new to the saltwater hobby and have a million questions

[JC mcintosh]

thanks ladies and gentlemen for all the advice. I am in the process of cleaning everything. Im not sure if my elbows have enough grease to get the whole job done!!
what are your thoughts on keeping/trashing the equipment? I dont have a skimmer at all but i definately think i need one.
im going to try and soak the powerheads in vinegar and clean them up and keep them. I am also going to try to keep the heater that came with it.
the two HOB filters are comepletely done i believe, so i think i am just going to trash those.
The overflow I think is still in good shape, so i think i will clean that and try to keep it as well.
what would be the best way to clean the equipment under the tank. I believe it is called a wet/dry filter something (not sure at all if im even close to getting that correct)
Also I would love some opinions on what to do with my 75 gallon tank. I want to keep it saltwater but i definately dont want all the live rock because i feel like there isnt any room for the fish. I only want about 5 or 7 fish anyway and i feel like with all the rock that is in it there wont be much room for fish.
Any and all opinions/ options for the tank are totally welcome as I still havent decided yet what I want to start over with.
Also equipment opinion are welcome. I have no clue about what equipment I will need and things of that nature.
Again I got this whole set up basically free from a friend who was moving and didnt want it anymore so Im basically starting fresh. All help is welcomed and absolutely needed.
Ive been to a few forums and this by far is the best ive been too. Alot of awesome people with great advice. In other forums the majority of the people just want to make rude comments and call you names and never want to offer any help. I definately appreciate all the advice and help so far but Im definately going to need ALOT more help as I am completely new to this hobby and I want to do this the right way. Thanks again and I look forward to talking with all of you.

 

[silverado61]

Welcome to the site.

If your going to keep just fish and no corals you don't need a skimmer so that saves some money. Don't give up on the hang on back filters just yet unless the impellers aren't spinning and even then you could just replace the impellers.

Don't use straight vinegar to clean the equipment. Just a 1/4 cup per gallon of water in a big plastic tub will work wonders. Run the equipment (except any heaters) while your soaking it. It'll make the job easier. Let it run and soak for at least 3 days. Then dump all the water and refill. Let it run for another day then dump again and refill one last time and let run for a day. Take everything apart and rinse it just to be sure. I know it sounds like overkill but I think it's worth the time and effort. Beats scrubbing and scrapping any day. Try to save as much as you can and then evaluate what you need or don't need.

A pound of rock per gallon of tank is what most people do. Depending on where the rock came from, it has different densities. A pound from one ocean can be the size of a baseball. A pound from another ocean can be the size of a cantaloupe. Personally, I think enough rock to fill 1/3 of the tank is enough.

From the reflection in one of the photo's you got a pretty good LED light system.

 

[snakeblitz33]

You can save the sand by putting it in a pillow case and washing it thoroughly with a water hose with a nozzle. . The pillow case should be brand new and gave no artificial colors. It could save you a hundred or so in the cost of sand.

 

[pegasus]

Thanks for the compliments, JC. We will do everything we can to help you get up and running. Yeah, I've seen other forums where people tend to talk down to you, and that's now how it's supposed to be. We have our share of "arguments", but it basically amounts to constructive debates. Everyone has their own way of doing things, and what works for one may not work for the other. The key to being successful in saltwater is to find that "happy medium" that works for you. We can offer the basics, but only trial and error will make your system work the way you want it to. Fortunately, there's enough knowledge here that errors should be minimal.

I agree with silverado, 1 lb of rock per gallon is a good amount of rock. If you're going to do fish only, you can get away with less, but keep in mind that most of the fish in the saltwater trade are naturally accustomed to living in a reef environment where there is a lot of structure for them to swim around and explore. As strange as it sounds, if you provide plenty of hiding places for fish, they're more likely to stay out in the open. Too little cover, and they may hide behind the rocks or in a corner. An active swimming fish will also encourage shy fish to come out into the open. Just a little something to think about when you're planning your aquascaping and fish list.

 

[silverado61]

Totally agree about the hiding places. If a fish knows it has several places to hide in an instant, it will venture out more knowing in advance that it has a place to run to when it feels threatened. If it's limited on choices, it will pick one spot and stay in or around that spot and not move from it. Making it even more skiddish and shy. And less enjoyable.