Please tell me we have something viable here ;Facepalm

[Diesel_Rice]

Hello all! I've been lurking for a couple days and figured it's about time to jump in and see if I can get some answers on my current situation. I inherited a saltwater tank that hasn't been used in years so my wife and I have been cleaning it up, restoring the stand and investing in making this thing viable. Now that we're much closer to starting it up (finally bought the salt and R/O water), i'm wanting to see if anyone can tell me if this is an alright setup to run FOWLR or if we're missing way too much and we're wasting our time without investing tons more into this thing. All help and criticism is appreciated, all I see is so many helpful people here so you guys are our last hope

As you'll see in the third picture, the back of the tank is drilled for the overflow (PVC) and pump feed (hose). The fourth picture is the sump setup with the overflow feeding it, the protein skimmer in the middle, and the pump on the left feeding it back up. I have powerheads for the main display as well and two heaters of course as well and dry rock that we're in the process of epoxying for the aquascape. Waiting to see if this tank is viable before buying live rock from LFS to seed it.

Thank you all in advance for whatever input you may have! It's much appreciated

 

[davidcalgary29]

Have you tested it for leaks yet? That would be my primary concern with a tank that's been in storage for years.

 

[Jekyl]

How did you clean the equipment and tank? Everything looks right though. With the equipment you have already you're only a couple decent lights away from being able to keep coral if you wanted

 

[Jekyl]

Oh.. manners.... Welcome!

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Hey Diesel welcome to the club! Looks like a great start. Have you looked into buffing out the old scratches?

 

[Diesel_Rice]

The tank (48"x13"x24") is mainly just dirty, no major scratches at all overall (though it is acrylic, it just hasn't had it's final wipe down yet). We've cleaned the skimmer back to looking new and have run all the powerheads through vinegar to test functionality and clean them up as well. The sand in the tank is all brand new (and has gone through it's rinse before tossing it in there) and i've tested the pump itself, we're going for a leak test now of the overall tank. I've got the RO water set aside and my new bucket of salt, we were just waiting for input on if this is a viable starter tank while we learn the ins and outs of saltwater (we've only ever had fresh) and if I at least have all I need to start running it and getting it up and going

 

[Jekyl]

The tank (48"x13"x24") is mainly just dirty, no major scratches at all overall (though it is acrylic, it just hasn't had it's final wipe down yet). We've cleaned the skimmer back to looking new and have run all the powerheads through vinegar to test functionality and clean them up as well. The sand in the tank is all brand new (and has gone through it's rinse before tossing it in there) and i've tested the pump itself, we're going for a leak test now of the overall tank. I've got the RO water set aside and my new bucket of salt, we were just waiting for input on if this is a viable starter tank while we learn the ins and outs of saltwater (we've only ever had fresh) and if I at least have all I need to start running it and getting it up and going

That tank will work perfectly. Actually way better than something smaller. Just take your time. Get some salifert test kits and ask as many questions on here that you need to.

 

[Diesel_Rice]

Thank you guys so much! Is there a way that's better than another to add the salt when we go through it's first run? We expect it to sit and cycle for quite a while, so can we measure out the water, add the salt needed all at once and then let it just run for a couple days to mix it for us and test it then? There's of course nothing alive in the tank, and won't be for awhile as we get our bearings and testing kits and all that. I'm following the start-up guide through this site so far.

 

[Jekyl]

I use a brute trash can. They are food grade plastic. My RODI makes 4 gallons every hour and a half. Which is 2 cups or so worth of salt. I use an extra powerhead and heater in there and let mix overnight.

 

[Jekyl]

The BRS videos on YouTube are a great place to learn everything. I recommend watching some of them

 

[Jekyl]

Get a refractometer if you don't already have one to measure salinity

 

[jradishness]

Is there a way that's better than another to add the salt when we go through it's first run?

I did a longer cycle on my reef tank. I started cycling at 1.018 hyposalinity (per Dr Tim), both to save salt, and to promote bacterial growth. Once you’re satisfied that it’s cycled or close, start topping off with saltwater instead of fresh until the salinity slowly raises to your desired (this helps maintain the bacterial colony you’ve established).

 

[Diesel_Rice]

It came with a lot of dry rock as well that i've done the (what I think is) standard cleaning procedure with bleach, dechlorinater and sitting in the sun for the last couple of weeks, is this discoloration normal as your best guess? some rocks came completely white and some have this coloring and orange and the like on it, just making sure it's safe to use!

 

[Super Fly]

To me the black stuff on rock looks suspicious, does it come off when you scrub w brush? if so, I'd scrub it clean. Also if it was me & this hasn't been done yet, I'd run the entire system using water mixed w bleach for 24 hrs prior to use. This will completely sanitize everything, esp since it looks like u're reusing the old pipes/tubes.

 

[Diesel_Rice]

To me the black stuff on rock looks suspicious, does it come off when you scrub w brush? if so, I'd scrub it clean. Also if it was me & this hasn't been done yet, I'd run the entire system using water mixed w bleach for 24 hrs prior to use. This will completely sanitize everything, esp since it looks like u're reusing the old pipes/tubes.

What would be the proper way to run the tank after the bleach/water? if we drain it all out, would it be safe to put in the RO water at that point or do we need to do some sort of flush or the like before that?

 

[Jekyl]

After bleach treatment clean it all with water really good. Let the rock soak for a couple days in regular water I believe. I'm sure others will chime in.

 

[Diesel_Rice]

The rocks i've chosen have all gone through the bleach treatment for the last couple weeks, so i'll probably just pull those separately, I just want to make sure the bleach running through the tank isn't going to cause issues before I fill it up with RO

 

[Jekyl]

Just make sure to rinse it well and dry a couple days. Any left over bleach will vapor out.

 

[Diesel_Rice]

Thank you guys so much for your input! what ratio of bleach would you run with? between the sump and the main tank, I'm thinking we're sitting around 80-90 gallons

 

[Jekyl]

That I don't know. Probably doesn't take much