75 G planning

[Mark V]

Hi all,

I'm planning a 75G build. I wanted to use a simple setup concept so hoping I could get some guidance:

1) I want to use a Aqueon or Perfecto RR tank. I know they cheap, but any quality concerns.

2) Whats the biggest sump I can stick on this tank? I want to Pecto to scope it out and felt that I wouldn't be able to fit a 40G breeder as a sump with the stands they had on display. I want at least that for this size. I feel that a 20G long would be too small.

3) I would like to hard plumb the system. What should I be looking for? I am thinking a gate value, a few elbows for the routing, four unions and a durso pipe. I want it simple yet safe.

4) Where do you guys go to in Austin to get cut glass? I need them for the sump.

5) Are reef octopus skimmers still the best around when it comes to bang for the buck? I've been out of this hobby for a while so I don't know if another player had gone into their range.

6). What are your guys thoughts on the aquatic life RO/DI units. I love the price point at barely 100 dollars.

7) Are kessils still good to use or is there a cheaper/better alternative. I thought about aquatic life's systems has an alternative . Either aquatic life or two kessil 150's.

8). How much GPH would my return need to be for my sump?. Can I adjust the flow of the return of it is too great via a gate vaul?

9). What hydro model would you recommend for my pump. I think I only need one opposite of my return.

Thanks for your help

[BornToHula]

I'll answer a few of these I know a little something about. These are just my opinion of course:

1) I have a Marineland tank which is probably similar to the Aqueon. If you are buying new I wouldn't expect there to be any issues with the quality. It would never hurt to do a quick visual inspection the the silicone seals to make sure they look good.

2) A 20 Long is the largest sump I know of that you can get in and out of the stand. If you do not want a large refugium it will suffice for space. I have seen people stick a 40g breeder in a retail stand. You have to put the sump in though the top before you put the main tank on the stand - and you have to accept that you can never take it out (without breaking it or removing the display tank). If I remember correctly the 40 breeder takes up the vast majority of the space, so any reactors or other equipment would probably have to go in the sump or be mounted on the wall.

3) I highly recommend the unions, if you ever have to move anything it saves you from having to saw pipes. I have a ball valves on both my overflow and return, but honestly they just sit wide open all the time. If you want to do any type of overflows such as a bean animal you will need valves for those.

5) Reef Octopus is still a solid brand. I ran one for about a year before moving to a Skimz skimmer. Both are good in the performance/price ratio. There are a lot of good skimmer options out there these days.

7) Kessil have a very good reputation. I would see if you can look at someone's tank with them installed - to me they have a shimmer that I wasn't the biggest fan of. I've had good success with Build My LED lights that are a little less expensive. They do not have the color control that the Kessils have though. If you look around some you can sometimes find good deals on used older models of Ecotech or Aqua Illumination LEDs.

8) I have a mag 9.5 on my system - 950 GPH which works for me. You can put gate/ball valves on the return to adjust the flow or look into some of the new DC pumps that are coming out.

[jolt]

You might try to check out Farmer Ty's LEDs. I think they were cost effective and he seems happy with them.

[Mark V]

Yup, understand on the spacing with a large sump...just want the largest I can put down there. I think a 29 Gal sump might work as Aqueon has one. Dimensions are 36x12x16. I could look into that if I think the fit is tight.

The tank will be brand new .

I also forgot to ask...how do water changes work with sumps...do you just change the water from the sump and not turn anything off? I was a HOB softie reef back in the day and want to go full sump this time around.

[mFrame]

I also forgot to ask...how do water changes work with sumps...do you just change the water from the sump and not turn anything off? I was a HOB softie reef back in the day and want to go full sump this time around.

I turn my return pump off. Pump from the tank and then refill. If you pump from the sump and you're using it as a refugium you'll be limited to the amount of water there for your water changes (especially if you have a much larger tank).

[FarmerTy]

The LEDs I bought are the Ocean Revive T247s if you want to look into them while doing research. I am greatly impressed with their results and they are ridiculously cheap. I've bought corals more expensive then them. [emoji38]

[jolt]

And another lower cost LED option you might consider are the ReefBreeders. There are quite a few success stories with them on various sites, and people do publish their settings for you to base yours off of ....

[Mark V]

The issue I see with some of those LED fixtures is you have to hang them from the ceiling. I would prefer to just hang from the tank (like Kessil) or have it mounted on the tank (like AquaticLife's)

[Bpb]

1) they're less expensive brands, yes. I have an Aqueon 90 gallon RR that has been going strong for years. No complaints. No it doesn't have a coast to coast overflow, or a ghost overflow, or starfire glass, or black silicone. But the seams have held fine. The braces haven't cracked and the bottom is tempered. Good enough for me.

2) whatever you fit inside the sand will need to be smaller than the display dimensions in every way. So a 40b is out. Consider running multiple smaller sumps. Say one mechanical one biological.

3) gate valve for the return is fine if you're using an AC pump rated stronger than your overflow can handle. The epitome of simplicity is just going to be a standard durso and straight return. All parts can be bought at the hardware store minus the bulkheads.

4) can't help not from Austin.

5) the BEST bang for buck? Probably not. I think the new bubble magus curve skimmers probably take that title, or the SCA skimmers off eBay. Reef Octo makes a solid product though. The skimmer market now is MUCH larger than it used to be. For a 75 gallon, pretty much anything over $200 will be perfectly adequate. More expensive generally means better acrylic or better pumps. Concept will be the same though.

6). Pass. Vertically mounted di stage is preferable. 4 stages, tds meter, pressure guage, flush kit. Whatever you get, make that be the minimum list of requirements

7). Kessils are great. A150 x2 would only be adequate for very low light corals on a tank that size. Look into either 4 a160we units or 2 a360we units. Ocean revive, reef breeders, Mars Aqua, reef radiance...all super cheap alternatives to the top shelf led units if you're on a budget

8). For a 75 gallon display, shoot for 350-500 gph at the return (including head loss). A DC pump will negate the need for a gate valve. An AC pump like an eheim 1262 is a great option but you will need to throttle it back

9). I assume you meant powerhead. If on a budget get a couple jaebo rw 8 pumps and a dual controller. If you want the best get some tunzes or vortech mp40 units.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jolt]

The issue I see with some of those LED fixtures is you have to hang them from the ceiling. I would prefer to just hang from the tank (like Kessil) or have it mounted on the tank (like AquaticLife's)

The reef breeders have mounting brackets, no need to hang them. Check em out the photon and photon-w series

[+OU12004]

I would second the reef breeder, but mine is hung above the tank.