new to salt/ getting 125gal need suggestions

herbert4

Member
I purchased a 125 Gal. used tank. Want to make it salt water. It used to be fresh water. It is not drilled. I would like to have reef with fish. been reading many books / articles. Still not sure on best way to go <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" /> . I built addition to house with this in mind, drain was put in slab and water piped in for r/o with a float. tank is 6' long, 24" tall and 18"deep. I am building a wall to put it on with electrical in it and in ceiling for lighting and pumps ect. what kind of filtration is working best, I would like to keep it under the tank in cabinet. Any pics on lighting combos or ideas. I did put a huge support beam in ceiling so weight not a factor.
Thanks
Kirk
herbert4@cableone.net
 

kevin r.

Member
Kirk,
First and foremost, WELCOME. From the sound of things, It seems that have the potential for a really great tank. Having converted from freshwater myself, only a few years ago, I'll try to get you going in the right direction, as much as I can.
If at all possible, since your tank is used, try to find out if the previous owner ever used and medications in it. Several fish meds contain copper. Copper is deadly to to many marine species. If you have found out that copper has been used post the question on what to do to fix it. Frankly, I don't know.
Make sure you have a really good idea of what type of Corals/Inverts/Fish you want to house. This will dictate you're lighting requirements and to some extent your filtration. It will also help with compatibility and same money (Replacing livestock/Upgrading)
Continue to do research. As "Broomer" says "Your tank - Your choice"
IMO, I would consider using a 4-6" Deep Sandbed (DSB) aragonite sand seeded with Live Sand (LS). 100+ lbs. Live Rock (LR). 3 250watt Metal halide bulbs (pendants, since you have the beam), Supplemented with several VHO or PC bulbs 300-400 watts worth). A sump/Refugium, not sure on size, but I'm thinking around 40-50 gallons. And, one heck of a protein skimmer, I'd consider "Berlin".
This is along the lines of the plan I have for the used 80 gal I just bought. Please don't take my opinion to be fact. Do your own research, and take your time
. This BB has a wealth of information. I learn something new everyday. Use the "search" feature and look up threads on the things I've mentioned. There should be plenty. I hope this gets you going. Best of luck and keep us all posted.
Kevin
 

herbert4

Member
thanks for your reply Kevin. This so far has been a 2 year project. The fish tank is from a pet store. I will ask about the copper, I never even thought about that.
Kirk
 

msb27

Member
From what I have read on this board, most say if a tank has had copper meds in it than u need a new tank.
Scott
 

david s

Member
i just refited a 90 it was salt but same thing bigest expence for me was lighting i am new but fish store told me i really want3 watt per gallon some of these guys could tell u better and lr is kinda pricey
 

rapt0r32

Member
Welcome....Kevin pretty much hit all the key elements on a tank set-up. Like he said about Broomers saying... Your Tank your choice. Do alot of reading and ask tons of questions. Everyone here loves to answer questions. I have a 125 that I had set-up ( empty now )..but there was alot of things I didn't like about how my tank was set up. Now this is noones fault but my own but I have asked alot of questions and they have all been answered or I have been pointed in the right direction. Just kick back read alot and do alot of planning on paper.. It is awhole lot easier to throw the paper away rather than break down a 125 and start all over again .. Trust me on that one I know.... ;)
 
My tank is a 125 gallon and it was my first salt tank. When we started we bought fenners book, The Concsientious Marine Aquarist and it answered all the questions we had about setup and everything!
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/reeftank125" target="_blank">www.geocities.com/reeftank125</a>
Good luck!
Lori
 

herbert4

Member
Thanks guys for all your posts. I really appreciate it. I keep reading and reading, learning more stuff each time. Is it hard to have a reef + fish in a tank. I still have not decided what way to go. I suppose that lighting might be cheaper if you do a fish only tank.
Thanks
Kirk :D
 
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