Necessities for a 75 gallon

[Bjohn]

Hey guys, I'm thinking of upgrading from a 37 gallon to a 75 gallon. What are some essentials? I'm planning on putting in some reef breeders led's, turn my 37 gallon into a sump. Any suggestions on skimmers, powerheads or any other hardware? Thanks!


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[Rick]

ati fixture, cone skimmer, 2x mp40, dosing pumps, reef keeper lite

 

[Bjohn]

Good idea! Anyone else?


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[Bjohn]

bump!

 

[bucksfan1976]

Ok Here is what I would run

2 x Maxspect 120 Watt 16k LED Fixtures- $838.99
1 x jebao WP 40 wavemaker/powerhead (get the power supply that you can turn the power down) $100.00
1 x Tunze 6025 powerhead to help with random current $65.00
I would go with a reef octopus space saving skimmer $199.99
Reef Keeper Lite to help control everything $129.99
Mag 7 Return Pump $80.00




I would not worry about dosing so much right off the get go, espically if you are gonna just have frags for awhile, once they start growing then dosing might be needed, however I have never dosed I just keep up on my bi-weekly waterchanges and everthing stays stable.

 

[navila06]

water

 

[justgotwet]

Ro/di if you don't already have one.

 

[jservedio]

I would buy yourself 2 of the BRS media reactors for running GFO and Carbon. Whatever return pump you planned on using, pick the next size up and BUILD A MANIFOLD! This way you only need a single pump in your sump and you aren't dumping lots of heat into the water. I really, really wished I did this since now my sump is full of pumps....

 

[bucksfan1976]

I would buy yourself 2 of the BRS media reactors for running GFO and Carbon. Whatever return pump you planned on using, pick the next size up and BUILD A MANIFOLD! This way you only need a single pump in your sump and you aren't dumping lots of heat into the water. I really, really wished I did this since now my sump is full of pumps....

+1 thats exactly what I did

 

[icedearth15324]

I'm in the process of building a 75 gallon tank right now, so I'll list what I have.

-20 long tank made into a sump
-Taam Rio 17 return pump
-Fluval M 300w Heater
-dual 1" returns
-1.5" drain with custom in tank overflow box
-Planning on getting a skimmer later on
-2x Reefbreeder Photon16s for lighting
-ReefKeeper Lite
-some other item for water movement

I'm hopefully gonna have the tank up in a couple weeks.

 

[jservedio]

Another cheap benefit is a Ranco 111000-000 temperature controller. You can pick one up for $50 if you know basic electronics or buy one pre-wired for $75. This way if the thermostat in your heater breaks in the "On" position (happens a lot - they are very cheap bi-metal switches or super cheap simple solid states) you won't fry your tank. Also, using the Ranco, you will keep a much more stable temperature to within +/- 1 degree F as opposed to the +/- 2-3 degrees F that the consumer heaters give you. Will be the best "safety upgrade" you can do for your tank.

There are other pre-built controllers that aren't as robust as the Ranco you can buy from any LFS for ~$50 - they will give you a good backup as well. In order to have a failure that boils your tank - both the controller AND heater would have to malfunction at the exact same time.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Get the Spectrapure dual reactor, its plumbed so each side is independent of the other since GFO and Carbon have different flow requirements and different useful lives. I would also spring for a better pump than a Mag or Rio, they run hot, are noisy and draw more power than more modern designs that don't cost much more initially.

The MP-40's are great but hugely overpriced since they own the patent on them for a few more years and control the market. Myself I went with the Reefkeeper Lite and have two Hydor Evolutions on the wavemaker function switching every 30 seconds and been doing it that way for about 3 years now. The RKL also controls the heater and fans and provides alarms and other functions so a separate Ranco is not needed.

For lighting I have two AI Sol Blues and love them but there are more options today than there were over 2 years ago so shop around. My skimmer is a used ASM G2 and its been great and inexpensive since I bought it from a fellow reefer, keep an eye out for local reef clubs or on Craigslist for good used equipment.

 

[jservedio]

its plumbed so each side is independent of the other since GFO and Carbon have different flow requirements and different useful lives.

+1 on this.

The most important part is the difference in lifespan - people tend to push the GAC well past the limit instead of wasting still-useful GFO when they are mixed.

You can get ANY reactors you want and for $10 you can get a 1/2" John Guest (JG) Y-fitting and an extra 1/2" Ball-Valve from Home Depot or Lowes to control each reactor independently on a single pump. Short of this, as long as you are adjusting flow rate for the GFO and run your GAC on the outflow of the GFO you will be good.

However, if you build a manifold off of your return pump, you won't need any of this since you will be controlling the reactors totally independently with ball valves in the hard-plumbing and won't need a separate feed pump! $3 worth of PVC can save you the cost of a pump and 12-18 watts worth of heat.