Help me get started with my recent adoption of an abandoned reef tank.

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A Little Fishy

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Dec 26, 2016
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55
I need help to get started with a reef tank my neighbors have had, I have heard different stories and noticed different things about it.

The story of what I heard from the husband is that he wanted to keep lobsters in it, grow them up, breed them then eat them, however he learned how many years it would take for him to be able to do that then he gave up..

Now the story from his wife is that,
They left for vacation and turned down the temperature too low and thus no more tank.

Now what I've noticed,
When we were bringing it over I noticed a couple bottles encased in salt in the bottom of the tank (I received the tank full of bleached rock and salt) the bottles I found were 1) water de Chlorinator 2) fish sickness bottle...

Now with that being said, I have started getting rid of the salt with some water then scooping out the hard scapes they had inside along with some substrate, is this substrate safe to use IF the fish had a sickness? Also this substrate isn't just sand, it's a mix with some jagged freshwater gravel, should I be concerned?

Secondly he's given me tubes to a canister filter..? Shouldn't it go to a sump then from the sump there is some filter as well as a protein skimmer? Or am I mistaken on how this is performed, should I purchase an overflow box then go to a sump?

Is there a used for this bleached live rock? Or I guess if the substrate is not recoverable then no.

I'm sure I'll have lots of questions and will always appreciate help, follow this thread if you are generous enough to lend a hand as I'll continue to post roadblocks of this adoption as well as the start up.

-A Little Fishy.
 
I'd throw everything out with the exception of the rock. I would set the rock out in the sun or even soak them in water and then out in the sun.
Scrub the tank out with a vinegar and water. Let it air dry.
You are officially ready to set up and cycle the tank. You are right that you'd be better off with a sump setup and a nice skimmer. There will be a need for an overflow box. If the tank isn't drilled, then you will need a HOB style. I'd recommend a CPR overflow if this is the case as you can attach an aqua lifter to it to prevent siphon loss.
You seem on a much better direction than your neighbor.
 
Okay forsure, thank you what is the dynamic of having a canister filter ( it comes with the tank) should I just sell the canister and use the money for the sump and overflow box?
 
So last night I have taken the bleached coral and some of the substrate down to a point where it's solid to the bottom of the tank,so I let it soak out over night. Thinking it will break down and be soft by the time I get home. Then I should be able to scoop out some more. Also, will the seals be gone, it's a clear and thinner sort of silicone than what's on my 72 gal freshwater.
 
Okay! I have been super busy this weekend and it took me quite sometime until I got some time, anyways I have just finished scooping out all the substrate so, go me! And I was thinking about sifting through and taking the large bits of gravel out along with the glass marbles, just leaving the fine sand.

Also, just wondering what mix of vinegar to use, because I don't have 100 gallons of vinegar sorry guys :haha:
 
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Someone is selling these lights on my classifieds, I know they say 10 gallons, but I have seen people with two different lights attached on two different ends, would this work for my 100 gallon?
 
Please don't waste $300.00 on those crap lights. Even for a fo tank you could get two reef capable eBay leds for a little more than that. Those lights are tiny, you'd need like 4-6 of them to cover a 100 gallon tank.
 
Okay sweet! I was thinking about purchasing this overflow box, CPR CS100 DELUXE Aquarium Overflow Box - AquaCave.com are they usually this expensive?

Also, building a full pywood sump for this tank, how many gallons should I go for? Specific dimensions?

Return pumps? Any suggestions?

With the tank completely tore down, I would HIGHLY suggest drilling it and skipping the HOB overflow. It sounds scary, but it's really not that difficult and could save you some headache down the road.
 
I really don't have any knowledge of whether this is a tempered glass tank or not... I was thinking an over flow would a way more sustainable method?
 
Thursday May 18th,
Have completely cleared all substrate, salt and love rock stuck to the bottom, and have just finished a 14hr soak of 100gallons of water to 4L of vinegar and now it is sitting full of just tap water to rinse the vinegar out.
 
Friday May 19th,
Went to the local used fish out of home store guy, and I was trying to quote everything out, he said I'd need two power heads for each side of the tank, (60$) a big one for a mixing bucket (10$) two thermometers from him, one for the mixing bucket and one as a back up in the main tank if my Jager failed, a protein skimmer (hob 125$) 100lbs of live rock (activated 600$) metal halide light (6 feet 200$ no bulbs needs three, 100$each) alright, where do I stand, should I do it this way?
 
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I mean, it'll work that way.
You can buy rock that isn't live and simply cycle your tank. You can save a lot of money that way.
Metal Halides run real hot, but work wonders. If you want to run a tank that can keep anything that is photosynthetic, they or LEDs are usually the best bet. I prefer LEDs, but I can't sit here and say that MH, T5HO, and LEDs don't all grow coral.
 
Well, it appears I am in a little too deep over my head, I have located a guy in my local reef group, messaged him, and he is willing to sell me a 220 gallon tank that has everything, all the fish, lights and a sump and a refugium, all of this for 400$ (300$ usd!) All I need is a return pump or two an anti back flow, so as it stands this 100 gallon (used to be monster tank) will be used as a holding tank for all the corals, fish and rock, while we move the tank, then after, I guess I'll add a 100 gallon freshwater tank on top of that, I will be able to make these tanks all self sufficient by selling coral frags! After I cut this somewhat overgrown coral down I am estimating at 2 inch frags for 10$cdn (8$ usd) I will come out with a significant amount of money to get started! This is more than a dream come true, he is also selling a RODI system with it! However that is an additional 200$, this is the fancy one from brs with the sensors and pressure gauge (100gpd) the water here is quite terrible, so is this something I should invest in with all the money I've saved+ the coral?
 
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