new tank help!

[thechief]

hey everyone im going to the darkside! haha okay well i got this tank for free today and it loos pretty nice i know that this is for saltwater but im pretty sure it was used as a freshwater tank but i dont know whats missing for sure or not im almost positive the original pump is missing on it and all the media the lights work tho haha but i just want to know what i need to get this thing going what pump i need for this what media i know i need salt and sand do i need a protein skimmer? just need some advice take a look on the pictures and tell me what you think i need and also i dont know what i want to do with it yet if i want reef or fowlr what do you guys think i would appreciate some help thanks guys!

if you have any questions or want more pictures just let me know thanks

 

[Wiggles92]

It should work pretty good once you get it a pump. There's no need for the undergravel filter although the actual filter plate will come in handy; you can use it as a space between the rock and the bottom of the aquarium. A protein skimmer is not "needed", but good luck with keeping it low maintenance and algae-free without one; I recommend getting one just because it makes everything way easier.

 

[thechief]

anyone? i really need to know how to get this thing going im assuming that big open space a pump of somekind goes in there to flow but i have no idea what kind of pump to get or what so please i need some help guys give me all the info i need and how would i run a protein skimmer on this thing??

 

[thechief]

It should work pretty good once you get it a pump. There's no need for the undergravel filter although the actual filter plate will come in handy; you can use it as a space between the rock and the bottom of the aquarium. A protein skimmer is not "needed", but good luck with keeping it low maintenance and algae-free without one; I recommend getting one just because it makes everything way easier.

thanks do you know what kind of pump i need i think im gunna bring the whole tank down to my lfs tomorrow and have them take a look and see what they think and where would i put the skimmer? i dont have alot of money to get this whole thing going so yeah i can get a cheap skimmer from a friend but i dont think its a HOB i defiantly want a skimmer tho to make my life easyer

 

[Wiggles92]

I'm not sure on the pump; try looking up the model number of the hood to find the right one. As for the skimmer, a BioCube skimmer might work depending on how large the aquarium is. Saltwater isn't something to do on the cheap, though; trying to do so, even at first, tends to come back to haunt you (as it did for myself and others).

 

[thechief]

I'm not sure on the pump; try looking up the model number of the hood to find the right one. As for the skimmer, a BioCube skimmer might work depending on how large the aquarium is. Saltwater isn't something to do on the cheap, though; trying to do so, even at first, tends to come back to haunt you (as it did for myself and others).

okay ill check that out right now thanks and how much do those ussually run? and yeah ive been told that i dont want to go cheap on to many things unless i can make it work but most likely not on a lot of things i was also told i could get sand from the beach and boil it to kill all the bad hitchhikers and crap and go through it really good is this true? if i can do this that would be great but im guessing i cant right? haha can i use PFS? or playsand? and just wait for it to get live in the cycling procces sorry for all these questions but im a noob when it comes to salt

 

[Wiggles92]

okay ill check that out right now thanks and how much do those ussually run? and yeah ive been told that i dont want to go cheap on to many things unless i can make it work but most likely not on a lot of things i was also told i could get sand from the beach and boil it to kill all the bad hitchhikers and crap and go through it really good is this true? if i can do this that would be great but im guessing i cant right? haha can i use PFS? or playsand? and just wait for it to get live in the cycling procces sorry for all these questions but im a noob when it comes to salt

Use plain old aragonite sand; it will give you the best results for what you spend. You only need enough to make a 0.5" to 1" layer unless you're going to have burrowing fishes, so you shouldn't need that much of it; you should be fine with 15 lbs. or maybe even less.

Also, use high quality dry rock instead of live rock and seed it with a small piece of high quality live rock that has a ton of coralline algae (beneficial algae; tends to be purple, white, lime green, and/or pink) on it; use about one pound of porous high quality dry rock per gallon with more being needed for denser low quality rock.

 

[thechief]

Use plain old aragonite sand; it will give you the best results for what you spend. You only need enough to make a 0.5" to 1" layer unless you're going to have burrowing fishes, so you shouldn't need that much of it; you should be fine with 15 lbs. or maybe even less.

Also, use high quality dry rock instead of live rock and seed it with a small piece of high quality live rock that has a ton of coralline algae (beneficial algae; tends to be purple, white, lime green, and/or pink) on it; use about one pound of porous high quality dry rock per gallon with more being needed for denser low quality rock.

Okay thank you very much do you know what I would have to do if I wanted to go reef I know I need different lights can I just get the bulbs rather then the whole fixture? And how much is that sand for like 15 20 pounds??

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[Wiggles92]

Okay thank you very much do you know what I would have to do if I wanted to go reef I know I need different lights can I just get the bulbs rather then the whole fixture? And how much is that sand for like 15 20 pounds??

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What are the dimensions of the aquarium, and how many bulbs (as well as wattage & size) does the fixture take? Those variables will determine if you can pull off a reef without changing much.

The sand is pretty cheap; it should cost you less than $10 for that much if the prices are similar to what they are here.

 

[thechief]

What are the dimensions of the aquarium, and how many bulbs (as well as wattage & size) does the fixture take? Those variables will determine if you can pull off a reef without changing much.

The sand is pretty cheap; it should cost you less than $10 for that much if the prices are similar to what they are here.

Okay cool the dimensions are 24 by 24 by 13 and the fixture has two bulbs what do you think??

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