New 72gal reef tank...need help

[therich84]

Hi guys I've been keeping FW tanks for the last 11 years and I finally decided to take the leap and change my 72 bowfront from a FW to a SW reef. So far I have 60 pounds of live sand and 55 pounds of live rock that my lfs says is partially cured; which I didn't think was possible. My sg is at 1.021 and I so far I have one powerhead going and I will be getting another for the other side of the tank. I also have a eheim 2217 and 2213 with just the sponges to which I will be adding live rock rubble too tommorow. I have t5 lighting which I was told is good for coral.

Now other than getting a protein skimmer eventually is there anything else I need to get. I really dont want to set up a sump or fuge.

Also when should i get a cleaner crew? Is that the first live animal that I should put in the tank once it's cycled.

Thanks in advance,

Rich

[therich84]

Also I used tap water to start up the tank, from now on i will only used store bought distilled water; is this ok?

[vorlx]

Why don't you want a sump/fuge? No room, to much hassle?

[therich84]

too much hassle, i want to keep my setup as simple as i can while providing a healthy environment.

[therich84]

added some pics that i just took....tank has cleared up alot

[Andrew_Murphy]

Nice tank

What type of power head is it?
(I'd most likely invest in an addition power head(s) to ensure you have no dead spots)

I wouldn't add a full cleanup crew until your tank stops showing ammonia and high nitrites.

[therich84]

hi i have an aquaclear 700 which is just in there for now as it was from a uv sterilizer setup i had on this tank when it was a fw. i am going to be getting two Hydor Koralia 1, i really like the look of these.

[Andrew_Murphy]

I'd probably invest in something higher than the 1's if you are going to go reef. For a minimum I'd go for the 2's(600gph) either that or go for more 1's.

[therich84]

i was going to get the 2's but i was told that u ideally want 10X ur tank size which would be 720 gallons an hour...u don't think 1200 gph would be too much

[gatotsu77]

i was going to get the 2's but i was told that u ideally want 10X ur tank size which would be 720 gallons an hour...u don't think 1200 gph would be too much

I remember reading a post by Grins in response to a similar question in another thread. Basically, no, the 2x600 gph would not be too much, and if anything, you'd still have room to add more water flow. She uses ~25x per hour for reef tanks. For a FOWLR tank, it doesn't seem to be as necessary to have water flow super high, just plenty to get to the live rock.

[RiVerfishgirl]

10 times per hour is very low flow for a reef tank. I have two koralia twos on my drilled 50g plus the flow from the return pump and while the flow is high in places it's not blowing things around everywhere or anyting. My return pump is much more of a problem than the koralias.
The thing with koralias is they do NOT flow water like normal powerheads. It's a very wide and gentle flow.

On your size tank you could do two koralia twos with no problems whatsoever. You may even end up wanting up upgrade the flow.

Remember, in a reef tank eliminating dead spots and having at least a bit of current all around the tank is very important.

I'll tell you right now that a koralia one will not be enough for you at all. I have one in my 20L pod propagating tank just for some turnover and it's almost nothing.

[therich84]

so wat would be better 3 of the hydor 2's or 1 hydor 2 and a 4 both equal 1800gph which would be 25X

[therich84]

could someone also recommend a protein skimmer..also i have t5 lighting which is a total of 216 watts is this going to be enough for corals or should i get more

[Grins]

Hi guys I've been keeping FW tanks for the last 11 years and I finally decided to take the leap and change my 72 bowfront from a FW to a SW reef. So far I have 60 pounds of live sand

Don't count on it being full of beneficial life, especially if it came from a plastic bag on a store shelf.


and 55 pounds of live rock that my lfs says is partially cured; which I didn't think was possible.

Not only possible, but probably the most common situation. From the looks of the rock in your tank though it looks like you have dense pieces and I'd get more rock so you have more surface space for bacteria.


My sg is at 1.021

I'd raise this to 1.025 +/- .001


and I so far I have one powerhead going and I will be getting another for the other side of the tank.

The combined flow and avoidance of dead areas is more important than the
number of powerheads. One more might be enough, it might not.


hi i have an aquaclear 700 which is just in there for now as it was from a uv sterilizer setup i had on this tank when it was a fw. i am going to be getting two Hydor Koralia 1, i really like the look of these.

Inadequate for a 72g. In your 72 I'd want 2 Koralia #4s. I have 2 #3s on my 55g and I'm probably going to add another powerhead along the back at the bottom. The 10x flow you heard is the minimum flow for a salt tank, a reef tank needs much higher with 25x being a common minimum used.


I also have a eheim 2217 and 2213 with just the sponges to which I will be adding live rock rubble too tommorow.

OK, but you won't need these if you just buy more live rock instead.


I have t5 lighting which I was told is good for coral.

Some T5s are better than others, do your fixtures have individual reflectors on each bulb? If not you'll want to see about the possibility of retrofitting them.


Now other than getting a protein skimmer eventually is there anything else I need to get.

You don't need the skimmer but I do recommend them, if you click on the Advice to Newbies link in my signature you'll see a suggested shopping list.


I really dont want to set up a sump or fuge.

Why?


too much hassle, i want to keep my setup as simple as i can while providing a healthy environment.

It will actually make the tank maintenance less of a hassle and provide a healthier environment.


Also when should i get a cleaner crew? Is that the first live animal that I should put in the tank once it's cycled.

Yes, after the tank has cycled.



Also I used tap water to start up the tank, from now on i will only used store bought distilled water; is this ok?


Make sure it doesn't come from a source that uses copper pipes. Better yet use RO/DI water. Even better, get your own RO/DI unit.


could someone also recommend a protein skimmer..also i have t5 lighting which is a total of 216 watts is this going to be enough for corals or should i get more

You're limiting your options on skimmers if you don't want a sump. Don't worry about the outdated guidelines of wattage on marine tanks. T5s weren't even created when that guideline came out and are made to use less watts. Instead look at what I said earlier about whether your fixture has individual reflectors.

[therich84]

Don't count on it being full of beneficial life, especially if it came from a plastic bag on a store shelf.



Not only possible, but probably the most common situation. From the looks of the rock in your tank though it looks like you have dense pieces and I'd get more rock so you have more surface space for bacteria.

I just bought 15 more pounds, i got 11 rocks in total.


I'd raise this to 1.025 +/- .001

Its between 1.022 and 1.023, Im gonna add more instant ocean.


The combined flow and avoidance of dead areas is more important than the
number of powerheads. One more might be enough, it might not.



Inadequate for a 72g. In your 72 I'd want 2 Koralia #4s. I have 2 #3s on my 55g and I'm probably going to add another powerhead along the back at the bottom. The 10x flow you heard is the minimum flow for a salt tank, a reef tank needs much higher with 25x being a common minimum used.

I just bought 2 Koralia #2's and I'm gonna buy 1 more #4. I have the #2's at opposite back corners aimed slighty down and angled to the center of the front glass. Where would be a good placement for the #4



OK, but you won't need these if you just buy more live rock instead.



Some T5s are better than others, do your fixtures have individual reflectors on each bulb? If not you'll want to see about the possibility of retrofitting them.

There are individual reflectors.



You don't need the skimmer but I do recommend them, if you click on the Advice to Newbies link in my signature you'll see a suggested shopping list.



Why?



It will actually make the tank maintenance less of a hassle and provide a healthier environment.



Yes, after the tank has cycled.


Make sure it doesn't come from a source that uses copper pipes. Better yet use RO/DI water. Even better, get your own RO/DI unit.

If my mother sees me hooking up another thing in the house she'll kill me so ro/di unit is out



You're limiting your options on skimmers if you don't want a sump. Don't worry about the outdated guidelines of wattage on marine tanks. T5s weren't even created when that guideline came out and are made to use less watts. Instead look at what I said earlier about whether your fixture has individual reflectors.


Thanks for the advice got any more tips i should know. I just got a test kit, my alkalinity was 3 so i put some buffer in and my ph was 8. my calcium was at 300 so i added supplement. my ammonia is 0.8 so my cycle is starting right?

[Grins]

Yes your cycle has started. I'd not worry too much about alkalinity and calcium at this point...especially because they will both go up with the proper specific gravity. What are using to buffer them by the way? Some solutions are better than others.

If the RO/DI unit is out, consider the RO/DI from the LFS.

A good placement for PHs will depend on where the dead areas are in your tank, only you can know where those are.

[therich84]

it is a super buffer for ph and alkalinity made by kent

[Grins]

Be really careful of those....they are easy to overdose. Very easy to overdose. Unless you're positive you're not doing that I'd stick to a 2 part solution to make sure you stay balanced and to prevent much of the overdosing problems.

[therich84]

i have added 2 more hydor 3's for a total of 2900gph or a 40X turnover. i also got a mtc protein skimmer. anything else i need

[Grins]

Check what you have gathered or made notes on against this list: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=21

[cullyisgully]

needs more live rock man just like me lol