empty 125 gallon - what should I do?!

[JeremyXXX]

As some of you know I'm a n00b here and am in the process of cycling my Fluval EDGE nano tank...my first saltwater tank!

I have a 125 gallon glass tank and due to some recent water quality issues I sold off my stock and am going to break down the tank this week. My ammonia spiked crazy high so I just took it as a sign that I should take a break for a while and map out a saltwater build.

Anyway, the reason for the thread is simply to get feedback on what direction I should take this build. I'm a broke 22 year old college student but I graduate in May so I will have a little bit of money to play with lol. I wanna keep it simple but I wanna do it once and do it right with the least bit of maintenance possible. I had freshwater rays and a large silver arowana and the tank became a second job for me to keep up with.

The tank is not drilled and I was thinking of either getting a large wet/dry setup with an overflow box hanging on the back or drilling but I'm not comfortable doing that myself. I've done some reading but still have a lot of newbie questions so bare with me...like I said I wanna do it once do it right!




Gimme some feedback as to what's a must for a FOWLR tank of this size and some suggestions for some equipment you guys use such as brands and that kind of stuff. Not looking for the Bentley of equipment but not the knock off crap either.

 

[KathyC]

My advice would be to wait until after you find a job to set up the 125, you will enjoy the experience far more.

Even for a FOWLR tank it will still cost you a bunch of money to get it going between rock, sand, lighting, basic equipment, and then livestock, add to that what you need to keep it going like salt & food and media for reactors, larger buckets for mixing the SW & top off and such.

The only different between that and a full blown reef is the corals really, maybe some dosing equipment, better flow and the lighting. Not that much of a savings.

 

[JeremyXXX]

Well when ya put it like that lol. This hobby is way too expensive it's sad. I guess I'll keep the tank empty for the time being and enjoy my Fluval EDGE

 

[rideit6578]

you lost the rays? i thought we were the only fresh water guys on here, am i all alone now? hows the nano doing?

 

[JeremyXXX]

yup rays and arowana are gone you're the only one haha. I do have a 15 gallon tank that has some weird dimensions (13 x 13 x 25) not sure what I'm gonna put in there now that I don't need to keep feeder goldfish anymore...

 

[thirty6]

Fill the 125, simple setup. Maybe some more fresh water or sell it and go bigger when college is over

 

[aggresive tank gee]

you lost the rays? i thought we were the only fresh water guys on here, am i all alone now? hows the nano doing?

i was thinking of getting a freshwater sting ray....how are they to maintain?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

There is no selling or buying in the discussion forums.

 

[Awibrandy]

There is no selling or buying in the discussion forums.

Chief, did I miss something? I don't see any selling or buying in the above threads. Perhaps it got deleted before I got here.

To the OP; You can start by purchasing equipment slowly. This way it won't hurt your pockets as badly as purchasing everything in one swoop.
You have the tank, and I imagine the stand as well. So now you will need to add:
1A) RO/DI
1B) A good Protein Skimmer
2) Largest sump you can fit
3) 2 or 4 good power heads ~ If you can afford the Vortex that would be awesome, but the Koralias are great too, and no where near as expensive.
4) A few battery operated air pumps (in case there is a power outage).
5) Few bags of DRY sand
6) Some dry rocks
7) Good heaters (such as the Eheim Ebo Jagger)
8) A controller to put the heaters on to (so you don't end up boiling your animals in case the heater gets stuck on ON). You can also operate other stuff ~ like your lights off it.
9) Light fixture (I would get something that could support corals in the event that reefing bug bites )
While you are saving up your pennies to purchase the above equipment you can spend your time researching "How to set up a Salt Water Aquarium". By the time you are done with all your purchases, and all the research you can do May will be here.
Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS Get the tank drilled, you will not regret it. If you can't do it yourself, I am sure you can get somebody here to do it for you.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Yes Awilda you did. The "BUYING" post has been deleted.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Now on topic.

A 125 is a great lenght tank for either freshwater or saltwater. Since you are in a money spot now Why not look at fish only or freshwater river type tank?

 

[JeremyXXX]

I'm emptying the tank out as I type this I have a few people coming this week to pick up equipment (Fluval FX5/405 etc.) My question is should I keep my powerhead and heater? I know this might sound dumb but will a good cleaning be sufficient after converting to saltwater? I just have this fear of bacteria sitting on the equipment....kinda dumb I know lol

 

[jrobbins]

if you are going to do a big tank in the future your powerheads probably arent going to cut it. fw needs much lower flow than a salt water tank. unless you had massively overpowered flow in your fw tank...

 

[KathyC]

I'm emptying the tank out as I type this I have a few people coming this week to pick up equipment (Fluval FX5/405 etc.) My question is should I keep my powerhead and heater? I know this might sound dumb but will a good cleaning be sufficient after converting to saltwater? I just have this fear of bacteria sitting on the equipment....kinda dumb I know lol

Cleaning and rinsing the equipment well will be fine, do let it air dry until it it totally dry..the longer you leave it the less chance there can be any live bacteria on it. You can also use diluted bleach to clean the tank -and again - allow it to air dry. If you have a dechlorinator left from the FW tank, use that prior to your final rinse..once you cannot smell the bleach any longer, you will be good to go.

What type of powerhead do you plan to keep?
Even if it isn't overly powerful it might still be handy for mixing new SW or use in your sump. The heater is also a good thing to hang onto.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Cleaning and rinsing the equipment well will be fine, do let it air dry until it it totally dry..the longer you leave it the less chance there can be any live bacteria on it. You can also use diluted bleach to clean the tank -and again - allow it to air dry. If you have a dechlorinator left from the FW tank, use that prior to your final rinse..once you cannot smell the bleach any longer, you will be good to go.

What type of powerhead do you plan to keep?
Even if it isn't overly powerful it might still be handy for mixing new SW or use in your sump. The heater is also a good thing to hang onto.

Exactly what Kathy says is the best way to go.

 

[JeremyXXX]

Thanks guys! Those tips about cleaning the tank will help a lot. I just emptied the tank (left about 3" of water in the tank) and I'm using a sponge to get all the buildup off the tank walls especially the top above the waters surface. I've got a bit of cleaner left from a while ago so I'm gonna go for round 2 tomorrow with that lol. I just wanna clean it up real nice and leave it be and sit on it for a while.

I'm gonna keep the heater for my 15 gallon and do something small in there and just keep the powerhead for future use.


Thanks again guys! Just gonna focus on my Fluval EDGE nano-reef now gonna get my first fish soon

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Good luck. When you set up this tank make sure you take a lot of pictures!