picked up a 210 gallon tank. need help

[vonskeezy28]

hello guys/ladies. i recently came up on a 210 gallon salt water tank. ill post some cell pics of it(will get decent quality ones tomorrow/soon) and was thinking of converting it to fresh. but now im thinking of keeping it salt. will for sure change the layout but am definitely thinking of keeping salt now after seeing a bunch of pics on here.

question, how hard would it be for me to maintain the tank? upkeep and maintenance money wise, what am i looking at monthly? i also would need help identifying the equipment since all i ever had before was an 80 gallon cichlid tank with two filters that you hang on the side of the aquarium. the equipment i have now is all plumbed underneath the tank.

excuse the dirtyness. ill forsure take better care of the tank when its in my hands

[Dav3]

Looks like a barely started saltwater tank.

Maintenance depends on livestock, how much and how often you feed, filtration, and a host of other variables. Do you want fish only or plan on corals as well?

Saltwater is not a cheap hobby!

Expect to do 10-20% water changes weekly and/or bi-weekly (saltwater). And daily water top offs (rodi fresh water). Cost will depend on if you purchase pre-mixed saltwater from LFS or mix your own and if you purchase rodi from lfs or make your own with rodi filter.

Equipment wise i can see you have a sump, protein skimmer, and what looks like maybe a uv sterilizer(the white PVC tube thing).

[vonskeezy28]

Originally Posted by Dav3

Looks like a barely started saltwater tank.

Maintenance depends on livestock, how much and how often you feed, filtration, and a host of other variables. Do you want fish only or plan on corals as well?

Saltwater is not a cheap hobby!

Expect to do 10-20% water changes weekly and/or bi-weekly (saltwater). And daily water top offs (rodi fresh water). Cost will depend on if you purchase pre-mixed saltwater from LFS or mix your own and if you purchase rodi from lfs or make your own with rodi filter.

Equipment wise i can see you have a sump, protein skimmer, and what looks like maybe a uv sterilizer(the white PVC tube thing).

the tank used to have corals/fishes. so im gonna be doing both. water changes i can handle and topping off daily i used to do the same tank when i was working there. theres a lfs that sells premixed for 80 cents a gallon. not too shabby. i already posted better quality pics. but a moderator has to approved first. im guessing its because im new?

hows the equipment as is? the tank had corals before and it did pretty well. im assuming the equipment isnt too bad? let me know pls. i also need lights. which are the best lights? i also want the light that is blue and makes the colors on the fishes/corals really pop! i believe they're called metal halides? which brand, etc etc..

[vonskeezy28]

pics





lights setup (no bulbs) lol



fishes that i didnt give away! almost did. wish i decided to keep it salt first time the tank was given to me.




are these powerheads? the water is reddish too. dunno why. maybe the food dye/overfeeding?

[bribo12]

Originally Posted by vonskeezy28

the tank used to have corals/fishes. so im gonna be doing both. water changes i can handle and topping off daily i used to do the same tank when i was working there. theres a lfs that sells premixed for 80 cents a gallon. not too shabby. i already posted better quality pics. but a moderator has to approved first. im guessing its because im new?

hows the equipment as is? the tank had corals before and it did pretty well. im assuming the equipment isnt too bad? let me know pls. i also need lights. which are the best lights? i also want the light that is blue and makes the colors on the fishes/corals really pop! i believe they're called metal halides? which brand, etc etc..

Don't waste your money on premixed. For a tank that big get your own rodi unit. You will save time and gas money. Go leds, the eBay 120 watt will work and you'll need 3.

[vonskeezy28]

Originally Posted by bribo12

Don't waste your money on premixed. For a tank that big get your own rodi unit. You will save time and gas money. Go leds, the eBay 120 watt will work and you'll need 3.

leds good enough for corals/fishes? i thought those were only for color. i gotta research on that. i need to i.d. everything so i can read about em. lol

[bribo12]

Yes a bunch of users on here use them and they grow all types of coral

[mr_X]

Yes...if you are worried about money, LEDs will pay for themselves in a short time. Those metal halides you have will make your electric meter spin like crazy. if you are interested in keeping corals, you will probably want to get rid of the angel. They are not reef safe.

[Dav3]

The 120 watt dimmable LEDs on eBay are powerful enough to grow all corals.

[vonskeezy28]

are these the ones you guys are talking about?

2X Dimmable LED Aquarium Light 120W Coral Reef Tank White Blue Grow 55x3 Watt | eBay

[mr_X]

Those are exactly the ones. I have 2 over my tank.

[vonskeezy28]

How many would I need? The tank is 6 ft long. And does it make the fishes color pop? Like pretty much glow?

[Dav3]

Just 3. Each light covers a 24"x24" area.

[mr_X]

Some fish, yes. Not all of them though. Yellow tangs seem to look like scopus tangs when just the blues are on.

[vonskeezy28]

update: the tank is actually 210 gallons.
finally got the tank moved, filled, and running. pics below.

salinity is at 1.025/1.026 @ 78°F. i definitely need to get a refractometer to tell accurately, but i did test about 5x already since i filled it and a couple times when it was still in the mixing bin, and each test it was at 1.025/1.026. (atleast after i got to that salinity point, it stayed there) the tanks been filled with rodi water+salt and running for two days. the redness went away after doing 50% water change. i managed to save 50% of the water when i moved. cleaned up/scraped the overflows that was full of sharp things. (should've taken pics through the cleaning) cleaned inside the stand, changed the socks, cleaned the sump, uv sterilizer, skimmer. the skimmer works wonders! had it running for half a day and it pulled so much nasty stuff! i found out that it was a reef dynamics skimmer after getting in touch with them. anyway the water is crystal clear. cant wait to start adding fish then eventually corals. still need to wait for the test kits to test the water though. so im patiently waiting.

i did plasti dip the back of the tank since i didnt want to paint it which would make it permanent. or atleast pita to remove using actual paint. used about 4 of these. works great. have used them on my other hobby(cars) alot of times and they look good when you spray them, and it peels right off when you want.



question, what else would i need to run a decent reef tank? im seeing people having calcium reactors and such. are those needed? or are they more like fertilizers to plants where the plant doesnt actually need it, but would make it healthier and so on...


i have ordered :
(3) 165 evergrow full spectrum led
Refractometer
Api saltwater test kit
uv sterilizer bulb

still to order :
(4) 2000gph or higher powerheads. not sure which brands to go with.
some wavemaker. not sure which brand..
whatever else you guys think i would need in order to run a reef tank. pls, dont hesitate to post up. i highly appreciate you guy's/gals advice.

heres the random pics i took. the redness/orangeness is from the living room light. cant wait for the tank light to come in!!

[BigRedsReefs10]

How secure are those arches? You may want to use putty and super glue gel if you haven't already

[vonskeezy28]

would i need this since im doing reef?
Amazon.com: Red Sea Reef Foundation Test Kit - Calcium, Alkalinity & Magnesium: Pet Supplies

Originally Posted by BigRedsReefs10

How secure are those arches? You may want to use putty and super glue gel if you haven't already

they are on there. when i set the rocks i rock em back and forth. if it bulges one bit, i reposition it.

[bribo12]

I would get that test kit but just once you start adding corals. There is no need for a calcium reactor or dosing pumps unless you get into serious sps keeping.

[BigRedsReefs10]

Originally Posted by vonskeezy28

would i need this since im doing reef?

Amazon.com: Red Sea Reef Foundation Test Kit - Calcium, Alkalinity & Magnesium: Pet Supplies







they are on there. when i set the rocks i rock em back and forth. if it bulges one bit, i reposition it.

Yes that would be a good test kit to have for a reef. I would still think about securing them big tank = big fish and big fish knocking over a rock = possible flood

[vonskeezy28]

Originally Posted by bribo12

I would get that test kit but just once you start adding corals. There is no need for a calcium reactor or dosing pumps unless you get into serious sps keeping.

i would want mine to eventually get to this. nothing crazy. a tank like this would need calcium reactors/dosing pumps?