New Tank Startup- Question

[sacramonel]

I will be purchasing a 75 gallon tank for my first Marine setup. I have heard very conflicting information regarding which equipment I will require. I plan on running a FOWLR setup and gradually upgrading to a reef tank. Funds are a main issue as I would like to stary with a basic setup and upgrade when necessary.

I plan on purchasing/using the following. Please let me know if this is acceptable.

Wet/Dry Filter with pump, and heater.
40-50 pounds live rock (gradually increasing)
Two Powerheads (200 gph)
Crushed Coral.

Eventually I will purchase the Protein skimmer when I upgrade to the reef setup.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[SkiFletch]

I'd shy away from crushed coral and go with aragonite sand if you want a reef setup ultimately. Some reef-beneficial organisms dont take kindly to coral substrate Also, wet dry filters tend to be wastes of time and money as good quality LR and a decent cleanup crew will do most of your filtration. Wet/dry filters can just be nitrate factories. Sumps with macro algaes and deep sand beds are prefferable to wet/dry .

Also, when you look to start keeping corals you're going to have to consider upgrading your lighting. I would suggest some T5's or if you can afford it, metal halides would be the way to go. Dont forget to check ebay when purchasing lighting and skimmers, its WAY cheaper there

 

[sacramonel]

Thank you for the help. I'm using the wet/dry because someone is giving me one for free. Should I set up a sump as well? How about a refugium? I can probably make one DIY.

 

[Aquascaper]

1) Gut the wet/dry filter and fill it with some of the live rock - this can be added to the main tank later on. This will act the same as a sump in reducing Nitrates.
2) You'll need bigger powerheads as recommended flow rate is x20 tank volume (1400gph in your case)
3) Stick with the stock lighting until you can afford to jump straight to Halides, buying T5's if you're aiming for a full reef setup at a later date is pointless as a cheap halide is the same price.
4) Aragonite substrate would be a better buy as it's buffering capabilities are a plus
5) A skimmer is a necessity on that sized tank IMO