New 75g and new to forum.

schigara

schigara

AC Members
Jan 2, 2005
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Memphis, Tn
www.geocities.com
Hey guys n gals.

I have been lurking around in here for a week or so and have been reading as much as I can. I have learned a lot but I still have some questions about starting a SW tank.

I purchased a 75g tank and have built my own stand. When I bought the tank(not reef ready), I had no idea about sumps/refugiums and the tank has a tempered bottom so I am stuck with using a hang-on weir. A lot of people say that the only drawback to a hang-on weir is the possibilty of losing the siphon and flooding the room but I can monitor it enough to prevent this from happening since it will be in an office that is open 7 days a week so it will never be left unattended. Anyway, I plan to do a fishless cycle using pure ammonia and then start off with just a few fish and some live plants and live rock, after the tank is established for 6 months or so, adding some coral. Is it really necessary to buy a pre made skimmer? I like to build things myself but I have yet to find a site that shows a good diagram or pics of a DIY skimmer. Does anyone know of a site for a good DIY skimmer? The retail skimmers to accomodate 100 g capacity are fairly pricey.

Thanks for any help.

Pics of newly made stand
Marine_005.jpg

Marine_006.jpg

Marine_007.jpg
 
Hi schigara and welcome to the forums!

I'm just about to buy a 75 gallon tank myself and upgrade from my current 2 foot (18 gal) tank. How about that?

Well, sounds like you've started out the right way by reading as much as you can. I've been reading lots and lots too and I'm currently planning to build my own sump.

To cycle my first tank I used a small piece of prawn (or shrimp as you yanks call it). I'm not sure about using ammonia, but if that's what you've read and people are having success then do it.

Just because your tank has a tempered bottom doesn't mean you can't get the back wall drilled. However, if you're happy to use an overflow then it will do the same job - just make sure you have enough 'linear length' of overflow. Personally, I will be getting my new tank drilled.

Back to the cycle... I would cycle with the live rock and DSB (deep sand bed - about 4 inches or very fine sand is recommended) before adding fish. I know some people throw in a fish or two to help the cycle, but I'd rather wait until the tank is ready and then get the fish I want.

I have come across plans for DIY skimmers, so they are out there - I just don't have a link for you right now. Have a go with Google and then search the DIY forum here for 'skimmer'.

Lastly, nice cabinet! I really like the door on the end. I was wondering if I will be able to fit my sump into my new cabinet, but now you've given me a workaround!

Cheers,
Chris
 
Blackwater,

Thanks for the link. That should get me on my way for building my own skimmer.

The night that I started building the frame of my stand, I was reading a lot on here about sumps and how much trouble some had with fitting them into their stands so I decided to add a door to allow me to slide a good sized sump in from the end of the stand. I imagine that even most store bought stands could be modified in this way to ease the entrance of a sump.
 
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