75g upgrade; advice, guidance & suggestions.

[kevin]

I'm sorry in advanced if this thread seems to go all over the place. I have a lot of things running through my head, lol. I'll probably update this with more questions as I think of them.

Getting an awesome deal for a 75g 48x18x20 that I couldn't pass up thanks to Xavier.
As some of you know, I have a 50g 24x24x20.

Should I go with another Radion or try something else like a Kessil for the other half?

It comes with a 40g aga sump.
I literally just purchased a SWC120. Should I now upgrade to something bigger?

Are two MP10's sufficient powerheads?

I'm setting the tank up in the same room, but on a different side so it will fit. Would I be able to get dry rock & mix it with the live rock or would I need to purchase all live rock to not cause a cycle? I want to try to make it so the other tank is up & running and all I would have to do is transfer the fish & live rock. The thing about this is, I need to put the live rock down first, then sand. I'm thinking about getting the dry rock(if I could use it) and put that as the base so I can lay the sand down first.I'll be able to fill the tank & let the sand settle for a day & then transfer the live rock over & fish over. Otherwise, if I can't use the dry rock, I'll purchase all live rock (eeeek!)

My BTA's will probably not be happy with this move. I can also finally get rid of the devil pistol shrimp.

I think that's all I can think of currently. Appreciate the help & advice. I'll also have up the other tank for sale in the future if anyone was looking for a cube

 

[mnat]

Lighting: You are going to need another unit, one radion is not going to cover 4 feet of space. It is really up to you what you want to get but realize if you don't get another radion, the tank could look dramatically different where the two different lights hit. You could probably play with your radion to match it, but do you really want to limit your radion to another light.

Powerheads: Depending on what you are keeping, I think you will be able to get away with the 2 mp10s. You might have to upgrade later on or maybe add a ph, but for now that should be good. Also what return pump are you going with.

Skimmer: 75g is probably at the way upper end for the swc120 especially when you add the sump volume, so it will come down to your stocking list. You are probably going to want to upgrade that right away. The good news is that their is high demand for the swc120 so you will probably have no problem selling it.

Moving the tank: Consider it a very large water change. You are lucky that you can setup the new tank and have them running at the same time and do it slowly if you wanted to (run another cycle through) or a fast one. You are going to need new rock, but that is fine. You can get the dry rock, new sand bed (my preference when I upgrade), and get the tank up and running. Move over some live rock from your old tank and let it seed the new rock and add some biospira or Dr. Tims to speed it up as well. Then you can just move it all over.

 

[kevin]

Lighting: You are going to need another unit, one radion is not going to cover 4 feet of space. It is really up to you what you want to get but realize if you don't get another radion, the tank could look dramatically different where the two different lights hit. You could probably play with your radion to match it, but do you really want to limit your radion to another light.

Powerheads: Depending on what you are keeping, I think you will be able to get away with the 2 mp10s. You might have to upgrade later on or maybe add a ph, but for now that should be good. Also what return pump are you going with.

Skimmer: 75g is probably at the way upper end for the swc120 especially when you add the sump volume, so it will come down to your stocking list. You are probably going to want to upgrade that right away. The good news is that their is high demand for the swc120 so you will probably have no problem selling it.

Moving the tank: Consider it a very large water change. You are lucky that you can setup the new tank and have them running at the same time and do it slowly if you wanted to (run another cycle through) or a fast one. You are going to need new rock, but that is fine. You can get the dry rock, new sand bed (my preference when I upgrade), and get the tank up and running. Move over some live rock from your old tank and let it seed the new rock and add some biospira or Dr. Tims to speed it up as well. Then you can just move it all over.

Thanks for the response as always!

I found a good deal on another Radion, so if it's not sold I'll pick it up.
It comes with a Magdrive 18 return pump. (I haven't looked up the specs of it yet)
I'll be on the prowl for a new skimmer. I was looking at avast a week ago, but it would of never fit in the 18g sump that I have now. Now I can look more into it

Depending on where I get my other rocks, will depend on the new sand. I replaced my sand when I transferred my tank in May to Fiji Pink. Reefrocks.net has 40lbs of sand for $14.95 if I get there rocks. Although, I might go with BRS again. (currently have the brs reef saver rocks).

I'm going to try to go slow with this since I have no reason to move fast.. except for my own personal gain.

 

[jgraz]

Kevin,
I used mp10's in my 90. They worked great. A third would be better if you doing SPS. I ended up adding a koralia 750 just for a bit extra till I get the money for a 3rd mp10. If I'm not mistaken I saw someone selling a BM nac 7 somewhere. I know it's in jersey just not sure which forum I saw it on. May have been RC or MR.
As to the reefrocks, it is great stuff you won't be disappointed. I did my entire tank with it and seeded with a bit of live from my old tank. And I think its cheaper then the brs or marco. I have heard that the sand is not all that great though. I used reef flakes and loved it. Hope this helps.

 

[Xavier613]

Text me if you wanna talk about it kev, im glad to offer any advice or suggestion to you.

 

[kevin]

Kevin,
I used mp10's in my 90. They worked great. A third would be better if you doing SPS. I ended up adding a koralia 750 just for a bit extra till I get the money for a 3rd mp10. If I'm not mistaken I saw someone selling a BM nac 7 somewhere. I know it's in jersey just not sure which forum I saw it on. May have been RC or MR.
As to the reefrocks, it is great stuff you won't be disappointed. I did my entire tank with it and seeded with a bit of live from my old tank. And I think its cheaper then the brs or marco. I have heard that the sand is not all that great though. I used reef flakes and loved it. Hope this helps.

Lots of decisions! I'll probably pick up some more Fiji Pink sand. I'm really looking into the Avast DIY skimmer. Just waiting to hear back how high inside the stand is.

http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/product/youbuilt/CS1-Cone-Skimmer-Kit

Text me if you wanna talk about it kev, im glad to offer any advice or suggestion to you.

You're going to be sorry you said this, lol.

 

[AJ1080]

Let me toss my 2 cents in here.....


DO IT!

 

[greybolt03]

When I swapped tanks I bought 30# of the macro rock placed that in bought all new sand put that in and covered the new sand with about 5# of my old sand that I cleaned used half my old water aNd half new let it cycle for a week then switched everything over and havent had any problems...

 

[kevin]

Let me toss my 2 cents in here.....


DO IT!

Oh, it's happening! I've been planning all day!

When I swapped tanks I bought 30# of the macro rock placed that in bought all new sand put that in and covered the new sand with about 5# of my old sand that I cleaned used half my old water aNd half new let it cycle for a week then switched everything over and havent had any problems...

I plan on doing a similar version of this. Is there any benefit from using old water? I'm going to fill the majority of my tank with reef rocks & seed it with some sand & LR from my tank. I'll also be putting fresh new bags of Fiji Pink in(which I just gave away a few months ago, LOL). I'll use Dr. Tim's one & only & see how the tank goes from there. I'll hopefully be able to pick up the tank tomorrow afternoon.

Will I have to acclimate my fish & inverts?

 

[magic]

Return pump is a mag 18, how many overflows does the tank have. A standard 75 I believe has one which would be roughly 600gph the mag 18 is rated at 1800 gph you'll have to throttle it back or use a manifold.

Bob

 

[kevin]

Return pump is a mag 18, how many overflows does the tank have. A standard 75 I believe has one which would be roughly 600gph the mag 18 is rated at 1800 gph you'll have to throttle it back or use a manifold.

Bob

Marineland 75 gallon standard non drilled tank -Custom drilled to include 2 drain lines, one on either top corner, and 1 return line in the top center. Will include bulkheads in each of the holes.
----I had black acrylic boxes custom made with covers -slotted top- to act as overflow boxes and prevent fish from getting into the overflow as well as raise the water level. These have worked perfectly and i have never had a fish get into the box or sump.

Stand was made by me, oversized to house a 40 gallon breeder sump in the bottom. dimensions are 57.5" L x 30.5" D x 37.5" H

Sump is a 40 breeder aga tank. Currently has 3 glass baffles but they can easilly be removed to make your own design.

 

[Xavier613]

The overflows can handle the mag18 at full throttle. Because of headloss it eavens out perfectly.

 

[jgraz]

With that kind of flow all you would need is the two mp10's that would prob be perfect.

 

[Xavier613]

I just ran a single mp40 with this setup and it was plenty flow wise. I added an mp40 at the other end at one point but it was was too too much and i took it off.

 

[kevin]

With that kind of flow all you would need is the two mp10's that would prob be perfect.

The overflows can handle the mag18 at full throttle. Because of headloss it eavens out perfectly.

Reefrocks ordered.
60lbs of fiji pink ordered, (2) 250w jager's ordered, dr tim's one & only ordered
picked up another radion for darn good price.

now just need to figure out a new skimmer.. and some odds & ends.

welp, time to make a convincing story to the wife

 

[Tommyboynj]

I'm running a mag 9.5 on my 75 and have my carbon reactor running of the return manifold and still have the pump throttled back to about 2/3 power. Those two overflows will handle a lot more though. As for the choice of vortechs. It's gonna depend on you aquascape. As you can see from the pic below, mine is fairly built up. The is no way that two mp10 would kill dead spots. I'm running an mp40, mp10 and a tunze nano wavebox. I have the vortech running at about 70% reefcrest and its just right. My advice with the vortech pumps is this. You already dropping some serious cash on then so just go overboard. I actually wish I had 2 mp40 so I could put the 10 on the back wall. You can always throttle these pumps back and when you upgrade again, you will already have enough pump. Also, although 1 mp40 on an open scape tank would probably be fine, these pumps really come into their own when team up with another vortech to utilize the wireless feature.

 

[kevin]

I'm running a mag 9.5 on my 75 and have my carbon reactor running of the return manifold and still have the pump throttled back to about 2/3 power. Those two overflows will handle a lot more though. As for the choice of vortechs. It's gonna depend on you aquascape. As you can see from the pic below, mine is fairly built up. The is no way that two mp10 would kill dead spots. I'm running an mp40, mp10 and a tunze nano wavebox. I have the vortech running at about 70% reefcrest and its just right. My advice with the vortech pumps is this. You already dropping some serious cash on then so just go overboard. I actually wish I had 2 mp40 so I could put the 10 on the back wall. You can always throttle these pumps back and when you upgrade again, you will already have enough pump. Also, although 1 mp40 on an open scape tank would probably be fine, these pumps really come into their own when team up with another vortech to utilize the wireless feature.

View attachment 4361 View attachment 4363

Looking good Tom. I have 2 mp10's wES on my 50g already, so I guess I'll see how it goes!

 

[redfishbluefish]

A MAG 18 is killing it! Here’s my concerns:

1. Turnover rate in the DT…even if the overflows can handle it.
2. Flow through rate in the sump/refugium…white-water rafting anyone?
3. Heat generation and electrical consumption.


A MAG 9 would be more than sufficient.


I'd still be a bit concerned about a decent amount of uncured rock going into the tank....it will cycle. Something like BioSpira might not be a bad idea if you want to speed thinks up.

 

[adesimone1]

+ 1 Fish the mag is to big for that tank the mag 9 would do the job very well.

 

[kevin]

A MAG 18 is killing it! Here’s my concerns:

1. Turnover rate in the DT…even if the overflows can handle it.
2. Flow through rate in the sump/refugium…white-water rafting anyone?
3. Heat generation and electrical consumption.


A MAG 9 would be more than sufficient.


I'd still be a bit concerned about a decent amount of uncured rock going into the tank....it will cycle. Something like BioSpira might not be a bad idea if you want to speed thinks up.

Marineland 75 gallon standard non drilled tank -Custom drilled to include 2 drain lines, one on either top corner, and 1 return line in the top center. Will include bulkheads in each of the holes.
----I had black acrylic boxes custom made with covers -slotted top- to act as overflow boxes and prevent fish from getting into the overflow as well as raise the water level. These have worked perfectly and i have never had a fish get into the box or sump.

This is how Xavier was running this tank with the MAG 18. I'm sure he'll chime in again about the flow rate on the sump etc.

I picked up two bottles of dr tim's one & only to help speed up the process. If it cycle's then I'll just wait. Glad I can have both tanks up at the same time. Do I have to acclimate my fish & inverts?