New 75 gallon questions

[brian.badge]

I have a 75 gallon that was going to be a African cichlid tank until my wife gave me the go ahead to do a reef tank.

I started out with a tank, stand, heaters, and a couple of brand new ac 110 filters.

Since then I have spent more money than I want to admit and have 80lbs aragonite, 80 lbs dry rock, 2 lbs live rock, aqau c remora skimmer with maxijet 1200, gyre 3k, osmolator 3155 ato, hydro koralia 3, hydro koralia 1, and two mars aqua 165 watt lights.

I am part way through cycling and waiting for my skimmer to quit blowing microbubbles. The ac110s are contributing their own and it makes me wonder if I should be running them anyways. Do I really need one or both for flow or filtration?

To add a little context I may add a sump in the future and the tank is drilled high in the back. In the meantime though I need to stick with hob and in tank. Plan is for a reef tank and a few fish to keep my wife and our toddlers happy.

Pleas let me know what you think.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

A seachem tidal is a great hob filter

 

[Dub_G]

Welcome to R2R! This is a great place with lots of great people that will help.

My first tank (I just upgraded to a RedSea Max E-260) was a 38 gallon bowfront that I ran with all HOB or in tank devices. It was up for almost 3 years. I bought a used Aqua C Remora skimmer that worked liked a champ. I guess since I bought it used, I didn't really have to deal with much of a break-in period. ​

I'm not familiar with the AC110 filters. I have had a couple of different HOB filters - my favorite was Seachem Tidal. But you're probably already committed to what you've got. Have you reached out to the manufacturer for support about what is causing the bubbles? How is the waterline compared to the output from the filter? I didn't use an ATO with my first tank so I could always tell when I was behind on adding top off water when I started getting bubbles from water splashing into the tank. If the water line was pretty much level with the output of the HOB filter I didn't have bubbles.

How is your cycle going? Unless your cycle is already complete, you should have plenty of time to let the skimmer settle in before you livestock gets added.

Good luck in your reefing addiction.

 

[brian.badge]

Cycle is about half way. I unplugged the skimmer today and the bubbles are all from the skimmer. I also talked to my LFS about what I paid for the remora. They agreed they gave me a bum deal on an old skimmer and offered to take it back and make it right. It was a case of me being clueless and the person who sold it to me not being familiar enough with that skimmer.

So on my way to get something bigger newer and a bit more money, but the right size for my tank.

 

[Gonebad395]

Looks good and welcome to R2R can’t wait to see it mature

 

[Dub_G]

I love to support my LFS but I also do a price check with online retailers to see if the price is reasonable. Good to see that they are making it right with you.

 

[brian.badge]

I exchanged the remora and bought a reef octopus 1000 hob for a net difference of 60 bucks. Win win since I dont feel cheated and LFS made more.

At the end of the day it's important to talk to someone who knows the product when you dont. I never would have bought the remora knowing what I do know.

Time to go home and get the new skimmer breaking in.

 

[Dub_G]

Sounds good. I think you'll be happy with the Reef Octopus.

 

[Peace River]

There are lots of ways to proceed and some may be more right and some may be less right and some may just be more money! I would encourage you could look at a sump when you reasonable can fit it into your budget. One approach is that if you tank is already drilled than you may even want to return the HOB skimmer right know (you can work around not having one for a month or two with the brand new tank and water changes) and the Aqua Clear 110s (if possible) and go for the sump. A sump at its most basic level is a box the that holds water and filtration stuff - therefore if you can find a used sump or even an small aquarium that will fit under or near your stand then you can spend your money on the return pump and (soon) the in-sump skimmer. Either way, good luck with your new system!

 

[GoVols]

Welcome to Reef 2 Reef!!

Good call on the RO skimmer and the Aquamaxx Hob-1.5 is great too.
You got the top of the line ATO, with the Tunze 3155

Be sure to get an 4 stage RO/DI unit with a built in TDS meter.

Again,
Welcome to Reef 2 Reef, and hope you feel at home.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

#WelcometoR2R

Chiclids are awesome, but you will be glad you went reef. You know what they say. Once you go reef you never go fresh. (I just made that up, you can still do fresh if you want.;Joyful)

 

[brian.badge]

Thank you all for the great welcome!

 

[brian.badge]

So I learned something today. First and foremost I found out my mars aqua lights are not UL listed. That concerns me as I am married and have 3 toddlers. I dont want to endanger my family. Does anyone have more info?

Assuming I return them through Amazon it means I have no lights and I cant afford expensive 500 to 1000 dollar lights. If I need to send them back what should I do instead. I want to have fish and coral with some options.

 

[Dub_G]

I know many people on R2R use Chinese black box LED lights because of their cheaper price point. I have never used them. On my 38G bowfront I used Current Loop LED lights. They aren't the greatest lights and won't produce enough par for SPS, but for softies and LPS they do great. They weren't that expensive either. It just depends in what your reef goals are.

 

[brian.badge]

When I bought the mars aqua lights I was trying to get set up as inexpensively as I could and be able to grow most types of coral.

The more I think about this I really want high quality reliable equipment that will get me started with easier coral. In the future I want to be able to add to (not replace) so that I can have harder corals.

I think that points me towards smaller name brand LED lights (Kessil and AI pucks?) And T5 fixtures.

I have an old coralife t5 fixture that holds 2 48" bulbs. I am contemplating that with new bulbs plus 2 AI prime HD or 3 Kessil A80. Long run would be 3 AI prime HD or 4 A80.

Thoughts, tweaks, other options? I tend to be an obsessive researcher (I am a data analyst) so share away.

 

[Coasty4147]

Think you off to a great start! The sump is the way to go if you can do it. Remember it doesn’t have to be elaborate to work, and it definitely keeps you from messing around in the DT. As for flow, if your getting at least 3-5 times turnover through your filter your good. The rest of the water movement will depend on what you put in the tank and how strong a flow it requires. (My 75g)

 

[Dub_G]

On my current tank I have 2 AI Hydra 26 HD lights. I like the AI app and I've seen some impressive growth in just a little over one month with them. I think starting with two plus the T5 would give plenty of light. Plus you could always purchase another if you decide you need more.

You could also check Craigslist or your local reef club for used lights. Our club in Denver often times has some good deals on used equipment.

 

[WMR]

First, welcome to R2R! Everybody has their own personal preferences as far as lighting is concerned, but @reefsquad will help you out. Your tank is relatively new, if you use Amazon prime, you can get your lights rather quickly, good luck with your build

 

[Peace River]

First, welcome to R2R! Everybody has their own personal preferences as far as lighting is concerned, but @reefsquad will help you out. Your tank is relatively new, if you use Amazon prime, you can get your lights rather quickly, good luck with your build

#reefsquad

 

[dbl]

There are many, many successful members using the black boxes so I wouldn't be too afraid of using them. They won't break the bank either.

You could also use them along with your T5 fixture and end up with a nice hybrid situation.