new to the hobby

[skrapsc]

hey all, i have a 75 gal tank that is currently empty, slowly building up all the supplies needed to start this great hobby. was wondering what kind of skimmer and lighting i should be looking to get and was hoping for some advice on some starter fish and corals, i am taking this very slow and was hoping for some input so i could get a plan together for when my tank is ready and i have all the supplies needed.

[Dmorty217]

The skimmer will be dependent on what corals and livestock you plan on keeping. More aggressive messy eaters will need a bigger skimmer, same with SPS. Typically derate your skimmer by 40% and if the skimmer is still rated above your water volume you'll be fine. As far as lights I would suggest LEDs, they grow all coral and are much cheaper to run then T5 or metal halides and last much longer. Starter fish to look at can be found on LiveAquaria under beginner fish, I believe they have the same section under corals

[StaySalty]

As fa as lighting goes, see if you can view it in person before you buy a fixture

[elmatth1]

My first suggestion would be to spend some time reading through the setting up a tank sticky at the top of this forum. There is a lot of great information there. Secondly, skimmer recommendation depends on whether you have a reef ready tank and will have a sump for the skimmer or if you will need a hang on back style. If you are using a sump, I would recommend an SCA-302 skimmer from ebay. These skimmers are inexpensive and work really well. As far as lighting goes, this will be something you will get a hundred opinions on and each will work fine. It is mostly personal preference as long as you stick with T5, MH, or 3w or higher LED fixtures. How many bulbs or how many watts of each depends on what you will be keeping. Regardless, I wouldn't consider adding any corals at all until your tank is well established.

[skrapsc]

i do not have a reef ready tank, and i have been looking into making a sump just not sure what size i can go yet. i have read many of the setting up the tank forums, a lot of good information so far. im taking my time in doing this so i can make sure that i have it done the right way and don't end up starting off with a disaster lol

[coville]

The tank doesn't have to be reef ready to maintain a reef. I would advise that you avoid either avoid a sump and do a hang on protein skimmer. In that case you'll need to focus on quality power heads.

The only downside of having no sump is having the equipment in your tank, a hang on skimmer, heater, and power-heads. In addition if you do that you need an auto-top off system to maintain the water level in the display tank.

Fish for this set-up keep it simple, small(er) guys that doesn't make a huge mess. Corals, just go for softies, lps, and select sps depending on your lighting. I'd keep your bio-load small since you only have the water volume in the tank, but as you build it up it will handle more.

Plus once you get into it you're going to want to upgrade, that's when you really "invest".

[elmatth1]

I'm in the process of setting up a 75 gallon tank myself that was not reef ready when I got it. I would strongly consider either drilling the tank or having someone drill the tank for an overflow so you can have a sump. You will most likely regret not doing it down the road. Just make sure the glass you are drilling is not tempered. If there is no sticker saying so, contact the manufacturer to find out.

I am using a 20 long for my sump, but you can use anything for a sump as long as it will fit in the stand or where ever you will want to put it. If you decide to drill for an overflow, look into the beananimal or herbie overflow systems. Beananimal is usually preferred, but I have ran both and both work well and run silently. Herbie just has to be adjusted every once in a while and does not have the extra failsafe that the beananimal does.

Another thing to consider with not having an overflow and sump is that the proteins that are on the surface of the water do not get skimmed off like they would with an overflow. This can cause the surface of the water to develop a layer of scum on it which causes all kinds of other issues.

If you decide to run without a sump to start out, you can certainly have a nice tank that way. When/if you want to add a sump later you can do so with a hang on back overflow. Just be aware that these types of systems rely of a siphon to keep them going and if the siphon were to break, all of the water from your sump will be pumped back into your tank and will have no place to go but on your floor! I ran a hang on style overflow on my first tank -a 75 gallon- for a few years and had no issues. That just means I was lucky though, and I wouldn't recommend it!

As far as lighting, you can probably pick up a nice used 4 or 6 bulb t5 fixture or metal halide fixture pretty cheap now that alot of people are switching to LEDs.

[robotman]

id get a sump, 2-3 1150 gph powerheads, id go with led if you have the cash, probably 2 radion gen 3

[JackandJill]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

That should help you get on the right track

[skrapsc]

i do not have the drill bit or drill required to drill the tank or the guts. i was thinking about a 20g sump using an this overflow box but i don't know if that would work or not. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/deluxe-cpr-continuous-siphon-overflows.html and if you place something under the return pump and get it high enough then shouldn't that stop the pump from flooding your tank? i am still of course several months out from even putting water into the tank. still doing plenty of research. don't want to end up with a giant mess lol

[elmatth1]

If you are not going to drill the tank, then yes, the CPR hang on back overflow will work fine. I would suggest getting one of the larger models like the 102 or 150 and size your return pump accordingly.

I don't know if raising the return pump higher will prevent the tank from overflowing if the siphon on the drain breaks, but it will probably cause air to get sucked into the pump if it is raised up too high. The aqualifter pump on the overflow will do more to help prevent this as long as it is functioning properly, imo.