Old tank new again

[landscraper52]

Hello everyone.. The name is new here, but I was a member here years ago.. nice to see some of the same names!
Well here is where I am at. I am setting up my 90g AGA with overflow. It has been sitting in my basement for 3 years empty! What a sin!!! Anyway, I need to know what my best bet is to start over. I have about 90 lbs LR (well I suppose it is baserock now and also 3" of sand at the bottom of the tank..) there was an inch or so of water left in the tank, but everything has since evaporated. I am going to soak everything in bleach and give it a good cleaning. I also have a wet/dry filter

and powers heads, heaters etc. No Protein skimmer. I dont know what type of tank but I think I am going to do mainly fish with sand, and LR. Possibly later down the road some corals but I am not worried about that now. Anyway, is this filter system enough? And are the bio-balls with the sand in the tank ok? I know people would always say that makes the nitrates higher. Also should I get a protein skimmer now, or wait? How about the sand, I am starting from scratch, so is the thing to do still to get some southdown sand and use that? Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[eric b 125]

welcome (back) to swf! i wouldnt use bleach to clean out the tank. white vinegar is the way to go IMO. bio balls are great if you maintain them on a regular basis. getting a few different colors in there will help make the cleaning schedule more thorough. i would suggest a skimmer. there are people that make their tanks work without one, but i preach the opposite. the rock can be re-cured, but you might as well ditch the sand you have and just grab a few new bags.

 

[bwiele]

I will follow this thread with great interest as I'm planning the same thing this spring.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by Landscraper52
http:///forum/post/3183162
so is the thing to do still to get some southdown sand and use that?
it would be if you could get it. southdown sold out to caribsea, you cant get good cheap aragonite sand anymore (if you find some one that still has some grab it all)

 

[reefkprz]

you can do a fowlr with the stuff you listed, I would reccomend getting a skimmer if you are going to go reef though.
1lb per gallon of live rock (base rock at this point) is a bit light. I would look into buying some high quality live rock to seed your base rock with and boost the rock weight.
if the tank has been sitting mostly empty for 3 years I would reseal all the seams to prevent critical failure from dryrotted silicone.

 

[landscraper52]

Thanks guys... I am going to seal the tank and test it. Also, When I add the Ro water and salt, and the baserock with sand, (Can I mix the argaonite with sand?!?) wont that look strange?. Also, how deep should I make the sand.. the 4"+ for a DSB or just enough for asthetics? Also can I add everything at once (Sand and LR) and let it all cycle? Considering the LR hasnt even been in water for a couple years.
Thanks guys.. really excited to get back into this.