Needing help with building 75 gallon tank.

[Moro]

So as the title says I’m building a 75 gallon long reef tank. Someone told me this tank isnt really good for building a reef tank and that it would be jank if I did, I bought it used for $80 and thought it would be an awesome upgrade, now I’m doubting it because what this guy has told me. I was thinking of a fluval 407 canister filter but no idea what lights or heaters to get for this. Is this a bad idea, is he right?

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Usually with large tanks like this you want a sump. That said you don't necessarily need one, but it helps tremendously. Cannister filters don't work well in saltwater like they do for freshwater. Filtration in saltwater tanks usually consist of protein skimmers, and filter socks or fleece rollers. Live rock and sand is the biological Filtration.

For heaters, you need one ~250-300w heater. However, I suggest getting two and a heating controller, like an inkbird, so you have much more safety.

Lighting you should research yourself, because there are many options. Once you have an idea of what you want you can post here and we can make sure it will work. Some questions to help you start researching: corals? softie, LPS, sps or mixed reef? Budget?

 

[BristleWormHater]

Any reason why I wouldn't be good for reefing? Is it sealed for water or is it a terrarium?
I would modify it to make it compatible with a sump.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Agree with above,

If you're able, check and see if the tank has tempered glass or not. If not, drill and put an overflow in it and run a sump. Best way to check is with a laptop and a pair of polarized sunglasses.
Canister filters tend to be nitrate factories if not maintained properly.
If it holds water, I say use it

 

[Moro]

Any reason why I wouldn't be good for reefing? Is it sealed for water or is it a terrarium?
I would modify it to make it compatible with a sump.

I have no idea, it holds water the guy just told me that it wouldn’t work out. And as for a sump does that require drilling?

 

[Moro]

Agree with above,

If you're able, check and see if the tank has tempered glass or not. If not, drill and put an overflow in it and run a sump. Best way to check is with a laptop and a pair of polarized sunglasses.
Canister filters tend to be nitrate factories if not maintained properly.
If it holds water, I say use it

It’s tampered glass, what would be my next best option? I couldn’t run a sump unfortunately.

 

[Moro]

Usually with large tanks like this you want a sump. That said you don't necessarily need one, but it helps tremendously. Cannister filters don't work well in saltwater like they do for freshwater. Filtration in saltwater tanks usually consist of protein skimmers, and filter socks or fleece rollers. Live rock and sand is the biological Filtration.

For heaters, you need one ~250-300w heater. However, I suggest getting two and a heating controller, like an inkbird, so you have much more safety.

Lighting you should research yourself, because there are many options. Once you have an idea of what you want you can post here and we can make sure it will work. Some questions to help you start researching: corals? softie, LPS, sps or mixed reef? Budget?

Looking to have a mixed reef with soft flowey corals with a few anemones and fish with lots of personality. Could I get a filter that hangs off the back, just for water clarity and let the biology do the rest? And with that being said I won’t have to really worry about filters if i have a skimmer instead

 

[Moro]

It’s tampered glass, what would be my next best option? I couldn’t run a sump unfortunately.

Ultimately I’m just looking to be told really how to set it because I don’t wanna make these decisions and regret it without someone else’s opinion. Without a filter I could just get a jet for surface agitation annd flow and a skimmer?

 

[Bruttall]

DIY Over the Top overflow box I built on a 4ft 75gallon aquarium. I have no idea why they would tell you that makes a jank reef tank.



I run a sump on everything. It is just easier that way, Skimmer is mandatory, and maybe some type of fleece like a sock.

I ended up migrating this 75g into an 8ft 300g tank I have. Check my build thread. Lots of DIY in my projects.

Do you have a budget for lights? They tend to be the Single Most Expensive Investment. I suggest Reefi Labs Uno 2.1 lights. You would need 2 of them and you'd be able to grow anything you a
want. Softy, lps, sps. anything. I have 4 of them on my 300g. They are half the price of the Leading Brands like Radion, Orphek, and in my opinion a better light with more overall wattage and more spectrum channels.

Good Luck to you.

 

[BristleWormHater]

I have no idea, it holds water the guy just told me that it wouldn’t work out. And as for a sump does that require drilling?

Yup you gotta drill it

 

[pken40]

I have the exact same tank and stand. Mixed reef and no sump. I also have the Fluval 407 canister filter (clean weekly) along with other items. Can be done. Not easy. 3 years into it. I have a few SPS and LPS and softies

 

[PharmrJohn]

I'd suggest two heaters (2x150W) made with a Titanium Body (and, of course, a dedicated controller).

 

[twentyleagues]

First I want to say that you can absolutely use a canister on a reef tank. It is basically going to be for water polishing and you need to maintain it regularly, thats kind of a pain. Your rock will be the biological media, you need no other source of biological media. Sumps are great makes maintenance much easier and hides all the equipment. I do not like hob overflows I have had them fail. If the tank is not drillable its ok hob equipment works well enough. Hob skimmers, fuges, algae scrubbers all work well enough. They may require a little more maintenance or fuss but they work, some people consider seeing all the equipment an eyesore and that they detract from the beauty of the tank. The first thing you need to do is water test that tank, does it hold water? Fill it up and wait for a week. Are you going to mix your own salt water? If you are you need a ro/di unit. I wouldnt run a tank if I had to go get premixed salt water, it costs more and its a pain to have to go get it.

 

[PotatoPig]

If you want a sump, and I’d recommend one for many reasons, you can use a siphon overflow. Lifereef makes a good product, there’s also eshopps and I’m sure others.

You can DIY a sump from a 20 Long, or anything that’ll fit under the display tank - a 40Breeder is another popular choice.

IMO - A 75g rimmed tank is a great first tank, and for a lot of people it’s a great only-tank - it’s big enough to be stable, but not so big that maintenance is all that difficult, and is sized just below where equipment costs start to really ramp up.

It’s slightly on the small side for some fish - some popular tangs and angels really need a 6ft tank, but it’s still big enough for a lot of fish options.

TL;DR: A lot of folks run successful reef tanks with rimmed 75g tanks.

/A sump is not essential but is nice to have because it allows you to keep all your life support and maintenance gear out of sight but readily accessible - heaters, filter socks, skimmers, dozers, reactors, however much or little you want to put in there, as well as offering space for various types of refugiums.

 

[Moro]

DIY Over the Top overflow box I built on a 4ft 75gallon aquarium. I have no idea why they would tell you that makes a jank reef tank.



I run a sump on everything. It is just easier that way, Skimmer is mandatory, and maybe some type of fleece like a sock.

I ended up migrating this 75g into an 8ft 300g tank I have. Check my build thread. Lots of DIY in my projects.

Do you have a budget for lights? They tend to be the Single Most Expensive Investment. I suggest Reefi Labs Uno 2.1 lights. You would need 2 of them and you'd be able to grow anything you a
want. Softy, lps, sps. anything. I have 4 of them on my 300g. They are half the price of the Leading Brands like Radion, Orphek, and in my opinion a better light with more overall wattage and more spectrum channels.

Good Luck to you.

I’m buying everything one at a time, seeing your sump makes me feel a lot better and that’s what I think I’ll do, I had no idea you could hang it on the side or back. The lights I’ll get last after building one thing at a time. I really appreciate your reply and I’ll try to see how you built yours to try to build my own! Thank you! Only thing is how much was it to build your sump

 

[Moro]

First I want to say that you can absolutely use a canister on a reef tank. It is basically going to be for water polishing and you need to maintain it regularly, thats kind of a pain. Your rock will be the biological media, you need no other source of biological media. Sumps are great makes maintenance much easier and hides all the equipment. I do not like hob overflows I have had them fail. If the tank is not drillable its ok hob equipment works well enough. Hob skimmers, fuges, algae scrubbers all work well enough. They may require a little more maintenance or fuss but they work, some people consider seeing all the equipment an eyesore and that they detract from the beauty of the tank. The first thing you need to do is water test that tank, does it hold water? Fill it up and wait for a week. Are you going to mix your own salt water? If you are you need a ro/di unit. I wouldnt run a tank if I had to go get premixed salt water, it costs more and it’s a pain to have to go get it.

I wanna build a sump but no idea where to even start on how to build one onto my tank, and even then my tank is tampered. But if anything I will get a canister or hob filter. As for the salt I am going to mix my own, they sell ro/di water for 50 cents a gallon at my aquarium store and I think I could use a 50 pound bucket to hold majority of the water as I have many buckets. And as for maintenance it’s my favorite part, it keeps me busy and it’s way better than playing on my ps5. What do you think?

 

[twentyleagues]

I wanna build a sump but no idea where to even start on how to build one onto my tank, and even then my tank is tampered. But if anything I will get a canister or hob filter. As for the salt I am going to mix my own, they sell ro/di water for 50 cents a gallon at my aquarium store and I think I could use a 50 pound bucket to hold majority of the water as I have many buckets. And as for maintenance it’s my favorite part, it keeps me busy and it’s way better than playing on my ps5. What do you think?

I got very tired of lugging buckets. But that will work for a while. What @Bruttall posted is an overflow this allows the water to go to your sump. I have used a few hob overflows in the past just know that it is a potential failure point. I have made them and purchased them, both have failed to hold the siphon during a power out situation on occasion. When they work life is good when they fail its not. If I can not drill a tank I use hob filters or skimmers. Going forward i will not purchase a tank that is not drilled or drillable. The last 2 tanks I purchased were 125g's there was some back and forth with marineland on whether or not they are drillable and I guess they really dont know as they use both tempered and untempered glass and are not sure which they installed. Mine were all tempered so no drilling. These two are set up fresh water with overhead sumps. This isnt for everyone obviously space and weight is of concern. I have seen many people use hob overflows with no issues I just wish I was one of the lucky ones that had no issues with them.

 

[Fungusamongus]

I have a young 75G rimmed tank with a 40 breeder sump. Took me a year to build everything but learned a lot doing it. I didn't want to risk a mess with a HOB overflow, but you can probably find a way to have the pump killed if siphon fails. There are a lot of projects on this forum to search through. The sump is worth it IMO, but not necessary.

I would consider the RODI as the most important accessory of reefing for me. Makes the water much more reasonably priced, you can track maintenance on your RODI, and do not depend on the source. My brother in law can't do a water change right now as his source for Rodi is broken. I can make water and have it ready for emergencies. Just my opinion.

Good luck and ask all the questions you can before starting. Think through all your options and make the ones that best suit you. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Bruttall]

I’m buying everything one at a time, seeing your sump makes me feel a lot better and that’s what I think I’ll do, I had no idea you could hang it on the side or back. The lights I’ll get last after building one thing at a time. I really appreciate your reply and I’ll try to see how you built yours to try to build my own! Thank you! Only thing is how much was it to build your sump

After buying a couple premade acrylic sumps I have decided I would rather use old tanks. I had 30g for a sump under my 75g. I use a 125g for the sump on my 300g.

I now think sump should be 1/3rd size of DT or bigger. I am a big fan of Dilution is the Solution. More water is better. That is a lot of why I build sump systems.

Not everyone has the space to dedicate to this like I am lucky to have.

 

[BristleWormHater]

After buying a couple premade acrylic sumps I have decided I would rather use old tanks. I had 30g for a sump under my 75g. I use a 125g for the sump on my 300g.

I now think sump should be 1/3rd size of DT or bigger. I am a big fan of Dilution is the Solution. More water is better. That is a lot of why I build sump systems.

Not everyone has the space to dedicate to this like I am lucky to have.

Maybe I'll get a 8 gallon sump for my 25 gallon lol. I have actually considered adding a sump even though my tank is small I think it would be cool to keep things in. Would it be worth it?