Total Newbie here!!

[sunni]

Hello everyone,
I am totally new to Saltwater and I want to start a reef tank. I have been reading over the past few months and lurking here and at Reef Central. We will be closing on our new home on Sept 1st so I would like to actually start setting up the tank around mid-Sept.

I just purchased a used 75 gallon with stand, but it is not drilled nor does it have overflows so I am a bit confused about how I will plumb this tank. Also, what is the best way to clean the tank, it was used for freshwater before so I suppose it is possible it *may* have had copper meds in it at one time or another.

I have to admit with all my reading, the part that still confuses me the most is the actual tank setup, plumbing, and sump/refugium. Any help in this area (keeping in mind my tank is not drilled) would be wonderful!

Thanks!

 

[Len]

You'll be addicted to this hobby in no time

The only way to plumb your tank without holes is to use a hang-on overflow. These are riskier (chances of failure are higher) so if you possible, find a glass shop around your area and have them drill a hole for you (wherever you want your overflow box to go). We can give you input on location if you find someone who can drill for ya

Of course, to keep things simple, you might just want to stick with hang-on everything Refugiums and skimmers both come in hang-on varieties, so having a sump really isn't essential for a 75 gallon.

To clean the tank you can use bleach, hydrogen peroxide, lye, etc. to disinfect. Dry the tank off and allow it to sit for a few days and you'll be fine. Trace amounts of copper that might be left over probably will not be a problem. Great thread about disinfecting a tank for SW use: http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=44144

Hope that helped! Again, welcome. I hope to see you around.

 

[sunni]

I think I will look into gettig the tank drilled but I cannot drill the bottom (tempered). Sooo I just need to figure out the best place to drill on the side.

 

[ChrisRD]

Will the tank be sitting on a stand where the front and sides are viewable, or will it be built into a wall?

If it's going to be on a stand (which I'd assume since you mentioned getting one with the tank ) you probably want to have the back drilled and put the overflow box somewhere on the back wall (centered, in a corner, etc.) to keep the plumbing concealed.

If you do a search here you can probaby turn up a bunch of threads with pics etc. showing different setups.

 

[Tackett]

Some people have set up tube drains with screens at their desired water level, and run pvc down to their wet/dry or sump, this lowers the human factor appearing in the tank. I just used a hang on overflow for my little 29 gallon and hung it on the side instead of the back. IMO the three most important things that you need to spend money and time on for your tank is: tank setup design (pumps overflows, returns, etc.), Lighting, and the type of water you use. I would invest in an RO/DI unit so you will not ever have to worry about water quality. Regardless, always test any water that you are thinking about using on a permanent basis (other than RO water.) for phosphates. If you never start putting phosphates in the water to begin when topping the tank off, then youll never have to worry about elevated levels. But like I said, A good RO/DI unit will completely alleviate this concern. I would also get the biggest MagDrive, Ehiem, or little Giant pump that you can afford to run your return lines, that way you will only have to worry about one pump running multiple currents instead of multiple pumps running multiple currents. As chris said, you can find some good setups on this site if you do a search for the thread. As for salt, I would go with either Instant Ocean reef crystals or Oceanic salt. Oceanic is rather new and people have mixed opinions on it, but Ive been using it now for about a month and I dont see a thing wrong with it. Instant Ocean though is tried and true, but make sure you use the reef crystals, there are two types. One that just says "Instant ocean" and one that says "instant ocean reef crystals." I cannot stress enough the two words WATER CHANGES! make sure you adhere to your water changes like most people do their religions, this will save you LOTS of headaches. I change about 10 percent of my water a week. From where my tank is smaller this is pretty easy, If I were you Id change about 15 to 20 percent of that tank every two weeks religiously. Your tank will probably hold under 70 gallons after all the rock and substrate is placed in it so I would start changing about 10-12 gallons every two weeks. Make sure you do this, like I said it will save you lots and lots and lots of headaches in the future. Water changes dont take as long as some people think, after you start getting a rythm down it wont take you more than a half an hour to do it, clean up and all. Well good luck man.

 

[sunni]

Tackett,
thanks so much for your detailed reply! I am going thru the archives of this site and others as well and reading! I am excited but not *too* anxious to jump in (too concerned with moving first), so I am trying to have a definate plan of attack before getting my feet wet! As far as the water changes, I am used to them with my freshwater tank (tho this is a bigger tank). Is there a certain brand RO unit you would reccomend?? Does DI water make a big difference?

Thanks!

 

[Len]

Any RO filter with TFC membrane will work well for you. People seem to like Spectrapure, Captive Purity, Kent, and AquaFX. Most of the parts (nearly all actually) are interchangable, including all the media. So pick anyone of these

DI is helpful, especially if your source water is very bad. It's not necessary and RO alone will suffice in most cases. But it doesn't hurt, especially since it isn't much more in the big scheme of things