Need help deciding on a 75g

C

Candy803

New member
I was wondering if anyone could help me know, whether or not it is a good idea, for someone that has never had SW aquarium to get one that is already set up from someone who has lost interest in theirs.

I have a 10g FW for my son and have been doing very well with that. I am studying up on SW.

The SW tank has LR, LS, soft corals, 1 clown, 1 Blenny, 1 sand starfish and another starfish and fish that I can't remember the names of.

All the equipment comes with plus an extra 75g that has a seam leak. The bulbs will have to be replaced.

I have many ??? but, figured I start here.

Any advice will be appreciated.
 
If you study hard you should be ok. Soft corals are in general the easiest type of coral to keep. Just make sure you know what you are getting into. The reefing hobby is like a money pit, you get addicted to it and then want to buy everything to make your tank better.
 
my best advice would be to seek out a local reef club. They will help you with anything you need to know and there are a lot of benefits as well. Most clubs have sponsors that are local fish stores so you get a discount on their goods and livestock. Also, you can buy used equipment from other members and that saves you a bundle of money. Yes this is an expensive hobby, but there are a lot of ways to avoid unnecessary costs associated with the LFS. Good luck to you and most importantly, learn as much as you can and have fun.
 
Moving an established tank does have it's pitfalls. Disturbing LR and LS can cause a minicycle by kicking up alot of nitrogenous wastes and disolved organic compounds (DOC's).

Be prepared to test it frequently for nitrates at first. Also, be prepared to do water changes frequently at first. The corals and fishes are fairly hardy, and should handle the changes as long as you respond quickly and appropriately.

That said, you'll need test kits, salt mix, access to clean water etc.

The tank and fish themselves are the easy part. It's the ancillary stuff that will kill your budget. Just know what you're gonna need on hand, and what it's gonna cost you to run it (time and $$$). If you think you can handle it, go for it. The system sounds pretty plug-n-play.
 
I would put new sand in and seed the new with the old (putting some of the old on top of the new) If you reuse the sand its going to be very dirty after moving it and you will be frustrated in no time.
 
Very sound advice. I'm a big proponent of pitching out old LS. Save a cup and add it to some new, rinsed sand.

I also always put my LR aquascape directly on the glass, then add the sand. This will avoid rock slides caused by burrowing and sand sifting critters that might undermine your rocks. Some people are skittish about putting rocks on the glass directly (never been an issue for me). If you're one of those people, pick up some plastic egg-crate at Home Depot and put that on the bottom. Then, rocks, then sand.
 
Thanks for the quick reply. I am reading all I can. I have a ? about sand. Can you put new sand on old sand? I got a "no" at the LFS but, wanted an opinion from someone not trying to sell me something.
 
you can put the old on top of the new but not the other way around, if you do that you will choke out the critters and bacteria in the old sand and it will cause major spikes of ammonia and other levels.
 
The deal with an old sand bed is that it will contain pockets of undisturbed ammonia and nitrogenous wastes. If you disturb it after being dormant for some time, it will cause a cycle, releasing the ammonia (not good), which is then broken down into nitrite, then nitrate as the beneficial bacterial on the LR and in the LS adjusts to process it (aka a cycle). The ammonia and ensuing by products are poisonous to fish and particularly inverts (corals, snails, crabs, etc...)

So, what you can do, is buy some new sand. Rinse the snot out of it to get rid of as much dust and sticks as you can. Add it to the tank. Then, having saved a cup of the old stuff, just add the old to the new. This will "seed" the new sand with a beneficial bacterial culture. These bacteria will proliferate and equillibriate, giving you new, clean, LS.

If you ever have questions about what a LFS told you, bring it here. I wish I had alot of money back on the BS and Bum info I received at my LFS when I started.
 
Thanks for the info. The sand in there now is white and I want black. How would I go about getting that sand "right"? I will be using as much water from the tank as possible. Plus I will be getting a second tank that needs to be resealed. I'm going to use that in the moving process as well as lidded buckets. I do have 2 really good fish stores to choose from. The one I like the best in small and only does SW. They also don't mind having Q&A sessions when you go in there. They even wanted pics of my sons FW tank I have set up!:)
 
[welcome]

when you move the tank you will want to get rid of all the sand that was in there before anyway. start with all new sand and 1-2 cups of sand from the old stuff to seed the new sand.
 
well you could also just use all new black sand in the tank and let the LR seed you new sand but it will take longer. but it can be done.
 
Ok. I like that idea. What should I do with the fiish and stars meanwhile? Should they be kept in a QT? The soft corals on the LV will they be ok during this process?
I am currently reading The Reef Tank Owners Manual and The Everything Tropical Fish Book but, sometimes it hard to find answers to my ???'s. So, thanks for all the replies.:D
 
the corals should be fine. during the trasfer just try to keep the LR underwater as much as possiable. the loger it is out of the water the more risk you have of causing a cycle that will kill the corals.
 
The guy lives about 20 mins away and I am getting the tank that needs to be resealed a few days early to reseal it. Then I will transfer every thing in buckets with lids and put them in there while I set up the primary.
Is it a good idea to get this 'Used' tank or would it be better to start from scratch? I am getting this whole set up for $1500. I will have to purchase new bulbs.
 
it depends on what it all comes with. for 1500 you can do a decent setup from scratch.

could you post what it all comes with? how many lbs of LR, what type and brand lighting, type and brand skimmer, ect.
 
I don't know brands. VHO lights, skimmer, test kits, LR, LS, alot of corals, 3 fish, 2 stars, Custom stand and hood, second 75g tank really everything needed except he said I woukld need to buy bulbs. The lights are on timers and there is moonlighting also. I don't know how many lbs. of live rock there is but, it takes up a large portion of the tank. It is actually more LR than I would have put in if I were doing it from scratch. There is hair algae growing on the LR but, the LFS said to get a soft brush to get it off before putting back in tank. This guy just lost interest in the hobby.
 
well it sounds like it has everything you need, but still can't tell if it is worth 1500. I could setup a 75 gal. tank for 500.00 easily using used junk brand equipment.

I am not saying that this isn't a good deal, I am just saying you prob. could find a diff. setup cheaper or even a bigger setup for the same price. we had a 180 gal. setup around here sell for 1800 about a month ago. came with everything except the skimmer was junk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

vinstr
Anyone need a Harlequin shrimp?
Replies
1
Views
401
vinstr
vinstr
T
Trying to identify what ate my Torch Coral
Replies
12
Views
276
Uncle99
Uncle99
B
Left Tank for a long time, now want to reboot
Replies
8
Views
382
SantaMonica
S
W
Potential 65G
Replies
17
Views
2K
griss
griss
P
50 Gallon Stocking Help
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
Urka
U
Back
Top