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mtdewlover

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Dec 19, 2002
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So I'm getting a 75 gallon tank. I need a skimmer, and a wet/dry filter, a heater, lighting, gravel and salt.

Any suggestions for what kind/brand/size filter and skimmer I should get?

Is a tube heater sufficient?

Do I use a coral substrate?

And as for lights I don't know to go fish only or get coral and inverts. What would I need for each?

I'm confused and thank you for your help ;)
 

OrionGirl

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Aug 14, 2001
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For the wet-dry--you don't need to get one. If you plan on having live rock, and use 3-6 inches of sand as a substrate, the wet-dry will just be more work than you need. The live rock and sand will provide all the bacteria bed that you need.

Tube heaters are fine, you just need to get the right size. The normal recommendation is 3-5 watts per gallon, so a 75 will need somewhere around 350 watts. You could go with 2 200 watt heaters--this will prevent either heater from running too much, and prevent a larger heater from cooking the tank if it sticks on.

As implied above, sand is a preferable substrate to crushed coral. The cc does not provide the anaerobic conditions needed to process nitrates (well, not unless you really want to have 18+ inches of the stuff), and can contribute to high nitrates by trapping waste particles. Any kind of sand will work--you want the smallest grain size you can find, and some types are made of aragonite, which will help buffer the tank. Old Kastle and Southdown are 2 brands to look for at your local home building supply store.

For fish only, normal output fluorescent lights are adequate--they are just for your viewing. Corals vary in their light needs, anywhere from a minimum of 3 watts per gallon all the way up to 10+. However--the quality of light is more important than the quantity--200 watts of normal output is not the same as 200 watts from a metal hallide. Look at power compacts and metal hallide. VHO are a bit cheaper, but don't provide the same quality of light and will limit you some. Non-coral inverts, like snails, shrimps and crabs, don't really care about the lighting much.
 

widdledink

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Sep 23, 2003
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I noticed that OG didn't answer your question about a skimmer.
I have a Berlin Skimmer by Red Sea and have been very pleased with it. I have it placed in my sump and keeps my water very clear. I also have a Gulf Stream W/D filter that has worked out great. only problem is that it came with a spinning spray bar, and I will be changing it out with a drip tray.

I have about 3.5-4" of CC and have been fighting very high nitrates for about 2 months now (about 160ppm). OrionGirl

is right about the sand bed. Sand is a much better way to go. I am planning on doing a 50/50 mix of live sand and some Old Kastle that is at my local home depot.

BTW I like your name MtDewLover.:D
 

kreblak

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Mar 13, 2003
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I have to agree on the deep sand bed. I had a 4" deep crushed coral substrate, and my nitrates were off the charts high. I switched over to a 4" DSB, and my nitrates are back down to about 10-15 ppm. Crushed coral works well as a buffer for your SW, but a DSB is better for the overall health of the tank. Plus, my hermits really seem to like the sand better.

As far as lighting goes, you will need to decide how the tank is to be set up. If you want a true reef tank, you are going to need some serious light. 3-5 watts per gallon in the rule for corals, more if you want clams and such. You will want a 50/50 mix of 10,000 k and actinic lighting bulbs for optimum spectrum emission. If you just want a fish only with live rock (FOWLR) then you will need just enough light to keep to the corralline algae on your LR thriving, and any photosynthetic hitchhikers you get as well.

One side note: you will save yourself a lot of time, trouble, and expense if you set up your tank in a location where it does not receive ANY direct sunlight. This goes for reflected sunlight as well. Green hair algae (the scourge of SW tanks) loves direct or reflected sunlight. Cut off the sunlight, you cut off the algae's ability to take over your tank. My tank gets some sun reflected off of a window in the late efternoon. The areas of my tank affected by hair algae are the exact portions of the tank exposed to the reflected light. Just to make sure that was the culprit, I placed a 3x3 inch patch of duct tape over a portion of the tank. After two weeks, the area behind the tape was algae free. :rolleyes:
 
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