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75 gal tank build w/ 90 upgrade! (1 Viewer)

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alright here is a so far update:

since i got the tank i have:

STAND: caulked joints where i couldnt paint and threw on 2 coats of rustoleum primer and 3 coats of gloss black paint. threw on some brushed nickel knobs i had laying around and cut the holes for the bulkheads in the top of the stand.

TANK: put in a 1"bulkhead in the bottom of the tank with a gurgle buster overflow that worked like a champ during leak testing. 3/4" bulkhead for the mag7 return pump. installed locline through the false back for the return. sweated some since its hot in the garage. drank some beer. then moved everything inside after leak testing.

I picked up ballasts for the MHs an ATO and Bulbs today (thank you guys) reflectors are in the mail, after a late night jam session with the nailgun the canopy should be primed and painted tomorrow.
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Alright Felix here we go. Got the tank filled with tap water(let the OH MY GOD YOUR GONNA DIE'S start) I figure since right now it is fish only i dont really care. I am planning on picking up an RO or RODI system before i start stocking corals. Yall did not see the canopy build, but...

frame was built from 1x2s and sheeted with birch ply that was mis priced by some idiot for 10 bucks (thank you to him) built it 16" tall to fit the spider reflectors which i mounted perpendicular to the front after reading Melv's experiment w/ PAR readings.

Substrate is sugar aragonite sand mixed with crushed coral.

Rock is dry with some seeded picked up from around town.

bulbs are 250w 20k reefgrows (no plans for atinic support right now.

Inhabitants so far:
3 chromis, peps (aptasia on some of the rock from T&T) Coral banded shrimp $5 at petco and he eats like a champ, and thank you again to the idiot who mispriced a sailfin (healthy) from petco for 7 bucks. CUC is in the mail will be here just in time for the diatom feast!

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flexrac

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I won't do that to you, but honestly water from the mill would have been better. fish only or not, the algae growth from tap water will be a pita, unless you get a major cleanup crew. (by the way the crushed coral will end up on top and the sand on the bottom, then you may or may not hate the crushed coral. I use itin my 75. about to yank it out so i can get fish that burrow in the sand. so if you need more i got it. Fyi, if you start to get hair algae, a 2 spot bristle tooth tang will be your friend, that and high mag levels, (1600 to be exact)
for bubble algae, the small ones, emerald crabs and a naso tang will be your friend. get a few turbo snails for the glass, the mexican ones. the are monsters at cleaning. if you want to keep the substrate stirred, an engineer goby will do the job, just make sure your rocks are on the bottom of the glass and not on top of the substrate, otherwise rockslide.

what kind of fish you plan on keeping?
 
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yea i know plan on getting a system this week that way i can keep the disolved solids out.

I have had eng. gobies before they are pieces of work... not a big fan.

as far as fish. a small school of little chromis, sailfin tang, hippo tang, clown or clown pair, six line wrasse, i would love to get a potters angel but it would have to behave itself.
 

Llama

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Lookin great so far! Holler if you need anything.

Nice to meet you and the wife the other day.
 

flexrac

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the chromis will kill each other off ( i know happened to me and a few others)
now for your list:
i suggest one tang, only two if they are juvi and you plan to upgrade, the hippo will grow to about 6-7 inches fast and then slow down. again from experience.

6 line are a deff plus.

how about a dwarf angel or Heniochus Butterfly
or shoal of Firefish Goby - Purple

and for a little pop:
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/Flagfin-Angelfish-40A41_p_192.html
 

flexrac

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not a fan, plus everyone has one. i try to be diff.
common fish in houston:
mystery wrasse
yellow tang
purple tang
blue hippo
chevron tang
picasso clowns.
 
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id do the mystery wrasse...if it was free.

some fish are more common than others and i have a gag reflex when it comes to pricey fish. I had a pwdr blue tang that was in my last large tank and he tanked and it made me want to puke the money that went out right there. so I am the penny pinching reefer in a way cant bring myself to buy a 150 dollar fish however...ORA snowflake clowns my wife wont shut up about so maybe they will join the tank.

But as far as fish go i am in no rush. I filled my five gallon bucket and these halides are sucking it dry so next item in line is an RO or DI system and a way to plumb it in.

But I need to get the tank stocked before all of my funds get diverted to killing ducks and geese.
 
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What are some options for storing the RODI water? If i hook it up i think i want to do it in the garage and move water inside instead of plumbing it directly to the tank.
 

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There are some water storage containers for sale in the used equipment area. Also, they sell some sweet jugs at tractor supply.

Leo (flipside) showed me a sweet 33ish gallon that he got from there.
 

flexrac

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yep, i personally use all the salt buckets i have aquired.
the buy section have rodi on the cheap right now, you can get one and then get the replacement filters from BFS (Great guys and service)
 
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i am going to purchase one once i get the money from these bulk inverts.

I found some food safe 15gal jugs on CL but i would like 30 better for mass H2O changes etc.
 
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