to another IRA or something to avoid penalties before its too late. I did the same kind of thing more or less when I was young and dumb and regret it now at 66 years old when I want to retire but cant! I'm just saying..........
 
shellsea said:
WELL folks, i decided at the ripe old age of 28 to cash out my state retirement

What????? Well I say good luck on the build. With the canister filter you better up that maintenance to every week. It will become a nitrate factory. Most importantly, next time you change jobs or get a copepod up your backside to buy a tank DONT use the retirement money!!! Did you have them hold taxes? Penalty from IRS for early withdrawal you know? Look into rolling it over to another IRA or something to avoid penalties before its too late. I did the same kind of thing more or less when I was young and dumb and regret it now at 66 years old when I want to retire but cant! I'm just saying..........
Click to expand...
Penalty was pretty low, and i absolutely had them take out taxes. This retirement fund was small, and wasn't going to be making any money at all. And as i said, i'll NEVER willingly work for that state again. I was only there for about a year and a half. I thought hard about it, and ended up at the decision that i would use the money i had left from what is quite possibly the most miserable job i've ever had to build something that makes me happy.
 
I have had quite a few successful reef tanks with canister filters. They trick is to regularly clean them of detritus buildup, and clean the sponges. I removed all stock media from mine, and replaced them with a combo of live rock rubble, and bio-pure spheres. Worked well actually.

Two things that I suggest you get to help with the canister filter - a good HOB skimmer such as a Reef Octopus or an Aquamaxx (even Deltec if you can afford it).

Second, a HOB refugium like a large CPR fuge. The combo of the canister, HOB skimmer, and HOB refugium will greatly help you succeed without a sump.
 
FishyFishy69 said:
I have had quite a few successful reef tanks with canister filters. They trick is to regularly clean them of detritus buildup, and clean the sponges. I removed all stock media from mine, and replaced them with a combo of live rock rubble, and bio-pure spheres. Worked well actually.

Two things that I suggest you get to help with the canister filter - a good HOB skimmer such as a Reef Octopus or an Aquamaxx (even Deltec if you can afford it).

Second, a HOB refugium like a large CPR fuge. The combo of the canister, HOB skimmer, and HOB refugium will greatly help you succeed without a sump.
Click to expand...
I was honestly thinking about the skimmer already. this is the one i'm eyeballing at the moment-
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-...NW_hBG10KVd39gYGh8UrIPO1jaD2s73ft0aAobH8P8HAQ
Didn't even know they MADE HOB refugiums lol, that would be awesome!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
New 75 gallon reef setup
Replies
3
Views
711
mike61289
mike61289
M
75 gallon reef advice
Replies
6
Views
626
JTL
JTL
Thesaltysplash
First Mixed Reef- 55 Gallon
Replies
6
Views
2K
reef thief
reef thief
L
75 Gallon Build
Replies
3
Views
4K
Lincoln 993
L
P
Converting to a Reef Tank
Replies
11
Views
1K
payas0
P
Back
Top