Do I need a sump?

[my_money_pit]

I just purchased a used 75 gal tank and stand from a friend who got tired of spending money on it. This is going to be my first salt water aquaruim so I am as lost as a ball in high weeds. The tank is "reef-ready" (I think that is what you would call it. It has two pvc nipples which pass through the bottom of the tank.) But these are capped off and it did not come with any type of sump. It came with two hanging filters one of which includes a protein skimmer and the other includes dual biowheels. I have two buckets full of live rocks but I am sure they are to alive anymore. They have been in 5 gal buckets for several weeks once he decided to give up on the project. Needless to say I have a few quesitons.
What is the best (and second best) media to put in the bottom of the tank? (I am getting married in a few months so I can't spend my honeymoon money on dirt for a fish bowl)
Will the hanging filters be sufficient or do I need to set-up a sump? (does anyone have any good info on building a sump?)
What is the best way to "cycle" the tank? I have seen where you put damsels in because of their ability to take the extremes it will go though, but I have also seen where you put dead shrimp in the tank. Which is the best way? I am in no real hurry, my plans are to set everything up at my house where I am living now, let it go through the cycling period, then by that time I will be ready to move it to my new house. So I have a couple of months to expeirment with the tank before I start worrying about flushing lots of money down the drain with dead fish.
Ok, I guess this will answer my questions enough to get me started.
Thanks for the help!
M_M_P

 

[shadow678]

If the rocks have been sitting out of water for several weeks, they are completely dead and my suggestion would be to get rid of them and start with new live rock, as the dieoff of the old rock would be tremendous and take a LONG time to cycle out, not to mention you would have to seed it with new live rock anyways. As for the filters, one of them would be the Emperor 400, the one with the skimmer I'm not sure about, but sounds like it may be a Skilter, in which case you could likely just get rid of. IMO, the best substrate for the bottom of your tank is live sand, although some people use crushed coral. I would suggest getting about 120# of live sand, 100# of live rock, and a good protein skimmer, and you could get rid of both hang-on filters, as the rock and sand would perform all your bio-filtration needs. As far as cycling the tank, the dieoff from the rock curing will cycle your tank, but you can use the raw dead shrimp to boost it, if you wish. Please don't use damsels, as they quite often die from the stress of living in the toxic environment during cycling. If you are on a restricted budget, be warned, this hobby is very expensive, and it only gets worse the deeper you get into it. lol Fortunately, setup is typically the most expensive, as you can add livestock a little bit at a time, which is actually recommended anyways, as you need to allow your biofiltering to adjust to the added bioload. Rock can cost anywhere between $3-$6 per pound, depending on where you get it, but you can add it in small amounts if you need to keep your spending low. If you can't afford all of the rock and sand at once, I would suggest adding the sand first, until your sand is 4" deep in the tank, then adding rock until you reach 100#. Then, from the last point you add rock, wait 4-6 weeks for your cycle to complete. This will give you a break on your spending, as you cannot/should not add livestock until your cycling is completely finished. HTH, congratulations on the engagement! and good luck!

 

[hedgeman]

That dead liverock that is in there can actually become live again. You just lay it in a tank with good live rock and it will slowly start colonizing again. This may take several months to happen, but I wouldn't throw it away, I'd just get more liverock to reconolonize.

 

[my_money_pit]

Thanks for the help guys.
I have started with the sand already. I bought a 30# bag of regular sand, then a 15# bag of live sand. (both were the same type, one was just live) So I am almost halfway there on the sand. (about 2 inches so far) As far as the LR, I went ahead and put it in, and it has some growth on it, small green bulbs, and some type of green plants. (besides the algae) Also, I have seen some small red worms crawling in it. So unless I have a definate reason to get rid of it, I think I will leave it in. I am in no hurry to start putting fish in the tank. I want to take my time and get a feel for how the tank acts as far the PH and all. I am seriously looking at building the sump now. Mainly to house the protein skimmer. Do the DIY protein skimmers work? Or is it just better to bite the bullet and buy a decent one? And, is there a need to build the wet/dry system if I do go ahead with the sump?
Thanks again for the help
M_M_P

 

[slick]

If your going to have a deep sand bed and plenty of live rock you won't need a wet dry. But I would suggest buying a good skimmer. Of course this is just my opinion

 

[m.rogers]

i would by the skimmer as they are the most important thing in sw tanks as for the wet/dry filter you can make that your self start with a 10gal. tank most people have one that have had fish for so time the rest you can make your self i am i the middle of makeing my first for a 55gal. you can get most of the stuff at home depot and some will cut your p.glass for you. You do not have to be in a rush to add fish you will have just as much fun looking at the live rock i would by a little more two buckets can not have all the rock you will need and the new rock will have new thing that you will find on it for ever. I have had my live rock for like a year and still find new thing ever day.