My First Tank (75 Gallon)

Hey guys, this is going to be my first saltwater aquarium, so I thought it would be a good idea to have a build thread so you guys can help me out if I start doing anything stupid - which I assume I will at some point.

Right now I'm waiting for my Glass-Holes 700 GPH overflow and 3/4 inch return kit to come in the mail. The stand is built, the tank is ready and waiting to be drilled, and my 20 gallon sump's silicone is curing after I added baffles.





I have 50lbs of "live" fiji rock in a rubbermaid, plus 50lbs of base rock being shipped to me from Marcos. I also have 70lbs of live sand in some saltwater waiting to be placed in its rightful home. I'm excited to get things started!

 

nice!
and welcome

 

Looks like your off to a good start!

 

Oh man! Fun stuff! I enjoyed building mine. Lots of hands on time! Good luck and have fun.

 

Phew! The overflow and return kit arrived in the mail, and I drilled the tank successfully (with help from my father, who loves this stuff). That was nerve wracking.

Now to measure the PVC, and get the plumbing done. The return pump hasn't arrived in the mail yet, but I can at least get everything set up.

 

Alright, the tank is full of LS and LR now, and there's a shrimp decomposing in the tank to get the cycling process started. The overflow is plumped, but the return pump still hasn't arrived, so I haven't tested it yet. The water is still cloudy from adding the sand, so the pictures are a little blurry looking. Hopefully it'll clear up soon.





Any suggestions for the aquascape? I tried to make lots of nooks and caves, but did I leave enough room for fish to swim around?

 

I have a 90 gallon, which is 3" wider front to back and there is no rocks leaning against the back wall. There are two tangs, they seem to love having the space. Ive used zip ties and epoxy to hold several rocks.

And welcome to 3reef, keep it up!

 

I think the nitrogen cycle is just about complete. Ammonia, Nitrites read 0, and Nitrates read very close to 0 as well. I'm a little confused why there aren't more Nitrates, as I haven't done a major water change yet.

Here are some updated pics. As you can see, I'm having my first algae bloom. The cleaning crew will be arriving on Wednesday.




My sump is running smoothly now as well, minus a protein skimmer at the moment:

 

tanks lookin good but Im loving all the GB gear in the background!!!!

 

Looks like a nice set up. Glad you decided to make a thread to show it off. Is that a HOB filter in your sump? Is the purpose of that to run carbon or are you looking for additional filtration? You may want to give that idea some additional thought. Those types of filters can cause issues if they are not very carefully maintained. Depending on your biologic load and your planned use of a skimmer, you probably will not need any additional filtration and most likely won't need any carbon. Just my .02. Any way, you're gonna have a great looking tank!!!