House came with a salt water tank and we have so many questions

[happyone]

G'day
Our house has come with a salt water tank built in the wall (room divider). I'm trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible about salt water tanks and maintenance. The family has found the tank's contents fascinating and meal times are spent focused on the fish tank! We never realised that anaenomes go walkabout and it is fantastic to watch the star fish moving - we notice that it has moved and even though we are watching it it seems to do it without it being obvious!

I don't know whether a filter type stopper is essential or not - one acquarium keeper says I shouldn't have this stopper in my tank (it goes over the pipe that sucks stuff out the tank) whilst another keeper says it is essential - who is right?

The glass tank walls are very badly scratched inside - is there anyway of removing these scratches? we want to build the tank up with coral etc (there are 7 fish inhabitants) one massive and very entertaining carpet anaenome who loves eating bits of prawn) but are wondering whether we should replace this tank (it is about 12 years old). We've also realised the side panels are painted inside - when we tried to remove algae from these walls the paint came away!

Any help/ suggestions greatly appreciated
Thanks

 

[Cathic]

You may end up having to break the tank down to achieve what you are wanting to do. the neme and sea apple are prone to causing problems for you tank as you make the transition into saltwater and are still learning monitor them closely while you learn and ask questions whenever you feel there may be a problem with your livestock.

 

[wontonflip]

+1 cathic....welcome to the site!

For starters, have you been topping off w/ rodi or distilled water? You should post pics :D If the filter stopper is a sponge, unless you plan on rinsing it out once in a while, you might as well take it out, depending on how big it is.

Tell us more about your set up in the tank-build section. Post pics so we can guide you.

 

[Northstar24]

I'm guessing this filter stopper you're talking about is an inlet sponge to keep larger things in the tank (and not going into the filter) if that is the case, its probably a good idea to run one, but remember to rinse it out fairly regularly

I believe there is a product you can use to fill in scratches on a glass tank, but I do not know if it is safe to use with living things in the tank (you might need to temporarily break the tank down to fix this

I'm not sure what to tell you about the painted sides that lose the paint when scraped. I'd say that they should have been painted on the outside of the glass to prevent this exact thing from happening.

Definitely post some photos in the tank showcase thread, we can offer more advice from there.

Welcome to the site, if you're looking for some learning material, go out and pick up a copy of The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. He also contributes to a site with a wealth of information that you can find here:
Wetwebmedia, Aquarium, Pond, Marine and Freshwater Fish, reef tanks, and Aquatics Information

 

[yote]

Welcome to the reef.

With the scratches your your talking about,I'm betting that the viewing panels are acrylic.If it is,then it'd probably do more harm than good trying to remove the scratches.

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

+1 everyone!

Also, a nem moving around isnt a very good sign. It tends to mean they are in distress, and the scary thing about nems is that they have the potential to nuke the whole take if they die.

 

[sen5241b]

happyone, you need to read this: https://www.livingreefs.com/marine-aquarium-disasters-and-prevent-them-t20514.html

 

[AquaOverflow]

:bounce: Welcome to the forum!!! :bounce: