My 75 gal build

[Squiers007]

Hey all,

Just thought I would start a thread for my new 75 gallon tank build. I have been gathering supplies for a couple of months now and have just started to put everything together. Here is what I have for equipment so far and what I have gotten done on the build.

75 gallon RR tank w/ Oak stand and canopy
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0740.jpg
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0742.jpg

Reef octopus Extreme 160 skimmer!
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0741.jpg

T5 retrofit lights w/ icecap 660 ballast, moonlight LED's and cooling fans
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0754.jpg
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0765.jpg

For my return pump I am going to be using a QuietOne 4000 and for added flow I have 2 K3's and an additional MJ1200 if I need some more flow. I have built a DIY sump/fuge which you can see below and am having ReefCube build me a custom bubble box for my overflow

http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0763.jpg

Well, thats about all for now. I am planning on leak testing it tomorrow morning and if all goes well I will be filling it with water. I am getting LR from a friend who is tearing down there tank, about 50lbs and I will add about 20 more lbs that I have in my 20 gallon right now. I will keep you guys updated and take some more pictures once I get some water and rocks in it. If anyone has any suggestions or input on my build I am always open. Thanks for checking it out. Lata.

[Third Coast Tropical]

looks good....good luck

[ReefCube]

looks good!

[Squiers007]

Thanks Lindsay, and Reefcube I look forward to adding your handy work to my setup!

[Squiers007]

Well, I got the tank all filled up with water today and added my mud/sand mix to the fuge are of my sump. No leaks so far, which is a good thing since this is my first time plumbing a tank by myself. The only mishaps I had during filling were when the hose I was pumping the water into the tank slipped out of the tank and started spraying water all over the floor! Thankfully I was standing right there and grabbed it quick otherwise I would have had a big mess on my hands. It also helps that I have tile floors!

Took me a little bit to get the return pump dialed in. I was not anticipating having to turn it back at all, but I am running it at about 75%. There seems to be a good amount of flow in the tank with the return and the 2 K3's in the corners, but we will see once I get my rock in there how it affects the flow. Sorry, no pictures tonight, I will try and get them up tomorrow and am also planning on picking up my rock then too. Any aquascaping suggestions would be appreciated since I'm not sure how I want this to look yet. Lata.

[Squiers007]

Ok, so I finally got everything squared away with my return pump and lighting so I moved my 20 gallon into the 75 today. Here are some pictures of the fill and some shots after I got everything moved over. It took me about 2 hrs. but went really well and everything is doing great. I love this new tank and cant wait to see my corals grow now that they have more space!

sump/fuge/skimmer filled w/ water and mud in the fuge for my mangroves
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0784.jpg

My Fiance Alyssa and our Westie Oliver with the tank during filling
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0780.jpg

Tank almost full
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0781.jpg

Right after everything was full and the return pump was turned on
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0783.jpg

Filled w/ about 50lbs LR that I got from a friends tank he was tearing down so it was well established
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0786.jpg

Here is a not so good picture of my 20 gallon reef before the move. Sorry, I dont have the best camera. I also got several corals from my landlord who is moving and was breaking down their tank so that was awesome. I got a 4 headed Torch, a nice yellow leather, and a couple frags of Trumpets
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0788.jpg

Here is the FTS after the move. This is with only 3 of the 4 bulbs running since I am still waiting for my others to show up from reefgeek. When they show up I will be running 1 ATI Aquablue special, 1 ATI BluePlus, 1 UV Aquasun 10K, and 1 Fiji purple by Korallen Zucht. I will post some more pictures once the new bulbs are intalled so you can see the colors.
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0789.jpg

One of the Trumpet Coral frags I picked up from my landlord
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0790.jpg

Firefish that I also got from my landlord
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0792.jpg

A not so great picture of my Possum Wrasse. He is one of my favorite fish. I love they way they look when they swim, its like they are gliding through the water.
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n397/squiers007/Reef%20Tank/IMG_0794.jpg

Alright, well thats all for pictures. I will try and get some better ones of all the corals once they stop hating me from moving them. I will also try and gets some pics of the zoa's i picked up today from grand opening of GC Reef today. Hope you have enjoyed watching the build and I will try and update with new pictures often. I would also like to publicly thank ballard for bringing me some cheato for my fuge. Thanks again.

[JoshOdphi]

nice build bro...will be interesting watchin ur coral grow.....n nice possom wrasse...

[ballardjr2000]

no problem bro tank looks great also we need to set up a dive trip and go collecting for both tanks yours and mine lol

[Squiers007]

Thanks everyone. I will try and get some more pics of the individual corals I have and put them up in the next couple of days.

[aquasport24]

Looking good. Have you cut holes for fans inlets/exhausts yet? and be careful w/ the temp sensor hanging around the intake of the return pump.

[jay3]

Good job-looks great