75 gallon reef tank Journal (Video Journal)

[mes1234]

This is my new(used) 75 gallon reef tank. I currently have a beautiful 55 gallon that I can show later in a different video, but I got a upgrade from a man about 15 minutes away from me who needed it gone. Basically, it is super cold outside and he was running 2 heaters out in the garage to keep the live rock warm. His wife wanted everything out, so he just called me and told me to come get it for free. When I arrived, i was just in awe on how nice the stuff was. Sometimes people give stuff away because it is in such rough shape they know they cannot sell it, so why not have someone come get it with no work involved. This was not the case. This was a man who just didn't need money, was retired, and had a wife that told him to get rid of it. He had a 75 (mine now), a 65 gallon that both had tons of premium live rock in it. He thew ALL the live rock into the 75 gallon, and put it out in the garage to sit for 8 months. But back on track, I came there with 12 buckets and loaded the rock in them and took the tank off his hands. This video journal will be me cleaning EVERYTHING and figuring out new methods to get things up and running so I can get my fish and corals from my 55, to this 75 with the least amount of stress possible on both. Hope everyone enjoys this journal, there will be updates every day, and on weekends may only be one update during the whole weekend as I am very busy on weekends. Enjoy everyone.

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[Haydn24]

Cool vid :) but I think that rock is just base rock now :P

[Cheech]

that's incredible! Congrats on the tank and especially the rock.

Don't be too sure that tall that rock is dead. If it was submerged in saltwater and heated, I'm almost positive there are still critters in there somewhere.

I purchased rock off a guy who had it inside a bin, unheated and with no water circulation. It had been there for about 3 months. It was white, with no sign of life whatsoever. I placed it all in my tank, and within weeks I started to see it all come to life.

Keep us updated! And show some pics of your 55.

[mes1234]

Hey everyone. Hope everyone is enjoying the videos. This is day 2 of my restoration project on the 75 gallon reef tank. I have 90% finished the glass lids, and beginning the work on the actual tank itself. Enjoy the first video which has footage of my current 55 gallon. I will have possibly 5 videos today for you guys. Enjoy :) and please leave comments. I love comments.

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[mes1234]

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[mes1234]

Okay, so this is the last video of day 2. The tank is coming together nicely, and is beginning to shine! Hope to hear from you all, enjoy the movies.
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[Cheech]

That anemone is huge! Very healthy looking tank, (your 55).. congrats.

and enjoy cleaning out and setting up your new tank.

Keep us updated.

Question: how come you keep the water level in your sump so low?

[mes1234]

I keep it low just on one side. I have to because if the power fails, the return water fills the entire tank up. So by keep the water level just on one side low like that, it allows me breathing room if the power or pump fails.

[Cheech]

have you considered adding some chaeto in the fuge area? You seem to have the space and the lighting for it.

[mes1234]

well I could at some point. Since I am switching to a new sump, I will have to refit everything and see if I have the room for it.

[mes1234]

Just an update for you all. I just cleaned up the stand quite a bit, and also put a coat of stain on the bottom inside of the stand. I will put that in my next video for you guys to see. The stand looks great now.

[gt1009]

God, your anenome is HUGE!!! Awesome 55, can't wait to see what you do with the extra width.

[soobie]

For moving the sand without clouding: How about draining the water from the 55 (into buckets or a big tub or whatever), put the rock into the 75, scoop the sand out of the 55 and put it in the 75, and THEN fill the 75 with old/new water. If you pour the water onto a plate or shallow bowl in the tank, it won't stir up the sand.

This way you're not trying to move sand through water, and it won't get cloudy.

[mes1234]

That is a good idea. Thank you for the tip.

[mes1234]

After the Green Bay Packer game, I will take some new videos of what I did this weekend. Go pack Go!

[mes1234]

Hello Aquaria central! Go pack go! Anyways, this is my only video of today. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I am off work. A lot of work will be done tomorrow. I can guarantee that I will for sure be done with the stand and the tank. After that, I will be working on getting that sump back to running shape. Then maybe to Ace Hardware to get some plumbing supplies for the sump. Wish me luck. Enjoy day 3 video.

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[FallenAngel]

Absolutely stunning tank! One day I'll build a reef tank.. one day.. But that is beautiful. Great job my friend!

[mes1234]

Okay, I did one more thing tonight before I quit for the night. I took the sump completely apart, and I am letting all the acrylic soak in a very light bleach mixture. That way everything, including the bio balls, will be completely free of parasites.

[mes1234]

This is a big update. Got quite a bit done today. Check out my latest work.

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[mes1234]

This is the end of day 4. I do have water in the tank, it is getting close to being finished. The fish will be in it tomorrow if everything goes correctly.
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[Showdown]

Hey bro. Amazing looking tank.

I have been watching your updates and noticed your black fish with stripes of bright blue and the white dot. I have the same fish and could not ID the fish. I finall found out that he is a Black Velvet Damsel. Once they start getting older they lose their blue and white stripes and become completely black. Here is a video of my tank which includes the same sized damsel. He has been very aggressive. How is yours?

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[mes1234]

Mine is not aggressive at all. In fact, the tangs keep him in line. Ty for IDing this fish.

[Showdown]

Man that's strange. Mine constantly chases then green chromises around.

[mes1234]

Okay, so the problems today about killed me. First of all, it is snowing out sooooo hard and the roads are horrendous. I went to the hardware store and got my pvc piping. I called my dad to double check my current piping to see if it was 3/4 or 1 inch. He says 1 inch so I bought all 1 inch. Turns out everything is 3/4. At this time I have the fish and corals in a bucket so I am freaking out. Then I go back to the hardware store to get a adapter. Then I start filling the tank with tank water. I was 2 buckets short of water, so I had to run to my lps to get some good water. Thats 3 times I went out in the blizzard. Then I realized that a lot of my older pumps have a hard time fitting in the new sump so I had to be creative. Anways, as you can tell, things are just thrown around in the tank. Once everything settles, and I get a positive spirit back, I will rearrange things to make it look a lot better. Tomorrow the water should be crystal clear again, so I will take longer video. Wish me luck and hope no fish die from this big move.
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[Cheech]

^^^ I hate it when that happens! And it always happens (to me anyways).. Spend an hour at the hardware store making sure I got everything I need, only to get home, start the build, and something ether doesn't fit, or I purchased the wrong piece.

Glad you got everything you needed though. Looking good.!..


how come you buy your water from the LFS? no ro unit yet ?

[mes1234]

I don't buy RO water. I get it for free when I need it. I know the store owner. I had 4 buckets (20 gallons) ready to go. I needed 30 gallons, and it takes about a full day just to get 1 full bucket (5gallons) from my home. So since the fish were in buckets, I couldn't wait 2 days to get 10 gallons. I do not know why our RO system is so slow, but it gives pristine water. TDS meter usually shows like 5.

[mes1234]

Hey guys, just an update of a clearer tank.
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[melissadotson]

i'm not sure but the black fish with stripes that you have...if i remember i think it's called a velvet damnsel..at least that's the common name...

[mes1234]

Okay guys, this will be my last video for a bit. The tank is really complete for the moment. The minute I change something or add something I will update. Please leave me comments on this journal. I need to know how much people enjoyed it, or disliked it. Thanks!
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[Conski]

Nice anem man! HUGEEE

[Ace25]

Quite an amazing tank for $16!!! Looks very nice and clean and I agree with Conski.. that anemone is insane!! I have never seen one that big, mine always split once they hit about 12".

Oh, you called those clowns Tomato clowns, they are Maroon clowns. ;) I don't think firefish will go well with the clowns and damsels.. how about a wrasse of some type? Or a dwarf angel? You should get a couple gobies in the sand as well, like a yellow watchman.

[mes1234]

Yes I realized I said the wrong clowns soon as I watched the video. I am like, "wow I am an idiot for saying that".

[Cheech]

Really great job you did on the tank! To think, last week it was a mess!

Congrats!

[mes1234]

Thanks, it is not complete yet, but once all the new rock gets seeded, I will make it look more professional and clean. Right now it just looks like a rock mess.