Beginning  a 75 Gal. Saltwater Tank

Re: Beginning  a 75 Gal. Saltwater Tank

how hard is it to set up a refuge though. is there a way where i could do it without paying tons of money? please help me

 

Re: Beginning  a 75 Gal. Saltwater Tank

Yes, you can use a 20-40g rubbermaid tub as your sump and refuge and keep your skimmer and heater in it. your overflow just empties into it. Ally you need is a return pump and an 13-18w mini power compact light for $20. Or you can buy a 20g long tank and cut some plexiglass sheets. Check out birdlady's set up she has posted picks. Also check out the DIY section in the forum. Many peeps use the rubbermaid tub because its cheap! You can also do a google search for DIY sumps and fuge.

 

Re: Beginning  a 75 Gal. Saltwater Tank

Here is an idea. Not sure of your cash flow but use the Emporer and build a sump/refugium out of an AGA 20L. Put some fine sand in the fuge with some Chaetomorpha algae or Calaurpa algae. The live macro algae will help control nitrate. Then go to two sites; the GARF site for some of their EXCELLENT live sand known as GARF grunge and the other site is hirocks.com for some coral baserock. tou can get 30 lbs of it for $48 shipped. The GARF grunge will seed that rock pronto. That would be a good start. Also, like others have mentioned, save for a good skimmer.

Eventually you can add live rock as you get the cash but in the meantime your tank can age and reef tanks just get better with age and proper care.