Gage Lyons-McCracken
New Member
Hi all, I'm starting a build thread on my 75 Gallon Saltwater Reef tank! I came across this Aquarium on Craigslist. A local hobbiest was moving and unable to take the tank so was selling the entire setup. I happily accepted the well established tank. I have had this tank up and running at my place now for over a month and the tank is thriving!
A little background on the tank:
This 75 gallon tank has been up and running for over four years. It was a starter build for the previous owner and I'm continuing things for this tank. Since in my possession a few items have been added, but I will get to that.
The tank is 75 gallon Aqueon tank with a modified 20 gallon acrylic sump. Two Hydor power heads create the circulation within the tank. The tank utilizes an overflow box to get water to the sump. The water flows into the first portion of the sump which I have turned into a refugium. The previous owner had cut a large hole in the baffle to allow the 300w (now Aqueon) heater to fit in the sump. I used an egg crate defuser to keep the macro algae from flowing through the hole. The light for the refugium is currently a generic grow light sitting on the QT tank next to the sump.
In the second chamber is where you'll find the heart of the sump, a SC Aquarium SCA-303 skimmer. A small pump in this chamber also runs water through a filter media reactor. Water then flows across Seachem Matrix biological rocks and through a carbon and nitrate filter pad. Water is then returned through a generic pump.
An AquaticLife T5 HO 4-lamp light fixture provides sustainability for this tank.
Some notable inhabitants of this reef tank includes a breeding pair of Misbar Ocellaris Clownfish bonded with a bubble tip anemone. A blue and yellow Tang add bright colors to the tank, and what they lack in color, the Coral Beauty makes up for. Always camped out under the coral is an orange Spotted watchman Goby always next to his Tiger Brittle Starfish. There is a pistol shrimp who never comes out but he seems to be a strong independent shrimp wanting nothing to do with the watchman. Recently I took in a Red Scooter Blenny who always wants to be the star of the show and his shy buddy, a Tomini tang. All across the bottom of the tank you'll find members of the cleanup crew including red and blue Legged hermits and trochus snails.
The well established coral within the tank includes many green button polyps, large green and red mushrooms, with two large toadstool leather as the center piece. Incrusted on a separating rock is what appears to be a large colony of watermelon favia. Some new additions including a frogspawn, galaxia and mint pavona. Live rock is spread throughout creating caves for the fish to retreat to. A combination of crushed coral and live sand make up the base substrate. Several other colonies of coral are spread throughout, but I will hold off on listing those to another post.
A little background on the tank:
This 75 gallon tank has been up and running for over four years. It was a starter build for the previous owner and I'm continuing things for this tank. Since in my possession a few items have been added, but I will get to that.
The tank is 75 gallon Aqueon tank with a modified 20 gallon acrylic sump. Two Hydor power heads create the circulation within the tank. The tank utilizes an overflow box to get water to the sump. The water flows into the first portion of the sump which I have turned into a refugium. The previous owner had cut a large hole in the baffle to allow the 300w (now Aqueon) heater to fit in the sump. I used an egg crate defuser to keep the macro algae from flowing through the hole. The light for the refugium is currently a generic grow light sitting on the QT tank next to the sump.
In the second chamber is where you'll find the heart of the sump, a SC Aquarium SCA-303 skimmer. A small pump in this chamber also runs water through a filter media reactor. Water then flows across Seachem Matrix biological rocks and through a carbon and nitrate filter pad. Water is then returned through a generic pump.
An AquaticLife T5 HO 4-lamp light fixture provides sustainability for this tank.
Some notable inhabitants of this reef tank includes a breeding pair of Misbar Ocellaris Clownfish bonded with a bubble tip anemone. A blue and yellow Tang add bright colors to the tank, and what they lack in color, the Coral Beauty makes up for. Always camped out under the coral is an orange Spotted watchman Goby always next to his Tiger Brittle Starfish. There is a pistol shrimp who never comes out but he seems to be a strong independent shrimp wanting nothing to do with the watchman. Recently I took in a Red Scooter Blenny who always wants to be the star of the show and his shy buddy, a Tomini tang. All across the bottom of the tank you'll find members of the cleanup crew including red and blue Legged hermits and trochus snails.
The well established coral within the tank includes many green button polyps, large green and red mushrooms, with two large toadstool leather as the center piece. Incrusted on a separating rock is what appears to be a large colony of watermelon favia. Some new additions including a frogspawn, galaxia and mint pavona. Live rock is spread throughout creating caves for the fish to retreat to. A combination of crushed coral and live sand make up the base substrate. Several other colonies of coral are spread throughout, but I will hold off on listing those to another post.
