Hi! New to Saltwater & need help!!

[JayZeroSix]

Hello everyone! My name is Jessica, I keep numerous freshwater tanks and have decided to try my hand at saltwater I have purchased a used saltwater set up off Craigslist for $100. It is a 5ft 150 gallon. It came with lots of stuff. It is in need of some repairs and since I don't really know what in doing I came here for help! My dilemma at the moment is that things in the system are broke. I need advice on how to fix them. It appears that this was a DIY setup and some of the silicone holding things together is no longer holding. My first goal is to get everything repaired. Here are some pictures of the set up that I bought.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

What are the issues exactly? Does the tank leak?

 

[JayZeroSix]

Now here is where I'm at with this tank. I started cleaning it and more damage has become apparent. One of the PVC pipes was broke. It was just sitting on top. This black thing with jagged cuts in the top has fallen off. And my sump is starting to fall apart. The silicone is no longer holding. Sooo since I'm rebuilding it should I build it the way it was or shoot for something better??? How do I replace the broken PVC?? What is this black thing? do i need it?? and what are these Dried up worm thingys?? also the tank came with some 5 gallon buckets of sand and crushed coral... should i use it or buy new?? there are snails in the sand. dead im assuming, is this safe tj use with a ton if dead snails in it?? I'm sooo saltwater illiterate!! Any advice is appreciated!!

 

[JayZeroSix]

What are the issues exactly? Does the tank leak?

Sorry I was still tryin to get my question out! I'm on my cell phone! I posted above...

 

[JayZeroSix]

Tank does not leak.

 

[kenconnect]

The black thing is a over flow box And you can most likely replace the pcv is ur better off.

 

[JayZeroSix]

The black thing is a over flow box And you can most likely replace the pcv is ur better off.

See I can't get it to unscrew... I'm so afraid of breaking it more. How do I go about getting the broken one off? So I need to silicone the black piece back to where it was then? Cuz I need it... Correct??

 

[kenconnect]

By the pic it looks like you can put a coupling and put the pvc back. And yes u have to put the over flow box back. Have to clean up al the old silicone and put new 1 and let it cure for abouyt 2 days

 

[jcdeng]

I hope you got the set up for close to nothing cuz with the amount of work that you are gonna be doing you are better off buying a new tank.

PVC can be easily replaced. Take the broken piece to homedepot and find an exact replacement. when reconnecting pipes make sure to put teflon tape on threads first (or silicon).

sump is falling apart, silicon no longer holds up. you can use a razor blade to scrape and clean all the old silicon off and reapply.

overflow panel came off. Just reapply silicon to where it was before.

live sand you can reuse, how do you know the snails are dead? If they were dead for a long time then its ok to leave in there, cuz it will just be the shell thats left. If not sure you can "kill" the live sand by soaking them in tap water and use them as new (make sure you drain all tap water before using in tank if you are going the reef route)

Thats all I can think of right now, good luck with the tank and welcome to the forums.

 

[Cris007]

Get aquarium safe silicon and seal it at the end when u have fix the PVC for the drain pipe so u have room to work.

 

[JayZeroSix]

I hope you got the set up for close to nothing cuz with the amount of work that you are gonna be doing you are better off buying a new tank.

PVC can be easily replaced. Take the broken piece to homedepot and find an exact replacement. when reconnecting pipes make sure to put teflon tape on threads first (or silicon).

sump is falling apart, silicon no longer holds up. you can use a razor blade to scrape and clean all the old silicon off and reapply.

overflow panel came off. Just reapply silicon to where it was before.

live sand you can reuse, how do you know the snails are dead? If they were dead for a long time then its ok to leave in there, cuz it will just be the shell thats left. If not sure you can "kill" the live sand by soaking them in tap water and use them as new (make sure you drain all tap water before using in tank if you are going the reef route)

Thats all I can think of right now, good luck with the tank and welcome to the forums.

I paid $100 I guess I don't know that they are dead?! They can be alive?! That's crazy lol! I assumed since they aren't in water that they are dead! I plan on doing coral in the future. Research says I should wait for my tank to mature before getting them. I got most of the old silicone off but there is some Along the seals of the tank that I don want to mess with to much in fear I will ruin it and it will eventually spring a leak... Ok... So I'm taking this old PVC to Home Depot and they will give me what I need? And I need Teflon tape, I'm all over it! Thanks so much everyone!!! Oh one more question... I should rebuild the sump exact? That's how I want it? There is no Fuge in that... Don't I want one??

 

[JonnyJ]

Some may be salvageable and your going to get many suggestions... Anyways...

I would remove all plumbing and ditch the sump.

The black acrylic piece is an overflow box which conceals the plumbing and allows for water to drain through the teeth to actively surface skim and prevent fish from taking a ride into the sump.. If you removed it you can easily silicone it back with aquarium grade silicone - or possibly have a store or one of our members help you. (Just check there feedback and have someone around when anyone from anywhere would come by)

Since the tank is obviously drilled, there are/should be removable bulkheads. In some cases people glue/silicone them, and if that's the case I would just carefully remove them and ditch them, and buy new ones. They provide a way to have a water tight seal and plumbing capabilities. (Replacing with new ones and new plumbing is always a good idea.)

The sump looks like it has seen better days an I wouldn't even bother. Measure below your stand and figure out what can fit. You can buy a premade sump new or used, or fabricate your own from any standard tank. Which you can buy locally from a petco (great to buy during there 1 dollar per gallon sale)

I would ditch the sand and crushed coral IMO. Sand fine, but i dislike crushed coral because it traps food and detritus. But the sand if separate may be salvageable, if you like you can rinse it well with fresh water. (Rinse it very well)

When starting a salt water tank there are many things you need to plan.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Unfortunately to replace the seals on the tank properly you need to remove the panes, clean off all of the old seals completely and then reseal the tank. If the tank doesn't leak then you are at least now ok. If the sump is falling apart you are better off scrapping it for parts and buying a new tank and make a new sump. The PVC can be cut and patched but you need to make sure you use the correct adapters and glue to hold it together. Many people here can help you out. Hopefully someone close to you chimes in and can maybe stop by and give you a hand.

 

[JayZeroSix]

Some may be salvageable and your going to get many suggestions... Anyways...

I would remove all plumbing and ditch the sump.

The black acrylic piece is an overflow box which conceals the plumbing and allows for water to drain through the teeth to actively surface skim and prevent fish from taking a ride into the sump.. If you removed it you can easily silicone it back with aquarium grade silicone - or possibly have a store or one of our members help you. (Just check there feedback and have someone around when anyone from anywhere would come by)

Since the tank is obviously drilled, there are/should be removable bulkheads. In some cases people glue/silicone them, and if that's the case I would just carefully remove them and ditch them, and buy new ones. They provide a way to have a water tight seal and plumbing capabilities.

The sump looks like it has seen better days an I wouldn't even bother. Measure below your stand and figure out what can fit. You can buy a premade sump new or used, or fabricate your own from any standard tank. Which you can buy locally from a petco (great to buy during there 1 dollar per gallon sale)

I would ditch the sand and crushed coral IMO. Sand fine, but i dislike crushed coral because it traps food and detritus. But the sand if separate may be salvageable, if you like you can rinse it well with fresh water. (Rinse it very well)

When starting a salt water tank there are many things you need to plan.

Ok thanks! I kinda thought about doing that but like I said before I'm just afraid of making matters worse! The sand and coral are seperate. The sand is full of snails. I use sand in my freshwater tanks and planned on it in this one too. I'm trying to learn as much as possible! I don't have any saltwater stores near me they are all about 2 hours away do the Internet is pretty much my best friend right now!!6

 

[kenconnect]

You can fix it or make it to hold a refug. But i have a ? For you do u have a skimmer if so do it go in the sump also.

 

[JayZeroSix]

You can fix it or make it to hold a refug. But i have a ? For you do u have a skimmer if so do it go in the sump also.

No skimmer yet. Just signed up for a group buy and plan on getting a skimmer and ro/di unit and that will probably be the most I can afford till my next paycheck. And this week I will try to get the plumbing off and get new.

 

[kenconnect]

Ok i wouldnt redo the sump till u get the skimmer and see that kind of room u have left over.

 

[kenconnect]

You can find some good deals here in the marketplace

 

[JayZeroSix]

Ok i wouldnt redo the sump till u get the skimmer and see that kind of room u have left over.

Sounds good! I'll work on the tank and after I get that squared away I will work on the sump!

 

[Imbarrie]

Looks like you are getting some good advice so far.
Just want to add some of my own opinion on your sand.

I have reused my own sand in the past after washing it and cycling it. However, you dont know the history of your sand. There is a good possibility the previous owner used copper in the tank and the sand would have absorbed it. You mentioned you wanted to get coral eventually and that copper in the sand would be deadly to coral. So you should dump the sand and get new.
When you are ready to get new sand, dont get live sand. It is not needed. The dry sand will work fine and wait until after you cycle your live rock to add it. That way it does not absorb the junk that will be coming out of your rocks.