A Rogers set up -62

O.K John here is a Roger’s set up
First off the tank should be drilled or reef ready there is no other way to do this Period . Drill it now or later.. The Sump should be large enough to hold all the run off water from the main system The refugium should be a separate box of water ad I find that to size them its best to use a tank that is 1/10 the size of the display tank then trickle 1/10th the fuges volume through the fuge per hr. From the opposite end of the fuge then the out let to the sump. The fuge supply water should come directly from the water to the sump and be piped to the very bottom of the fuge . This forces the water to move up and across the entire length of the fuges grasses and will allow for better settlement out of solids on to the 4 inches of sand and ensures all the grasses get new dirty water for food.. The Turn over rate through the sump I find best is 4 to 5 times the tanks totally volume . Then the skimmer should be sized to use or work with half of the amount of water through the sump. For an example lets you are setting up a 100 gallon system then a 10 gallon fuge and a fuge flow rate of 10 GPH and a main pump to move 400 to 500 GPH is what you need then a skimmer with a pump to move 200 to 300 GPH of water..Then I get it all piped up and ready to go fill it with tap water and just let them run a day to look for leaks and seals and such. Make any necessary repairs then drain it.

Now the tank as I mentioned really needs to be drilled and ready Then I add enough good aragonite sand to be about 2 inches deep .. Unless you want to get exotic I would use a well designed and built plenum.. They work very well and do a lot for a system long term But you have to build them with some sort of small tubing with access to the under plate so as to draw off the excess bio sludge every yr or so.. I use all dead base rock and I like to use enough to build my rock wall from midway of the bottom glass up to about 8 inches or so from the top water surface never figured out the pounds needed I’d guess about 2 lbs but that depends on density of the rock and sizes of rocks. And then I fill it with all R/O D.I water may few days? Add salt and start pumps..

Then at this point I just get my salinity levels adjusted and heaters in place and set no need to run skimmer now so just leave that go as with lighting not needed at this point. After water is at proper temp. And salinity is correct and tank has circulated for a few days I then start to get my levels of DKH and Ca and Magnesium to proper levels.. I shoot for 13DKH and 450 Ca and 1500 Magnesium.. Now once there leave it go. And at this point say end of week one I add several pounds of a known good quality live sand to kick start the fauna and corallines.. Just pour it in all along the rocks base and corners..Then at about week 3 I turn on the actinic 03 lamps.. for 16 hrs a day still no skimmer.

Just keep the levels steady and level.. Then at the time I flip on the lights I add the little yellow tailed blue damsel fish.. JUST one! Not two or three Just ONE! And feed it ever so sparingly about twice a week and a pinch of 3 to 5 flakes.. Then at about a week after the fish goes in start adding the snails 2 per 5 gallons and a hermit per 2 gallons and set back for about 8 more weeks .. Then add double the snails you first added and flip the main lights one and wake it up for real.. No need to do all the water testing for ammonias and nitrites and such unless you want too ? But at 12 weeks they will have came and gone

Now with lights on all levels solid and you may be seeing corallines just starting at this point.. and maybe not sometimes it takes longer It will come.. But it’s the Ca and DK and Mag we need to worry about the most.. And all be steady and looking good time to add a nicer fish. Just one and then after a week its coral time.. , Corals add very little bio demand so there won’t be much to worry about but if you want another fish add it two weeks in between the last one and use this always to keep from spiking the new system.. Keep an eye on your levels and water quality and add animals slowly and allowing time between additions and grow you a reef. Add your skimmer at about the 4 month of the tanks life and dial that in. And at this point add more snails but this time just 1 per gallon that way you will have about 5 snails per gallon.. Crabs at I never exceed one per two gallons reason being is to many makes it hard to eat and then they will start to pull snails from shells .. Hermits are way over rated I think.. A few is a must but not the amounts I see in cleaner packages . But this is about the basic way I always set mine up.. Its the 12 to 14 weeks cycling that makes the difference