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Type of Lighting


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  1. #1
    Guido - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Sep 2005
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    Cincinnati, OH
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    Default Type of Lighting

    Hi. I just recently bought a 75g tank and a glass canopy to go with it. I was curious as to what lighting would be good to start off with. I'm not quite sure if I will do a reef aquarium due to the costs of all the equipment that I would need (or so iv been told) so what would be a good lighting for a 75g tank. Also, quick question, (and I'm asking this because of my lack of experience) is coral the same as reef? Also, if you could, id like to know what a good chemical, bio, and mechanical filter would be for my tank as well, preferably all one unit, but I'm taking opinions and suggestions.
    Failure is for those who accept it.

  2. #2
    dakar - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    You'll see coral tanks and reef tanks used pretty interchangably, for most purposes a reef tank will be populated with coral (and of course we need fish to entertain us as well).

    As far as lighting goes, it is really dependant on what you intend to keep in your tank, if it's just fish only they don't have any special lighting requirments, one of the running lokes is you can use xmas tree lighting for all they care, so normal output flourescent tubes would be fine. However if you are planning to keep any coral or anenomes then you will have to step up the lighting significantly to keep them.

    Filtration, I don;t think anything beats a sump/refuge combination with a good protein skimmer. But there are many alternatives, just stay away from anything using bioballs, they cause nothing but problems down the road.

    Give us some more details and we'll try to help narrow down some of the better options and choices for you.
    Every electronic device is manufactured with smoke stored deep inside... only a true genius can find a way to set it free.

  3. #3
    Guido - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Default

    Who much would it cost for a sump pump for a 75g and the lighting for it if i were to go the way of the reef aquarium? (I am kind of on a budget, so could take me a while to get even the cheapest of good equipment, but advice is still wanted none the less).
    Failure is for those who accept it.

  4. #4
    graphixx - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Default

    as for lighting, if you want to do a FOWLR (Fish only with live rock) you can get away with PC lighting (Power Compact) Now if you are like everybody else in this hobby you will eventually end up going to a reef type system. The only advice I can give to you is get the most expensive lights you can get now. I know it seems absurd but if you skimp now you will end up upgrading later on down the road. Now if you want to do a reef type system you will want to go with MH lighting (Metal Halide) this is a much more intense lighting than the PC and your corals will need this type of lighting to survive. As for filtration dakar was correct you will want to go with a sump and refugium. The benefits of this are to hide all of your equipment in the sump/fuge and it is a great place to culture pods as far as the size the bigger the better whatever you can fit underneath your stand. you could convert a 20 gallon into a sump for very cheap. Get a good skimmer and heater and an overflfow now with your lighting on a 75 you are going to be at least $400 if you go the way of MH but its worth the money. And fiirst and formost in this hobby take your time. Patience is the key to this game. And also Welcome to the wonderfull world of Salt
    fulltankshot 1 - Type of Lighting

  5. #5
    Guido - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Default

    How much would a sump cost me for my 75g tank? I already know about the skimmer (prices anyways) was already looking into getting one (I'm under the impression it will help with maintenance and water clarity)
    Failure is for those who accept it.

  6. #6
    dakar - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    The sump itself need not be anything more than a rubbermaid container. Just add an overflow box (assuming your tank has not been drilled here) and a return pump.

    Adding to the overall water volume of the system is always helpful and gives you a place to hide things like heaters and other equipment, and creates a high flow area for dosing your tank with additives and top offs.
    Every electronic device is manufactured with smoke stored deep inside... only a true genius can find a way to set it free.

  7. #7
    Guido - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Default

    Well I'm not to sure how to "make" a sump. As far as the refuge.... lol, I'm not even sure what that is. I don't have a mega flow/overflow tank (no hole in bottom), bottom is tempered and cant be drilled (at least not by someone who doesn't know what their doing (me)). So if i were to go the way of the sump/refuge, how would i go about making it and setting it up? I'm in no hurry for all the answers, simply because I lack the funds to proceed any further at the moment. Who would of thought such an exotic aquarium would cost as much as it does :-)
    Failure is for those who accept it.

  8. #8
    graphixx - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    I built one out of a 30 gallon tank for my 92 gallon bowfront. What I did , I went to home depot and bought some acrylic. it was very cheap. I cut 6 pieces of it they were the width of the tank and like ten inches tall. those you use for your baffles. do them in sets of three. I divided the tank into 3 parts. from left to right, skimmer, return pump, and refugium. Say your tank is 30 inches long, what I did is I used 8 inches for the sump and the return and 14 inches for the refugium. this worked well for me and like dakar said anytime you can increase the total volume of water the better. And not to mention it makes the display tank so much prettier without the heater and all of the power heads being visible. Good luck
    fulltankshot 1 - Type of Lighting

  9. #9
    Guido - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Sep 2005
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    Default

    At the risk of sounding stupid (and it's a risk I'm willing to take), I still have no idea how to

    build the sump/refug. I'm the type of person that would really have to have a "blueprint"

    lol. I kind of get what your saying about part of it, my tanks a 75g 48"L 18"W 20"H, so I

    think I would probably want the sump to be about 25-30L 18W and maybe 10-14H? I'm

    just not quite sure what a sump even looks like, maybe if you could give me a link to one,

    I could check it out and get a better idea how to build it.
    Failure is for those who accept it.

  10. #10
    dakar - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Take a look at this thread, that should give you some ideas.#ed_op#br#ed_cl##ed_op#br#ed_cl##ed_op#a href="http://www.captivereefing.com/viewtopic.php?t=554"#ed_cl#http://www.captivereefing.com/viewto...op#br#ed_cl#No such thing as stupid around here #ed_op#img src="richedit/smileys/Word_Positive/2.gif"#ed_cl#
    Every electronic device is manufactured with smoke stored deep inside... only a true genius can find a way to set it free.

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