Used Tank Retrofit

by **blakeas** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:18 pm

I am thinking about taking the plunge in setting up a saltwater reef tank. I have read numerous articles including this site. But was wondering how to do a proper retrofit of a used tank. The tank I am going to buy is a 75 gallon tank that looks like it was used for fresh water. It is on a stand, has 2 water pumps, a light, a heater and a bubble maker. I know i need to retrofit this but any suggestions for filtration? and the skimmer? Sorry if I am in the wrong place and if so, can you suggest a forum on where to go?

by **fihsboy** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:26 pm

nah man your good. when you say retrofit......what do you mean? Generally i would think of lighting when i hear this term. get a good strong skimmer and for filtration I would go with a sump based system.it keeps it nice and neat inside the tank.

by **blakeas** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 8:48 pm

I mean - the filtration, lighting, etc is different for saltwater and I wanted to know what the correct things I should have to make this a saltwater tank. Thanks in advance for the tips...

get a sump based system? any certain kind?

by **Snowboss4492** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:21 pm

basic basic basic.................most of the time the simplest thing is the best thing..............are you planning on haveing the tank drilled? I would say if you can have it done, do it.................over flows can get expensive and power outages can reak havoc on them, causeing floods etc etc etc.........a drilled tank only drains to the level of the hole and the return pump can't over come the water draining, .............much safer set up, if your handy you can buy diamond hole saws on ebay and do it yourself...............

from there another used tank a couple pieces of glass or acrylic glued in for baffles and you gaot yourself a basic bullet proof sump, the heater and skimmer can go in the sump so theres less clutter in the display

Boss

by **fihsboy** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:08 pm

Yeah what boss said. :) check out his set up on his profile and mine on my profile. Schigara has a nice set up as well..If i listed all the good set ups....this list would be insanely large.......If you want a great website to get insane ideas that work great....www.melevsreef.com

by **blakeas** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:14 pm

So I should really get a used system that someone is selling with all equipment included. What are musts? the sump pump, certain lighting, etc?

I know I will have to spend time with a saltwater tank but what can I get to reduce cleaning time, maintenance time, etc...?

by **Snowboss4492** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:01 pm

im running a rapids pro system right now, its an all inclusive wet dry filter, it has the skimmer, over flow with auto start and stop and it has an optional auto top off system {which i don't have} you could buy a similar system for your 75gal.......but a full blown sump is more versatile IMO - - now that i've run this filter fo a while, but 300 bucks for a complete filter and auto top off isn't a bad deal {thats new} i bought mine used for 150 off ebay - - -and someone else bought one like a week later with the top off for less than that................so there out there

Boss

by **saltwaterpimp** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:11 pm

in the begining you will pull your hair out, there are several stages of algae before it goes away, must haves...for a 75 gallon tank,heater,small light,hydrometer,bucket of salt, if you cant aford a sump do H.O.B it will keep cost down,skimmer, filter ect, and dont forget the rock and sand, DIY rock is another way to keep the cost down,

me personally i love to clean my tank, i get to get a good look at everything, make sure there is no pests in the tank,and watch all the wonderfull things grow on my rock..ect,
it is important you clean filterpads,skimmer,glass and even around the tank,lights,dust and salt creep ect..

good luck bud,, swp

by **blakeas** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:38 am

so a full blown sump is the way to go? It can handle less maintenance?

by **saltwaterpimp** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:43 am

it would be ideal, i would buy some bits on ebay for 15 bucks and drill the tank your self,and a small glass aquarium for the sump. there are alot of vids on the net on how to do it. whith a sump it makes things a little easyer to clean,with out the clutter in the tank.

Used Tank Retrofit

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