Upcoming Build epuipment assist

[jgraz]

Alright everyone, Im in the planning stages of my 75 gal build. This is gonna be my first upgrade to my basically pieced together 44 gal corner pentagon. So any advice on parts would be great. I know what I need just not sure which ones to go with.
Tank: 75gal, have not decided on rimless or not.

Lighting: still up in the air, kind of tossing around T5, I like the 6 bulb tek light, or LED though the
expense might keep me confined to the chinese fixtures for now.

Sump: DIY or prebuilt? What size? This is where im out of my league. I don't have one now so I
no preferance either way. Definatly need opinions on this. If it helps im not handy when it
comes to plumbing.

Skimmer: Kind of tossing this around also. Im a plug and play guy so I was leaning towards to the
Aqua C Urchin. However im currently using a HOB Prizm skimmer so im not stranger to
Frequent adjustments. Again all opinions welcomed.

Live Rock: Reef Rocks. Getting it soon so Im gonna incorporate some into my current setup to
liven it up a bit then mix that with the rest during the build.

Substrate: Im leaning towards bare bottom, however my wife might have somthing to say about
that. If I do have anything, it's probably gonna be some kind of gravel or a corse sand.

Other Items : all opinions welcomed, I am currently buying my RODI water, so a filter is a must
and on my soon to do list.

Like I said my fist tank was kind of a piece together as I go. Its runs great but I want to get it right from the start this time. Im open to all suggestions, and while I want to get right the first time I do have some monetary constraints so pls keep that in mind. Im also not opposed to used equipment so if something is readily available secondhand I might lean that way. Thanks in advance for all the help.
Graz

 

[JerzyFF61]

Alright everyone, Im in the planning stages of my 75 gal build. This is gonna be my first upgrade to my basically pieced together 44 gal corner pentagon. So any advice on parts would be great. I know what I need just not sure which ones to go with.
Tank: 75gal, have not decided on rimless or not.

Lighting: still up in the air, kind of tossing around T5, I like the 6 bulb tek light, or LED though the
expense might keep me confined to the chinese fixtures for now.

Sump: DIY or prebuilt? What size? This is where im out of my league. I don't have one now so I
no preferance either way. Definatly need opinions on this. If it helps im not handy when it
comes to plumbing.

Skimmer: Kind of tossing this around also. Im a plug and play guy so I was leaning towards to the
Aqua C Urchin. However im currently using a HOB Prizm skimmer so im not stranger to
Frequent adjustments. Again all opinions welcomed.

Live Rock: Reef Rocks. Getting it soon so Im gonna incorporate some into my current setup to
liven it up a bit then mix that with the rest during the build.

Substrate: Im leaning towards bare bottom, however my wife might have somthing to say about
that. If I do have anything, it's probably gonna be some kind of gravel or a corse sand.

Other Items : all opinions welcomed, I am currently buying my RODI water, so a filter is a must
and on my soon to do list.

Like I said my fist tank was kind of a piece together as I go. Its runs great but I want to get it right from the start this time. Im open to all suggestions, and while I want to get right the first time I do have some monetary constraints so pls keep that in mind. Im also not opposed to used equipment so if something is readily available secondhand I might lean that way. Thanks in advance for all the help.
Graz

first off, with the new tank, will you have a new stand and canopy built? this could come into many decisions for a lot of equipment.

as for lighting, if your having a canopy built, you could go with retro fit t5 lighting.... which on a 75 gal you could fit about 6-8 bulbs. yes leds are expensive build, but think of the savings and benefits in the long run.

sump: most likely with the stand for the 75 gal, you will have around 45" of width and 25" of height to play with. so a diy sump/refugium would be IMO the best way to go. you could buy a 20gal long tank, and go to a local glass shop and have them cut baffles for the sump/fuge. this would give u the ability to split the sump up for your skimmer....return pump....and refugium. a good place to look for sump designs is melves reef website. and plumbing them is fairly simple.

skimmer: i use a bubble magus nac7 cone skimmer. great skimmer, very easy to use, and good price. almost all are plug and play. asm g series is also a reta skmmmer. as well as the reef octopus.

live rock: look around at other peoples builds, u can get an idea of how you wanna aquascape your tank. just dont forget that if the rock is dead, to let your tank cure so that you dont kill every thing in the first few days...lol

substarte: i have used barebottom tanks, and i love them, but yes the wives always say " it doesnt look like the ocean" lol so if you go for sand, a great sand is fiji pink, kinda fine but has its coarse peices too. i dont like the grvel, looks so unatural

other items: definetly go buy an rodi unit!!! theyre really not a lot of money!!! and will make a world of difference for you in the long run! air/water/ice has some great units as well as spectrapure, which i am using along with bulk reef supply filters and resin. works awesome. would also look into some reactors, along the lines for carbon and gfo. they make a hell of a difference.


hope i touched on all points u asked....i could chime in more on any other help u need

 

[thirty5]

Tank: 75gal, have not decided on rimless or not.

I am also doing a build with a 75 (link below for my thread). I love the rimless, but rimless will also have an effect on what kind of lights that you get, because you normally don't put a canopy on the tank.

Lighting: still up in the air, kind of tossing around T5, I like the 6 bulb tek light, or LED though the
expense might keep me confined to the chinese fixtures for now.

I am going with LED's. I purchased 2 AI Sol's for my 75. I went with LED because I will not run a chiller so heat is an issue. Also the LED's are more expensive up front, but the saving to cool the tank, bulb changes, electric to run the lights, all went into my decision for LED's. I would not buy the cheap ones IMO, you will just end up buying new ones later on.

Sump: DIY or prebuilt? What size? This is where im out of my league. I don't have one now so I
no preferance either way. Definatly need opinions on this. If it helps im not handy when it
comes to plumbing.

Sump is hard to say, IMO you get the largest one that you can fit in the stand that you decide to get. It will give you more options for skimmers, reactors, and a fuge.

Skimmer: Kind of tossing this around also. Im a plug and play guy so I was leaning towards to the
Aqua C Urchin. However im currently using a HOB Prizm skimmer so im not stranger to
Frequent adjustments. Again all opinions welcomed.

I am going to be using a Reef Octo (to be honest I cannot remember what model it is)

Live Rock: Reef Rocks. Getting it soon so Im gonna incorporate some into my current setup to
liven it up a bit then mix that with the rest during the build.

I actually ordered from reefrocks.net and I really like the rock it is really nice.

Substrate: Im leaning towards bare bottom, however my wife might have somthing to say about
that. If I do have anything, it's probably gonna be some kind of gravel or a corse sand.

Bare bottom is ok, but I am going to go with either all white sand, or a mix of black or white. No sand may look cleaner, but then harder to stick frag plugs on the bottom, or having a clam sit in the sand.

Other Items : all opinions welcomed, I am currently buying my RODI water, so a filter is a must
and on my soon to do list.

RODI should be first on your list. Don't waste your money on RO water. I was buying for my 28 nano, since it was not that much water to change. But I went with a 75gpd ro unit. Get your water bill out, and figure out what a gallon of water cost you from the tap. Even with the waste water the cost to make it yourself is SOOOO much cheaper...

Like I said my fist tank was kind of a piece together as I go. Its runs great but I want to get it right from the start this time. Im open to all suggestions, and while I want to get right the first time I do have some monetary constraints so pls keep that in mind. Im also not opposed to used equipment so if something is readily available secondhand I might lean that way. Thanks in advance for all the help.

I would look at picking up a reactor to run Carbon or GFO, not sure how heavy you plan to stock your tank, but you will want one eventually.
Graz[/QUOTE]

 

[jgraz]

Thanks, Im gonna go with just the stock cabinet, and definatly no canopy. Im still 50/50 on T5 vs LED. The longer it takes to buy the light the better chance its gonna be LED. I'll take a look at the skimmers. I got the aquascape in my head already just gotta put it into tank. I figure this build to start going together just after christmas, and probably gonna take acouple months at least. That rock is gonna have pleanty of time to liven up in my current tank and then in the new one long before any livestock goes in.

One additional question: 2xMP10's or one MP40. I heavily considering it especially with chritmas 2 months out.

 

[thirty5]

I am doing MP40 in mine...

I am doing this tank from SCRATCH. I may seed it with a cup of sand and small rock from my current setup...

 

[jgraz]

I am doing MP40 in mine...

I am doing this tank from SCRATCH. I may seed it with a cup of sand and small rock from my current setup...

Are you doing one MP 40,
I have been following your build as well. At one of my LFS they had a few different ACAN Leds, nice, but at a mininum of $465 each I not sure but well see.
Im gonna pick up my Reef rock at the swap at the $1.50. I been told about 50 lbs by the Ultacorals and Steve at Reefrocks. Did you speak with him. Very nice guy, very helpful. Im gonna go with 65 lbs. I figure any extra could end up in sump or in a nano mabye.

 

[JerzyFF61]

you could do two mp10's, and sync them together. them plus your return pump should be good flow. as for the lighting u said your not using a canopy, im not trying to lean u towards a t5 setup, but you can still use retro fit t5's in a 4" tall hanging canopy above the tank, if leds are too costly

 

[thirty5]

Are you doing one MP 40,
I have been following your build as well. At one of my LFS they had a few different ACAN Leds, nice, but at a mininum of $465 each I not sure but well see.
Im gonna pick up my Reef rock at the swap at the $1.50. I been told about 50 lbs by the Ultacorals and Steve at Reefrocks. Did you speak with him. Very nice guy, very helpful. Im gonna go with 65 lbs. I figure any extra could end up in sump or in a nano mabye.

I actually got 100 lbs of rock (2 boxes) and I put almost all of it in the tank

I am running one MP40. Can't afford another now after everything else that I purchased.

 

[harthag12]

While I can't comment on experience for most of this but check out the SC 150 skimmer built by a guy on EBay, super cheap & this thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2032645&highlight=ebay+skimmer has 451 posts about it 99.9% very positive, it's what I would / plan to use.
As far as vortechs I've been shopping for them and the cheapest place online is google neptune aquatic supplies.com mp10W ES for $219 (51.00 savings) MP40w ES for $428.00 (71 savings)
Sand I've heard nothing but great things about Tropic Eden Sand which I can only find at Premium Aquatics, they also have good prices on Salt, also Salt / Sand ship free if you spend $175.00 (easy) If you want affordable sand look at reefrocks.net for rock & also 40lbs of sand for 15$ (covers shipping). Read good things on reefcentral about his rocks as well. When you get a cleanup crew or macro www.reefcleaners.org guy is cheap & throws in a gazillion freebies.
Live rock I wish I could go w/ tampa bay saltwater, they're rock looks awesome & comes w/ sooooooo much life, good & bad but they're pricey.
Been debating LED / T5 & the LED is winning based on dimmability & no bulb replacement cost, I'd DIY a setup though most likely so I could tailor it to my needs. Rapidled & reefledlights.com both have solderless sets if you're not into that & look pretty easy.

 

[jgraz]

I actually got 100 lbs of rock (2 boxes) and I put almost all of it in the tank

I've been following you build closely. Can't wait to see the scape.

 

[mnat]

Very good advice from people here, but just wanted to say a few things. I would avoid very coarse sand and gravel, they can trap detritus and become nitrate factories. When picking out your sump consider what other equipment you want to put in stand. Sounds like you are going with an in sump skimmer and probably an in sump return pump, but if I am wrong and you are going with external skimmer and pump keep in mind you will need a smaller sump. Even with internal skimmers/pumps make a list of what else you want to put in the sump (reactors, dosing pumps, dosing containers, auto top off) and plan accordingly. Also, check the height of your skimmer and the cabinet height, that is generally where people run into problems.

I love my rimless tank, but keep in mind you are probably going to have to put something over it (glass or screen) to keep fish from jumping. I have a glass cover right now that looks very seamless on the tank but I don't like the fact that my tank runs a bit warm (for me). I will be putting screen frames over the tank and they may look a little out of place with a rimless, but that is what I want.

 

[jgraz]

Thanks, I definatly want everything in sump. I've been pretty much talked into. I, gonna get dimentions of cabinet and go from there. the consensus seems to be a 20 long but well see. Im thinking that I want the biggest I can get but still have room under there for some light storage and external components.
My wife has all demanded sand and a rimmed tank(she does not like rimless for some reason) so I shall abide, if she is happy I have less of a problem getting stuff. With the rimmed if I need to I can always use eggcrate. My current tank is topless and so far no jumpers(fingers crossed).
One thing I know is that I don't like plumbing, no matter how simple it is, that is gonna be interesting, give me electricity anyday. Im considering hiring someone to do the setup when I get everything.

 

[JerzyFF61]

sounds like you have taken bits n peices of our advice, and came up with your own thing. which is great! your on the right track...where r u located? if not too far i could def lend a hand with the plumbing!

 

[jgraz]

Located in bordentown. Just south of trenton

 

[jgraz]

Well I just wanted to update this and say that my wife dashed my hopes and dreams a couple of days ago and told me that a 75 is not inthe cards for a while. Then she showed me the check book and I concur. So the 75 is on hold for now.
Anyway I am now going to go ahead and go with a 20H SPS heavy nano for which I have most of the stuff for.
My plan is as follows:
DT-20gal high
Sump-10g or a 20H if I can fit
Glass holes super nano overflow
Glass holes 1/2" return
SICCE SYNCRA 1.0 return pump
Skimmer- either the Bubble Magus 3+ or 3.5 not sure yet if the cone design is worth the extra $40
I have 2 Koralia 425's for extra flow
Lighting- I have one of the 120w LED units that I may a 12"stunner strip with magenta/blue for added effect.

Did I miss anything? I imagine i'll likely have to add a calcium reactor later because like I said I want this to be SPS central