Help a Newbie, Get Good Karma! :)

sudman · Nov 2, 2018

Hi Guys! I have always wanted a saltwater tank and I made the plunge today based on what I thought were good deals.

I was hoping you could please help me and tell me if what I bought was good and how I can hook the components to one another.

So far I got :

1) 120 Gallon Long Tank - Reef Ready with 3 pre drilled holes - $100

2) 1 Sump pump - $25

3) Bio Balls - $5

Could you please tell me :

1) Is the price I paid for each any good according to you ?

2) How do the sump pump and tank connect to one another? Is my Sump pump and good?

3) What is the plug in item on my sump pump?

4) Based on my setup, can i fit mostly everything in the tank?

Thank you !

Oscaror · Nov 3, 2018

sudman said:
Hi Guys! I have always wanted a saltwater tank and I made the plunge today based on what I thought were good deals.

I was hoping you could please help me and tell me if what I bought was good and how I can hook the components to one another.

So far I got :

1) 120 Gallon Long Tank - Reef Ready with 3 pre drilled holes - $100

2) 1 Sump pump - $25

3) Bio Balls - $5

Could you please tell me :

1) Is the price I paid for each any good according to you ?

2) How do the sump pump and tank connect to one another? Is my Sump pump and good?

3) What is the plug in item on my sump pump?

4) Based on my setup, can i fit mostly everything in the tank?

Thank you !

Welcome to R2R! I don't have the answers to everything but yes those are great prices IMO, especially for the tank. That is except for the bioballs, which you didn't get ripped off or anything, they're just not a very good product (but they they were just 5 bucks so don't feel bad). If you want something that serves the same purpose but actually works well I'd recommend marinepure bioballs as those provide much more surface area and are a great way to increase natural filtration.

mich2599 · Nov 3, 2018

Dude you got a steal

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

Oscaror said:
Welcome to R2R! I don't have the answers to everything but yes those are great prices IMO, especially for the tank. That is except for the bioballs, which you didn't get ripped off or anything, they're just not a very good product (but they they were just 5 bucks so don't feel bad). If you want something that serves the same purpose but actually works well I'd recommend marinepure bioballs as those provide much more surface area and are a great way to increase natural filtration.

Thank you ! I really appreciate it!

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

mich2599 said:
Dude you got a steal

Thank you my friend. Do you know how much the tank and sump pump would have been retail?

Also, do you have the answer to any of my questions above?

Really appreciate the input

Oscaror · Nov 3, 2018

sudman said:
Thank you my friend. Do you know how much the tank and sump pump would have been retail?

Also, do you have the answer to any of my questions above?

Really appreciate the input

Tank would be a good couple hundred dollars. I'd actually suggest checking for leaks since that price is so low, unless you know the seller was a reputable source. Good luck with your venture into saltwater!

James M · Nov 3, 2018

Welcome to reef2reef!!
That is one heck of a deal

Teri NewbieReefer · Nov 3, 2018

Hi and Welcome to R2R. You did indeed get a great deal on the tank. I've seen reef ready 120 longs for as much as 3 times that amount. If you have problems with working out how it all goes together, just ask... These guys on R2R are great with the info!!!

cromag27 · Nov 3, 2018

Leslie Tabor · Nov 3, 2018

Welcome to the addiction! Meetings are held daily! Lol when I set up my first tank, I watched A LOT of YouTube videos and Bulk Reef Supply does great How-To videos. When I upgraded, I hired my LFS to set it up for me!

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

Oscaror said:
Tank would be a good couple hundred dollars. I'd actually suggest checking for leaks since that price is so low, unless you know the seller was a reputable source. Good luck with your venture into saltwater!

Thank you for the kind welcome! There was water filled in the tank when i visited which helped me see that there were no leaks

2) How do the sump pump and tank connect to one another? Is my Sump pump and good?

3) What is the plug in item on my sump pump?

4) Based on my setup, can i fit mostly everything in the tank?

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

cromag27 said:

Thank you !!

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

Leslie Tabor said:
Welcome to the addiction! Meetings are held daily! Lol when I set up my first tank, I watched A LOT of YouTube videos and Bulk Reef Supply does great How-To videos. When I upgraded, I hired my LFS to set it up for me!

Thank you for the warm welcome! Its so funny you say that because that is what i am watching right now!! #BRS

2) How do the sump pump and tank connect to one another? Is my Sump pump and good?

3) What is the plug in item on my sump pump?

4) Based on my setup, can i fit mostly everything in the tank?

What is an LFS?

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

James M said:
Welcome to reef2reef!!
That is one heck of a deal

Thank you very much !!

2) How do the sump pump and tank connect to one another? Is my Sump pump and good?

3) What is the plug in item on my sump pump?

4) Based on my setup, can i fit mostly everything in the tank?

Lowell Lemon · Nov 3, 2018

Most people have stopped using a trickle filter or wet/dry filter as they use to call them. If you are going to set up a fish only with live rock the filter you have will work quite well. You might get a high level of nitrate as the system ages and you will have to find a method to reduce that if that happens. A good protein skimmer could go a long way toward controlling the nitrate rise associated with this type of filter. Water changes can help to lower the nitrate as well. The trickle filter systems work great in centrally filtered fish holding systems where water is always being replaced as the fish are bagged and sold. It will work for soft corals and LPS as well. You could go old school and grow macro algae like Calurpa to keep you nitrates in check. I had great success with this type of filter back in the 80's.

The sump is designed to sit in the stand under the tank. As water pumps to the tank overhead the water overflows the weirs on either back corner of the tank. With the pump running the water level in the sump should only cover the sponge in the sump bottom. Do not run the pump return line to far below the level of the overflow weir or you might have a flood if the pump is shut off during a power outage. You will have to connect the lines from the lower back of the tank to the sump. We used flexible pool lines for this back in the day so you could access the sump and move it if necessary. The drain lines usually connect the tank to the chamber the 1" PVC pipes are attached to the sump.

LFS=local fish store.

It is possible your sump pump is actually a protein skimmer pump based on the pictures. So you would need a sump pump to run the filter as well. The skimmer pump has an air line attached to the outlet side of the pump suggesting a crude venturi injection system. You have a crude protein skimmer on the drain side of your sump.

Oscaror · Nov 3, 2018

sudman said:
Thank you for the kind welcome! There was water filled in the tank when i visited which helped me see that there were no leaks

2) How do the sump pump and tank connect to one another? Is my Sump pump and good?

3) What is the plug in item on my sump pump?

4) Based on my setup, can i fit mostly everything in the tank?

2) Well basically an overflow (what the holes in your tank are for) just use gravity to pull water into the sump, and the sump pump is plumbed up the back of the tank from the sump into the tank. You want the water coming in the sump to be on the opposite side of the return pump.

3) Well the pump needs electricity to run

4) What do you mean everything in the tank? Can you specify?

Oscaror · Nov 3, 2018

Lowell Lemon said:
Most people have stopped using a trickle filter or wet/dry filter as they use to call them. If you are going to set up a fish only with live rock the filter you have will work quite well. You might get a high level of nitrate as the system ages and you will have to find a method to reduce that if that happens. A good protien skimmer could go a long way toward controlling the nitrate rise associated with this type of filter. Water changes can help to lower the nitrate as well. The trickle filter systems work great in centrally filtered fish holding systems where water is always being replaced as the fish are bagged and sold. It will work for soft corals and LPS as well. You could go old school and grow macro algae like Calurpa to keep you nitrates in check. I had great success with this type of filter back in the 80's.

His sump actually seems to have a built in skimmer which I've never seen before lol. Buying a new one would indeed be best though.

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

Lowell Lemon said:
Most people have stopped using a trickle filter or wet/dry filter as they use to call them. If you are going to set up a fish only with live rock the filter you have will work quite well. You might get a high level of nitrate as the system ages and you will have to find a method to reduce that if that happens. A good protien skimmer could go a long way toward controlling the nitrate rise associated with this type of filter. Water changes can help to lower the nitrate as well. The trickle filter systems work great in centrally filtered fish holding systems where water is always being replaced as the fish are bagged and sold. It will work for soft corals and LPS as well. You could go old school and grow macro algae like Calurpa to keep you nitrates in check. I had great success with this type of filter back in the 80's.

This is great advice! Thank you for taking the time to share it with me

sudman · Nov 3, 2018

Oscaror said:
2) Well basically an overflow (what the holes in your tank are for) just use gravity to pull water into the sump, and the sump pump is plumbed up the back of the tank from the sump into the tank. You want the water coming in the sump to be on the opposite side of the return pump.

3) Well the pump needs electricity to run

4) What do you mean everything in the tank? Can you specify?

Perfect thank you !! I was not sure if that was some sort of additional filter or something (for number 3)

Also good point, i should have been more clear - I was hoping to make sure that I can fit most fish / sea life in the tank (althought i realize that whales may need a slightly different size

)

Oscaror · Nov 3, 2018

sudman said:
Perfect thank you !! I was not sure if that was some sort of additional filter or something (for number 3)

Also good point, i should have been more clear - I was hoping to make sure that I can fit most fish / sea life in the tank (althought i realize that whales may need a slightly different size )

https://www.liveaquaria.com/category/15/marine-fish
This website is where I learned most fish keeping basics when I was starting out. They have great in depth care requirements for most saltwater fish species, so it's a great place to start your research (and to buy fish!). A 120 gallon will be able to hold the majority of common fish species.