Beginner 75 gallon tank... 3 weeks in and need advice!

[carlykush]

I would definitely recommend more rock, live rock if possible optimally to cut down on the time your cycle will take and make life better for your clownfish harem. If possible, could we get a picture of your setup? What are your long-term goals and desires with this tank, what are your hopes and plans, and do you have a stocking list of things you want to add? Best of luck, and welcome to the hobby!

This picture is going to look a lot different than it would’ve yesterday as we added a couple of things. 1, we added 10 snails. 2, we purchased a new light setup. It is the Fluval 58watt sea light. 3: My husband of course opted to purchase the hardiest coral that the fish store suggested. They said since there’s diatoms and our water levels are testing properly that we would be able to support our first pieces of coral so we do have a couple of those in here now as well. We were not using any type of blue lighting prior to this so that is the main change you’ll see in this compared to what it was. I am going to switch it into white light to also give a clear image of the bloom I was seeing. Snails have cleaned the bottom of the tank pretty well overnight. Coral also seems to be doing great and not stressed either.

 

[carlykush]

Sounds like you’re doing things right to me! What’re your long term goals with this tank?

My goal is LOTS of coral! We don’t intend on packing it completely filled with fish but would definitely love to add a couple eye grabbing fish. The more color, the better.

 

[Rijodan]

The question is why have you got 7 clown fish?? Don't think that is going to end very well tbh. Did the lfs recommended you to get them ? If so take 5 back and keep a pair . And then change lfs!!!

I disagree with this, as long as they are all similar ie all orange black and not like a misbar with wyoming whites its fine. The more you have the less the aggression builds on a singular one. so 3 i wouldn't advise but 7 sounds pretty interesting. Personally i have 5 in my 110g and its been near 3 years without issues

 

[twentyleagues]

I checked ammonia it’s at 0, checked nitrite and it was fine as well. I did not test PH or alk. I just grabbed the API kit to have something quick and handy in case I was dealing with some sort of outbreak. I also went back to my fish store yesterday and conveniently forgot to bring a water sample but the owner reassured us that the bloom was diatoms and a healthy bloom. Sent us home with some snails to help clean the sand. Hoping we are doing things correctly here haha!

Yeah Diatoms usually mean the tank has cycled in a new tank. You should be good just test or have the water tested periodically. If you are testing id do it weekly so you can see the trend. Weekly 10-20% water changes should be ok for now but thats why you test. Personally even in fish only tanks I like to keep a handle on nitrate keeping it under 20ppm it can go higher without affecting your fish.

 

[Rijodan]

It was dry rock. I bought 40 lbs and put about 30 lbs in. They told me bring samples in to have it tested so I planned on doing that but also want to have my own test kit at home. Do you have any recommendations as opposed to the crazy cheap petshop ones? And eventually yes we would like to add coral once we're properly educated because clearly we are extremely under prepared. I'd like to just get this tank healthy and make sure everyone stays healthy.

I also thought that was extreme but my husband was extremely happy to hear we could bring 7 home. I've been monitoring and thus far everyone is getting along but will be extremely mindful of that moving forward.

for tests i personally like hanna as easy tests mean i will test. Redsea sells good multikits for the same price as 1 hanna but they are many steps and then you are judging color. Salifert has good tests and cheap, i believe their mag is the most accurate test hobby wise. without a sump i would recommend more rock but just dont make areas where you cant get flow because they will be come detritus traps and lead to nute issues later down the road. everyone has their scape tastes but the important factor is water flow to keep detritus suspended and able to be removed by your filtration

 

[Rijodan]

I put in stability as instructed. Also 40 pounds of my sand was wet bagged sand too

as a rule of thumb wet sand hold very little bacteria, and not enough to truly make a difference for cycling also most of them state they are not compatible with bottled bacteria. I have not used stability but as for any cycle you should be watching ammonia like a hawk. AN ammonia alert badge is cheap and accurate enough for what you need. For bottled back i like microbater xlr, much cheaper than dr tims and everytime ive used it i have no ammonia after atleast 8-9 days

 

[Goldberg]

I see treasures in the replies, so to be frank, Im not the greatest to give advise as im new myself, but lesson i learned recently, not to add too many fishes too quickly. although I waited nearly 8 weeks for first cycle only adding bacteria. when I had the brown algae on the sand someone advised me to get some snails (after 8 weeks) the snails cleaned the sand off the brown algae.
still many factors, and the reefers gave amazing feedback that can help you better

 

[twentyleagues]

This picture is going to look a lot different than it would’ve yesterday as we added a couple of things. 1, we added 10 snails. 2, we purchased a new light setup. It is the Fluval 58watt sea light. 3: My husband of course opted to purchase the hardiest coral that the fish store suggested. They said since there’s diatoms and our water levels are testing properly that we would be able to support our first pieces of coral so we do have a couple of those in here now as well. We were not using any type of blue lighting prior to this so that is the main change you’ll see in this compared to what it was. I am going to switch it into white light to also give a clear image of the bloom I was seeing. Snails have cleaned the bottom of the tank pretty well overnight. Coral also seems to be doing great and not stressed either.

Hard to see did you get zoas? Id add more rock for sure but looks good.

 

[Lavey29]

Congrats on your first tank. Please make use of the recommendations from the experienced reefers here so you can be successful. The only thing I would recommend is slow down. Patience is one of the most important aspects of this hobby. Nothing good happens quick in reefing generally. Your first year is going to be filled with tank instability and a variety of ugly phases. Keep researching all the info you can here and other sites to help build your knowledge base. Don't spend much on first corals because it is highly likely they may not survive during the first 6 months....good luck and welcome to the hobby.

 

[Rijodan]

After fully reading the thread have a few more to add:

We are in the same mindset, fish are cool but coral is where it is at! With this goal in mind stability is king, especially if you get expensive taste alot of those pricy corals are picky. It is not impossible to have a successful tank on just a canister but it does bring certain challenges. Would recommend looking into a way for a sump via overflow or drilling. HOB filters and skimmers work as well. I wouldnt rush into these purchases but keep in mind as you go forward

Tests are next that you really should invest in. Many old heads will argue they dont test they can just watch their tank to see if its healthy or not but as a newb you dont know what to watch for so ignore them till you start to agree with them. In my above post I shared that my preference is Hanna and they are very good ( with exception of their mag and salinity tester) and a refractometer is a MUST. Salifert is a cheap way of getting reliable tests and getting familiar with what tests need done more often and thus want to upgrade to something faster/easier. Some test you shouldnt worry about at all until you have a full blown reef and all. In order id personally purchase:
Tier one: Refractometer, thermometer ammonia badge, nitrate, phosphate should have now. These are your main nutrients that can and will make/break a tank and if you ask for help what people will first ask for.
Tier two: ph, alkalinity, once you have some established coral this will help make sure they are happy.
Tier 3: calcium, mag this is where youre getting more serious and having decent amount of growth from your lps and looking into getting nice sps and about where youre thinking of starting dosing
Tier 4: trace elements the tests for these are usually a pain in the butt and wildly inaccurate if you make the slightest mistake and costly. personally i just rather send the water to lab to test for these levels and go based off those recommendation. i wouldnt even worry about this kinda stuff if you are doing constant water changes or just have an insane amount of coral and growth going on.


The economics and logistics of buying water and hauling it alone make an investment into a RO system worth it. You can never really be sure what is going on at the lfs with their filter, locally we had 2 tanks crash as a young worker didnt rinse the tank well after cleaning and had bleach get added to the salt tank. Nothing nefarious but mistakes happen. With your own you can be in control, I personally have a 5 stage as i got a good deal used but with your water it may need more cause hardness. Just call into brs or ask our resident ro specialist @Buckeye Hydro what they recommend for your situation, both are pretty helpful with that stuff.

Ugly stage gonna ugly stage just dont let it get out hand. Right now you you have a whole ecosystem that is ripe for growth and with no coral or comepting "good" algae the fastest wins. Pull and remove any hair algae when it apears and slowly add snails and other cleanup crew as you increase your nutrient input ( ie feeding, coral powders, fish poop from more fish). Also think of adding a few utility fish as your tank grows to help take care of the algae. Blennys do great eating algae, urchins if you dont mind the side effects, small tang like a tomini, diamond goby for cleaning sand, etc, This is not a shopping list but just suggestions. Test your nitrates and phosphates make sure they are not elevating too high and that will help keep algae down but also remember that if you have an insane amount of algae it will test low because it takes up the nutes before you can test for it.

And remember the number 1 rule:
Nothing Good Happens Fast

 

[carlykush]

Hard to see did you get zoas? Id add more rock for sure but looks good.

Yes all Zoas

 

[I never finish anythi]

I disagree with this, as long as they are all similar ie all orange black and not like a misbar with wyoming whites its fine. The more you have the less the aggression builds on a singular one. so 3 i wouldn't advise but 7 sounds pretty interesting. Personally i have 5 in my 110g and its been near 3 years without issues

Yep can work but most of the time it won't . Not saying it ain't possible. But in a 75 not gonna end well for a few fish . And in my opinion not worth putting anything through it !