TBird's 75 SCA Build thread

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

I am moving an existing thread over from Reef Central to her for ease of use. I will get anyone here who hasn't been following up to date. With photos and posts

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Ok so here we go I will start with a complete list of equipment and retired equipment, add some pics and go from there

Equipment:
75 gallon SCA 36x24
SCA stand
Bashsea smart series 30"x18" sump
Bubble magnus Curve 5 skimmer
Jebao Return pump DCP 8000
2x Jebao PP-4 wave makers
PP-90 Crossflow Gyre
Custom build flip up canopy with 6 bulb retro fit 24" T5
Bulbs: All Geisman
2x Aquablue coral
2x Super actinic
1x Aquablue Azure
1x Super purple
Smart ATO Micro
2x Kessil A160WE
Kessil spectral controller
2 120mm Blue angel eyes on a dimmer run by a 9v power supply (moon lights)
Kessil H160 Refuge light
2x 200w Finnex digital heaters
Apex JR
Apex PM1 with Ph probe
DP-4 Jebao doser
4 DIY Voss water dosing containers with backflow check vales
BRS Premium reactor running GFO and Carbon
Tunze Glass scraper
60lbs of Carib sea shapes rock
9 outlet switch board
4 outlet power strip

Retired equipment:
Eshopps R-100 sump (Too small and hard to work in/clean)
Eshopps Refugium Led light (Didn't grow algae very fast)
Jebao DCS-5000 return pump (needed more flow and the new ones are dead quiet)
ATI bulbs (the giesman bulbs give everything a bit more pop from my experience)

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Ok to get everyone caught up best I can I started this tank about 18 months ago and everything started off smooth but I just felt like something was lacking so I decided to add T5's. of course right after I was done building the canopy the hybrid set ups came out, lol. So after getting all this going and fighting off my initial algae outbreak I started to add a couple fish and some coral. long story short those first couple corals caused me to learn a whole lot about Vermatid snails the came in on a coral I bought not knowing. I spent the next 8 months trying to eradicate them through every means possible. I swapped all my rock, clean everything and they came back. I finally decided to starve them out which took a long time so my thread went on hold but they are now gone and I can continue with my build, Yay! So before I got all ramped up and started adding stuff I knew there were a couple things to address so I did those 2 weeks ago. I swapped out the sump I had (R100 from eshopps) for a bigger badder bashsea Triton sump which is what im trying to implement now. I picked up a Kessil refuge light a new return pump and got a doser to get the ball rolling. I have done several large water changes, beefed up my cuc and started getting my nutrients down so I can get rid of the little bit of nuisance algae I have in the tank which is getting close. I am just about ready to start dosing, I just need to get the macro algae in which I ordered last week. I will upload some photos but bear with me I need to get my camera dialed in but at least its something. Feel free to comment. any advice is always welcome. were always learning in this game.

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Tbird2101 · Mar 10, 2019

Just a few pics to get it rolling but more to come!

NY_Caveman · Mar 11, 2019

Nice system! Thanks for sharing.

Katrina71 · Mar 11, 2019

Great looking tank! Would you mind sharing detailed pics and info about your light canopy? The braces you used on the back to mount it to the stand and structural pics of the inside?

Tbird2101 · Mar 11, 2019

Of course, I can get some top pics to show you the other side. Im not home atm but when I get a free min ill get some more pics.

iTzJu · Mar 11, 2019

following along! i'll be setting up a SCA 75 as well!

ianryd · Mar 12, 2019

Great looking set up! That sump looks like something out of Tony Starks lab! Very impressive! Not to take away from your build thread, but I saw in your post that you starved your vermatid snails out. Could you please explain? I'm dealing with them by the dozen right now.

Tbird2101 · Mar 12, 2019

It was a bit if a battle. I swapped over to just a little bit of pellet food to keep food out if the water column as much as possible for months and only fed once every 3 days. There are some other methods people have started using though. Theres a product called "fish bendazole" that I purchased but never used. I was planning on it as a last resort because it will also kill the good snails in the tank. You can certainly look into it theres info in the forums. If they ever come back I will probably use it but I decided that I would try the humane way first.

ianryd · Mar 12, 2019

Tbird2101 said:
It was a bit if a battle. I swapped over to just a little bit of pellet food to keep food out if the water column as much as possible for months and only fed once every 3 days. There are some other methods people have started using though. Theres a product called "fish bendazole" that I purchased but never used. I was planning on it as a last resort because it will also kill the good snails in the tank. You can certainly look into it theres info in the forums. If they ever come back I will probably use it but I decided that I would try the humane way first.

Right on thanks, I'll check out the forums.