New 75 gal set up advice

[Baasilldietz]

Hello everyone!

New to the hobby, my family has always had fresh water fish and I believe I am ready to make the transition to Saltwater. My good friend has a 55 a 29 bio and a 125gal so i have spent time with him on his tanks and know what to expect. I have a 75 gal tank and have a 30 gal for my sump/ refugium. Taking my time on the start up, buy equipment piece by piece and will not put rock sand or water in it for some time. That being said I have time to plan. Wondering on suggestions for Protein skimmers, pumps, etc.. mostly on necessities for tank needs. Tempered glass tank, can't drill correct?

Ideally heavy reef tank, some fish are desired but, thinking a pair of clowns and a goby of some sort, maybe a 6 line wrasse. Mostly interested in growing Coral though, it's awesome. Obviously i'll have plenty of inverts curious the proper amount for the 75. But would also be down for just an eel or something if that would be a good fit. I'm not keen on putting fish in tanks that are not correct for its needs.

Last but not least, t5 lights? Or should I spend for the metal halide?

Thank you guys

[mcgyvr]

You ready for a flow of opinions?
And don't rule out LEDs for lighting

[Baasilldietz]

haha yes, i figured i would get a myriad of responses lol
also I feel like so many people have been talking about the t5s. I have LEDs for my fresh water tank and my plants love them

[ReefinND]

I found checking out the "reef tank packages" (http://www.marinedepot.com/reef_tank_packages_set_up__index-ap.html) section of Marine Depot to be a lot of help on deciding what to go with for equipment. Gives several different options for each piece recommended for your tank size. Also don't skip reading the reviews, they occasionally have a piece of advice that may help in the future.

[mcgyvr]

Well..
Can't go wrong with Reef Octopus brand skimmers.. Something as simple as the classic 150INT would work well for your tank.. Its not a bad idea to go slightly oversized with skimmers.. many of the manufacturer ratings are a bit "inflated"..
Bubble-magnus has some decent ones too..
"Avast" actually has a pretty neat skimmer (and even a assemble it yourself version which is neat if thats your thing)..

The new return pumps from Ecotech (Vectra) look really nice/fairly low cost.. I'm not keeping up on the actual latest end users reviews/issues with that though right now..

Personally I'd just pick up a jebao DCT series (something like the DCT-6000) would work well for your tank. Some of their products are just fine.. I was happy with my DC-12000 pump and I'm very happy with the PP series of powerheads.. They are super "low cost" but perform very well.. I can't say the same for their older WP pumps and my new CP-25 (gyre knockoff) just crapped out quickly but the DCT/PP product lines seem to be winners...
2 x PP8 powerheads and a DCT-6000 should do great in a 75G tank..

Lights..
t5/MH is always a good choice but heat/bulb replacements/energy usage as pushed quite a few to LEDs.. Colors from T5/MH are hard to beat though.. If you can live with the added expense/maintenance then yes its a more proven choice to go t5.. But there are many LED fixtures (from cheap 165W "Chinese Black boxes" like galaxy hydro and mars aqua that cost right around $100 and work well to hundreds of dollars on the more "name brand" (Ecotech/AI/etc... led lights with all the bells/whistles (wifi/storm modes/expansive dimming options,etc..)


In general there are a lot of "top dollar" products out there and many "low cost" that work just as well.. Don't think you have to spend an arm and a leg to get equipment that works..

[monkeysee1]

Hey Baasilldietz!
I have a 90 Gallon and my Reef Octopus 150 INT and the thing kicks serious arse - skims great for my tank but you can probably get away with a 110INT!
I have a Current Marine Orbit Marine Pro 48" LED strip but if you want to keep corals, you will need something MUCH stronger.
If you splurge on nothing else, GET A GFO REACTOR!! And get the high potency Rowa Phos GFO. Trust me on this one - otherwise you will have algae problems like you read about!
Get the VORTECH MP40 powerbeads. Worth every penny. Your corals are gonna to need decent flow!
Check out Marine Depot - they got great stuff!

Just my $ .02!

[Bent]

My .02 cents. If I had it to do over again, having done a 75 myself....

Overflow-modular marine, or reef savvy.
Plumbing-as much flex PVC as possible with an expandable manifold for future equipment.
Return inlets-divided multiple ways pointed at the corners and other possible dead spots.
Return pump - as big as you can afford. You can always dial it back. Dialing it up is problematic.
Wave makers- 4 pp4s and a gyre
Lighting - led and t5.
Skimmer-BM curve 7
Neptune apex to control everything.