Hi all, new to the forum. My wife and I have been talking about getting in to the saltwater reef hobby, so here I am. I apologize in advance for the lengthy post.
We currently have a 75 gallon Texas native freshwater tank that we are looking to convert over to a reef setup. I'm doing my research and trying to figure out what I need to get this going. I'm going to list what I have and what I believe I need, so if there is anything to add and/or correct, please let me know.
What I have:
Tank: standard 75 gallon glass aquarium. It is NOT "reef ready" and not drilled (and I don't believe I want to attempt to drill it).
Substrate: Large river rock mixed with medium size pond stones
Filtration: Currently have an Eheim Ecco 2236 and a Rena Filstar xP1 plumbed together with a custom PVC (in the ballpark of 350-400 gph, according to product specs and factoring in flow restriction)
Lighting: Currently just a single F48T12 (don't need much light in a Texas native setup)
Other: We have a 29 gallon and a 20 gallon breeder set up as feeder tanks and we are thinking of using one as a sump
What we need:
Tank: The tank is obviously fine
Substrate: The rock will have to go. I'm not sure if I should go with Live Sand, Aragonite, or Crushed Coral. I'm thinking a 2" bed is good. I'm also not sure how many pounds it will take to make a 2" bed
Filtration: We're wanting to go with a sump system. I'll use either my 29 gallon or 20 gallon breeder. I'll silicone in some baffles to make probably a 4-chamber system. My question here is regarding flow. How much flow is ideal (so that I know what size mag pump I need to look for)? Also, would it benefit any to make use of my current filter system along with the sump?
Lighting: I know I'm going to need start my lighting over from scratch. It's all in a custom hood I built, so I'll be doing it all DIY. This means sticking with fluorescent lighting (no MH or PC). I remember reading something about actinic lights, but I cannot remember. We want to grow some coral, if that changes anything.
Other: I know I'll need marine salt and all the testing kits. I'll worry about the salinity closer to start-up time. I'll be building an overflow box to feed the sump, so no problems there (I already have some plans for it). I know I need to look at power filters to create current. How much flow should I look at? In terms of heating/cooling, what do I need to look at? The house stays constant at about 72-76 degrees year-round. The tank is not exposed to direct sunlight. We'll start off with about 35 lbs of Live Rock and build from there. How many pounds is ideal for a 75 gallon setup? Is there anything else I'm missing?
Thanks all!
We currently have a 75 gallon Texas native freshwater tank that we are looking to convert over to a reef setup. I'm doing my research and trying to figure out what I need to get this going. I'm going to list what I have and what I believe I need, so if there is anything to add and/or correct, please let me know.
What I have:
Tank: standard 75 gallon glass aquarium. It is NOT "reef ready" and not drilled (and I don't believe I want to attempt to drill it).
Substrate: Large river rock mixed with medium size pond stones
Filtration: Currently have an Eheim Ecco 2236 and a Rena Filstar xP1 plumbed together with a custom PVC (in the ballpark of 350-400 gph, according to product specs and factoring in flow restriction)
Lighting: Currently just a single F48T12 (don't need much light in a Texas native setup)
Other: We have a 29 gallon and a 20 gallon breeder set up as feeder tanks and we are thinking of using one as a sump
What we need:
Tank: The tank is obviously fine
Substrate: The rock will have to go. I'm not sure if I should go with Live Sand, Aragonite, or Crushed Coral. I'm thinking a 2" bed is good. I'm also not sure how many pounds it will take to make a 2" bed
Filtration: We're wanting to go with a sump system. I'll use either my 29 gallon or 20 gallon breeder. I'll silicone in some baffles to make probably a 4-chamber system. My question here is regarding flow. How much flow is ideal (so that I know what size mag pump I need to look for)? Also, would it benefit any to make use of my current filter system along with the sump?
Lighting: I know I'm going to need start my lighting over from scratch. It's all in a custom hood I built, so I'll be doing it all DIY. This means sticking with fluorescent lighting (no MH or PC). I remember reading something about actinic lights, but I cannot remember. We want to grow some coral, if that changes anything.
Other: I know I'll need marine salt and all the testing kits. I'll worry about the salinity closer to start-up time. I'll be building an overflow box to feed the sump, so no problems there (I already have some plans for it). I know I need to look at power filters to create current. How much flow should I look at? In terms of heating/cooling, what do I need to look at? The house stays constant at about 72-76 degrees year-round. The tank is not exposed to direct sunlight. We'll start off with about 35 lbs of Live Rock and build from there. How many pounds is ideal for a 75 gallon setup? Is there anything else I'm missing?
Thanks all!