75 Gallon Reef Tank Setup Help!

[llama roadkill]

Hi!

 

I am going to make this short and sweet since all my text was just deleted by accident, so I am just going to do an explanation. I want to run a 75 gallon reef and want to be frugal about it. Not bad equipment, but lower priced items.

 

1. Should I get my tank as the PetSmart 75 Hood Combo, $245, the Petco Build-Your-Own Tank for about $340, or find an all glass aquarium and drill it myself or have the LFS do it?

 

2. What skimmer should I use? I was looking at a Reef Octopus 4". Are there any others that do just as well for less?

 

3. What return pump should I use? I will have plenty of flow with 2 Hydor Koralia evolution 1150 GPH Powerheads, a turnover rate of about 30x per hour if my calculations are correct. Will I still need a powerful return?

 

I already have a stand picked out, so that won't be a problem. I really would like to do this as cheap as possible but still good. I will use coupons, of course!

 

Thank you for the help, as I really need it!

 

I will provide links if needed.

[najluni15]

Craigslist or all glass aquariums for tank.

Glass holes overflow

Reef octopus nwb 110 skimmer or go with 150 if you can afford it

Eheim 1260 or tunze 1073.2 return

2x koralia 1050 will be fine

[llama roadkill]

I think just to save money I will go for the NWB110. If my parents allow me to go a little higher, I may get the 150, but remember I still need rock, sand, ect.

 

I am using 20 lbs of LR, 50 lbs base rock, and probably 60-80 lbs of LS. My sand bed will only be about 1/2 inch thick, so how much LS do I really need?

 

Sorry najluni15, I was somewhat confused with your text. I will have 2 Hydor Koralia Evolution 1150 Powerheads, but what should be my return pump?

[najluni15]

For a return look for an eheim 1260 or tunze 1073.2.

 

Try for the largest skimmer you can get.

 

For rock and sand I would go with dry rock from bulk reef supply or Marco rocks. I got my rock and sand from Marco rocks and love it. Free shipping too. I got 80 pounds of sand in a 4'x2' tank and its almost 3" thick. Too much sand IMO. I also have 50 pounds dry rock and 50 pounds live rock. You really don't need much liverock as it will seed the dry rock and sand pretty quickly. You can get a couple live rocks and a little sand from an established tank to seed the rest. Dry rock takes a while to color up, but you don't get hitchhikers or die off

[llama roadkill]

Okay.

 

 

I will buy three 20lb bags of LS from my LFS and return what I don't need. I will also ask for some sand from one of their tanks. I will get a couple chunks of LR as well.

 

Is the Eheim Compact 1000 any good?

[MikeTR]

do not skimp on lighting or the skimmer.. delay your project if you need to in order to afford the better skimmer.. all I run on my 180g is one badazz skimmer and a sponge filter to catch the larger crap and pieces of chaeto that try to get to the return section of the sump.

[llama roadkill]

do not skimp on lighting or the skimmer.. delay your project if you need to in order to afford the better skimmer.. all I run on my 180g is one badazz skimmer and a sponge filter to catch the larger crap and pieces of chaeto that try to get to the return section of the sump.

 

Not skipping on either. I will try to get the model up on the skimmer. I guess I may run a sponge.

 

Is the return pump I mentioned good?

 

[najluni15]

I don't know that one exactly, but eheim is great all around. For skimmer, also look into sca on eBay. I have the sca-303 on my 120 and it rocks. It would be a great fit for your tank. Allows you to heavily stock. My tank has a total volume of 140 gallons and I have 14 fish, plenty of coral including many sps

[MikeTR]

You want about 5x turnover through your sump /hr .. so you're lookin at 350-500gph after head loss. Eheim does make good dead silent pumps. Mag drive pumps are good too.. and probably a 7 would suffice, though you might want to get a 9 and just dial it back.

[llama roadkill]

So now I'm looking at the Mag 7 and Eheim....Descisions!

 

Found the SCA-303... Do you like it najluni15?

[llama roadkill]

I was looking at aquariums from glasscages.com. Are they good?

[bertyboy69]

used used used !, i just picked up a 90g tank stand with live rock live sand corals 4bulb t5 sump mag7 return and powerheads , all for 300!!!!! you really need to wait and find good deals on used equip, i am setting up a sro xp2000 for the skimmer

[Tamberav]

I was looking at aquariums from glasscages.com. Are they good?

No, STAY AWAY! You get what you pay for.

 

Mag7 or 9 is good if you are going for cheap, you can quiet them down but putting some silicone beads on them to act as little feet.

 

Bubble Magus curve 5 is also a good skimmer and small footprint.

 

You can use dry sand to save money, same idea as dry rock, it will become live anyways.

 

Lights will be your biggest cost. If your parents are paying for the replacement bulbs and electricity costs, I would try to get them to go for LEDs as the cost of electricity and replacing bulbs will pass the LEDs in no time. Maybe 2x reef breeder value led or a photon 32. DIY would be cheaper and better however.

[llama roadkill]

What tank should I get then?

[llama roadkill]

Is the Petco tank I pointed out in the first post good?

[najluni15]

I love my sca303. Though I almost did replace it for something more powerful. It'll be perfect for a 75 gallon.

 

Also, I'm not sure if you mentioned what sump you'll use, but I would look at petcos dollar a gallon sale and pick up a 40b or 29 gallon. I have a 40b and got baffles cut for $25

[llama roadkill]

I am using my current 29 gallon freshwater as a sump. Where should I get the tank?

[Tamberav]

I am using my current 29 gallon freshwater as a sump. Where should I get the tank?

 

Try to find one on craigslist, much cheaper. Are you in a rush? I would personally wait for a used one because petco/petsmart tanks are ugly but for the right price, who cares.

 

Petco 75g with an overflow box is 250 bucks, 180 without. Use a mesh hood, not glass.

[najluni15]

Craigslist. Should be able to find one around $100. Use mesh hood for sure. Way better gas exchange, stable ph, and the tank will cool better. Make mesh out of a screen kit from Home Depot and some bird netting (1/2" holes or better yet, 1/4" holes from bulk reef supply)

[llama roadkill]

Okay.

 

I will skip on the overflow cause I can drill it myself.

 

Should I go with the 2 Reef Breeders Value LEDs or a Controllable Photon32? I would rather spend a higher price now than paying a smaller price for T5s or MH and have to replace them every few months.

[Tamberav]

Okay. I will skip on the overflow cause I can drill it myself. Should I go with the 2 Reef Breeders Value LEDs or a Controllable Photon32? I would rather spend a higher price now than paying a smaller price for T5s or MH and have to replace them every few months.

 

Depends on what you want and what corals you want to keep.

 

Photons are programmable for sunrise/sunset, ect. Value LED's are not (and why they are cheaper). The value led's do come with 2 plugs so you can use a timer to have blues come on before the whites however. 2x value led has better spread than a 32 but just noticed the photon 48 is only 50 bucks more than the 32. If you don't care about spending extra $ for programmable, I would go with the value LED's.

 

However, Reef Breeder's is a sponsor here and has a forum. I would go make a post with your size tank and what corals you plan on keeping and ask him about 2x value led vs which photon model he would suggest.

[jimlin]

i have a 75 gallon with a reef octopus 4". it works, but i decided to upgrade to a avast skimmer due to biopellets. i have a 75 gallon from petsmart which comes with glass lids and installed a glasshole overflow 1500. i am running a mag5 return pump, but am upgrading to a eheim 1262 and using a manifold run all my other equipment with that pump.

 

it would be helpful if you give more details on what types of corals and how many fish you are planning to keep because different things have different requirements and i would hate for you to have to upgrade equipment like i have.

[llama roadkill]

I would like to keep (eventually) SPS and Clams. For now, though, soft corals, polyps, mushrooms, and LPS.

[llama roadkill]

Okay. Here is my Petco Build Your Own Aquarium order. I may get it from a store or just ship it cause I get free shipping...

 

Tank Shape:

Rectangle

 

Tank Size:

75G, 48" x 18" x 20"(L,W,H) (approx. 750 lbs. filled)

 

Tank Overflow:

No

 

Tank Frame Finish:

Black

 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Stand:

 

48"x18" Pine Cabinet Stand - Black

Sku#: 881686

These quality pine stands are constructed entirely of real wood. Each stand and canopy is stained and finished with a waterproofing sealer that will protect them from splashes and other water damage.

 

I can drill it myself or take it to my LFS and save almost $100.

 

Sound good?

[llama roadkill]

I now have some ideas for skimmers, but what are your personal favorites for a good price?