MHCblues119 600g

[MHcblues119]

I’m officially back in the game. Well, I have been hanging around in the shadows for the past few years. Have kept a few smaller tanks and such. Went to go pick up some K1 and equipment from a buddy for a 220g I had just picked up for free and was resealing. My entry back into bigger tanks. Well when I got to his house he had a 600g 8x4x30 sitting there empty. Asked how much. Long story short I was back a few weeks later to pick up the tank.

took 5 of us to get it on the trailer at his house. And 6 to us to get it into my basement. Barely squeezing through the 36in doors.

I have never been good at documenting my tanks. But I will use this post to ask a few questions that I’ll inevitably have. And try to share as many pictures as possible. Because who doesn’t love pictures!

Plans as of now
600g
125 sump. Going to be 95% filtered by K1. With the addition of poret foam and some ceramic media I have lying around thrown.
Danner Hy-drive 4800gph
1500 watt controllable heater

Alright let’s see some pictures for now!

 

[MHcblues119]

Question #1.

What should I be cleaning the tank with? Was previously a saltwater tank. Was given a 3 part buffing set made by Novus that i will use to buff and clear the tank up a bit. Can i just hit it with some vinegar and some good elbow grease before hand?

 

[Backfromthedead]

I would use a plastic chisel or similar and vinegar to scrape off the calcium deposits and big stains first. Then you will have a good idea of what kind of buffing you'll be getting into.

If the scratches are really deep you may want to try wet sanding with a fine grit sandpaper before going ahead with the novus treatment. The novus 1 with buffing will fade out light scratches but doesnt really take out deep scratches ime.

The tank looks to be in decent shape though so you might be fine with just the novus treatment.

Nice pickup will be following along.

 

[MHcblues119]

I would use a plastic chisel or similar and vinegar to scrape off the calcium deposits and big stains first. Then you will have a good idea of what kind of buffing you'll be getting into.

If the scratches are really deep you may want to try wet sanding with a fine grit sandpaper before going ahead with the novus treatment. The novus 1 with buffing will fade out light scratches but doesnt really take out deep scratches ime.

The tank looks to be in decent shape though so you might be fine with just the novus treatment.

Nice pickup will be following along.

The bottom of the tank is a disaster from live rock but I am not to concerned as the tank will have sand. I think the Novus will handle the light scratching fine. I am more concerned about the "hard water/calcium" hazing. But I am pretty sure that buffing will take care of that.

 

[TheWolfman]

The novus will only take care of the hazing. If there are any scratches you will need to wet sand by hand in stages. 500 grit first then 1000, 2000 and finish with 3000. Then start the novus. Go to harbor freight and pickup a buffing wheel don't bother with a drill attachment it will take too long. Start on thr bottom of the tank and work in small areas at a time until you get the hang of it. Don't try and do the whole pane in one shot, you'll end up missing scratches and have to start the whole process over again. Take you time and walk away when you've had enough. I'll be honest with you it's going to take a long time but will be worth it. You'll regret it if you rush it because once the tanks setup there's no going back. Good luck I look forward to seeing the build come along.

 

[MHcblues119]

The novus will only take care of the hazing. If there are any scratches you will need to wet sand by hand in stages. 500 grit first then 1000, 2000 and finish with 3000. Then start the novus. Go to harbor freight and pickup a buffing wheel don't bother with a drill attachment it will take too long. Start on thr bottom of the tank and work in small areas at a time until you get the hang of it. Don't try and do the whole pane in one shot, you'll end up missing scratches and have to start the whole process over again. Take you time and walk away when you've had enough. I'll be honest with you it's going to take a long time but will be worth it. You'll regret it if you rush it because once the tanks setup there's no going back. Good luck I look forward to seeing the build come along.

I am 100% going to go spend the $50 for a harbor freight buffing wheel lol. Well worth not having the headache of dealing with a drill.