Story of a 75 Gallon FOWLR - Follow along!

[Ball]

This is the diary of my new 75 gallon saltwater fish only tank. I'm documenting my project from the start. Should be interesting to see the evolution of the entire project. Enjoy.

It all started off with my old 75 gallon tank that I used for my African Cichlid tank for years. After keeping my Reef tank for a year, I decided it would be cool to keep a saltwater fish only tank.

As I was thinking about how I was going to remodel my basement, I thought about putting the tank in-wall. This will leave more room in the main living area and make a neat display. I have always wanted an in-wall tank and now is the perfect time to try one out!

Feel free to make any suggestions and comments.


3-19-05 ... I will call this the official start to the project. I have already built the stand into the wall and started some of the drywall work. I decided to use sugar sized aragonite sand as a substrate as I did in my reef tank. I like the sand size and color and should provide some digging substance for the fish.




Test fit of tank into stud wall



Back of stand



Detail of bottom of the tank. Layer of plywood, thin mdf board, and foam. Gives a nice base.



Drywall put up. Just before starting cutout.



After cutout. Looking better.



Sand I'm using. It will be about 1" deep.

[Andrew]

off to a start. Ive always wanted to put my 75 in the wall but maybe someday i will too my room.

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

Nice stuff! Looks like it will be very good!

[moggyhill]

looks good so far. The only drawback that I can see is that you will be sorry that you did not put a bigger tank in.

[Ball]

Thanks everyone.


3-23-05 ... I decided I was going to use base rock as my rocks instead of live rock. This was mainly due to price. I ordered the rocks from hirocks.com . I ordered 65 pounds of their "best" rocks. I specifically asked for no small pieces and for only larger rocks. Well, I got just what I asked for. I received 4 rocks in the mail. Two pretty big rocks and 2 medium sized rocks. Overall, Im happy. I will need to add a little more rock later though. I put the two smaller rocks in my reef tank until I get this tank setup so they can establish some life on them and hopefully some coralline growth. The rocks are actually more of a white color than what is represented in these pictures. The flash brought out some brown that just isn't there. You get the idea though.



Big rock #1



Big rock #2



Medium rock #1



Medium rock #2



Overall view #1. Marker is in picture for size reference.



Overall view #2



Overall view #3

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

Nice rocks, dude.

[Ball]

3-26-05 ... I did some finishing work around the tank area and set the tank into place. I first put some eggcrate on the bottom to protect the glass from the rocks I will be putting in the tank. I then put 60 pounds of the aragonite sand on top of the eggcrate. This is going to be a very shallow sand bed. Just enough sand to make it look good. Im slowly filling the tank with RO water. It will take some time to make enough RO water to fill the tank completely. The tank should be completly filled tomorrow.




Eggcrate on the bottom



Depth of sand bed. About 1" or less



In the process of filling the tank

[Dannyboy17]

Great work! Whats goin to be on the stocking list?

--Dan

[phishphan]

What kind of filtration will you use?

[Ball]

Originally posted by Dannyboy17
Great work! Whats goin to be on the stocking list?

--Dan

Ive always wanted a porcupine puffer, but I know a 75 is to small for them. So Im hoping to find some sort of puffer to keep. Any suggestions? Spiny, dogface?

I want to keep some kind of eel. Something like a snowflake or somthing similar.

Im going to keep a picasso trigger.

I was thinking of a flame angel. However, Im not sure if they are big enough with an eel in the tank.

I was also contiplating some sort of lionfish. I want a more uncommon one. Havent 100% decided yet.

Im also doing some research on a cuban hogfish.

Really Im only 100% on the picosso trigger, eel, and some sort of puffer at the momment. I have some time to decide.

[Ball]

Originally posted by phishphan
What kind of filtration will you use?

Im planning on a Remora or Remora Pro for the skimmer. Just need to find a deal on one.

Im not keeping a sump. I want to keep it simple for the time being. Im also going to keep live rock in the tank, so that will help also. I plan on buying a Rio Seio or two for circulation.

[moggyhill]

75 is way too small for even half the fish you want to keep

[Ball]

Originally posted by moggyhill
75 is way too small for even half the fish you want to keep

From what I have read, a picasso trigger and a snowflake eel are suitable for a 75 gallon tank.

I figure if I add a smaller puffer and a couple other fish that dont get any bigger than 6", I should be ok. Im not set in stone on most of the fish Im looking at.

I am getting a picasso and a eel no matter what though. They will be fine.

[moggyhill]

Since you already KNOW, why bother to ask.

[Dannyboy17]

I think a Dogface would do fine...well, thats what I am told by my LFS!

--Dan

[Travis]

The only problem I see with keeping an eel is that you will be limited to large fish as its tankmates but it looks like you have already taken that into consideration. How about something more exotic like a dragon moray? It you do go with the snowflake your tank will be plenty big enough for it. Scott Michael recommends a 30 gallon or larger tank for a snowflake.

Here are some cool puffers to look into. I don't know anything about these except they look cool and stay small. Canthigaster bennnetti a.k.a Bennett's Toby (3.9 in.), Canthigaster coronata a.k.a. Crowned or Threebarred Toby (5.3 in.), Canthigaster rostrata a.k.a. Sharpnose Puffer or Atlantic Toby (4.3 in.), or Canthigaster solandri a.k.a Ocellated, Solander's, or Spotted Toby (4.1 in.).

Have you considered any algae eating fish? It seems like many FO tanks have nuisance algae problems. A good algae eating fish or two will help keep things in check.

[Ball]

Originally posted by moggyhill
Since you already KNOW, why bother to ask.

I know 2 fish I want. The trigger and the eel. Im not commited to any others. Im asking because I like to hear other peoples opinions. This is my first fish only tank and Im open to suggestions.

Originally posted by Travis
...
Have you considered any algae eating fish? It seems like many FO tanks have nuisance algae problems. A good algae eating fish or two will help keep things in check.

Thanks for all your suggestions Travis. I will look into them for sure.

What algae eating fish are you talking about? Lawnmower Blenny, Tangs?

[Bailey2]

Originally posted by Ball
Im planning on a Remora or Remora Pro for the skimmer. Just need to find a deal on one.

I don't think the Remora will be big enough for a 75G. You may get away with a Repora Pro.

Im not keeping a sump. I want to keep it simple for the time being. Im also going to keep live rock in the tank, so that will help also. I plan on buying a Rio Seio or two for circulation.

I know it is an extra hassle to set up a sump. But, you would be happier in the long run!

[Ball]

Its an option. If I need to go with a sump later, I can easily add a hob overflow without to much cost or hassel. I want to try a sumpless tank for awhile. I know a sump is the best, I have one on my reef tank. Im just trying some different things out on this tank.

I also contiplated going barebottom. However, I decided to go with sand. If that doesnt work out, I can easily siphon out the sand and covert to barebottom.

So I do have some options on going with a sump later and also barebottom later if I choose to.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

[Triggerfish]

Originally posted by Ball
From what I have read, a picasso trigger and a snowflake eel are suitable for a 75 gallon tank.

I am getting a picasso and a eel no matter what though. They will be fine.

a picasso trigger could do quite well in a 75g for a number of years, if you purchase a small specimen and do not overfeed. i have noticed that this particular species tends to grow at a slow rate. they appear to be constantly on the go..all day long,,often will just lap the tank continuously.
it's tough to say how large this fish will grow in the home aquaria and how long it would take to max out.

i think though, even if this fish obtains a size that is 75% of what it can reach in the wild, this setup will not be suitable..

[slave-of-rock]

so you know i have a chain link moray and a snowflake moray, neither of them have ate any small fish in either of there tanks (snowflake in my 90g reef, chainlink in my 75g FOWLR) i have kept small gobies and such with both of these eels, and they are both fairily large, my snowflake is about 24" long and my chain link abour 18-20". Gl with them!

[Ball]

3-30-05 ... Things took a turn for the worst. I woke up in the morning and seen that my tank was leaking. I couldn't believe it. I just had it running a couple weeks ago for my cichlid tank. It was a slow leak thank god. However, the tank needed replaced and the water was starting to run into my new drywall! So I was on a desperate hunt for a new tank. Luckily I found a tank from a local reefer. The new tank had two 1" bulkheads installed in the back. Now I can have a sump. I wasnt going to get that complicated with this system, but since they are there, I will use them. Now I have to redesign the system somewhat. Oh well, it should be fun. I have a couple things in mind that are pretty neat. You'll have to just keep following along to find out!





Darn you leaky tank!!!!! DIE!!!




I'll take this opportunity to show off the finished stand. I painted it white to protect against water. It worked!



Here is the outlet bank I installed in the stand. I think 6 should be enough for what Im doing with this tank.



New tank. This is one of the two bulkheads installed in the back glass. Goody.



This is the new tank after refilling with the sand/water mixture I took out of the leaky tank. Just a big dust cloud! Sucks.

[Mud Shrimp Moe]

Sorry about the leak. Seems like you took it in stride, however.

On the stocking, I have a 75 gal myself and I have a green wolf eel and a dwarf lion. I may add a Foxface later, but I'm not sure my tank is large enough. If you don't want a "real eel," a Green Wolf Eel is an awesome fish and they have a ton of personality. They are aggressive, but somewhat smaller than the larger Morays.

[Travis]

Originally posted by Ball
What algae eating fish are you talking about? Lawnmower Blenny, Tangs?

First off, sorry for the late reply. RC has really been sketchy lately. I check threads I'm subscribed to through my email but lately I haven't been getting email notifications to new posts in many threads I'm subscribed to. Yes, that is pretty much what I was thinking of. More so the tangs than the blennies though. IME, blennies don't do enough to really help control anything. Tangs, on the other hand, seem to never stop picking at the rocks. Another option is rabbitfish, but be careful... due to their digestives systems, they are a huge bio-load to a tank. They need to eat about twice as much as most other fish. But they are voracious algae eaters.

[Travis]

Originally posted by Ball

Here is the outlet bank I installed in the stand. I think 6 should be enough for what Im doing with this tank.

Where's the GFCI's? I would highly recommend using them instead of regular outlets. Especially, since you plan on using Rio brand pumps in there. My experience with Rio pumps is that over 60% of them end up shorting out in the water and putting a lot of electric current in there. The GFCI will trip if this happens before it kills your fish, and possibly you. This hasn't happened with my Seio's "yet", but I've only had them for just short of a year.

It sounds like your tank leaking turned out for the better. At least you got a tank that is already drilled with a couple bulkheads now.