Picked up a free 55g setup, advice setting it up...

[JDM_SOHC]

Ok so I have a 30g now and I'm going to want to transfer + add more to the 55 so those are my plans thus far.. Story goes, my dad owns a lawncare company and one of his customers gave this to him today, since the persons son was moving out and didnt want it, lucky me lol.. It holds water and doesn't leak, it's a 55g 48x13x20, comes with a wooden stand with cabinet doors and also with a light installed underneath, a Sealife Slimline 60 wet/dry, a HOB overflow and all types of tubing.. Ok so I kno everything has to be cleaned and what not since there is growth all over the overflow and in the wet/dry, but that's where my questions come into play...

1. I want to paint the overflow black since now it's a nasty crusty white, but what can I use to clean out all the hard particle algae growth goin on inside of it..?? I don't want to use chemicals and than use the overflow on my tank because that seems a bit harsh..

2. I was told to remove the bioballs since I currently have coral, an detritus issues can be a p.i.t.a. but what should I put in place of the bioballs in my wet/dry..

3. What size of a return pump do I use..?? Again the wet/dry is a Sealife Slimline 60 wet/dry sump...

4. I plan on going with sand this time around, any ideas on the best type of sand/gravel..?? I've had issues with sand before and having cyano breakouts but I think it was just my water quality...

and

5. Can I use any paint for the stand and trim on the tank..?? Not sure if salt water will have any issues with regular black spray paint or should I use brushed on coats..??

thanks in advance, here's some pics..

http://i45.*******.com/2prw5n4.jpg
http://i49.*******.com/2iqxsub.jpg

[sk8ter20art]

I would start with cleaning the glass of the 55, the reason i say so is i got also had got a 55g from somebody for dirt cheap. When i went to clean the glass i found out that the hard water/ mineral buildup ended up being etched into the glass and could not be removed so even filled with water the glass looked like crap, also the center bracing had be removed so the tank bowed out over an inch when full of water.

If the glass cleans up good then i would move on to the other things.

The trim on the tank is plastic so you could use a superfine(wet/dry) sandpaper and sand it down until you get to black or just to rough the surface up to be painted with spraypaint.

the overflow and sump im sure your going to get many opinions. if your gonna ditch the bio balls, then you might convert it to a regular sump for you heaters, filter sock, and maybe a protien skimmer.

I believe the recommended return pump flow is 10-20x tank volume.

[JDM_SOHC]

I already cleaned the glass, that pic was taken when I first got it and was testing its durability and for leaks... The glass now is spotless =)

And with that stand and this tank size, would a Mag 7 pump be sufficient since they're aruond 500gph or should I get a Mag 9 or something comparable..??

[sk8ter20art]

ok, thats good the glass cleaned up well. you could use that pump but you also have to take into consideration the head height above the pump, so your gph will be less than advertised. I do not know the gph loss per foot of height but you may end up with only 300-400gph if you started with a 500gph pump.

adding powerheads to your tank could up the total gph in your DT. I guess depending on what you have in your sump could impact on what flow you want through it too.

[JDM_SOHC]

I have 2 koralia hydor 450's i believe they are.. in my current 30 gallon nano..

[JDM_SOHC]

So she's just about up and runnin lol I'm excited.. I painted the entire trim and stand gloss black, came out really nice..! Got a Mag 7 pump the other day from my friend @ the LFS for $40, sweet deal.. I cleaned up everything with Vinegar and wow, what a difference..!! Everything looks brand new, except for some spots on the glass on the tank, I can't get this caked on glue/ceramic lookin crap off and I've just about gave up on trying with a razor... Friend told me hold vinegar on it with a rag for a lil bit and try to scrape again, hope it works..

[Redngold]

Sounds like you are on your way! The only thing I would do is ditch the wet dry filter completely. They are a pain imo to convert to sumps(just hard to work in). I would just use your old 30g and have some baffles cut at home depot.

[SloppyWhenWet]

Yeah sump with a skimmer and a fuge. Works wonders. I like high flow.

[JDM_SOHC]

Yeah I do plan on doing something of the sort, but I'm giving my 30g to my pops for him to use in his house so I'm stuck with the wet/dry for now anyways... Everything is up and running..!! I'm just kinda nervous about losing siphon cuz that would be bad lol.. I've marked off on the wet/dry where my water level has to be incase of power failure and on that end I'm good, but if I lose siphon I have about 4-5" of headroom above the intake of my return pump, and idk what that equals in gallons but I'm sure it would overflow the 2" of extra space left in my 55g...

[JDM_SOHC]

Here it is...

http://oi53.*******.com/14y7rf9.jpg

Upon suggestion from several different people, I removed the bioballs and provided the space with some rock from my current 30g but it is awfully loud still so I was thinking about putting a piece of blue filter material over the rocks..?? Is that a bad idea, or should I just add more rocks to that area, given that the egg crate will hold..??

[JDM_SOHC]

Also, would I be able to use a HOB protein skimmer and put it on the side of the wet/dry where the return is at..?? I'm trying to avoid hanging anything else from the back of the tank since I already have the HOB overflow and can't drill my tank because it's not drillable..

[whiteshark]

You would have to modify the inflow of the filter somehow to reduce the noise. It looks like you still have it set up to trickle, which is no longer necessary. I would just remove the trickle making portion and have the inflow line go straight into the filter. Maybe rig up a filter sock in there on the inflow pipe as well. Have it run below the waterline and you will significantly reduce your noise. Also, as long as you have room putting a HOB skimmer on the filter shouldn't be a problem.

Honestly, though, you really should just make a sump out of a 20 long or a 30 breeder or something. It will expand your options exponentially. You can get tanks like that used for next to nothing, get baffles cut at HD or Lowes, and siliconing them in is not difficult. You could build the whole sump for 40 or 50$.

[RA]

How much live rock do you plan to add?

[JDM_SOHC]

You would have to modify the inflow of the filter somehow to reduce the noise. It looks like you still have it set up to trickle, which is no longer necessary. I would just remove the trickle making portion and have the inflow line go straight into the filter. Maybe rig up a filter sock in there on the inflow pipe as well. Have it run below the waterline and you will significantly reduce your noise. Also, as long as you have room putting a HOB skimmer on the filter shouldn't be a problem.

Honestly, though, you really should just make a sump out of a 20 long or a 30 breeder or something. It will expand your options exponentially. You can get tanks like that used for next to nothing, get baffles cut at HD or Lowes, and siliconing them in is not difficult. You could build the whole sump for 40 or 50$.

Thank u for ur advice, well appreciated...! I heard someone else mentioned that to me as well, and I do plan on doing that in the near future but for right now I'm kinda limited on supplies and time, and I don't want to start something I can't finish cuz that's a huge pet peeve of mine lol... I'll probably just use the wet/dry for the first month or two until I get established with my move back home..

How much live rock do you plan to add?

I plan on adding a substantial amount of live rock, not sure of lb's because I haven't owned a 55 before but I want to stack them about 3/4 tank height, from left to right... obviously it will be over time, an i plan on doing sand bed as well, only like 2-3" tho not a DSB..