Majorsick's 75G SW Journey...

[majorsick]

Hey guys. After lurking here for several months and posting a handful of times, I've finally bought my 75 gallon tank off Craigslist. It's a glass, predrilled tank, with a built in overflow. It was pretty dirty when I bought it, but I cleaned it up a bit today. I had it setting in my garage on some broken down cardboard boxes to protect it from scratching on the concrete floor, and I decided to fill it to make sure it didn't leak. I realized after it was about 3/4 full, that the boxes it was on were slightly overlapped and made an uneven bump beneath the middle of the tank. It looked to be leaking a bit... I freaked out and bailed it out with a 5 gallon bucket, and there didn't seem to be any new water on the box after I got it mostly empty.

Needless to say, I'm nervous about what seemed to be a leak. Could this have been caused by the uneven surface? And if so, did I ruin the tank.....?

I'll also post some pics a little later of some of the seals. They look okay, but certainly not like new. The overflow is really dirty (I'll post some pics) and I was hoping for some advice on how to clean it.

 

[Grizz]

Sounds like you'll need to reseal the tank (not a big deal) Set your tank on the level cardboard fill with fresh water and vinegar let it soak if it leaks it wont hurt the concrete floor you can then use a green scrubber pad to clean the over flow.
To reseal you'll need to remove all of the old silicone as the new will NOT stick to any of the old stuff clean all the edges with acetone after scraping with a razor blade. I think there's a thread here somewhere on resealing a tank. Welcome aboard.

 

[majorsick]

Thanks for the advice. I got the glass clean pretty well today, and confirmed that there is a leak somewhere.

I assume that I should take off all the old silicone BEFORE I put any of the new stuff on? And do all the sealing at the same time? Do you guys think it's necessary for reseal the overflow box? The silicone looks to be in very similar condition to the tank seals...

I'm not sure how common it is, but the overflow box has 2 walls and there's a TON of dried up algae in between them. Any ideas how to get in there without damaging the plastic?

 

[Grizz]

Yes you will need to remove all of the old silicone Take your time it will pay you back in the long run (peace of mind is a wonderfull thing) If it were me i'd just pull the over flows and reseal those as well.
The best way is to reseal it all in one shot, leave the frame on it will help keep things square. I've done three over the years and the worst part is getting the old stuff out.

 

[Daniel Fishy]

Use tape along the seams and pull it up right after you put the silicone down nice straight lines. Try to go over the beads one time with your finger to smooth it out, the bottom doesn't need to be taped unless you want to really don't see those lines.

 

[Grizz]

I used wendy's plastic spoons to smooth the joints

 

[majorsick]

OK, so I just want to be sure I get this right.

My understanding is that silicone won't stick to itself well. It's also my understanding that if I remove all the old silicone at the same time that the tank becomes a bit unstable and can "twist" more readily.

I see my options as follows:

1. Take all the old stuff off before I apply any of the new and risk the instability this could cause. Then apply all the silicone at the same time.

2. Remove the old silicone a seam at a time, and replace it with new. I then risk that at the junction of the seams that the seals may not be so good because I'll be trying to stick new wet on top of the new dry silicone.

Should I be concerned about the twisting? Intuitively, it seems like I should apply all the new stuff at the same time, so that all the junctions are "wet" and will stick better.

Regarding the overflow - these seams aren't going to be quite as critical in terms of quality as the actual corner seams, right? Obviously I'll do them well no matter what, but I'm thinking I may seal the tank (over flow removed) and wait for it to dry, THEN put in the overflow (inevitably dealing with the wet on dry scenario I mentioned above).

Boy that was a mouthful. I really appreciate the responses thus far. I really want to do this right!

 

[Daniel Fishy]

Remove the silicone along the joints don't remove we're the glass overlaps (between the peices of glass) the frame will keep it together.

 

[majorsick]

As promised here's some pics of tank... It looks much better than in these pics after the vinegar soaking this weekend.

 

[Grizz]

The tank will be ok just dont move it once the old silicone is removed the glass is glued you dont want flex it and break the seal. I do the bottom 1st then the corners then the overflows last, you'll have plenty of time before the silicone sets so you dont need rush it.

 

[Daniel Fishy]

Nice tank! I got one a month ago drilled but without the overflow. I removed all the old silicone and then replaced it. You won't have a problem!

 

[majorsick]

OK. I've started removing the old silicone and bought the GE Silicone 1. Time to shift focus....

What should be my next order of business? I'm looking for a 20 or 29 on CL for my sump, and I am wanting to start getting my equipment in order. I don't want to skimp on anything, but I'm also up to the challenge of DIY wherever possible. I'm not going to be able to buy everything at once, but I need a new "project" to research and keep me psyched! Any suggestions?

 

[majorsick]

OK. So I found some lights on CL that seem like a good fit. The only problem is that I don't have a hood to mount them on...

Here's the last reply I got from the seller:

Try this link.

DSC_0584.jpg Photo by zlwags85 | Photobucket

ballasts
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f284/zlwags85/300g Tank/DSC_0492.jpg

They are these. I probably should have done price checks before posting them.... but 60 per set is fine.
48" 2x54W Miro-4 T5 High-Output Retrofit Kit

If you are doing corals.... i'd put at least 4 bulbs in (2 sets).. and i'd put 6 in if i could squeeze them depending on the type of coral you want.

Would 4 to 6 of these suit a 75 gallon reef tank well?
Is this as good a deal as it appears to be?
Are these something I could mount to a commercial hood or light fixture?

 

[Grizz]

Do they have a single reflector for each bulb? Bulbs? Good ones will run you $20-30 each bulb. I got away from T5's a lttle over a year ago and couldnt be more pleased.
Search TaoTronics here lots of people are using them and seem to like them I run 3 of there dimmable over an 8 ft. tank and love the idea of not spending $90 a year on new bulbs.

 

[majorsick]

Those TaoTronics look great! Looks like unless your are getting really advanced that's the way to go. Thanks for the heads up.

A little update on my tank. I got the bulk of the old silicone off and cut out the overflow. Having it out obviously made it alot easier to get all the dried up stuff between the 2 walls. I haven't seen too many pre fabricatied overflows, so I posted a picture of it here. I also haven't seen too many drill jobs down on the bottom of the tank. I also noticed for the first time that the holes are 2 different sizes. I ALSO got a 20 gallon long off CL for $5. I thought "sump" all the way. Do you guys think this will be a good size, or maybe a bit too shallow to accomodate everything?

Would I get more traffic on this thread if I moved it somewhere else? Not to say I don't appreciate Grizz and Daniels comments so far!

 

[Grizz]

The larger hole is the drain. Sumps the biggest you can fit under the stand and still be able to work in it is the way to go. I had a 20 long as a sump under a 90 for a long time, your going to want to build build it around your skimmer. There's a lot of threads here they'll find you.

 

[majorsick]

So I found a brand new 40 gallon breeder tank on CL for 30 bucks, and snagged it, thinking I'll use it for SOMETHING, maybe even my sump for my 75... Is this too big for a 75 gallon sump?

I've got all my old silicone cleaned off and I'm ready to start resealing.

One question that slipped through... Why the double wall on the overflow? Also, if I can't get all the algae out of there, will I run into problems when I get things running?

 

[Ingy]

Double wall:

If its like mine, water can flow into the middle channel from mid to lower level and then up over the inner wall into the drain area.

 

[majorsick]

OK! So I have by 75 gallon and 20 gallon long cleaned up and resealed! I've been scouring craigslist and doing alot of reading.

Here's what I'm thinking - Evo 180 skimmer, mag sumpreme 9 return pump, 2 hydor koralia 750 phs, and taotronics lighting.

Will this be sufficient for my total water volume? I am trying to decide if I want a controller too....

Any suggestions or thoughts would be awesome!!!

 

[Grizz]

A mag 9 may be a little much for the over flow how big (dia) is the drain a 1 in pipe flows around 650 gph The power heads will give you good flow but i'd go with two 1050's or a mix of one 1050 and one 750 Im running a 750 in my 20L and it's not as much as it seems