New Glass Tank

R

rizkallah

Reefing newb
Hi All,
I was just given an 80gallon glass fish only tank. It has two drum filters and one under the sand filter. It also included a heater of which I can't figure out the voltage. I know I have to do some upgrading and I would like to eventually make it a full reef tank. Any ideas ?
Thanks
g
 
Hi and welcome. First off, I would remove the under gravel filter. They don't work for saltwater setups.

Was this tank used for saltwater or freshwater before? If it was freshwater, you will have to remove all the sand and throw it away, and clean the whole tank with a vinegar solution.

As for the drum filters, can you take pictures of those for us and post them? I'm not familiar with what those are. They sound like canister filters, but I can't be sure without a picture.

You should check out the Helpful Articles section above for basic information. If you want a reef tank, you will need to get a good protein skimmer for filtration, live rock (around 2 lbs per gallon, so for your tank around 150 to 160 lbs), and a good set of lights.

Please check out the articles and post back if you have any specific questions. And pictures, post pictures!
 
Welcome to the reef.
Like Biff already stated,trash the under gravel filter.There useless as,,,,well y'all get the picture.
I'm pretty sure those "drum" filters are canister filters.If thats the case,Be sure to clean them regilously.Invest in a good quality skimmer and 1 to 2 pounds of rock per gallon of tank volume.You can us some of the cheaper lace rock rock to off set the cost,and seed it with 5 to 10 pounds of live rock.
Good luck with the project and post any question you might have.


And for pete sake,dont rush it.
 
IMG_1286.JPG
IMG_1286.JPG

Here's a picture of my filters and below is the tank. It came with 3 damsels and they seem to be adjusting fine. Now how do I change out the rock for live rock? Do I just put the fish in a bowl for a couple of hours? I want to get the tank filled with the bio filters before I add any more family members.

IMG_1281.JPG
 
If I were you, I would just take the damsels back to a fish store. They are extremely aggressive fish and will try to kill any new fish that you add. They will sometimes even kill corals that they think are in their territory. They definitely don't usually do well in a reef tank.

You will need to change out the substrate too. You should use aragonite sand. It seems to me (although you probably don't want to hear this) that the best course of action would be to empty the tank and start new. Since you need new substrate and new rock anyways.
 
I think Biff has the best idea.Bring the fish back and start over.Add live rock and aragonite sand,reuse the water or some of it.
 
I pretty much agree with everybody else.Except for your rock.If whats already in your tank is rock or coral sksletons,then I'd clean them good and reuse em.
 
It might be fake Reef.
But there are a couple of pieces that MIGHT (dont know for sure)be coral skeletons.

Of course,my eyes are wore out and old.So I could be mistaken,
 
OK, I broke down and got a "fish guy" to help a little. He's going to help me find the right skimmer and replace all the gravel with sand. He also agreed I should get rid of the striped fish I have. He's too mean. Too bad he's been in the tank for 5 years. I'll keep sending pictures as I very slowly start my upgrades. Thanks for all the input. Next step SAND!
 
Question?
Hi All, I just added 2 clown fish and one of them, the bigger one, is just staying in one spot. He's not exploring nearly as much as his smaller counterpart. I just brought them both home and they acclimated together. Any ideas? Also, should I feed them today? I have flakes and brine shrimp.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP SO FAR! I love my tank.
G-
 
If your water quality is okay and you have enough circulation in your tank, I'd say it's not a problem. Some fish are more shy than others and will take longer to get comfortable in the tank.

You should feed them today, but don't be surprised if they don't eat. Sometimes it can take a few days for them to get comfortable eating. You should switch to frozen food, because flakes and pellets contain ash which can lead to algae problems. But feed them what you have for now, and see if they eat. If they eat, that's a good sign.
 

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