New guy to the hobby and the forums.

[Shane-o]

I bought my first salt water set up yesterday but, have no idea just what I have. I purchased it off of Craiglist and the guy I bought it from had upgraded to a much larger tank. One of the issues I have is lighting... He gave me 5 different lights which I have no idea what is for what? Also he had a bucket of sand in a 5 gallon bucket and when I arrived he filled it with water and said it was live sand and I should use it? Also all of the filters and pumps everything have salt build up
on them can I clean this or should I not? Sorry for all the questions as I'm new to this hobby..

..

 

[Clay4AU]

I'd clean everything, soak the pumps in a 50/50 vinegar and water and they will look new again.

Its really hard to tell what lights you have. Looks like some T12 and T5 style.

Is the tank drilled? does it have holes in the back glass? If not I would go ahead and get it done so you can run a sump.

 

[Cooper32803]

I agree... Wash everything in vinegar water that isn't mechanical... Also not sure if I would use their sand as you don't know what problems he could have had in his tank that would transfer to your tank... Maybe use about a cup of it and get yourself some new sand... Oh and welcome to r2r!!

 

[swannyson7]

Welcome to R2R! 1smile1

If you haven't already done so, be sure to enter the August membership drive contest!
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/me...ef2reef-membership-drive-win.html#post1026392

 

[Pappy]

Welcome! And +1 in vinegar to everything except lights of course

 

[Mstansbery]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[revsgirl]

Welcome to R2R, and the hobby!! I'm sure these guys and gals can help you out!!

 

[3Twinklets]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[EmilyXLC]

Wow... I can't believe the guy didn't clean everything for you before selling it... : /

On the very bottom picture, it looks like you have two Bio-Wheel filters (they will hang on the back of the tank) & a power head (the thing that is setting on top). People have had mixed success with Bio-Wheel filters; back in the day I had great luck with them, but some people don't find them to be a good idea. You can run them without the Bio-Wheel just fine & I have even heard that you can modify them to make them work even better! It's worth checking out. As for the power head, it should have a suction cup on the back of it so that you can stick it right in one of the back corners of the tank to create some water movement- essential for a successful marine aquarium.

Also, it looks like he gave you what was once some live rock... It looks a dried up, now, but you can still use it!

Don't worry, everyone here will help you get it set up in no time. For now, just clean & sort all of your equipment. With the electrical stuff, I would suggest cleaning it with a VERY lightly damp cloth or paper towel, just to get the salt off. For everything else, the 50/50 vinegar/water combination will work great, including any staining on the inside of the tank itself.

Once you get everything sorted, line it all up & take a picture! Post it back on here & everyone will be more than happy to tell you what you've got & help you on from there.

Good luck & congratulations on your new aquarium; you are going to have a blast! : )

 

[uall8up]

Welcome to R2R. Looks like the mess I got when I bought my 90 gallon. Vinegar and water, just like everyone else said, will be your best friend for awhile!