got my tank today

[hackteck]

well i went to get my 180g today , its pretty filthy should i use water and vinegar to clean it? has alot of salt deposits and some green algae at the bottom, i'm gonna need a ladder to clean the inside of it but other then that for 175 i basicly stole it from the guy hehe

[Florida8]

Wow! That's going to be awesome when you have it up and running!

I would use vinegar and water, 1/2 and 1/2 ...for tough deposits you can keep re-wetting it and it should loosen up.

Can't wait to see it up brimming with life

You excited?

[Good Crab]

It's really nice but where are the fish?

[zenn]

man, do you have your work cut out for you Looks like fun in all honesty. Haven't heard yet but what are the plans for this tank? Reef or just fish....and what kind of fish?

[h8z2luze]

I want one

[hackteck]

i plan on making it a reef , and fish i have no idea yet i know i want some tangs but what type yet i dont know lol, i understand some tangs are incompatable with others so i'll have to do my research first and yes i'm very very excited hehe

[noteworthy]

Nice Tank... How wide is it? 18", 24"? I recently set up a 125 that is 6' long. I used water, baking soda, and vinegar... most of it came off with water and elbow grease. My 125 is 6' long, 18" wide, and 21" tall.

For the lights I'm using my 4' vho off my 55 gallon, and two 9570k bulbs on each side to make up for the short vho. I'd like to put two 03 bulbs in the vho setup and get three really cheap metal halides eventually. Money is kinda tight tho.

I'm kinda confused on my fish selection too. I'd be interested in what you settle on.

[hackteck]

yea its 72x18x30, lighting wise im gonna have to get a metal halide lighting system cause eventually i wanna get clams etc

[Macrosill]

I would use a razor to get most of the salt deposits and algae off. Then I would use straight vinegar to clean the rest and then rinse really well with water. Then to be safe wash it out with really hot plain water.

Good Luck,
Brian

[zuzecawi]

IF you use the razor, just be careful and do it WET. I scratched the glass on my 58 doing this same thing when it was dry. Live and learn. Scrape straight down, not at an angle, if you use the razor. That makes it less likely you'll scratch the glass. Sweet tank and stand! Did it come with a canopy or are you making/having one made? I had a chance at a 180 for twice what you paid for yours, but I'd already bought the 135. You got yourself a real steal there!!!

[hackteck]

yea good idea i was able to get most if not all of it out by wetting the razor and yes it came with a canopy but im not sure not sure if i will use it or just leave it off yet

[tecwzrd]

Nice looking tank/stand for $175 hackteck I’d keep the canopy personally since it would be much easier to DIY with mh/pc/vho lighting. Can’t wait to see it setup.

[jasno999]

One concearn. This is a large tank. With water and rock and sand you are looking at 1500+ lbs. That is almost a ton.

Are you sure that the flooring in your house will be able to support the weight?

[tecwzrd]

jasno999, good point but you are off a bit on the weight.

The water alone would weigh 1,501.2 lbs. (180 gal X 8.34)
Stand is probably near 120-150 lbs
Tank 80+ lbs
sand 200-400 lbs
lr needed would be anywhere from 270-360 lbs
canopy/lights another 60-100 lbs
40 gal Sump 350+ lbs

Looking closer to 2900+ lbs and first floor with a cement slab would be best. If putting on second floor or if you don’t have a cement slab then extra bracing would be highly recommended.

[jasno999]

Thanks for the correction. Major point was to make it clear that typical homes are nto designed to take that weight.

[hackteck]

yea i have an area already cleared for it , ex dining room area its contrete no carpet i already took that into account thanks though

[zenn]

how are you going to plumb that monster? If you're not going to drill it(maybe you are, idk)...the overflows and returns are going to be a complex maze. I'm sure you've got something planned but i was just wondering how you plan to filter the water.

[hackteck]

i'm actually going with a wet/dry with an overflow box and pump ive already ordered it, the wet/dry is for aquariums upto 200 gallons, i also plan to take the 100 lbs or so of lr out of my 55g, and add another 150 lbs or so of lr and some baserock that should be enough i would think for filtration, dont ask me about the water movement(powerheads etc) and all that because thats still very confusing to me how i'm going to get water movement through a 30" tall tank lol

[tecwzrd]

If you can afford it I’d get a couple of Tunze Turbelle power heads and put them on a controller.

If not Seio Super Pumps do a great job of moving a ton of water at reasonable prices but can’t be cycled on/off.

[hackteck]

thanks for the links the light is going to be by far the most exspensive item, those Seio Super Pumps seem like a very affordable option