setting up 75 gal tank

I want to purchase a 75 gal tank and need to know how to set it up. I have a Sea clone skimmer, coralife light, 40 lbs. of rock, 50 lbs. of sand, and 2 power heads in my 40 gal tank right now. I want to buy a new skimmer and right now I have to clean the tank every week to keep the algae off the rocks and glass and no new fish or snails seems to stay alive. I want to do it right this time so any suggestions would be great, I want a tank that is more maintenance free. I am very jealous when I see everyones tanks that are crystal clear. thanks

[omard]

Salutations Rick...

Your post says and does not say much...leads to lots of questions about setup, skimmer, feeding, water source, Sand "source" , testing etc...

Expect why you have not been flooded with replies already...Afraid I can offer up only the pretty obvious...

Make sure tank fully cycled, use quality LR and Sand...check that water...and maybe take some to LFS to have crosschecked.

Lots of reasons why you may be having such problems, but with some simple steps you should be able to avoid them.

Keep close eye on those water params and add stock slowly after they are all in sync....

Good luck...let us know...

Omar

[Jason McKenzie]

Welcome Rick, Feel free to join up and take advantage of all the great people's advise here.

IMO I would find out why you have been unsuccessful with your current set up. I have both a 75G and a 40G and I would have to say with all the Fancy gadgets on my 75G it's just as much work as my 40G.
going bigger does have it's advantages in terms of water stability but if you are not practicing proper maintenance you will run into problem no matter how big.
The most expensive skimmer that does the best job will not eliminate the need to scrape algae off your glass
Questions (sorry)
Have you determined the source of your fish loss?
What is your Salinity of the 40G
What is the Ammonia readings?
What is the Nitrate and Nitrite readings?
Do you run a Sump?
how often do you perform water changes?

Thanks
Jason

[captivereefs]

My first question is are you using tap water or RO water? Where your source water comes from one of the biggest factors in a successful reef tank.

I have been reading a lot of posts here and it looks like I need to invest in a better skimmer and add a sump. I don't know how a sump works or how to set it up and since I am buying a new tank if I should get a in sump skimmer or hang on.

I have had my tank for 2 years and have had the original fish. I have tried adding a Percula clown at 2 different times and both times they have disappeared over night... no traces. Also I have bought 3 Mexican turbo snail last week and they died in 3 to 4 days.

Fish: Yellow Tang, Blue Damsel, Black/White Damsel, Clown, 2 Gobi's, Brittle Sea Star, 2 Anemones and Crabs/Snails.

I have 45 lbs. of Figi Live rock and 20lbs of live sand with 20 lbs. of sand I bought from Home Depot.

I keep my tank at 78 degrees and 1.025 salinity. All the parameters look fine and do 20% R/O water changes every month. My biggest concern is the Water Quality, my tank doesn't look clear at all. It doesn't look bad after I have scraped the glass and cleaned the pre filters, but then it comes back about every week. Any suggestions would be great. thanks and I love this forum.

[Jason McKenzie]

Hey Rick Great info, Thanks. It certainly doesn't sound as bleak as your first post.
I would defiantly invest in a sump. The benefits are: added water volume, all your hardware can be kept in it giving your tank a cleaner look. As for skimmers I would buy the best you can afford. My recommendation would be a bullet by Precision Marine or EV 180 by Aqua C. But that is just my personal preference.
I would look at the 75G AGA Reef Ready tank it is predrilled for a sump

J

thanks a lot, that is the info I have been looking for. Now where is the best place to get the reef ready tank? Can the LFS order this for me? What size of sump do you use and can you use a fish tank? Is there any filtration that can be used in the sump? Is there a set up you can buy with out having to build one. thanks

[karlas]

hiya

i cant offer you any info on a sump because i chose the sumpless option but from what ive heard its better that way. I myself went from a 38 gallon to a 75. What i have in my tank is about 80 lbs of sand (around 3&quot, 110 lb live rock, 4 power heads one in each back corner directed in all different directions, a emporer filter on the back (good for carbon use and surface current), 10 k pc, blue coral life bulbs (extra light strip).

i try to do a 10% change once a week, add sea chem additives reef complete, reef plus and for alkalinity and ph adjustment if needed reef builder for alk and marine buffer for ph.

since my lighting in only pc lighting i stay with the lower light corals like the pollyps, mushrooms, and leathers. there is a good variety of corals with these types to choose from and are all good beginner corals and easy to keep. the leather types seem to do extremely well.

I would suggest trying to get your tank you have now straightented out. i would say your at the stocking limits for your tank and with the tang would suggest going with a 75 gallon . a 40 gallon is actually to small for the tang, with your parameters what all did you check? have you checked your ph and alkalinity they are very important and some people miss these as important things to keep in check.

what kind of gobies do you have? some gobies can be burrowers or sand stirrers this can cause cloudiness in the water. have you tried using a little carbon? sometimes some use of carbon can help clear up yellow or cloudy water.

I don't put any additives in my tank because I don't know what they do or what to buy, so I thought nothing is better than something wrong. All I have done is my water changes and cleaning of the tank ever since I have had my tank up, my fish have been fine but now I want the clean look. I wanted to set up a new tank because if I buy the new skimmer and sump I didn't want to waste it on the 40 gal. I have never had the right PH because every time I do a reading the color is always different then the chart. The alkalinty is around 430 and it says that is fine. The nitrate level is running higher then perfect but I thought that was fine to. Sorry that I don't have the perfect readings but I have never understood how to come out with the right number, maybe it is my test kit. Thanks for the info, I will be buying a 75 gal. with a new skimmer and sump and I will go from there. Is there any diagrams that you know of on how to set up a sump? thanks

[Birdlady]

Hi Rick!

I can actually ADD to this discussion! (I am usually asking the questions... )

1 - I think your reading of 430 would be a calcium reading? Not alkalinity.....It would be a good calcium reading but not a good alkalinity number