75 gallon tank build

I want to have my NEW tank up sometime with in the next month and half, If I have enough money. I have the tank already and I am getting a 55 tank to be my sump. Thanks Shane. I have been looking at lights online and power heads. I want to have clams in this tank after 6 to 8 months. So I know I need least 4 bulbs does it madder the wattage? On the power heads front how big should I go? I am open suggestions. I see several options out there ask for 2 cents here? LOL

Does it madder if I clean off the calcium build up off the glass if when the tank is full of water you don't see it? I am just wondering.

I know how everyone loves pics so here are two. The first pic is the day I bought the tank from a Guy in Dayton Washington, two and half hours away, I was not watching the roads signs and took the scenic tour. LOL It was a nice drive. The second is the water test.

Any input will be appreciated.

I would use vinegar and clean the tank before you put water in it.

Wattage is really important. I would go with the most you can afford for that tank. Whether it is MH or T5HO or even LED. Also on the power heads, if it was me I would go with two that were around 1400 gph. The new evolution series is really nice. or the famous mp 20 or 40

What kind of bed are you going to have in there?

Well I'll disagree slightly - wattage is less important than type of lighting. 48 3w LEDs will be significantly brighter that 6 96w PC flourecents.

On a 75 if I were planning clams I would look in to T5s - 6 bars at an absolute minimum. This will allow you to keep anything and clams on the sand bed. MH are still good lights, while expensive to replace and run I thnk they still look the best. You'll want at least 2x175w 2x250w would be better.

For flow if money is no object I'd look in to 2 MP40s - since money IS ALWAYS an object for me I'd go with 3 Koralia 1400 Evo pumps.

You can always get additional flow from your return pump, a Mag9 or greater hooked up to a SCWD will give you alternating strong flow from your return.

I would turn the tank on its side and pour vinegar on the stains. Let i9t sit all day and the scrub it with one of these.

Buy Scotch-Brite Dobie Cleaning Pad Online at drugstore.com


Clams need a lot of light so if they are your main goal your going to need at least 6 bulb T5 fixture. MH will work also but my top choice would be a nice LED DIY or pre-built fixture. Look around at fixtures or retro kits that are in your price range and then post links to them here so we can talk about the pros and cons of them.

I would also consider drilling the tank for an overflow. These are pretty slick 1500 gph complete kit - Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff

Originally Posted by chris&barb

I would also consider drilling the tank for an overflow. These are pretty slick 1500 gph complete kit - Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff

I personally used this setup and I have to say it was great!! I have never before even thought about drilling a tank, and well one day I decided I would go for it. This is the kit I bought and these guys made things simple. Fast shipping, everything included for a start to finish project, and great instructions. Overall very good experience and I would def recommend to fellow reefers.

ohhhh drilling

AND lighting!!! woooohoooo!!

which are you leaning towards - T5s or LEDs?? They'll both do ya great

Since you are planning to do clams at some point I agree that you will probably need a 6 bulb fixture if you go with T-5s. Wattage doesn't really matter since length of the bulbs will determine that(54w for 48" fixtures). Best thing about a 75 gallon tank is that it is 48" so I bet you could find all kinds of good used fixtures if you do go with T-5s. I like getting used fixtures and then buying new bulbs cause heck even if you buy a new fixture the bulbs that come with it are usually terrible. So even buying new you are looking at another $120 easy in bulbs.

thanks for the suggestions I have been reading like a fool and researching lights and power heads.

On the lighting front I am thinking a 6 bulb t-5 fixture hopefully with a built in timer. I have seen them on ebay and seam to be a good price.

Power heads i am thinking Koralia 1400 Evo I need to look in to prices on the other kind listed above. wish i have grand for the vortech. Shane what do you have on your tank?

Question? On the tank with drilled over flows, is there a way to make it quiet? all of the videos i have seen on U tube seam to have this sucking sound.

I think on the skimmer part I should contact green skimmer on RF and get his help locating a skimmer.
ANy input always welcome. thanks Kevin

My powerheads are Koralia Mag 6's....they are basically insane lol. So just giant versions of the Evos. They are 2200 gph each, so thinking about a comparison I would think that those 1400gph Evos would be awesome in a 75 gallon. Also the Evos are safe to run on a wavemaker if you decide to go that way down the line.

As far as finding a fixture with built in timers I would keep in mind that you can get digital timers on amazon for like $13ea or less. So don't spend too much extra looking for a built in.

I'll send Luke a pm about this thread. He's the smartest guy I know on skimmers. He'll be checking in soon.

Well first off i'd like to say welcome to the hobby as its a fun one! My thoughts on the tank. You'll need a 6x54w t5, two 250w mh setup or an led setup. If you go led go with 2-3w led's as they pack a punch and can penetrate the water well. T5 make sure they are good individual reflectors and with mh make sure you run good pendents.

Powerhead wise i personally think the koralia evo's are junk. I have some and wouldn't recomend them to anyone as the flow is very weak and they never start up after power goes out. I like the old koralia's much better and really like the mag koralia's. Evo's though, not for me. I would also look at the new sicce powerheads as they are reasonable in price, super quiet and also carry a 3yr warranty.

Skimmer wise i would run a 150bmk or a 160 cone. The 160 cone is going to handle more volume but you could get away with the 150bmk.

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by luke33

Well first off i'd like to say welcome to the hobby as its a fun one! My thoughts on the tank. You'll need a 6x54w t5, two 250w mh setup or an led setup. If you go led go with 2-3w led's as they pack a punch and can penetrate the water well. T5 make sure they are good individual reflectors and with mh make sure you run good pendents.

Powerhead wise i personally think the koralia evo's are junk. I have some and wouldn't recomend them to anyone as the flow is very weak and they never start up after power goes out. I like the old koralia's much better and really like the mag koralia's. Evo's though, not for me. I would also look at the new sicce powerheads as they are reasonable in price, super quiet and also carry a 3yr warranty.

Skimmer wise i would run a 150bmk or a 160 cone. The 160 cone is going to handle more volume but you could get away with the 150bmk.

Hope that helps!

I hadn't heard that about the Evo's. I always just figured they were like the old koralias but improved. Do you have experience with using the koralia mags on a wavemaker at all? I have considered putting a red sea wavemaster on my system but I am afraid of it messing up the powerheads even though Hydor says they are wavemaker safe on their site.

Originally Posted by luke33

Powerhead wise i personally think the koralia evo's are junk. ..... they never start up after power goes out.

I've never heard that. I have the Evos on my RK2 and they work flawlessly - I think the flow is adequate for the size pump , and I love that they are dead quiet - and compared to some of the other options the price isn't bad either.

Originally Posted by skywardview

Question? On the tank with drilled over flows, is there a way to make it quiet? all of the videos i have seen on U tube seam to have this sucking sound.

Yes you can quiet them by adjusting the vent hole. You can do this with a needle valve or by adjusting the vent hole size.

I think on the skimmer part I should contact green skimmer on RF and get his help locating a skimmer.
ANy input always welcome. thanks Kevin

Ask them to come over if you want. Also Luke wont steer you wrong. Yes he does sell SWC skimmers but ive seen him many time recommend another brand because it was the best fit for them. His skimmers really are top knotch. If you look at most of the skimmers out now you will see that most of them are the same size, shape and dimensions so what it really comes down to is how much air the draw, how many watts they draw and how much they cost.

Originally Posted by Slate

I hadn't heard that about the Evo's. I always just figured they were like the old koralias but improved. Do you have experience with using the koralia mags on a wavemaker at all? I have considered putting a red sea wavemaster on my system but I am afraid of it messing up the powerheads even though Hydor says they are wavemaker safe on their site.

That wave maker is an on and off type. Every time one of the pumps will be turned on you will hear it clanking to start. If your ok with all the racket then go for it.

Originally Posted by chris&barb

That wave maker is an on and off type. Every time one of the pumps will be turned on you will hear it clanking to start. If your ok with all the racket then go for it.

Hmmm, well these new Koralia Magnums I got for the tank don't make any noise on start up so maybe that is due to the change they made to make the "wavemaker safe." I will have to read some reviews and make sure the system will work well with only two powerheads.

I have two 1400 evos in my 75 gal and they are getting the job done for now. I still have dead spots that I want to hit. I also want to look into a mag to help out with the spots and attach a wave maker.

I have been watching ebay for power heads and lights. I have had allot of company lately due to the holiday and little bro birthday. I under stand that the overflow pipe size help determine how big (how may gallons per hour. Is there a rule of thumb on this?

My overflow is rated for 900GPH. I think the rule of thumb is atleast ten times a hour. So if you have a 75 thats 750GPH an hour at least....but more is better,so i here.

Oh I didn't quite answer the question. Mine has two tubes and the are both 1" ID. Only one was needed though. Sorry about that.

Heres a chart that shows how much water can flow through a pipe at x diameter GPM/GPH Flow based on PVC Pipe Size, ie, How much water can flow through Sch 40 Pvc Pipe Size 1/2" 3/4" 1" 1.5" 2" 2.5" 3" 4" 6"

Only look at the green section as thats for gravity feed. The others are for pressurized lines and you dont want to worry about that