Hi there, 75 gallon tank just started

[Legonch]

Hello all,

I just wanted to say hello to everyone.

I just got started in the saltwater game. I have a 75 gallon tank. For now just fish and some live rock.

I have lots of questions about corals. Can someone point me in the right direction to start adding corals, etc?

Also have some questions about fish, etc.

Thanks!!

 

[Balz3352]

Welcome. Ask away lots of knowledge on this forum!

 

[Irishman]

Welcome to MASC! A lot of smart people here. Multiple ways to get answers on here, look through threads, post a thread, search bar. Everyone here is more than willing to help out!

 

[JuanGutz]

Welcome to MASC!

 

[neil82]

Welcome to the forum! I think if you post some more details about your setup like lighting, filtration, flow, current inhabitants etc you could get some good recommendations for corals.

 

[Legonch]

Thanks all!

So my 75 gallon tank is just fish and rock now. 120 to 150 lbs of live rock.

Its got a t5 8 bulb light on it now, but im looking for an led to replace that setup.

As far as filtration goes, all I have now is a sump, with bio balls. No skimmer at this point. Tank was just started about 2.5 months ago.

Fish, coral beauty angel, green chromis', royal grammar, dotyback, watchman goby, and two baby clowns. All the fish are pretty small. And, a couple snails, and hermit crabs too.

Ive got two hydor circulation pumps running. Apex controller, and a tunze ato.

Is a protein skimmer required equipment for corals?
What other equipment is recommended from my setup to get started?

I have a 135 gallon tank in the garage that someday I will graduate to. So this will be a work in progress.

Thanks!

 

[rjl45]

I was new to the hobby 9 months ago, started with corals then added fish. Honestly, I find the fish more difficult than corals. My tank is all LPS (large polyp stony), zoas, leathers... IMO Start with a few frags of zoas, they're easy, hardy and tolerate some mistakes.

Coral does not generate the amount of waste like fish do, and their primary food is light. Different corals prefer different lighting and water flow, tons of great info on the Web, but honestly, nothing beats simple observation. If the coral doesn't look happy, better change something and move it. If the zoa is "reaching" for light, probably would be better if you moved it higher into the rock work. Observation will make the difference between success and failure.

Water quality is very important. Put yourself on a regular water change schedule (if you haven't already done so). Keep those nitrates and phosphates down. Ideally at zero.

My 2 cents... There are many true experts here. Listen to their advice and read up on the specifics. Cheers!

 

[Walter White]

Sounds like you are off to a good start. You will get varying oppions on all your questions I think. In this hobby there are are many roads that lead to the same destination. With time and patience you will learn which road is best for you.

That said t5 is perfect for starting out with coral and for many people is still the lighting of choice. Don't be too quick to jump to led. In my oppion led can and will add a level of complexity and additional variables that you don't need to fuss with when starting out, especially the adjustable ones. T5 is a tried and true plug and play method that can grow just about anything. Led can grow corals well too but in my experience you have to get them dialed in just right to truly be successful and that can be harder said than done especially when you are new to the hobby/corals. I have had the privilege of using just about all of the highest end led units out there and I personally would still choose t5 over all of them in terms of just shear ease of use color and growth. As I said before others with have different oppionions just be sure to do your own research on any lighting option you choose.

if you want to start trying some corals start with some of the common softies, zoas, and lps corals. Don't add too much too fast and be patient. A skimmer in not a necessity for many corals especially softies and zoas you just have to be diligent with regular water changes and be careful not to over feed. Phosphates and nitrates can be easily managed with other means such as gfo, turf scrubbers, refugiums with Chaeto etc. Like I said before lots of roads.

all that siad my suggestion is find someone here that has the kind of setup you would like to have and try to emulate what they are doing and don't try mixing to many techniques form to many different sources. Once you have that basis you can start changing up one or two things at a time as you learn what will work better for you.

check out the build threads in the tank build forum and see what is working for others and what you would like to accomplish. Ask lots of questions, read, then read some more, and above all else just be patient. The only things that happens fast in salt are bad things.

 

[neil82]

I would also recommend starting out with some softies like zoas, mushrooms, or leathers. Take things slow when it comes to making any changes to your tank. It takes some time for a newer setup to get established. Only bad things happen in a hurry. As stated above, get a good water change schedule down. I like to do a weekly change of 5 to 10 percent of total water volume. Keep an eye on your angel fish as it is possible it could nibble at the corals. A skimmer could help with water quality especially for a tank with many inhabitants producing waste that needs to be exported.
Most of all, have fun! Keep posting updates and questions as you go. There are many helpful people here on the forum to help you along. Looking forward to seeing your tank grow!

 

[Legonch]

Thank you all for your advice! What a great forum. Lots of ideas to think about and lots of reading to do now. If I can figure out how to post photos, ill try to add some tonight.