Any advice?

[24 hours? NE!]

I'm upgrading my 25 gallon acrylic to a 60 gallon glass (not really tall, but taller than usual). I'm planning on looking to build my own stand and canopy so my setup time for the tank is not in a hurry. Hopefully I have enogh time to work on them so that I can save myself money.

I have a few questions.

The tank has the old sand still in it. Is this ok to use as the base layer with my sand from my 25 as the top layer? I have to scoop it all out in order to thoroughly clean the tank. Any suggestions for thorough cleaning?

The 25 gallon has a SeaClone 100 skimmer, 150 watt heater, 40-50 pounds of live rock and 2 powerheads that I plan on moving to the 60. I'm also looking into a simple sump primarily to hide away the heater and skimmer. Can the 25 be used as one without modifying it in any way? I may want to use it as a tank sometime in the future.

What should I use for mechanical and chemical filtration? A fluval filled with carbon was suggested to me. Is that necessary?

Thanks for any help. I'll welcome any advice for setting up this tank right.

 

[fishfreek]

When you take the sand out to clean it if the sand smells bad dont use it. obvously you will need to keep the sand wet with saltwater. If the sand is dry then I would take it out and run it over a screen to get any clumps out of it before using it again.

TO clean the tank use a bleach/water mixture or use hydrogen peroxide/water mixture. If you use the bleach/water mixture make sure you rinse the tank good after cleaning and also let the tank airdry.

I'm also looking into a simple sump primarily to hide away the heater and skimmer. Can the 25 be used as one without modifying it in any way?

Sure. You would proably be best to split the 25 up into a few compartments with a glass sheet syliconed in the tank but if you want to do it with out that you can. The return pump would sit on one side of the tank and the supply lines from the overflow would come into the supm from the other side.

The skimmer and rock will be ample for filtration along with your sand bed. You might want to bump your rock amount up to say 75-90lbs.

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Thanks for help. My 25 is a nice acrylic with rounded corners that I would rather keep as a backup tank when I can afford another setup.

The sand was allowed to dry for 2-3 months. My good sand from my 25 will be the top layer. Would it just be better to get some new sand (not live)?

I'll have 3 powerheads for the tank. Would that be overkill or useful in different places? One is a JBJ that is bi-directional. The other two are Hagen- 201 and 301. What would be the best placement?

 

[24 hours? NE!]

My new tank is actually 55 gallons (by the dimensions).

Since the sand has been sitting so long, shoudl I rinse it out before I use it? How much sand total should I have in the tank?