need a lot of advice

[Dert42]

hello!

i've been lurking on here for a couple of weeks, just soaking it all in.
i've been wanting to do a reef tank for a while, and the taxes were good this year so i'm going for it.
this weekend i picked up a used acrylic 165 gallon tank, with stand and hood. i think i got a good buy...

oh man do i have a lot of questions!

it seems to have a sump type system build into the back of it.

unfortunately it's previous owner had it as freshwater with a big catfish in it.

so my current problems are:
lots of calcium buildup
lots of fine little scratches on the inside.

i think i'm to use vinegar for the calcium, but what do i use to wipe with? just a old tshirt? i'm worried about making more scratches.

i've found acrylic buffing kits online, but are the chemicals safe to use on the inside of the tank?

here are some pics:



tank (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/tank1.jpg)
stand (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/stand.jpg)

what kind of lights are these?
hood (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/lid.jpg)
dirty! (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/backoftank.jpg)

is this a protein skimmer?
??? (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/proteinskimmer.jpg)

thanks! you guys are awesome!

also:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-6-stage-100-GPD-Reverse-Osmosis-RO-DI-Water-Filters_W0QQitemZ4444278573QQcategoryZ20684QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
is what i need to make water right?

[tetra9999]

you could save money by not purchasing a RO/DI unit that comes with that 5 gallon resivor. Look at the other auctions from that seller you should find it priced out without it. Also I thought a 75gpd is better than a 125gpd? I could be wrong though

[mjpelikan]

Welcome aboard!

[chadfarmer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6891791#post6891791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dert42



so my current problems are:
lots of calcium buildup
use vinegar

scratches either a buffer or a repair kit and a lot of time-depending how deep the scratches are

chemicals are safe to use on the inside of the tank



is this a protein skimmer? yes a air stone skimmer


also:

is what I need to make water right? yes

make sure you get no more than a 75 gal per day rating on the membrane

the only other thing is the tank looks good, and ask questions

[Lost His Marbles Name]

Chad are you lost for words or do you like repeating for others reasons unknown. Stop drinking on RC that goes for the rest of you guy's too.

[Dert42]

awesome thanks!

i already purchased the 100gpd one. is that bad?

i was going to skip the scratches. thinking to myself it wasn't that bad.

well tonight we cleaned the tank with vinegar.
wow!
who ever used to have the tank must have cleaned it all the time with a sponge or something. it has micro scratches like mad! i have to get a buffing kit. it looks cloudy as is.

for sand i found that i can use downsouth playsand (something like that).

for base rock i found:
http://www.oceanproaquatics.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/30_88/products_id/2176?osCsid=2ef93321ce999627e9be9b3183ea6994
is that ok?
i was going to get some better looking fiji rock for show.

also are these just standard lights?
or do you need to know more then just looking at it?
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/lid.jpg

[rottielover]

The lights look like either NO (Normal Output) or VHO (Very High Output) to me (endcaps)...

Did you get any ballasts with that hood?

Really need to see a full shot of the back of the tank to determine what's going on back there. From what I can see it looks like a "sump like" area to hide equipment, I do not think that one pic is a skimmer though, doesn't look like it has any of the normal parts of a skimmer....

What if that area is "sump like" it would be really cool to set it up as a fuge area for growing macro, and then drill a hole in the bottom and use a Durso pipe to run a bigger sump with, although that is not needed at all, but it's something you can think about.

As far as the scratches, I don't own any acrylic tanks, but I have read about them. I think the scratch removal kit chemicals are OK as long as you use them while the tank is dry (which it is) and you allow it to dry completely out before you fill with water. IMO it wouldn't hurt to let the chemicals dry and then wipe the tank down with an old t-shirt or some other very soft cloth just to make sure there is no residue left over.

I hope that helps you out... If you have a chance post a pic of the back of the tank so we can see the sump setup.

[Dert42]

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/lightfixture.jpg
there's a close up of the light cap.
it did come with ballasts. i will dig them out when i get home.

i think chadfarmer was right about it being an airstone protein skimmer. that would explain why there was a hold drilled in that chamber. to take excess crap into an easier place to remove.

it has a fuge area in there.
in the future, if i am successful at this, i will definatly set up a seperate sump, but for now, i'm going to cut that step.

here's more pics of the back. it's a LOT cleaner now. i'll try and take some better ones tonight.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/back3.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e64/dert42/aquarium/back1.jpg

i'm going to Marine Solutions tonight to try and pick up an acrylic scratch kit.

[DrBDC]

That is an air driven skimmer. Depending on the flow rate and if you give it a good strong air pump and a good air diffuser you might be surprised at how good it can skim.