New to the hobby, feeling lost

[vancity.tropicals]

Hey guys,
I just got a tank that I want to use for a reef tank and I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the information. I know want a sand substrate and I want fish and corals. I've got a sump but I've never used or set one up before. I'm on a budget for now so I want the best possible without breaking the bank.

My main display tank is acrylic with a weir overflow. The dimesions are 72"W X 18"D X 20"H. My overflow has a 1" pipe and the tank came with a 1000gph pump. Amazon product
I don't know if its strong enough or too strong. The return holes have been closed off but I would like the return to come out of the weir.

What would be the best way to remove that blocking material on the output. Next, whats the best way to setup my sump?

The sump tank measurements are 54.5"W X 18.5"D X 25"H. It has no baffles are you can see, so I can do whatever is suggested. I see a bunch of sump setups but I'm confused on which is the best one.

For cycling I think I'm going to do a fishless cycle using the Dr.Tim product, but can I add live rock and sand which cycling? Also, can I use a bit of live sand and the rest regular sand?

I would really appreciate guidance and feedback as I am very lost and confused. Thank you!

 

[lapin]

Is it possible to get pictures with more light
The blocked off return looks like a plug that might be siliconed to the tank bottom. Or it could be a plug stuck in a bulkhead. Is the black stuff soft or hard?
If it’s hard then you might not be able to remove that bulkhead.
For starters I would remove both bulkheads and start with new ones . The old seals could be dry and leak.

 

[Reefuzz]

I second the suggestion of better lighting for the pics as well as new bulkheads if they are removable. As far as the return pump, you typically want a pump that will push 5-10 times the tank volume. With your current display tank being about 112gal, it would be pushing it to around what you want for water turnover but most people size up their return pumps and not run them at 100%. It also depends on how much plumbing you have as well. The more plumbing/distance from the dump to display = less GPH. As far as live rock/live sand it’s all preference. When I started out in the hobby long ago, you could get live rock from any tropical area. Now there is a ban of exports of that rock. @LiverockRocks sells some amazing product but it will cost some good money to get it to you but if you did do this route it would pretty much be an instant cycle. You could always get a majority of dry rock and sand and then “seed” your tank with a minimal amount of live rock and sand to help with biodiversity. Hopefully that helps. I know there is a lot of information out there but just read and read and read and ask questions on here. The more knowledge you have prior to starting a tank the better you and your reef inhabitants will do.

 

[ScottJ]

This is a really good guide to starting up. It will answer a lot of questions.
The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

 

[00W]

Hey guys,
I just got a tank that I want to use for a reef tank and I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the information. I know want a sand substrate and I want fish and corals. I've got a sump but I've never used or set one up before. I'm on a budget for now so I want the best possible without breaking the bank.

My main display tank is acrylic with a weir overflow. The dimesions are 72"W X 18"D X 20"H. My overflow has a 1" pipe and the tank came with a 1000gph pump. Amazon product
I don't know if its strong enough or too strong. The return holes have been closed off but I would like the return to come out of the weir.

What would be the best way to remove that blocking material on the output. Next, whats the best way to setup my sump?

The sump tank measurements are 54.5"W X 18.5"D X 25"H. It has no baffles are you can see, so I can do whatever is suggested. I see a bunch of sump setups but I'm confused on which is the best one.

For cycling I think I'm going to do a fishless cycle using the Dr.Tim product, but can I add live rock and sand which cycling? Also, can I use a bit of live sand and the rest regular sand?

I would really appreciate guidance and feedback as I am very lost and confused. Thank you!

No worries can be a confusing hobby and you have a lot to work with there my goodness.
Like mentioned above, very hard to make anything out of the pictures being so dark.
Need to shed some light on the situation, so to speak.

 

[NeedAReef]

find a local group if you can people will help. try some of the other social platforms if you cannot find one here. you can get hooked up with freebies and loads of help if you find a good one and make new friends.

 

[RocketEngineer]

So, looking at that tank, I notice a few details. First, it was built to be a peninsula. The overflow on the end leaves both long panels open so if possible, that’s how I suggest situating it. My dream tank is a 72” peninsula.

I have issue with the overflow for two reasons:
1) it’s small
2) it only has the two pipes

Were this my setup, I would use bulkhead fittings with plugs to close off both holes and install a new box on that end wall. This would let me use multiple drains and I would route the returns to the far end of the display. JMO.

For the sump, you want a minimum of 1 baffle. Upstream of the baffle would eventually be the skimmer. These work best when water level isn’t changing. Downstream of the baffle, the water level WILL change and this is where top off water is measured and corrected for.

I can understand being on a budget. I was there myself. But with time and patience, you should be able to enjoy the system. Don’t rush. Good things take time.

 

[vancity.tropicals]

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

you have a nice sized tank that is reef ready so you’re off to a great start.

Opinions vary on this but from my experience, the more surface area you have occupied by nitrifying bacteria, the faster you will get to not only your cycle but less uglies. That means more live rock than dry. More live sand than non.

If you can find live rock that came out of a very old tank that is covered with coralline, that’s probably your best bet. Live ocean rock seems to be very good but i haven’t put that in a tank…. yet. It’s very expensive so you might want to go with the regular live rock option.

So- at least 75% live rock is what I would do.

Something else that love is the special grade sand by caribsea. It’s not large and it’s not small. If you don’t want dust floating around your your sand bed, look into special grade. They have a “live version” but am not convinced that the bacteria in it are viable. You can just use the dry version and wash it really well.

 

[lapin]

Is that white stuff hard or soft?
In other words is there any hope of removing the bulkhead ?
If the blue acrylic pieces are welded on then your only option is to drill the same size hole thru them. If you want to use the holes.
Another option is to purchase an external overflow box. Drill new holes and mount it.

 

[Turnage]

First, welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

Second, you will gets LOTS of support and information from this awesome community. You are already getting some great advice as you can see. The first thing you want to do is educate yourself on reefing as a hobby. YouTube has lots of great videos and R2R has many forums on different reefing topics (fish disease, hitchhikers, controllers, ect).

Take time in building your tank. Step by step by step. Nothing good ever comes from rushing in this hobby.

Check the "selling dry goods" section here. You can pick up nice used equipment and a great price. 90% of my tank equipment we purchased from other R2R members.

Good luck!

 

[vancity.tropicals]

Is that white stuff hard or soft?
In other words is there any hope of removing the bulkhead ?
If the blue acrylic pieces are welded on then your only option is to drill the same size hole thru them. If you want to use the holes.
Another option is to purchase an external overflow box. Drill new holes and mount it.

The white stuff is hard, I’m assuming its a jb weld putty or something. It doesn’t leak water so thats a plus I suppose. I’m planning on drilling a hole thru the old sealed blue acrylic pieces.

As you see where old blocked off hole is, does it matter if I drill a new hole above it to add a second 1” overflow drain? Suppose I do that, would it be fine if I drilled the old sealed hole to make it a 3/4” return? So it would be two 1” overflows with one 3/4” return, or should I drill a new hole below it so all 3 holes are 1”?