Thoughts on this plan...?

[zoolan70]

First, a little background. I've been keeping freshwater fish in varying types of tanks for 15 years, so I feel I'm pretty versed in that side of the world. I bought a used 75 gallon tank with overflows and sump last weekend and am in the process of setting it up. Perhaps it would be best to run down the hardware I have at this point:

-75 gallon with dual overflows, plumbed with 1 inch bulkheads and gravity feeding to the sump via 1-inch lines.
- Orbit CF light hood, with 2 65 watt daylight and 2 65 watt actintic blue.
- 20 gallon sump, baffled
- Giant One Pump (no model # or other info on the pump)
- 3 Powersweep powerheads (don't sweep anymore, which isn't a big surprise)
- 4 other misc powerheads
- 35 GPD R/O unit
- Top off pump and auto shutoff switches for both sump and R/O tank.

What I want long term is a nice reef tank...simple as that. Very open on specific species for coral and fish.

So, here is what I plan to do in the short term:

Hardware
Plumb the Giant One (using 3/4 inch tubing) to a SWCD, with the outputs going to opposite ends of the tank and being directed via Ball-Socket outlets on standpipes

Parts like this (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+10090+4090&pcatid=4090)

I know that the SQCD isn't the best, but for the price, I think it would be a good place to start...thoughts?

In the sump I plan to put Cheato in before the baffles. Does that make sense? I don't want the cheato bits coming off and fouling the rest of my system, so it would sit behind a sponge block installed at the first baffle.

At some point, I will add a protein skimmer. Which is the best value out there?

Finally, I plan to add a DIY MH setup with 2 - 250 Watt lights, but I'm thinking I can wait on that until I add the corals, correct?


Live Rock
I plan to make 90% of my rock from scratch, using crushed oyster shells and cement. I can't find the link I read before at this time (figures) but it is basically the same as using sand. I will add 10-15 pounds of live rock along with 120 or so pounds of real live rock after the DIY rock has cured in about 60 days.

Thoughts on this process? I was hoping to get 5 pounds each of Fiji, Tonga, and Hawaii rock if I can find it for good biodiversity.

Once I add all that, what should I be doing to encourage the rock to populate? Do I need to add fish food or anything to drive the process? And do I need to run the lights as normal, or should I leave them off (or shorter light cycles)?

Finally, should I add the live rock to the tank right away to allow it to start seeding the sandbed now, or wait until I add the artificial rock?

Livestock - Cleaning Crew
When should I start to add Cleaning Crew critters? I found out that 3 or 4 of the crabs that came with the tank are still alive, so I'm trying to nurse them along until I get the substrate in the tank and it filled with water. I will need to add some live rock for them to feed off of immediately, right?

What species would be best that will clean will, but won't eat coraline algae?

Livestock - Fish
When should I add my first fish? I'm thinking I want to have a few of them in there making biowaste before too long to provide a food source for the growing micro-organisms. What do you recommend for my 'starter' fish species, that will be compatible with the corals once I start adding them.

Livestock - Corals / Anemones
My 'last' step in the process will be to add the invertebrates. Well, the invertebrates without shells at least. What would be some good starter corals and anemones for me to try?

As you can tell, I'm trying to do this on a budget but still end up with something nice. I know I can throw $3000 into this setup and be running in 2 weeks, but I don't want that...I want to take my time and be able to enjoy it as it evolves.

Thank you for taking a look at all my questions...I know the answers are out there, but it is so overwhelming that a nice concise thread would be the most help for me right now.

Zoolan70

[Tswifty]

SCWD is a good idea... they tend to clog rather easily so you will want to make sure you have an easy way to remove it for cleanig.

I would get the powerheads on a wavemaker... or replace them with Koralia's. I'm guessing the majority of the powerheads you have similiar to an AquaClear type in that it provides focused intense flow which a lot of corals do not like.

You are spot on with lighting, and you will not need it until you add the corals.

Protein Skimmer... the Marine Solutions MSX 160 is an animal, and for the price I do not think there is a comparable skimmer out there. You just need to get on a waiting list to get one... haha.

I would wait until after your cycle to add the clean-up crew... leave any crabs that happened to make the transfer alone... I've found out those suckers are about indestructable anyway.

Also, if you are planning on a reef, you will want to invest in an RO/DI unit. http://www.thefilterguys.biz Ocean Reef + 1 75 GPD is the one I purchased, and it works great.

As far as the sump goes, I will post some pics, but I would avoid any type of bio-balls or sponge that would sit in your tank, as it can become a nitrate factory.

I think that's a start... maybe? :lol:

Here's my build thread if you want to take a look:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1310919

[Tswifty]

Here's some pics of sumps, fuges, sump/fuges that I have used:

Refugium & Return only
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/z1.jpg

Sump/Fuge Combo

Rt Side (Skimmer/return)
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/msx.jpg

Lt Side (refugium)
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll128/tswifty8/fl2.jpg

[kaskiles]

You might want to consider Eco Rox or Marco rocks instead of the garf argrocrete stuff (cement rocks). The cement based rocks are supposed to take a long time to cure (to eliminate the pH rise from the cement).

[zoolan70]

Yeah...I am estimating a 6 to 8 week wait for the rock to settle in and become stable...I'm ok with that...

[Playa-1]

I would recommend you do some reading to brush up on the whole Saltwater side of the Hobby. Try to find a copy of "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner and that will give you a good overview of what you need to know and will save you a ton of frustration and money.

The equipment sounds reasonable enough but we need to achieve certain flow and turnover rates and it's just a guessing game without specific information on the equipment. I guess you will have to eyeball it. The equipment should be set up and leak tested. I would just use fresh water to leak test and let it run for a couple of days to make sure that you don't have any issues. The Halides can wait until your ready to keep Corals. As far as skimmers go that is a controversial subject. I use a Euro-Reef skimmer and it has served me well. I like plug and play equipment that is effective. If you ask 10 people what skimmer you will likely get 8 or 9 different answers.

Your going to need roughly 75lbs of porous rock in the system. Since you have a small sump it will need to go into the display. It can be homemade rock if you want to go that route seeded with 15lbs of live rock, Or you could just pick up some inexpensive base rock and seed it with some good live rock on top. Either way it goes you will need to cycle the system with all the rock in place.
Sand is optional and I wouldn't add anything to the system until the cycle is complete. Many times you can find a local reef keeper breaking down a system and selling off their rock for pennies on the dollar. If your on a tight budget and have plenty of time on your hands this would be a great way to go.

The clean up crew can wait until after the tank cycles and you have something in the tank that needs to be cleaned up. At that time you will want to start very slowly and only add what you need at the time. What you might do is visit Liveaquaria.com and look at their clean up packages and then just scale it down for a system without much of a bioload.

Fish- After the tank cycle is complete the fish could be slowly added one by one with a few weeks in between each fish. They should pass thru a good QT system before entering your display tank. If you fail to follow this rule it could make your life very difficult and also cost you a ton of money.

You will need to upgrade the lighting before considering moving forward with corals, clams, Anemones, etc...

Your going to want to research a QT tank and put one together.

I think your goal of taking your time and slowly gaining the knowledge and putting it all together is very achievable.

I can't over emphasize the value of reading a good book on the subject. It's the very first thing you should do. It's a small investment, It will answer most of your questions and cover the pros and cons of different methods. As you already know keeping fish alive is not rocket science but your going to want to know what is important, what is not important, what is hype. The best part of a good book is when you ask for advice or opinions on a site like this, Then your able to compare the information with what you've already learned from an expert on the subject and you can make good judgements.

[zoolan70]

Well, things are starting to progress. I have the tank and all the plumbing setup and ready to go. I have also found a potential source for live rock and sand in a fellow aquarist who is shutting down a nano tank, which has 18 pounds of live rock, and 10 pounds of live sand.

My question is this: Assuming my goal is to get the live rock and sand ready to go before I add the homemade base rock (which is soaking in the garage as I type), what is the best plan moving ahead? I thing I should be OK adding my aragonite sand, mixing in the 10 pounds of active live sand, and putting the live rock on top, and letting it all sit for the 6 weeks while my base rock is soaking. That way the live sand is all populated and the live rock is thriving before adding it. Does that make sense?

Do I need to 'feed' the live sand and rock? I assume I need to get some sort of nutrients into the water column, but I can't find anything about it online.

Thank you for you help!

Tim