New to reefing - Used equipment advice

[ColoredRock]

Is the 24 hrs really necessary? Or just a few hours? Thanks!

the more the better.. or use prime/ dechlorinator. for socks I wait till they are air dry.. plus 24 hours. Probably over kill.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Got it, thanks. Do you have a recommended dilution for the bleach and a soaking time? Is the 24 hrs really necessary? Or just a few hours? Thanks!

Well I use a capful for each filter sock in the washing machine, so probably would use a cup or two for a 50 gal tank.

talking 5% household bleach. A couple of hours Is all that is necessary and maybe even overkill.

Regards
Graham.

 

[GalaxyBenny]

Great, thanks guys. Good to know a few hours is sufficient instead of the 24 hours the LFS recommended.

I think I'm going to go with the citric acid first, and let that recirculate for a few days. Then I will drain the tank and maybe just do wipe of all the walls with the bleach water. We shall see.

Can't wait to get started.

 

[TnFishwater98]

Hey all -

I'm just joining the hobby and looking at getting used equipment for my first setup. I've been scouring FB/CL for quite a few weeks and here are a few options that have seemed interesting, but I'm very curious for your expert advice on what might be best for a beginner. At the outset let me say that I'm trying to stay with a narrower tank (like a cube) based on the space where it's going and also to keep my better half happy (she has the eye for aesthetics).

Option 1: Reef Octopus LUX T60 (32 gallon)

This setup looks to be pretty complete. It has the tank, stand, sump, Coral BOX DC skimmer, and return pump and an AI Prime LED light.

Option 2: Fluval M-90 with custom stand

The guy selling this appears to be a very experienced reefer. He said it has been "refurbished", which I take to mean he had the built in sump removed, cleaned and re-sealed into the tank. The main listing is just for the tank and stand, but it sounds like he has all the goodies to make it a complete tank (light, pumps, sump if I wanted, etc.) so I could put together a complete package. I will admit, I like this one because the custom stand covers the light (which my lovely bride says is an eye sore on most of the cube tanks). I also like that the footprint of the tank is a little wider. It's my understanding that it's easier to make a nice aquascape with a little width, but again I trust your advice here.

Option 3: 30 gallon cube with stand

This last option is another 30 gallon cube. The guy says it's totally complete with too many accessories to list.

Clearly in general the two "set up" tanks would need a bunch of cleaning. But otherwise they appear to be very complete, which is nice.

My goals are to have a fairly simple tank that my family can enjoy. Some fish, some easier corals, etc. I've watched a bunch of the BRS TV videos and my only concern with any/all of these tanks is whether they're too small? I really like their mindset of having utilitarian fish that eat algae, but they also recommend 40 gallons as the smallest tank to fit some of those fish (clowns, tangs, blennys, wrasse, etc.). Thoughts?

Again, I'm a newbie and I have thick skin. So if you say I'm a dummy with any of this, that's fine too. I asked, so your feedback is most welcome.

Looking forward to hearing back soon. I can't wait to start the journey.

Kind regards,
David

Welcome to Da Reef!