new guy setting up a used tank, I dont know where to start

[fugarwi]

I have always liked salt water aquariums, and I bought a used 180 gal aquarium from a friend. It is dirty inside, salt encrusted etc...It is a "all glass aquarium" with two corner overflow systems installed. I placed the aquarium in my living room, put the wet/dry filter in the stand, and I can see where he had the pump, and the way it was plumbed in. He had a fish only system. He got frustrated when the kids who were house sitting his house had a party and something, probably alcohol got added to the tank killing everything.

My questions are: How do I clean the tank and all of the plumbing - I know he has medicated the tank in the past, and also there is the unknown additive from a party that killed off the tank. (I want to make a reef tank, and eventually have coral with the fish)

I have a cannister filter I want to put in, to use occasionally, do I put that before/after the return pump and wet dry filter.

The pvc pipes were cut, and I need to replace, which will mean using a type of plumbing glue. Do I need to use special glue?

 

[jaiden]

Clean it with water and vinegar. no solvents. Ask the friend if he ever used copper in the tank. Copper will never fully go away and will kill lots of SW things.

PVC glue is fine.

Good luck. Take your time. Nothing good ever happens quickly in SW.

 

[fugarwi]

Hey, thanks for getting back to me! I will try a mild solution of vinegar and water, I was planning on running a couple cycles of fresh water through the system over the coming weeks to make sure everything worked and didnt leak. He did use copper in the system, and I can clean everything pretty well I think except the bio balls. Should I just replace them? Is the copper used going to create a lot of heartache for me? Can I just rinse the system several times? I am not gonna hold anyone to this, just your opinion!
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Brenden]

Throw the bioballs away and buy new ones. If he used copper in the tank you will not be able to keep anything other than fish unless you replace the silicon.

 

[fugarwi]

thanks, I will ditch those, well worth the expense now, to save the trouble later...You said all the silicone, do you mean replace all of the hoses? That would not be a problem, it would just delay the tank...one step at a time, one paycheck at a time...I like your spoon comment...

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[fugarwi]

thanks, I will ditch those, well worth the expense now, to save the trouble later...You said all the silicone, do you mean replace all of the hoses? That would not be a problem, it would just delay the tank...one step at a time, one paycheck at a time...I like your spoon comment...

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Brenden]

Silicon on the glass joints in the tank. I do not know if PVC will absorb copper or not. Maybe someone else will chime in.

 

[fugarwi]

so I should try and scrape the tank clean and then re-silicone it?

 

[Brenden]

so I should try and scrape the tank clean and then re-silicone it

Yes. If copper was used in the tank then the silicon absorbed some of it. As well as anything else that was in the tank LR, sand, etc. If it will make you feel better wait until someone else comments on it. It is just slow tonight. I would not be here but I am working on a server. :? If you never plan to keep anything other than fish it is not a big deal.

 

[fugarwi]

thanks Brendon,
It is definately my intention to keep more than just fish in this tank...I love all of the corals and inverts...I will definately scrape that out and clean the tank as best as I can. I will have live rock and fish to begin with, but it is my intention to add corals. I would like to have some of the more pretty fish - angels and such, but everything I have read has told me they will eat any corals I put in. So I would hate to go though everything to find out that a prior medication of copper would kill all fo them. thanks!

Jeff

 

[Feron]

-NOT advise, just googled..If you can afford to be safe then sorry, do so-

Silicone in general doesn't react to the copper. The dye in the treatments might, but the copper that potentially is 'in' the silicone is a very very tiny amount (probably far less then you'd get through normal tap water in a copper piped house).

-googlisms over-

I can see this being more of an issue in a smaller tank, not in a larger one.
Definatly run many cycles of pure water and vinegar through.
From what I have read, the copper gets more into the calcerous materials (rocks and substrate) and they can never be used again.

That all said, I know copper is a bad thing for marine (invert?) life, don't take it lightly..

-EDIT
This post got me very interested in copper and it's effect on the basics OF the tank.
Major maufacturers of silicon(e) sealent state the bonding ability of the silicon(e) used in aquariums is negligible aka 'food grade'.
Lots of hersay stated that copper will 'bond to anything, including glass'. Yet, many glass manufacturers state the glass and copper only bond at certain high temps.
Still reading, still exploring...still say better safe then sorry...

Oh (another edit) and it'd be avisable to use an activated carbon to remove the copper during your water cycling weeks.. from what I am seeing, any copper that'd leach out would be absorbed by it... we can figure it was not a full tank of some copper based med, so if there is absorbtion, it's fairly low residual (once the tank was properly scrubbed and rinsed).

-EDIT
Yet more.. the older the sealant (All-Glass Aquarium specific, which seems to be the same as door & window sealant) the more likely it is to absorb copper (or anything for that matter).
Guess light and heat over time makes it pseudo permiable.


(and hopefully no one flames this, I'm just trying to help by digging as deep into the subject and posting what I find)

 

[fugarwi]

Wow, I really appreciate all of your checking into it for me...I plan on scrubbing everything down tomorrow, and re plumbing the tank. A lfs told me I would "probably" be ok just leaving as it is, or if I am concerned to try putting another layer of silicone over the top of the existing silicone, sealing the copper in, and keeping the integrity of the tank...the lfs also thought the possible amount of copper that could be left over would be next to nothing.

Does anyone know if there is a test to find the copper? take a little silicone off and mix it with another chemical that would produce a reaction? Hopefully there is a chemist out there!

Thanks a ton to everyone, and Feron, thanks for all of the research! I plan on looking closely at the silicone once it is all clean and see if there is any tint to it, to help me assess what kind of problem I may be facing.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Feron]

I just hope it's good research lol
I dare say that covering the silicone with another layer will probably be like adding a layer of insurance.
The only thing I can think of to test is to have the tank with nothing in it, fill it with water, let the thing cycle mechanically for about a week, then do a copper test and see if there are any detectable signs.
It's a pain, it's short duration, but I guess it'd tell you if there are super high levels present.
<shrug>
gl with it all! Let us know how it goes!

 

[fugarwi]

Well, got the plumbing in today, (for the most part) and No Leaks! After I scrubbed the tank, the silicone looks nice and clear, no orange tint to it. I had to take the corner overflow's off so I could get to some plumbing and need to silicone those back in - so I am going to go ahead and put another layer on the rest of the tank...figure it is a lot easier to do now than later! Once I get the overflows back on, then I will run the tank for a while, right now without them, if my pump stops my wet/dry is gonna dump 180 gals on the floor and that would be a heck of a mess! Plus I had to drain and dry to prepare to silicone anyway. Work is gonna keep me from getting much more done for the next week... But I feel like I have gotten a good start and feel confident in the direction now! Thanks to all!