Building a new 72gallon reef tank

[Plowgod]

Looking for some guidance and recommendations on building a new reef tank and want to make sure to start off on the right foot. Need some lighting, filtration, substrate, and coral recommendations. Thanks

 

[Spit.fire]

Well the first thing that we would need to know is what kind of budget you plan on having for the build, also if you have any experience with keeping saltwater

 

[Plowgod]

At this point, I have not put a budget together yet. I am looking to build a tank the right way and not really concerned with a budget, I just want to do it right and have a healthy reef tank. I have a 29 bio cube now and have been struggling with it. Many people have said that a biocube is not the eaisest to succeed with and larger tanks are easier than smaller ones. The 72 gallon bow front is not drilled out so I am thinking of a external system and a berlin style sump verses a refugium. I am looking for a easier system verses a ton of maintance. Thanks

 

[chimmike]

I'd recommend a beananimal drain system for quiet and redundancy. It's virtually silent.

Sump? Go as big as you can. I've used old 50 and 75 gallon glass tanks as sumps, using cheap glass from a glass shop cut and siliconed in place for baffles.

Take a good look at the Neptune Apex. I'm going to be building a system centered around complete control via the Apex, with web accessibility. Dosing, auto top off, temperature, lighting, monitoring probes, and emergency shut-offs. That should help you decide what lighting is compatible for controllability.

What is your goal? SPS/LPS or just softies and fish? The lighting and nutrient demands are different. Softies are generally easier to maintain, but how rewarding SPS v. LPS v. softies is, is totally subjective.

 

[Spit.fire]

At this point, I have not put a budget together yet. I am looking to build a tank the right way and not really concerned with a budget, I just want to do it right and have a healthy reef tank. I have a 29 bio cube now and have been struggling with it. Many people have said that a biocube is not the eaisest to succeed with and larger tanks are easier than smaller ones. The 72 gallon bow front is not drilled out so I am thinking of a external system and a berlin style sump verses a refugium. I am looking for a easier system verses a ton of maintance. Thanks

follow my tank build, im setting up a simple, low maintenance system that i should be able to keep any corals in