My new 72g Bow

[z28cam]

I have finaly found a tank for my introduction to Salty expeditions.
It is a 72 gallon AGA Bowfront. Also bought a 20-25 gallon acrylic sump that fits nicely in the stand underneath. Has a built in Skimmer and nice size area for a Refuge. I also got PC lights, not sure what the stats are on them i forget already, everything is still in the backseat of the truck :). Tomorrow is gonna be a long exciting day for me. Unless of course the tank has a leak.

I believe the measurements of the tank are 48x18X22 so am i right in saying that 180lbs of LS will give me the correct DSB of 4"
Im gonna be buying all LS for the sand bed in hopes that its gonna help shorten the cycle process.

And when the time comes for LR how does 80lbs sound? I plan on buying it cured so how much at a time can i add without overloading the bio load and making the cycle take longer then it should. And if im buying it all cured, should i wait for the cycle to be over till I add the LR?

When i get home tomorrow Ill have it all set up and can take pictures of the tanks/stankd and sump for you guys to see.

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

im so excited for you z28cam! 180lbs sounds near or very close to your estimate of ls. my suggestion would be for you to go ahead and add all the live rock at once. i dont think its gonna bother the biological stability whatsoever, its gonna take time anyway you look at it, just keep testing and do regular water cahnges and keep an eye on it. stability wise parameters! just my opinion here and i hope this helps........although others may have different views, just pick the best one that suits your needs. let nature take its course...........peace my fellow reefer!

[Cutiewitbooty]

is that pic of the clownfish eddited or is it really like that. Its awesome looking!

[Reefmaniac1]

I have seen some interesting "mis-bar" clowns, but that one is by far the most unique.

[Archer]

Z28,

IMHO I think you're a little light on live rock. Most of what I've read tends to suggest about 1.5lbs/gallon (depending on the type of live rock). If the rock is truely fully cured and purchased locally, you should be able to put it right in the tank with the live sand. I would let it cycle for a week or two and test to ensure it is really fully cured before adding any live stock.

I think you could also get away with less live sand (which is pretty expensive) by using a base of reef sand (much cheaper), and covering it with live sand. The beneficial organisms in the live sand will multiply quickly and in a short span of time, you'll end up in the same place, but for less $$.

[z28cam]

Do they label it reef sand in the stores or should i be looking for argonite? And instead of using all live rock, i think im gonna start out with just some base rock 10-20lbs or whatever and then use LR for the rest. Im not about to pay $800 for the amount of live rock i would need. I need that money for the RO/DI :)

[z28cam]

Well the tank has been up since last friday and I finaly was able to take some pictures.

The aquascaping isnt yet done, I plan on moving things around possibly tomorrow and adding some more rock in the future.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10240Tank.JPG


This is my 25gal CPR Aquafuge Pro. Had to make a custom cover due to the drain water splashing around and making a mess. Not sure if it was suppose to come with a cover/hood but it didn't. So i went to Home Depot got some acrylic, and sat in the garage for 3 hours with my dremel and carved me a sump hood :D. Cutting out the hole for the skimmer to fit through took forever. Measure twice cut once as they say in the trades :)
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/10240Sump.JPG

[tygger]

Your tank looks like an Oceanic because the overflow is built in the corner. My 72g AGA has the overflow built off-center, not in the corner...

For lr, going by the lb/gallon rule can be deceiving because I've seen 72 gallon tanks with 100lbs of lr that doesn't look nearly as full as yours with 90lb. What type of rock is that?

I'm still in the process of setting my tank up. Looks like you put your rock right on top of the sand. I might put mine down before the sand to prevent any critters from burrowing underneath and knocking the rock over.

What kind of skimmer you using? Any ideas of fish you're going to get?

[SVTour]

Sweet tank z28cam...the 72 bow was my first choice in tanks.

Ended up with a 90 due to the 72 going 'off sale'. :(

[weap0n_X]

Here is a pic of my 72g Bow before I had a minor crash. But still has the same rock setting but a few corals had died.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/64401update_1.JPG

[Sting]

niiiiiiice, sorry to hear about your loss....any close ups or stocking info?

[z28cam]

Originally posted by tygger

For lr, going by the lb/gallon rule can be deceiving because I've seen 72 gallon tanks with 100lbs of lr that doesn't look nearly as full as yours with 90lb. What type of rock is that?

I'm still in the process of setting my tank up. Looks like you put your rock right on top of the sand. I might put mine down before the sand to prevent any critters from burrowing underneath and knocking the rock over.

What kind of skimmer you using? Any ideas of fish you're going to get?

The rock is Figi. And underneath the rock below the sand level, is egg crate to help stablize the rock from digging creatures. The Skimmer came with the sump and CPR made the sump and the skimmer. It works great.

For sure i will be getting a Mandarin. Clownfish and Anonome for my partners daughter :). Besides that im still researching what fish we are gonna put in.

[weap0n_X]

Sting- that is a old tank photo, i got a yellow tang, six line wrasse, potters angel, lawn mower blenny, mandrin goby, 2 peppermint shrimps, 1 serpent star, 35 crabs and snails, 100 lbs of lr, lots of different color zoos, flower pot coral and button poylps...i think thats it...btw nice tank z28cam

[tygger]

Originally posted by z28cam
The rock is Figi. And underneath the rock below the sand level, is egg crate to help stablize the rock from digging creatures. The Skimmer came with the sump and CPR made the sump and the skimmer. It works great.

For sure i will be getting a Mandarin. Clownfish and Anonome for my partners daughter :). Besides that im still researching what fish we are gonna put in.

I have egg crate on the bottom of mine also. Now, Im trying to decide if I want to put the rock on the crate first or on top of the sand. ???

[z28cam]

I would put the egg crate under the sand, cause otherwise the critters will still be able to burrow and dig under the egg crate which may still be able to make the rock unstable. Maybe maybe not i dunno but thats what i would do/did.

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

Nothing nicer than a bow tank , only bigger , nice job good luck !

[Manon]

I also have a 72 gal bow front tank and love it, just wish it was bigger!! My built in overflow in off center and takes a lot of place. I set up my tank a year ago. I have about three inch sand base and lots of live rock. I did not use base rock. All fugi rocks as well. I put most of it at once. Then added a few pieces along the way when I found the right pieces of rocks.

I really like your sump set up!! I think I will put lighting in mine as well and use it as a refugium.

What kind of lighting do you have over you sump??

Manon

[z28cam]

I just went to walmart and got a 24" aquarium florescent setup or whatever you wanna call it.

[Neptune's Nemesis]

Have to say 72 bows are my favorite also. I have 150lbs sand and 100lbs of LR (mixed between Lalo, Haitian, and Deep Tonga). I don't remember where I read it on RC (and the search never works) but I thought eggcates were bad for the overall health of a reef.

[z28cam]

Id have to say no on egg crate being detramental to the health of an aquarium. Its used quite alot. I have seen alot of fraggers use it in thier frag grow out tanks.

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

egg crates will hurt nothing except your eyes if it shows !

[Larry Waughon]

Leave the egg crate out of the sand bed. It will restrict the movement of sand animals too much and may cause the failure of the bed. Just embed the rocks securely into the sand, and wll will be well.




__________________
Cheers, Ron

This was posted in Dr. Rons forum ,Maybe this is what you seen Neptune's Nemesis

[Manon]

I've read about Jaubert-Style Plenum (Monaco-Style System) where eggcrate and screening is used to allow some water under the sand. It is suppose to prevent the risk of some gaz building up in the sand.

See book; Natural Reef Aquariums by John H. Tulllock explains how to set it up.

It's not like using and underground filter, there is no air going into it.

After setting up my tank I read about it and thought that maybe I should have done that!!! I don't know, it sounds like a good idea to prevent gas built up. I have not had any problems with my set up yet as far as I know.

:rollface:

Manon

[tygger]

Originally posted by pioneer
Leave the egg crate out of the sand bed. It will restrict the movement of sand animals too much and may cause the failure of the bed. Just embed the rocks securely into the sand, and wll will be well.


__________________
Cheers, Ron

This was posted in Dr. Rons forum ,Maybe this is what you seen Neptune's Nemesis


I always thought that it was fine to use underneath the sand bed. I'm going to start another thread about this...

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=435203

[SOMEthinsFISHY]

where is weapon ??