Laura and the new/old setup
ok, I might as well start a new thread here. We were GIVEN a tank set up. 100 (we think) gl with great wooden stand and canopy with misc other items. I carried the wet/dry right to the street (yuck) and got a 33 gl to fit under for sump/fuge. My husband was going to resilicone the tank, as it had been sitting in a garage for over a year. It looks like a DIY overflow. One small box with only one hole, no hole for a return. My husband went to LFS (where our son works) to get silicone and saw a predrilledw/ dual overflows, 125 gl with similar enough dimentions to fit the stand and canopy, and two overflow kits. Sooo... so far my free setup has only cost $430 (sorry about your class ring Dillon). The kits seemed pricey, about $65 each, but Dil gets a 25% discount, and I am sure a kit is convenient! Anyway, my head is spinning. My RODI will come from Russ (Buckeye Field Supply) on Thursday. I have some logistics to figure out, and some REALLY dumb questions, as I am ONLY familiar with MY setup that Ive had these years. I will have to figure out the sump/fuge, with overflows coming from opposite ends. This setup has a Little Giant inline pump, I think its a 750 gph, I also have a submersable 750, sufficient? OK, here come the really dumb questions... (more later)
1) Do you have overfow hose connected to skimmer? This JUST occurred to me today as I was looking at mine. I bought a great skimmer from Dick this year, but as my old one, I am always having to adjust it with the water level (i know my level shouldnt vary, but Im human). Would this be alleviated if they were connected?
2) I am NOT going to buy Live arragonite, and my LFS doesnt sell it dry AND Dick needs his!! I think I am going to go with a SSB, in which case I wont need all of my sand at once????? What is my easiest scenario for transferring the sand from my 55 gl set up??? It is a DSB, so there will be enough sand, I want to save as many critters as I can, but I know what will happen if I start 'digging' in there.
3) What do I have to know about a cycle, keeping the above in mind? Can I fill the tank and put in all my rock that is coral free, and a few cups of sand from the top layer? OR can I put everything in except for the fish right away? I would really like to use as much of my water and sand as possible. I can always rinse the rest of the sand later after everything is broken down, and add it in??
4) 125 gallon tank 4 sale. One overflow box w/one hole, flourescent lighting, wet/dry sump thing, glass topper things, skimmer, uv sterilizer that I have no idea about!!!:D