New 72g Bow Front Reef Tank (Questions)

Kinghugo5 · Nov 25, 2018

Hi Everyone!

I am new here so please be kind. I once had a 46g reef tank in high school and had it for a little over a year before I had to move away for college. 10 years later and a new home owner, I have the bug again! I'm going larger this time because the small size really restricted what I could have before.

My 46g had a Marineland canister filter with bio balls and an attached protein skimmer and I had a decently healthy tank. The corals never really took off but it was probably because I didn't invest in the best lighting before as well. I've spent a good amount this time and have the Fluval Sea LED lighting and am now deciding what to use for filtration.

If I go with a sump at the bottom, what is the most basic version of this? From what I've researched, it sounds like a 20 gallon with some live rock, a sump and a protein skimmer is adequate but I am looking for advice. Do I need more? Is there a better way to do this? I am looking for the least amount of maintenance once up and running.

Any replies are much appreciated!

Thanks,

Nate

SurfTrack · Nov 25, 2018

Welcome to R2R!!

What size tank do you think you are going to want?

A 20 gallon sump with some live rock, a protein skimmer, and even some chaeto would be perfect.

Kinghugo5 · Nov 25, 2018

Thank you for the welcome and reply! I forgot to mention I have a 72 gallon bow front tank purchased.

I'm a little nervous drilling and making the plumbing for a sump...If I had adequate live rock and two hang on protein skimmers, would this be enough to sustain a reef? The hang on I am looking at has 100 gallon capability. Curious your thoughts of this method and if it is viable for long-term.

Thanks again!

Nate

SurfTrack · Nov 25, 2018

Kinghugo5 said:
Thank you for the welcome and reply! I forgot to mention I have a 72 gallon bow front tank purchased.

I'm a little nervous drilling and making the plumbing for a sump...If I had adequate live rock and two hang on protein skimmers, would this be enough to sustain a reef? The hang on I am looking at has 100 gallon capability. Curious your thoughts of this method and if it is viable for long-term.

Thanks again!

Nate

If I were you, I would add a sump. Its just better longterm and will make things way easier for you.

hdsoftail1065 · Nov 25, 2018

Welcome to R2R Nate!

#welcometor2r

cromag27 · Nov 25, 2018

Lovemyreef2015 · Nov 26, 2018

Reefin Ryan · Nov 26, 2018

Welcome to R2R! I don't have my 46 gallon bowfront drilled and I have a sump. I use an an overflow box with a "u-tube" that works with a siphon. It's not as reliable as drilling because the u-tube could get clogged or if you don't have enough flow you will see bubbles accumulate in the u-tube which will eventually break siphon BUT, keep your overflow screened off so fish, snails, etc dont clog it and make sure you have enough flow and it is pretty reliable but not a bulletproof option like drilling. Your 72 bowfront is probably an Aqueon brand and might be tempered glass which means you might not be able to drill it. you can look up on youtube how to tell for sure which just requires a pair of polarized glasses and a lcd screen of any kind. your 2 protein skimmer approach would be a little overkill. one that is rated 100 gallons like you mentioned will be perfect for your tank. 2 skimmers generally doesn't work well. Instead of the other protein skimmer you could run a hang on refugium for the chaeto if you don't want a sump. or convert a skimmer into a chaeto reactor. But basically a refugium of any type will go a long way in helping with algae control and has some other benefits as well(providing a good home for beneficial copepods, aiding in co2 consumption while replacing oxygen levels if run in a reverse night cycle, etc). Don't forget a heater in your planning, especially with winter coming