Your Suggestions and Recommendations = My Tank Build

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Reef_Newbie

Goby
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
#1
Hi Everyone,

After talking it over with my wife, we have decided that we want to begin a reef tank sometime this Summer. During the time leading up to this, I would like to acquire all of the materials I need to successfully start my own reef tank. I hope to be able to find some good deals over the course of the next few months and make sure that I am fully prepared before getting started. I am completely new to Saltwater(8 years of Freshwater) so I would like to rely on your recommendations on what parts/pieces to assemble to have a great and cost effective tank up and running by Summer. I look forward to any input that you may have for me!

I would love to not break the $1K mark during this whole process, so we will use that as a base amount for a budget. A little fluctuation in the budget is OK, provided it is necessary.

So, let us begin with the pieces of equipment that I know of at this point will be required/suggested:

Tank + Stand: 75G RR Tank/Stand/Canopy - PURCHASED
Lighting: 2X 120W LED 2:1 Blue:White - PURCHASED
Sump + Refugium: PURCHASED
Pumps: 900 GPH Return Pump PURCHASED
Filters(nitrogen ETC):
Rocks + Sand:
Skimmer: SWC 160 Xtreme Cone Skimmer PURCHASED
Salt:
CalK:
ATO:
Refractometer:
RO/DI:
Test Kits:
Monitor:
Flow:

I am sure there are more things I am missing so please let me know. If any of you over the next few months come across any deals on these pieces, think of this thread, and let me know! I want to make sure I am prepared and do things right, so I am relying on those individuals who have more knowledge than me to help me out!

I am excited to hear what recommendations you have for me and as I said earlier, really look forward to your feedback. Thanks for your help!

-Dean
 
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09bumblebee

09bumblebee

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
#2
You can also find great deals at nano-reef (not just nano tanks) and reef2reef. Guys are always parting out/upgrading. I'd get the tank first and than size everything off that. If you get lighting for a 75 that may not work for a 120 etc etc. All your equip will be based off tank size. Also keep an eye on Craig's as deals come across frequently.
 
Ghosty

Ghosty

Butterfly Fish
#3
#3
Welcome to the hobby Dean! Good luck, sounds like you've set aside lots of time to get exactly what you need, and to research products and methods. Take your time and post up questions. Lots of expert local reefers on here that have helped me get going properly, and not make the common newbie mistakes.
 
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cdrewferd

cdrewferd

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
#4
I agree with Brian, get the tank first. Personally, I love my 4x2x2 120. I won't ever go smaller than 2' front to back ever again. So much more room for aquascaping.
 
Dr.DiSilicate

Dr.DiSilicate

Great White Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#5
#5
120 gallon will not cost much more than a 75 but will be more stable without being a huge tank but you will like the size for a while.(longer than a 55 or 75) asm skimmers kill for the price and are quiet. 6x t5 lighting would be a good light for almost anything, you can add led for some more pop at a later date. Don't skimp on flow and return pump. Quiet, efficient and powerful is what you are looking for ( vortech mp 40, tunze return) all this can be found used for your price point. Good luck!!!
 
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daverf

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#6
#6
Awesome! You'll definitely find deals and save money if you take your time and wait. if you go on the bigger side, keep in mind structural concerns could be a constraint depending on where you locate your tank in your house. threads on MASC help you plan for that. It also doesn't hurt to research bulkhead/overflow options in tanks so you know what you're getting in to (eg, try to get dual overflow, bigger bulkead sizes are better).
 
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Reef_Newbie

Goby
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
#7
daverf;209908 said:
Awesome! You'll definitely find deals and save money if you take your time and wait. if you go on the bigger side, keep in mind structural concerns could be a constraint depending on where you locate your tank in your house. threads on MASC help you plan for that. It also doesn't hurt to research bulkhead/overflow options in tanks so you know what you're getting in to (eg, try to get dual overflow, bigger bulkead sizes are better).
Click to expand...
I don't believe my wife is ready to put a tank in the upstairs in our house, so I believe it will be going in our finished basement. I am assuming I will have far less concerns putting the tank downstairs than upstairs.

Does this sound correct?
 
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daverf

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
#8
Yes, no concerns at all if it is on concrete slab basement (but floating basement floor is probably worse than second floor) unless you are buying a tank over 4000 gallons (ha). However you need to make sure there are no major leveling concerns as sometimes the concrete slab can be wavy. Best thing to do is buy the tank, fill it completely with freshwater, measure to see that it is level (both tank and stand should be measured, since the stand could be unlevel also), then solve any minor leveling issues with shims. That seems to take care of 90% of tank leveling issues but check the link below and FAQs for more details.

Typically you only worry about structural/leveling support issues with tanks over 55 gallons...since you calculate about 10lbs per gallon of water (weight of water mostly but also stand, rock, etc).

While you have freshwater in and before you drain, throw some vinegar in and test/clean all plumbing for a few days. Kill a few birds with one stone.

Few other pre-tank purchase pointers...don't buy a tank unless you see it holding water (ie, have seller fill it up and drain it if empty)...look at pros/cons of glass/acrylic so you know before a deal comes how to evaluate the tank (and/or, whether you only want glass or only want acrylic)...if the stand is DIY, make sure you know how to assess whether it is built right (ie, it can be made out of titanium but still allow a tank bust if the builder didn't support it right)...know what damage is OK, what damage is not OK...

Personally I would only buy acrylic, but there are some who would only buy glass. Then others who know both and are indifferent, and only want to find a good quality used tank of either. All comes down to research and preference. Much more info on the wetwetbmedia sight can help you research.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/aqstands.htm
 
BPreefer

BPreefer

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
#11
Your Suggestions and Recommendations = My Tank Build

Reef_Newbie;211660 said:
Main Page updated.

I have a Tank, Stand, Canopy, Sump and Refugium - Thanks to BPReefer!
Click to expand...
Lmk when your ready and we'll get it all set back up. Welcome to the addiction



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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SquidBreath

Angel Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#12
#12
Dean, Hey! Welcome to the rest of your life :0)

Things I could suggest...

I am by NO means the old salt in this hobby. But I do have a few new things I tried this time around (thanks to the generous advice from other members here) that I been happy with...

Opinions will differ...but...

Lots of extra towels--goodwill or garage sales..super cheap. Can't have too many.
A squirrel cage type blower from wal-mart for about 40 bucks. Maybe two even. Those are two things you will wish you already had in the house by the time you realize you need them. :)

Lights: Don't skimp on these. It doesn't have to be top end, but make sure you have enough punch. In the past I have had VHO, T5, and MH lights...in various combinations. I am now a fan of LED lighting. Cheap...powerful...cool(ie, "not hot"...as opposed to "fashionable"...hehe) You would probably need two 120watt fixtures over the 75 for good coverage. I love my lights.
BUT...be ready to install a 2-4 supplemental 54watt T5s. The extra non-point-source light really makes it look nice...and the corals love it.
LED and T5 combo is really crankin' for me. Have to beat the acros back down below the waterline with a stick every morning!
Ok...that was an exaggeration, but it's really workin' for me. Other people will have differing opinions though.

Also...
I started this tank I am doing now, differently than I normally would, based on some articles I was reading here, and on Reef Central--and I am glad I did.

I did not use any live rock. I used dry live rock (BRS or other suppliers) and seeded the rockwork by simply letting it start from a small frag of rock that I pretty well knew was clean--and a piece of shrimp from the grocery store. **Takes longer to build up and cycle this way**...but almost eliminates risk of having to fight off hostile hitchhikers.

I hope tthhios helps
 
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daverf

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
#14
Hey Dean, mostly it comes down to how much $$ you're willing to spend and/or trade for elbow grease. Also, keep in mind the time/gas you will spend driving all over town for "screaming used deals" (ie not so screaming if you are spending half your life chasing them :) ). I'm assuming you don't want to plunk down major cash for an end-to-end controller system yet. Here are some more tidbits based on what I know...

Dry Rock - If no one on the forum has any they're looking to get rid of, you could either find some at LFS...order from bulkreefsupply or Marco Rock (there won't be any quality issues and these will be premium, but pricier), or you can buy up whatever dead/live/in between (yikes that stinks) you can get your hands on then cook or acid wash (google these words followed by "live rock" or search around this forum). Ultimately acid wash won't save much money (and requires looking for lots of other things - big tanks, muriatic acid etc) but it will be slightly cheaper...

Lights - LEDs don't go out for a long time, but they do have a useful life and used doesn't have any warranty. You can spend hundreds or thousands on new or used. I'd budget a few hours of looking at popular models on well known reefer sites (bulkreefsupply etc), then check listings and forums for these (reviews and/or availability).

Powerheads - Ditto on useful life, and used you may not save much money, may as well order up a few brand new ones at various speeds after you figure out your needs (such as - for mixing salt, tank circulation, water changes, etc). These are $15-20 on amazon.

ATO - you can find DIY plans and do these yourself. You can also buy new units (JBJ ATO is $100 and very reliable, autotopoff.com sells them).

There's a few tidbits I can throw out there. Also you may want to plan on a water change station needs - reservoir(s) to mix salt, how you will do water changes and what will be needed for that (such as just siphon and bucket or hosing/utility pump to avoid carrying buckets). Also, do you have all your needs worked out for plumbing (tank to sump, return etc).

Good luck!
 
R

Reef_Newbie

Goby
M.A.S.C Club Member
#15
#15
Re: Your Suggestions and Recommendations = My Tank Build

Just picked up 2x 120W less. Getting closer! Who thinks I need supplemental light?

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
 
Cake_Boss

Cake_Boss

Blue Whale
M.A.S.C Club Member
#17
#17
Re: Your Suggestions and Recommendations = My Tank Build

Led/ T5 combo is sweet, but depends on what you want to keep if you need the extra T5 or not. I was growing sticks on the upper half of my 120 with 2x of the precursor to Evo lights.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD
 
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Reef_Newbie

Goby
M.A.S.C Club Member
#20
#20
Bump for hopefully some new movement on this build, haha.

It's been a busy spring/summer with work and a wrecked car, and I'm finally getting some breathing room to get started on this.

2 quick questions:

How much rock for 75Gal build? I've heard 2lbs per gallon and I've heard 1lb per 2 gallons, what's everyones preference?

Also how much flow do I need for a tank like this(i did pick up a 900GPH pump from Brent which will create some flow).
 
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