I Have The Tank What Next

[nativecollector]

I have a 75 gallon tank that I plan on making into a reef tank. I have powerheads and a HOT filter along with test kits (need to expand these a little but almost there).

The tank is presently set up as a fresh water system and has no holes punched into it. The wife has said that I can't do this until I build the stand. Well that will be done by the end of the month so I have one month to collect what ever else I need to change this tank over.

So here goes the questions, (I have read some of the FAQ's and will finish reading them as I go)

What else will I need to convert this tank?
How many pounds of live rock should I be looking at? more or less than 75
Should I bother with live sand or just use normal sand?
How many critters should I have in the cleaning crew?
What size light should I use for this type of tank? btw it is 18"+ tall
Will I need a skimmer or can it make it without one?
Do I have to drill holes in the tank or will a HOT be good enough?


Last question
What are some of the dont's of this tank, I am looking for things that I just can not do if I want it to work.

This will be the only tank of this size in the house so attention will not be a problem. On the other hand I breed bettas so they take of my attention while the wife will be focused on this tank. It will also keep her out of my hair with my other fish, LOL.

 

[SkiFletch]

What else will I need to convert this tank?

Heater, 1500gph worth of powerhead flowrate (can be divided across multiples), sump (drilled tank with a return pump in the sump), skimmer, uv sterilizer, lights, salt, RO/DI unit, light timers, lots of plubming hardware

How many pounds of live rock should I be looking at? more or less than 75

more than

Should I bother with live sand or just use normal sand?

Dont bother, your LR will seed the sand bed. LS is a waste of $$ imo

How many critters should I have in the cleaning crew?

General rule of thumb is 1 per gallon

What size light should I use for this type of tank? btw it is 18"+ tall

Get a fixture that extends over the entire length of the tank. If you want to keep a wide range of corals go with at least PC's or if you can afford it, Halides. Halides grow anything under the sun where PCs sometime struggle with demanding SPS. If all you want to keep are softies and LPS, regular T5 will do.

Will I need a skimmer or can it make it without one?

This is up for debate. Some people use em, some dont. I do, personal preference

Do I have to drill holes in the tank or will a HOT be good enough?

I run a sump not a HOT or other canister filter. The problem with standard freshwater mechanical and biological filtration is that it doesn't process nitrates and leads to a big buildup as a result. Nitrates are very lethal to marine fish compared to freshwater so it's best not to do anything that builds them up. LR should be your filtration, not other means.

What are some of the dont's of this tank, I am looking for things that I just can not do if I want it to work.

Do: Go slowly, water change often, use RO/DI water, stock carefully, research, research, research
Dont: Overfeed, skimp on LR, introduce aiptasia or mojano (inspect your LR before it leaves the store), and most importantly. DONT fill the tank before your sump and filtration plumbing are 100% done.

HTH

 

[nativecollector]

So I do need to drill the tank, correct?
I have a heater forgot to add that, 400 watt one.
I will probably go with the floros for lighting for now but will expand into the MH later.

I understand the whole bio process, but what I dont understand is how a sump prevents the build up of nitrates any better than a HOT or canister would. Please explain that if you would.

I will check the powerheads later today and see what they are rated for, I have two of them but not sure of the size.

Research, this I will be doing alot more of for sure, but I will also probably ask alot of questions as well, so bare with me. When I get the materials for the stand ready I will start posting pics from the begining of the stand making til the end with the cycled and coral filled tank.

 

[SkiFletch]

If you can drill the tank, you'll be in way better shape. Overflows are expensive and difficult to operate in my experience (I use one). If I had it to do all over again, I'd use a drilled overflow.

As for the nitrate issue, I'm gonna have to get a little technical on you if you dont mind... There are 3 bacteria who need to complete their jobs in order for nitrogenous waste to be processed and eliminated. The first type converts ammonia (NH4) to nitrite (NO2). This bacterium lives on just about any rough surface in your aquarium (LR, mech filters, sand) and requires O2 to survive (aerobic). A second bacterium converts NO2 to nitrate (NO3). This bacteria is just like its cousin living on any rough surface and is aerobic. Both those types of bacteria love to grow in mechanical and biological man made filtration. The third bacterium converts NO3 to nitrogen gas N2 which then dissolves away into the atmosphere. These little buggers are the tough ones because they require an oxygen-free environment to survive (anaerobic). Without these bacteria, nitrates build up continuously and need to be removed by another means.

There are really only 2 well documented methods for these anaerobic nitrate eaters be housed in a home aquarium. One is deep inside the pores of LR where no water flow reaches, O2 is usually scarce enough for them to survive. The second is the use of a deep sand bed or plenum. The idea there is to create a deep bed of sand where O2 doesn't pass through thus providing a place for the anaerobic bacteria to thrive. Regular HOT, HOB, or canister filters do not provide this anaerobic zone.

Where the filters become a problem themselves is that their biological or mechanical media harbor mountains of NH4 and NO2 processors AND they trap waste and detritus. That waste and detritus will remain there and continually decompose releasing more and more NH4 into the system which ultimately is converted to NO3 but not removed with the absence of anaerobic zones. This buildup of nitrates requires one to waterchange very very frequently to keep levels at less than or equal to 20ppm and can be quite costly.

Live rock on the other hand is equally porous to harbor the good NH4 and NO2 processors as well as trape waste and detritus. However, inside your aquarium, snails, hermit crabs, and other members of your cleanup crew can consume this waste and re-cycle it, thus preventing it from creating more NH4 and ultimately NO3. The easiest way by far to eliminate nitrates is to use plants. Plants in freshwater setups are very pleasing to the eye and desireable in and of themselves. In marine setups though, most plants (macroalgaes) just make big mats that overtake your tank and look quite unsightly. That is why many (myself included) choose to run a sump with a "refugium" section in it to grow macro algae out of the way under the tank. The macroalgaes eat nitrates and are a great spawning place for copepods and other beneficial aquarium life.

I wish the explaination was shorter, but you asked a very involved question . I cant wait to see pics of your tank

 

[nativecollector]

Thank you very much, this is where I say you learn something new every day.

I understood the bio process but didn't know about the fourth part of it. I always new that keeping plants in the freshwater tanks would help eliminate natrates, but didn't know that there was a bacteria that actually could break down the nitrates.

Early lesson learned and will be followed from now on. Only thing is now I have to figure out how to drill this tank and where the best place to drill it is. Any suggestions there would help too, otherwise I am thinking either center back or considering where the tank is sitting then the back right corner. Is any one place better than another.

Does the sump need light, I would assume so if it is supposed to grow some algae in it.

As far as a plenum goes, how are those configured and are they place directly on the bottom prior to placing the sand bed down?

I apologize for all the questions, but as if you didn't already catch it I am completely new to the world of salt water. I have been reading but if I question something I will be asking it in here to make sure I am comfortable with what I am doing before I do it. B)

thanks for the help

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, I dunno anything about drilling a tank (never done it myself) but I can say that an overflow can be placed anywhere, its really about aesthetics and space more than it is functionality. COrner overflows are usually the easiest to hide.

Any sump where one grows macro algae does. They require a "typical" plant specrum in the 6700 range but nothing all that drastic. Most people opt for cheaper flourescents under their sumps and put them on an opposite light timer compared to their tank. That way the algae in the sump is growing while the tank remains clear. This helps keep pH stable as CO2 never builds up in the water.

Plenums are made easiest with some egg crate and nylon window screen. Wrap window screen around a few layers of egg crate to prevent sand from getting in there and sink it under a 4" or more thick sand bed. Thats how I made mine

Edit: I believe there is a thread active in this section discussing tank drilling