Hi all! I'm new to this site and so far very impressed! I haven't had a tank in over 13 years. My last one was a 120 with a 55 for a sump that I built into the wall. It was a reef tank with SPS, LPS, & a few softies mixed in.
Believe it or not, I traded some old carpet for my 'new' set up. I wasn't really looking, but since I was going to throw out the carpet anyway, I figured why not!
Well, this thing is a disaster. It was literally so overgrown with algae that I couldn't see into the tank when I first saw it. Little to no sand, a large shell graveyard indicating a sad life for most of the little guys/gals that once lived here. It's an Oceanic 70 gal bowfront, I believe. It's not RR so it came with a generic hang on overflow. The guy was using an Alpine PAL3100 pump, so it's pushing 3100 GPH...or trying to. It has a home built 10 gal sump that all of the baffles have come loose on so basically, it's just a 10 gal tank. Lighting is two Marineland LED's, one not working, the other is has a few out. The only good piece of equipment is a working Arctica 1/4 HP chiller.
There are actually several fish (Cardinal, Coral Beauty, Maroon Clown, Wrasse, & Damsel) that survived, not to mention 5-6 snails and maybe 2 hermits!
So, I'm going to need some guidance! So much has changed in such a short time. I'm truly amazed at all of the new equipment that has come out.
I'm leaning toward drilling the tank and installing an overflow using the Bean Animal method. I've also been researching the Sicce DC line of pumps and think I'd like to be around 1000 GPH. It has a wooden stand that is basically useless due to rot in the bottom, not to mention small. So I will build a taller stand to accommodate a new sump. For the sump, I'm clueless. There are so many new ones out there now. Rock & Sand will be Caribsea. Skimmer....again, clueless.
Right now, I obviously need to get the basics installed first. I've been watching a lot of videos on Youtube & BRSTV, & have scoured over these forums. I think I might be as confused as when I first started in the hobby 20 years ago!
So, I ask for your wisdom and above all, patience. After all, I'm basically a noob once again.
Many thanks for reading my rant & I look forward to hearing from all of you!
Believe it or not, I traded some old carpet for my 'new' set up. I wasn't really looking, but since I was going to throw out the carpet anyway, I figured why not!
Well, this thing is a disaster. It was literally so overgrown with algae that I couldn't see into the tank when I first saw it. Little to no sand, a large shell graveyard indicating a sad life for most of the little guys/gals that once lived here. It's an Oceanic 70 gal bowfront, I believe. It's not RR so it came with a generic hang on overflow. The guy was using an Alpine PAL3100 pump, so it's pushing 3100 GPH...or trying to. It has a home built 10 gal sump that all of the baffles have come loose on so basically, it's just a 10 gal tank. Lighting is two Marineland LED's, one not working, the other is has a few out. The only good piece of equipment is a working Arctica 1/4 HP chiller.
There are actually several fish (Cardinal, Coral Beauty, Maroon Clown, Wrasse, & Damsel) that survived, not to mention 5-6 snails and maybe 2 hermits!
So, I'm going to need some guidance! So much has changed in such a short time. I'm truly amazed at all of the new equipment that has come out.
I'm leaning toward drilling the tank and installing an overflow using the Bean Animal method. I've also been researching the Sicce DC line of pumps and think I'd like to be around 1000 GPH. It has a wooden stand that is basically useless due to rot in the bottom, not to mention small. So I will build a taller stand to accommodate a new sump. For the sump, I'm clueless. There are so many new ones out there now. Rock & Sand will be Caribsea. Skimmer....again, clueless.
Right now, I obviously need to get the basics installed first. I've been watching a lot of videos on Youtube & BRSTV, & have scoured over these forums. I think I might be as confused as when I first started in the hobby 20 years ago!
So, I ask for your wisdom and above all, patience. After all, I'm basically a noob once again.
Many thanks for reading my rant & I look forward to hearing from all of you!
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