bought new tank, now what to do

I recently bought this on eBay :

40 gal Oceanic tank w/ Built in overflow and power compact lighting(4X54 watt bulbs). Aqua Medic Turbo floater Protein Skimmer in sump. Two Rio pumps one 2100 that runs skimmer and a 1800 return pump. Includes ALL live rock and Waving Hand Corals in photo. This tank has been set up for a couple of years and I was really using it for overstock. This is a great little tank, perfect for anyone. The tank footprint is 24"Wide and 18"Front to Back.

I think this ended up being a better buy than a biocube given that it comes with the live rock and a protein skimer, is higher capacity and also costed significantly less than the new biocubes I was looking at. I'm picking it up next saturday.

Now...

What do you think of waving hand corals for a beginner? I read that they can be difficult to take care of and that you can't have snails or crabs in the tank with them. Would keeping the waving hand corals preclude getting other inverts/fish? Would they be too difficult to take care of for a newbie? If so, I could arrange to give them away to the LFS so I could start off with something easier.

 

A Mag 1800 pump for the main return on a 40 gal tank with a single 1 inch drain ? If so then you will need to build a manifold for the pump so you can divert some of the water to a couple of reactors and a decent skimmer . That pump would run your tank and a Berlin classic skimmer and maybe a ca. reactor and phosphate reactor . If its a Mag then its a lot of pump for the size tank. They do well on a 125 with 2 drains and say 6 ft of vertical head pressure.. And as for corals no way it would me a miracle to break a tank down move it reset it back up and not get enough cycle to kill them all.

Drop back and punt get the tank and all the equipment and get it cleaned up with a bleach wash , soak and service the pumps clean the lights and check them out and get the wiring and plumbing all done properly and set it up with new sand and all the sumps and lighting then set back . If you try to do this the way I think you are thing about it will be nothing for trouble for you all along..

 

So I shouldn't even attempt to transport the inverts. Suppose I could give them away on the way home. There's an aquarium shop between points A and B that might be able to take them off my hands.

What I'm really concerned with is the live rock/sand.I'd like to keep as much of it as possible, so how well would it hold up under transport? Would I be able to keep it in a bucket in its original water while the tank is being cleaned/set up in my apartment?

 

Its not a Magdrive 18, its a Rio 1800. How long is the trip?

 

Good question!! I was wondering the same thing....

 

It's from Charlottesville, VA to Roanoke VA, about 2.5 hours. There are fish stores that may be able to take the corals off my hands on both possible routes back.

 

I would say get rid of all livestock (keep sand & rock), kill rock so that it is all base, put sand & rock in, and let it cycle like a new tank. You have no clue whatsoever as to what is in that tank as far as pests. This would be a sure fire way to not inhererit someone else's problem. IMHO...

 

To 3Reef!!! ​

Salutations! Glad to see you found way here!

And to the SW hobby!

Best to start out fresh as Tangster states.

But if you are going to use as is...keep rock, water, dump sand.

If not far to move...put all in plastic garbage can and keep aeroated and warm as best you can...

If coral is Anthelia, get rid of it. But if cousin xenia, sp. you may want to keep it around...

Good Luck.

Keep us posted on move and setup.

The Tao of Marine Aquaria
Tips for Our Hobby and Life

© 1997 Adam H. Whitlock
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 11/25/00
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This subjest is a touchy one. There are ppl that say keep this and get rid of that and visa versa. I understand that there may be all kinds of factors for ones opinion, ie. " Im on a budget, so I cant afford to start from stratch ". The truth of the matter is, its best to start from stratch(given that this fits in your budget). Getting a system from someone that you dont know is like buying a used car. Who knows in what condition that car is in? Is it going to last you another 3-6 yrs, or next week? Theres no feeling like the feeling of a brand new car. The success of your tank all depends on what and how you start with. However, If you had some yrs(exp) under your belt and knew what to look for, how to fix it and what to do, then I dont see any issues on buying a running system. I hope this has helped, Luna.