after 10 yrs of Fw its time for a SW tank! WHOOHOOO

K

kath

welp honestly have to say that im completely bored with freshwater tanks and finally have decided its time for a SW tank :)

i got a incredible deal on a 165g DAS tank ($150) which i know alot of people dont like
but after doing alot of research ect ive decided not to use the tank and instead use a 75g tank that i am currently running as a FW plant setup with angels....and the angels get a bigger home lol ( no copper has ever been used in tank)

ive been lurking for months, stuffing my brain with as much info as possible but still need a little help with some things....

the tank is a normal 75g oceanic tank that is not drilled, and honestly im too chicken to drill it, its currently got a ice cap 660 vho lighting system, i know not the best but its a start.
im planning on doing a mixed reef in the future but to start out with soft corals only
luckily the h99 filter/skimmer from the 165g tank will come out and fit in the 75g tank

also planning on running a normal 20g tank as a display fuge without skimmer, this tank sits next to the 75g on the bottom of a 2 tier stand, the bottom tank is aprox 4" under the bottom of the 75g tank, and will probably need some help with the plumbing of this and the location of the baffels, still a little confused on this..
planning on useing the top 20g tank as a Qt tank..

for i need advice on a overflow and a return pump...
ive read about soo many.... for if i get a 600 gph overflow i need to purchase a return pump to match the overflow correct?

does anyone use tap water for their tanks in the garland area?
im figuring this is a no no for going to go ahead and purchase a RO/Di system to be on the safe side

substrate: has anyone used the sand that AAA sand and stone carry off of jupiter and plano in garland??? they said its mined in east texas its a really nice white color....
is the vinegar test a good way to tell if its sw safe???
i just cant see paying the prices for bagged sand they charge....
DSB or not?
keep getting confusing opinions on this..... i guess its personal choice? the idea of many sand sifters does appeal to me

live rock: best place to order online??? best for the best price...

setup of tank: is it best to put sand in and then wait? or put sand and live rock in at the same time and let tank cycle....

basic equipment: i really need help in this area, tongs, test kit,tweezers ect
can someone give me a basic list of stuff that i need

basic additives: same as above what are the additives that i need to purchase.......

fish: what fish are good for this size tank??

hubby said clowns and a anemone are a must but i talked him outta it until the tank has been up and running for atleast a yr, read that anemone's are not for the beginner..... for keep in mind later down the road there will be clowns and anemone's

sorry for all the ?s but i want to do this right from the start :)
any help would be greatly appricated

amy
 
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Howdy and welcome!!! Unfortunately, I'm slammed at work right now, so I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll try to get a few of 'em at least...

-and honestly im too chicken to drill it

Personally, I'd highly recommend either drilling it or having it drilled, this is something you'll wish you'd had done down the road once the tank is settled in, better to have this taken care of now.
If you don't want to do it yourself, there are numerous glass and/or aquarium shops that will do it for a fee (Of course, there are no guarantees they won't crack the tank, but......)

-also planning on running a normal 20g tank as a display fuge without skimmer

Are you going to run a sump in addition to the display refuguim, or just a display refuguim with no sump? If possible, I'd recommend both, if you can figure out how to wedge another tank under the main tank to act as a sump...

-i need to purchase a return pump to match the overflow correct?

Well, it doesn't need to match exactly, but it can't go higher than... You also don't want it TOO much slower than the overflow since it won't be fast enough to flueh air bubbles out from the overflow tubes. Also keep in mind, most GPH ratings on pumps are measured at 0 feet of head. Once it's moving the water a few feet up, through curves, etc the actual GPH does WAY down.

-does anyone use tap water for their tanks in the garland area?

I'm in Rowlett, not sure if we have the same source water as Garland, but so much else is the same between our two cities, it wouldn't surprise me...
And, I definitely would NOT use unfiltered city water for anything here. Most people in the metroplex seem to have 100-300 TDS tap water (TDS - Total Dissolved Solids. Basically, a measure of things in water that aren't water, impurities)... Mine regularly reads >500, and I've seen it as high as 700!

-substrate: has anyone used the sand that AAA sand and stone carry off of jupiter and plano in garland???

Never heard of that, but the Pavestone Pulverized Limestone from Home Depot is cheap, and works well...

-is the vinegar test a good way to tell if its sw safe???

Not really. All the vinegar test tells you is that some of the substrate is calcium based, and thus dissolves when introduced into an acid (Vinegar). It could still have lethal contaminants in it, and substrates that don't bubble in vinegar are perfectly acceptable, they just don't have some of the advantages of a calcium based substrate (Some mild pH buffering ability being the topmost.)

-DSB or not?

My personal opinion, DSB all the way. You'll get differing opinions though, this is one of those areas where you really need to do a lot of research and decide what makes the most sense for you.

-basic additives: same as above what are the additives that i need to purchase.......

As few as possible, especially for a newly started tank. Preferably, none... Once things settle in a bit, calcium/alkalinity are the main additions you'll need, the rest should be handled by frequent water changes...




Sorry I don't have time to answer all your questions, but there's a start at least... :)
 
hey Brian thank you very much :)

i think i will go with the pavestone just to be on the safe side
does the home depot on hwy 66 carry it?
im almost in rowlett myself LOL
5 mins to walmart/home depot

i dont know if im gonna be able to do a sump also the way the stand is designed not sure i can get even a 10g tank under the 75g :(

is it ok just to run a fuge without a sump?
 
Heck, we're practically neighbors then! :wink: (I'm in Rowlett near 66/Dalrock)

I don't know if that Home Depot has it, I haven't looked for it there (Even though that's my normal "home" Home Depot too!)

If you can't fit a sump under the tank, is there anyway you could put it next to the tank, and have like a coffee table covering it, or something like that? It's definitely possible to run without a dedicated sump, but I'd strongly recommend having one. I personally like to keep my sump and refuguim as separate tanks, but if all else fails, you could split the 20 gallon into a sump section, and a refuguim section, but then you'd have a much smaller sump section and a much smaller refuguim section to work with...
 
First, welcome to a new obsession.... have fun with it.

Baffles... In a sump you want the baffles between the pump and the input from the overflows/skimmer section. Basically two separate chambers, one for each. The baffles are usually acrylic and you put them 3/4" to 1" apart, with an over, under, over configuration. This means the water flows over, then under, then over into the pump section. This will eliminate most if not all micro bubbles from your skimmer and overflows, but depending on the size of the sump, its not always 100%. You may need to tweak with some additional things such as filter socks or something once its up and running.

Turnover in the tank is what the overflow/pump combo is all about. For most tanks (non bare bottom) a 3 - 5 times your capacity per hour is standard. So your 75, you want about 300-600 per hour, so a 600 gph overflow and pump will do nicely. Pick your pump with care, as you one that is reliable, starts reliably after shut-offs, is quiet and does not transfer a lot of heat to the sump.

RO/DI will be the best investment next to your skimmer and lighting that you will make for a healthy system.

The vinegar test is to test if its calcium based or silica sand. Either sand will be fine, depending on how you plan on using it. If you want to go with a DSB, I would strongly recommend argonite (Ca based) over silica, but that is my preference. Silica sand can be and has been used without any problems. Its all about grain size with DSB's. If you go with a shallow bed, then its a matter of cosmetics in my opinion so buy what you like, but I would suggest an active live sand over dead sand any day.

DSB or not... depends on your preferences. There is no "best" way... you can go Shallow, DSB or barebottom. BB will be more expensive to setup due to the additional pumps needed to generate the flows. I prefer DSB's but that is my preference. 5" of sand, seeded with a variety of fauna along with snails, cukes, conchs etc to keep it tidy and turned over is critical. It also takes longer to establish and become functional. You'll need to re-seed about once a year or so just to make sure things keep going. Again that is my opinion and procedure I follow.. others may vary. Shallow is an option if the depth of the bed is going to impact the amount of space in your tank. If you go shallow, use live sand and still get the critters to keep it clean, but also clean it yourself to avoid buildup.

LR.. depends on the type you like or want. If i were you, i would keep an eye on the sale forum as LR is constantly going up for sale. Provided the tank its coming from hasn't had issues with Flat worms, or other pests, youll save a lot of money this way and get to pick your pieces as you go. You will also avoid any curing issues. Its a great way to get very nice rock at reasonable prices.

I would add the sand first if you go DSB, then add the rock either at the same time or later if you want. Just make sure your LR is seated well and won't be undermined by any livestock you add later. If you go shallow, it won't a difference since youll seat the rock on the glass bottom. If you go DSB, you might consider using PVC to hold your rock above the bed a bit, this will eliminate the undermining issue and any downsides from the rock below sand level (it can cause problems because it will be basically dead).

Basic equipment... 5 gallon bucket or two. Scrapper for the glass, either plastic or metal or magnetic. Test kits for ammonia, ph, nitrates, alk, calcium, perhaps a phosphate as well. I would invest in a refractometer for salinity. Plastic ones are too inaccurate. A pair of reef gloves would be nice to avoid any abrasions or cuts when handling rock. A good thermometer, digital is best. Small QT tank, 10 gallons with heater, light, airstone and a place inside for new additions to hide.

Additives.. my belief is you only need to add calcium either in the form of kalk or a reactor (kalk in your case based off your tank size). I also dose Mg on occasion. That's all I do.... some folks add B vitamins or amino acids, but you can get to that later once you have livestock and/or corals.

75 G fish... most any reef safe fish.. but you might be pushing it with tangs as they grow large over time. I would take a look at peoples tanks and see what fish they have and start a list. Post the list here to get feedback on compatibility and the order in which to add them. Keep your bio load light at first.

You can get the clowns before the nem... and clowns are good starter fish as they are hardy and easy to care for. The nem should wait though for the reasons you mentioned.




@kath wrote:
 
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