Reclaimed my 45G reef

[eugenereefer]

I started dabbling in reef keeping around 2000. 1st tank was a 29G with a large sand base and 35 or so lbs of live rock. 4 VHOs. 1 Emperor 280 and a DIY skimmer (temporarely). Eventually I had a 10G nano for mushroom corals. Then a 20L Nano Reef. I have always had success with a large sand bed + lots of live rock and frequent water changes. To make a long story short these tanks were combined into a 45G. This tank had been running for 8 months when I sold it to my roommate (I was moving out of state). Now almost 2 yrs later I saw the tank in very rough shape poor lighting etc...

I got the tank back and here is how it sits now.
4-6 inch gravel bed
at least 50 lbs of live rock
2- emperor bio wheel 280s
1-rio 800 (new)
1-rio 600 (new)
1-unknown powerhead
1-100w Ebo heater
1-150w Ebo heater
2- 10,000k 21w T5s (new)
2- True 03 Atinic T5s (new)

I only plan on doing a community reef and some soft corals. I have 10 small to med fish, 4 Shrimp, 20-30 snails and crabs. an anemone and a few mushrooms. any tips would be helpful. I have been out of the loop for a while. Thanks

 

[t5Nitro]

Welcome to Reef Central!

I would use a reef type of sand and not gravel.

 

[eugenereefer]

it is a mix of reef and various sizes of crushed coral and some garf grunge. Thanks

 

[zoomfish1]

Crushed coral-not the best, but for a fish only, should be OK. Ditch the emporer 280's, that's fresh water stuff. Your rock is your filter system. Along with the powerheads for flow, that's really all the filter you need. You can use the emporer (minus the bio-wheels) to run carbon or a phosphate pad if you need to. They can also work to disturb the surface area.

Other than that, make sure the water quality is very good for the anemone. Weekly water changes, keep the nitrates and phosphates low and it looks like you're on the way to getting the tank back in good condition.

If you were to change anything, I would change out the substraite to arragonite or fine sand. You may also want to consider a protein skimmer before you add any corals.