first saltwater tank, 75 gallon build thread

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hahnd37

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Jul 19, 2010
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Hey everyone,
Let me start by saying thanks to all of you who have given me advice as I researched this whole saltwater world. This is my build thread(pictures to come). I started out with a used 75 gallon, that came with the following equipment.
75 gal tank with light and glass top
wooden stand with hood
65 pounds of live rock
crushed coral substrate
aqua clear 70 HOB filter
aqua clear powerhead
theo 200 W heater
1 3 spot domino damsel
The included picture was the tank set up at the sellers house.
Since then I have been so busy that all I could do is put the live rock in a box. The damsel is in 5 gallon holding tank(only 1-1/2 inch long) with some of its live rock and water which I bought as a temp house and will use as a qt tank. Thats when the problems started.
I cleaned out the unwanted crushed coral and cleaned the tank only to discover a leak. I decided since the 250 I paid for the whole outfit was well worth the stand and live rock, that buying a new tank from a local LFS having a dollar per gal sale was the way to go. I have 90 # of sand ready to go and wanted to have it all set up and ready to go tonight but cannot get the thing leveled. The one thing I hadn't planned on was complications from setting it on carpet. Of course I realized this too late on labor day to do anything about it so tomorrow I will go buy some plywood and shims to set the stand on. Its not off by much, bubble touching the line on the level, but I am taking no chances. A little discouraged right now, but keeping my head up. Wish me luck on the rest of this, I have pictures of the process and will upload them when I can.
-Dave

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OldManOfTheSea

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Mar 21, 2007
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Hi Dave, you must come to terms to just how impossible your 75 gal system is for this HOB filter you have, I wouldn’t have it even with a 30 gal tank for which, even with damsels to how hardy they are, would soon enough in time come to their horrible demise, you will need the best skimmer you can buy and I guess that it would also have to be a HOB. For the way you now have it, you will fail with everything you try to maintain in your 75 gal tank and you will soon enough discover that your oxygen levels will be extremely low with heavy waste buildups which will only suffocate any marine animal you care to own. This is one reason why you not gotten any other responses from other members. So in short, if you go with the way you now have this tank of yours, you will cause the death of every marine creature you attempt to keep, and so it is a waste of marine life and money.
 

hahnd37

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Jul 19, 2010
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Well I was never happy with the filter, but the guy who owned it had successfully maintained the tank for 9 years. I had also been told by others on various forums plus the lfs that the liverock and sand would do most of the work. It was always my intention to add a larger filter(either sump or canister) and a backpack skimmer. I also have added 2 koralias 4 powerheads for water movement.
 

OldManOfTheSea

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Mar 21, 2007
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So you think that the LR and sand will compensate for your lack of filtration and waste removal, this im afraid will become a rude awaking for you. So you bough this setup from another who tells you he had a great deal of success with it. there is a saying that you should had gotten other true opinions if the setup meets to your liking to what you would like to do within it.

The four power heads will not however make your water quality perfect to what you will need it for, besides, you had some 25 viewers before I responded to your topic, that a lone young man should tell you something that your heading in the wrong direction. but if you want to go by what other forums told you, you can go right ahead and after you learn the hard way after you thrown away a certain amount of money in live stock, you then might want to check back here and admit the suggestions giving to you by other forums weren't true facts but what they really are is the cheapest way to attempt the hobby.

I can promise you this, with the present statement you giving here, you will when you start up with live stock will seem that your being successful, but I can promise you that you will meet up with near total failure, it will prove only to be a fact you will fail.

the other then, you can from all you gotten from those few others in some other forum links is their opinion, and it be just like reading a book on the proper care some some marine species, that Authors opinion< so no matter were you read it, or who tells it to you, you need other opinions as well< not just listen to the very first thing you hear.

But of course, the first opinion could at times be your best suggestion to go with, but im telling you from what you have there you will most surely fail. And so, its your call, you want to go with the other forum link suggestions because it turns out cheaper for you< then go right a head, I just will feel sorry for the live stock you place in that tank.

The best way would be a sump and a far better skimmer then you listed< but this line of yours< you only thrown in before you posted again. so at lease you might be considering certain changes.
 

hahnd37

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Jul 19, 2010
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Sir, I think you are being a little rash in your judgement of me. I can assure you that I have not just taken the first opinion given, nor am I trying to take take the cheapest route. I have read two books and talked to most of the LFSs in my town. This link http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233322 (a thread on this very forum) is just one example of advice I have gotten from forums. (Note: I have abandoned the snowflake eel plans. While it has been shown by everyplace I have looked that a 75 is sufficient, I recently got a glimpse of one full grown and could not imagine that being happy in my tank.) As you can see in that thread, I had every intention of changing the filtration before I got the tank. I do appreciate your input, but would ask that you don't be so quick to judge me. I have read a lot and and asked a lot of questions, and I want to do the right thing by any animal I take into my home. I hope now that I have elaborated some you can see those things and not see me as a rash individual who just wants to cut corners for temporary pleasure.
 

OldManOfTheSea

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Mar 21, 2007
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All for only $250 its very low cost for a 75 setup

The size of the tank and equipment wise for it, is extremely cheap so no, im not being rash or making any judgment of you personally in this matter. You see that you not mention the other items I think in this new thread for I agree that the skimmer suggested to you in that other link will do much better for you then the one you mention here. So the photo you provided was when the tank was at the other owners home. So you really don’t have this setup as yet, so why don't you go within the idea of the method to having a sump< in which then you have have a better select for a internal skimmer.

I have a number of items here to sell at some point, I might be able to better assist you on your sumps skimmer for I happen to have a few different skimmers, but all are EUROREEF.

I will be going away until after the second Monday from now on the 20th, I will call the guy who have my other parts to my skimmer pumps to see which are working. But if you show me one more hash word were as all I been trying to do here is help if I could< I will not respond any further, I don’t need the negative attitude your assuming here< im not to well here to deal with such a negative deposition.
 

whyzee250

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Aug 17, 2005
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Salida, CA
it seems as if there has been a break down in communication. I assure you that OldMan means no harm, he just comes off as a little harsh at times, but he knows his stuff. haha. It been a couple months since the last post so hopefully everything is coming along okay.
 

Jstdv8

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Feb 22, 2010
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I'd have to disagree, I personally run a 120g tank with no skimmer or mechanical filter at all and I know several otehrs who don't run skimmers or mechanical filtration.
Just a simple sump with macro algae. Live rock and Live sand is the best fitration going IMO.
So I have to ask... Exactly what are you basing this information off of?
 

hahnd37

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Jul 19, 2010
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Whyzee250, no breakdown. I actually wrote a PM to OldMan apologizing for my part of the misunderstanding. I never heard back from him. However, I did put the tank on hiatus, just keeping it running to keep the used live rock from dying. I also unfortunately did not realize that back pak is a specific skimmer. I thought I was using a generic term. In my mind a big misunderstanding brought on by the problems of not being able to judge tone through electronic means. Again, I hope if he sees this he is doing ok and accepts my apology.
 

hahnd37

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Jul 19, 2010
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jsutdv8, not sure if you meant me or OldMan, but I have since been getting a lot of info and advice from the crew at wetwebmedia. I also read Bob Fenner and Marvin Moe Jr.'s books. I am running a remora pro w/ mag 350 and the pre skimmer box, along with 80 pounds of live rock, and 150 pounds of live sand. I have two koralia 4s and two koralia 1s for circulation. The tank is now cycling. I would like a sump and fuge, but my tank has tempered glass so no to that. I thought about a siphon overflow, but have heard a lot of bad things.
 
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