Burch01
Reefing newb
Yeah I think I am going to get 50 lbs of the Key Largo dry rock from marco and go with 30 lbs of the Manado live rock from premium aquatics.
75 Gallon Reef Tank Build from Scratch
- Thread starter Burch01
- Start date
Burch01
Reefing newb
Today I went back to the LFS to pick up my back ordered protein skimmer and black hawaiian sand. I also picked up 50 lbs of dry rock for $1.00 per lb. Now all that is left is buying 30 lbs of live rock, my lights and RO/DI system as well as finishing the trim of the stand. I went ahead and placed the rock in that tank just to get an idea of what it will eventually look like. As always comments are welcome :D!!!
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little_fish
Moderator
going to be awesome!
make sure your rocks are sitting directly on the bottom, and not on the sand. The sand can shift over time, which could cause a rock slide, which in a glass tank means epic disaster.
make sure your rocks are sitting directly on the bottom, and not on the sand. The sand can shift over time, which could cause a rock slide, which in a glass tank means epic disaster.
parrotchute
DUSTOFF MEDEVAC
Looking great so far!
Sir Alex
Dragon the eel (below)
It's so aggravating looking at people's nice all-glass aquariums overflows and then looking at my crappy little overflow box that is falling apart. :grumble:
parrotchute
DUSTOFF MEDEVAC
Alex, you could look into getting your tank drilled by a professional glass person in the local area. They could probably do it with less risk than trying it yourself.
It's a risk, but it could pay off! Or just find a tank on craigslist on the cheap and have it drilled.
It's a risk, but it could pay off! Or just find a tank on craigslist on the cheap and have it drilled.
Sir Alex
Dragon the eel (below)
It is drilled. In the back. It's not an HOB. It works fine it just doesn't look so good.
Burch01
Reefing newb
I actually thought about buying a tank that wasn't drilled. Thankfullly everyone here talked me out of it!!!
Burch01
Reefing newb
So the 75 gallon tank is coming along very slowly!!! Just ordered my Bulk Reef Supply 5 stage RO/DI system with dual TDS monitor and float switch and it is scheduled to arrive on tuesday. Saturday I am planning on buying a couple of Brute 32 gallon trash cans to be used as the holding tanks for my RO and Salt Water. The plan is to have an external pump connected to the saltwater can that will pull water from the RO can and position my valves so that I can cut off flow from the RO can and use the external pump to mix my saltwater because I am that lazy :-). So now the important question. What type of salt does everyone use??? I think I am going to go with SeaChem Reef Salt. What do you guys think?
old 5k0ol
Scurrilous
looks awesome. love the stand
reeftanker84
Reefing newb
i use instant ocean myself,but thats because its what ive always used,oh and i have the odyssea MH system and i just ordered new bulbs so i havent had any issues yet with mine,got mine for 269 on e bay
Burch01
Reefing newb
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd ...... we have water!!!! Well almost anyway ... its more like a slight trickle lol. The unit is a Bulk Reef Supply 75GPD standard system that has the automatic shutoff, flow restrictor, check valve and float switch. The flow from the unit is pretty slow and if I was in the business of waste water I could make a mint. I just did a very crude flow rate calculation and I am getting about 1.25 gallons of RODI water per hour on a 75 GPD system which means I am running at about 40% of the maximum output. So I very well may have to add a booster pump. At this rate it will take me 2.5 days to fill up my 75 gallon tank ..... ugh. Anyway I was wondering if anyone who uses a RODI system know what their flow rates are and might have some tips I could use to increase my flow. The good news is that my incoming TDS is around 140 and the output is 000 YAY :^:.
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little_fish
Moderator
Im not totally sure on this, but if the water is cold you get a faster output.
Burch01
Reefing newb
I just did a sanity check to make sure it was connected to the cold water line and it is. I do know that running hot water through the membrane will drastically reduce the lifespan of the membrane.
Burch01
Reefing newb
Latest update! Yay! So the tank is finally filled with saltwater and I have achieved a salinity of 1.025. I also purchased 16.5 lbs of live rock from my LFS added to the 50 lbs of dry rock. I added a Sicce Voyager 3 powerhead (1200 GPH) and a Sicce Voyager 2 powerhead (800 GPH). My return pump pump is pushing 714 GPH for a total of around 2014 GPH which gives me a turnover rate of 27. Is this enough or do I need to get another Voyager 2??
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Waddi
Shenanigans?
Looking good!!!!!
I love that black sand, also is that dry rock porous?? It looks solid to me! :?
I love that black sand, also is that dry rock porous?? It looks solid to me! :?
Sir Alex
Dragon the eel (below)
How do you like the sicce powerheads?? I'm a bit worried about the quality of the koralias so I'm looking for alternatives.
Burch01
Reefing newb
Thanks Waddi! I love the black sand as well. It is the Carib-Sea Arag Alive Hawaiian Black. I am alittle worried about the grain size because it is pretty course. Eventually, I want to get a Watchman Goby and I am wondering if he will be able to sift the sand.
The white dry rock is Carib-Sea reef rock which I believe is petrified coral so it should be porous right??
Sir Alex - I love the Sicce powerheads so far!! The are uber quiet and really well made. I do like the fact that you can adjust the output to a swirl pattern or have it just blast out full and they almost have a full 360 degree rotation. From what I can tell they have a fairly powerful output, but I don't really have anything to judge them by other than my hand. Hopefully when I get some softies I'll be able to tell better. They also offer a 5 year warrentee if you register them online. I will definately keep you updated on their performance.
old 5k0ol
Scurrilous
Looks awesome. Not to jack the thread but, koralia's, from what i've heard, are very good. I have three right now and they are very quiet. I have two evo750's and one koralia3(850). very good mount and very quiet
buddy08
SPS Addict
ive heard nothing but good things about koralias and they seem to be some of the highest rated pumps/powerheads online. the dry rock looks to be porous, if it has holes (lots of little holes at that), its porous. in fact, one looks like a dead coral from the picture and even dead coral skeletons can become "live" by hosting beneficial bacteria so I think you have done well.
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