NEED HELP with older equipment puchased second hand

[mikenegue]

I've just purchased a 13-year-old saltwater/freshwater tank. I need some advice as to what I need to do in order to set it up for salt water fish and live rock. Here is what I got for $100:

1) black wood/formica cabinet stand and canopy
2) 60 gallon acrylic seaclear tank with two gaskets on the bottom opening into the cabinet below
3) Lifeguard filter unit -- Rainbow plastics filter division: QL-16 (appears to be an ionizer/sterilizer w/ 2 electrodes) & AF-94 (mechanical filter) & pump
4) 2x Second Nature Whisper Power Filters 3 w/ 4x 12-packs of biobags
5) Two airpumps
6) Sylvania Cool White Lightbulb 30W & Penn-plax aquarilux fl-30
7) Heater
8) Gravel
9) Ornaments
10) Test kits, other miscellania

1) I think that the stand is worth the most money at this point, being close to new condition with a few chips on the corners. It has an enamel finish and is smooth/clean without blemishes. There's something to a piece of furniture that weathers 13 years so well.

2) The acrylic tank is opaque due to microscratches all over the surface. However, when I fill with water, they all disappear, and the acrylic becomes transparent with the exception of a few small scratches. Pretty good in my estimation, for a 13-year old tank. It has several small and large holes on top of the tank for plumbing and access. Also, there are two large gaskets on the bottom of the tank which were used for filtration.

3) The Rainbow Plastics-Lifeguard filtration unit is my biggest question mark. If this unit is 13 years old, then it would seem that it might have some outdated technology that might not be helpful to include in a saltwater setup today. Can anyone give me any suggestions? The unit is setup as: Valve (in?)-Pump-Mechanical Filter-Ionizer-Splitter-2 Valves (out?). I suppose that one end is the input and the other end is the output, but I am confused as to why there are two valves at one end -- any ideas?

4) Is this whisper power filter 3 any good? I read that it is used for fresh and salt water tanks and performs mechanical, chemical and biological filtration. Should I use them for a salt water tank?

5) Do I connect the airpumps to the whisper power filters? ...or just into the water?

6) Do I need to change the light bulbs in order to have live rock and live sand in my tank? What kind of lights do I need?

7)-10) Do I need anything else for my tank right now?

*** Would you say I got a good deal (or just a load of old junk)?

 

[JohnD]

Mike,

IMHO you got a good deal. I would ditch everything except the tank and stand. Those 2 sound like keepers!

You need to consider what you want in the tank and go from there as far as equipment is concerned.

JohnD

 

[mikenegue]

I just want a few salt water fish using a live rock set-up. What do I need to get at this point? Also, is there anything I can salvage from the equipment I purchased with the tank?

 

[Anonymous]

You said the tank has drains that run below the stand? I'd get a refugium in there. Then you'll want new lights.

 

[mikenegue]

why are these items (sump, skimmer, new lights) all necessary? is a refugium the same thing as a sump? as a side note, what is "BB"?

 

[ChrisRD]

If you're just going to have fish, then IMO the lighting doesn't really matter. A sump is really nice to have for many reasons, but it's not required. A refugium, IMO is optional, especially for a fish-only tank.

If you're looking to do a fish-only with live rock (FOWLR) as stated in your post, then I'd say getting some good rock, a good skimmer, and a few powerheads for good, strong circulation are your first priorities. Then you need to give the rock time to cure.

JMO...

 

[ChrisRD]

oh, and also, BB = barebottom

 

[cdeakle]

I would suggest:

1) 2-4 Maxijet 1200 powerheads. (marinedepot.com)

2) CPRbakpak2 hang on skimmer or an AquaC hang on skimmer. (marinedepot.com)

3) Good amount/quality of live rock. ( liveaquaria.com)

-puff

 

[Anonymous]

I think maybe we need to take a step back and figure out what kind of setup you want mikenegue..

Are you out for a reef setup or are you just interested in keeping fish? - Most people here are going to assume you want to keep a reef tank which requires some different equipment than what you might think.

Considering you got a 60g reef-ready tank, you're in great shape to start with.. - Heck, everyone is already pointing you in that direction already anyway... :wink:

Also, for what it's worth (FWIW), you can have a sump that includes a built-in refugium as well.. - A 'fuge is basically a place where you can put macro algae which will help with nutrient export as well as help in harboring 'pods..

You might want to check out a few books before you get too involved with buying anything else (if you want to do up a reef tank that is...) If you want more of my opinion, check out this book:

The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 1890087521

I haven't studied the whole thing, but I thumbed through it and it looks like it covers quite a bit from the basics and beyond...

At any rate...

 

[mikenegue]

I'm planning to do a simple salt water FOWLR tank. It's actually for my wife who wanted a Nemo-fish and a few others in the cast. I don't think puffers will do well with some of the other fishes, so I'll limit it to a clown fish, yellow tang, regal tang, and maybe one or two more fish. Does this sound reasonable in a 60 gallon tank? I don't want to get into corals or invertabrates (yet). So do I need all those pumps and filters still, or will live sand and live rock suffice? Lastly, do I need to have a cleaning crew?

thanks again...

 

[Anonymous]

Well.....

Most here will probably tell you a 60 will probably be a little too cramped for tangs. Personally, I'd guess they're most likely right, but I'm no expert by any stretch.

Ok.. - So you're not looking to get into light-loving critters. That cuts down one of your bigger expenses. But, if you want live rock/sand you're still essentially running a reef, it's just basically a "low-light reef".

Since you already have a reef-ready tank it's almost a shame not to make use of it for it's intended purpose (plus it's kinda extra work to secure those drain/return holes anyway) so you might as well go with a sump. But, since you're not intending to run corals or much for inverts you don't really need to sweat a 'fuge or go for the big turnover of alternating water flow you'd be best going with for a full-blown reef.

Anyway, full-blown or not you're probably best to get a hefty skimmer to throw in the sump, but don't sweat it, that's not all you need to have down there.. - Might as well get your heater out of the main tank.. Drop that in there and then maybe run a SQWD or two off your return pump so you don't need to have ugly powerheads in your main tank. That'll also give you the freedom of having some alternating water movement if you DO decide down the road to upgrade your lights and try out a frag or two..

Oh, wait... - BUT.... - Here we go... - The big question is, since you're going with a clown of some sort, are you going to want an anemone for it to host in? If so, welcome to the club bud... - You're gonna need strong lights now... :wink:

 

[ChrisRD]

I'll limit it to a clown fish, yellow tang, regal tang, and maybe one or two more fish. Does this sound reasonable in a 60 gallon tank?

What are the dimensions of the tank? If it's a 4' tank IMO you'll be OK with a single Yellow Tang, but the Regal Tang really belongs in a bigger tank. A pair of clowns would be good, and there are lots of small colorful fish that would be fine with the tang and the clowns. I would advise against an anemone being you're new to this (regardless of whether you've got the lighting they need or not, which you don't). Clownfish do not need a host anemone to thrive in captivity.

I don't want to get into corals or invertabrates (yet). So do I need all those pumps and filters still, or will live sand and live rock suffice? Lastly, do I need to have a cleaning crew?

You really don't need wavemaking devices in a fish-only setup. It wouldn't hurt, but a few simple powerheads will be fine. With the live rock, sand and a good skimmer you'll be fine. And yes, you'll eventually want some cleanup critters too.

 

[dougc]

It is not clear to me from the description that this is indeed a reef-ready tank. It sounds more like it has bulkheads for drain and return from the Lifegard filters. I had a setup like this once and it functioned like a closed loop. I had no sump. I had valves on the drain and return lines and simply shut off both to maintain the filter modules.

Is there partitioned-off section around the bulkheads in the bottom of the tank or is there simply a bulkhead in the bottom that is open to the tank?

 

[mikenegue]

Basically the acrylic tank has two holes drilled on the bottom of it, with plugged gaskets filling both holes. The Lifeguard filters are disconnected and have since been thrown out because they weren't functioning.

With a DSB, it doesn't seem as though I would be able to access these "access" points, being burried under 4-5 inches of sand. In general, is filtration/skimming better accomplished through the top of a tank or the bottom? If the bottom is better, then I could always connect a pipe to burrow through the layers of sand to get to the water.

Any advice?

 

[ChrisRD]

In general, is filtration/skimming better accomplished through the top of a tank or the bottom? If the bottom is better, then I could always connect a pipe to burrow through the layers of sand to get to the water.

If you planned on using one or both of these bulkheads as drains to a sump, you'll need to put some kind of standpipe or a built-in overflow box inside the tank. Check out a reef-ready tank at an LFS in your area to get some ideas...

If you're going to use these bulkheads for a closed loop setup, you could use them as-is, but that won't help you with adding a sump.

 

[ChrisRD]

This might help: http://dursostandpipes.com/

 

[Mr_Pat]

although i don't have a saltwater tank as of current i was wondering what kind of pump you got with that lifegard setup.... i recently picked up a 75 gallon tank and the guy i baught it from gave me this 4 part lifegard system but no pump.. and i'm not having a lot of luck figuring this thing out..


The UV sterilizer thing has no bulbs in it just and empty canister..

so anyone able to help me here would be greatly appreciated.. i was thinking of using this stuff on the 75 gallon as i'm just using it for oscars..


thanx for any help