New tank setup acquired and some initial questions

[00Dan]

Hello all,

I recently acquired a fairly complete setup I believe to be ready for a future reef tank and had some questions I wanted to run down.

Before I get into that - here's my setup

Innovative Marine Nuvo 40 (w/ factory return pump)
Hydor Koralia Third Gen (1350 GPH)
AI Hydra TwentySix HD
Eheim Jager 100W
Tunze Comline DOC 9001 skimmer
Rock and sand from the tank when it was broken down a couple days ago (kept in saltwater)

So now to my questions, first things first - the tank did have a small transport chip in bottom right corner. It is confined to a single pane and does not extend to the silicon. Pictures are attached. To me it does not appear structural given the limited extent (part of why I accepted the tank). I looked with a flashlight and could not make out any microcracks. To double check myself what say you? Tank failure waiting to happen? Keep on trucking? Fill it with something (silicon, flex seal, epoxy)?

Second question: The rock and sand was from the tank when it was broken down. As it was stored in water it should still be mostly live. The catch is why the tank was broken down - the previous owner suffered a marine velvet outbreak which took out all his fish; he moved all his coral to a frag tank and used it as an excuse to upgrade to something bigger for fish. With that in mind is the substrate and rock safe to use? If yes should it be cleaned or sanitized in any way?

Third: assuming I don't hit a stop from the first two questions, I have a short list of what else I need to get the tank up and cycling: Test kits, refractometer, salt, water containers, and perhaps an ATO (may be able to wait on this). Anything critical I'm missing?

Thanks in advance, I look forward to learning.

 

[Silent]

Cant see the chip very well. Looks like electrical tape is covering it up so cant see to give an opinion. Usually chip on the bottom like that is bad news.

 

[00Dan]

Cant see the chip very well. Looks like electrical tape is covering it up so cant see to give an opinion. Usually chip on the bottom like that is bad news.

No electrical tape, what you see is the black silicon between the panes and inside the tank. I can photograph some additional angles if you have a specific one you'd like to see.

EDIT: Here's a couple different angles with some better lighting

 

[Greg P]

No electrical tape, what you see is the black silicon between the panes and inside the tank. I can photograph some additional angles if you have a specific one you'd like to see.

EDIT: Here's a couple different angles with some better lighting
[1356226[/ATTACH]

Chip is not an issue.
What I DO see is the 'spidering' of the silicone beside it

 

[Silent]

I see it now. I really thought that was tape over it lol. Anyway, the tank is smaller so there won't be as much pressure on that area which is good news. As pointed out above the silicone doesn't look great. You could fill it up with tap water and see what happens. That size tank you might be fine.

 

[BarSnackz]

I wouldn't be worried about it if I were you. Fill it up with some tap water and let it sit for about a week and then make a decision about it from there.

 

[Pntbll687]

I wouldn't worry about that chip. I would put some silicone or something over it, just dont want to slice a finger on it.

As for the rock, it depends how long it has been broken down.

Personally I would just get some new rock. The thought of velvet will always be there if you use this rock. All the velvet might be dead and gone, but the thought will eat at you. Then you add fish and every little white spot you'll think is velvet, even when it's natural discoloration some fish have.

As for what you NEED for this tank
1. Heater - Which you have
2. Flow - Which you have
3. Rock - which you have, or get new

You really don't "need" anything besides that (maybe some bottled bacteria if you get new rock). YOu don't need an ATO as long as you set a water level you can keep consistent by topping off by hand. If you set a water level you can easily see in the return chamber, topping off by hand is pretty easy.

 

[Quietman]

Chip should just be cosmetic, not ideal but should be fine. Cannot tell 100% about the silicone behind it from the pictures but it looks ok from what I see. If the joint looks intact and you can see any gaps, I would water test it.

How long has the rock and sand been stored? I believe there's a six week period and then velvet isn't an issue as it cannot survive that long without a host.

No ATO can be a bit of a pain, but you have to feed the fish daily, just have a liter or 2 of water. My 40 gallon loses about 1/2 gallon (2L) a day. Not sure how big the chamber is in Nuvo40 - might have to top off twice a day. You'll be getting an ATO soon.

I would also get cheap heater controller. Jagers are good, but even after a year I don't think I'd trust just that...heck I didn't trust mine new without a controller. Inkbirds are cheap and reliable.

Good luck!

 

[00Dan]

Chip is not an issue.
What I DO see is the 'spidering' of the silicone beside it

Good catch on the silicone. The previous owner says the chip was incurred as he was moving in the tank and he had it set up and running for several months after that. I did see the tank hold water when I picked it up (he had it filled with a diluted vinegar solution to sanitize it after the velvet outbreak). For the silicone would it be recommended that I place some on that seam to fill any gaps and reinforce it?

 

[00Dan]

I wouldn't worry about that chip. I would put some silicone or something over it, just dont want to slice a finger on it.

As for the rock, it depends how long it has been broken down.

Personally I would just get some new rock. The thought of velvet will always be there if you use this rock. All the velvet might be dead and gone, but the thought will eat at you. Then you add fish and every little white spot you'll think is velvet, even when it's natural discoloration some fish have.

As I understand it the sand and rock have been sitting in buckets with water for approximately the past 2 or 3 days at time of writing.

Would you recommend cleaning the rock and sand in any way if I were to use it or just throw it in without fish and let it run its course? I'm not opposed to going through a mini-cycle.

For the sand specifically, should I rinse it? If yes should I use freshwater or saltwater to do so?

 

[Quietman]

I would not put rock or sand from a velvet infected tank in a new or reboot system after only 2-3 days. So yes, if you can't wait for the fallow period...and why couldn't you? - is there livestock waiting to be added?.

That would allow you to have a nice long water test of that tank, correct any silicone issues that might come up...get an ATO and temp controller.

6 weeks might seem a bit extreme, but nothing ever goes well fast in this hobby.

Just a suggestion. I'm sure there are bleach baths or such that can reduce the time as well.

 

[00Dan]

I would not put rock or sand from a velvet infected tank in a new or reboot system after only 2-3 days. So yes, if you can't wait for the fallow period...and why couldn't you? - is there livestock waiting to be added?.

That would allow you to have a nice long water test of that tank, correct any silicone issues that might come up...get an ATO and temp controller.

6 weeks might seem a bit extreme, but nothing ever goes well fast in this hobby.

Just a suggestion. I'm sure there are bleach baths or such that can reduce the time as well.

The only limitation I have is my own patience. I have no livestock at this time.

 

[Quietman]

The only limitation I have is my own patience. I have no livestock at this time.

Whew!!! That makes this much easier. Patience is a virtue as they say, and a requirement in reef keeping.

I didn't ask yet, do you have a source for RODI water?

 

[00Dan]

Whew!!! That makes this much easier. Patience is a virtue as they say, and a requirement in reef keeping.

I didn't ask yet, do you have a source for RODI water?

LFS for now. I’ll look into a home system down the road.

 

[Quietman]

Ok...nothing wrong with that but I would ask to make sure your expectations are set right. There's few on here that wouldn't recommend a 10% water change every week for the first year - that's 4 gallon/week - 16 gallons a month - very workable with LFS. That's also going to be 2-5 gallons a week for top-off, so now the total is 6-10 gallons a week from the LFS and 24-40 gallons a month.

Plus - I like to have (meaning I don't sleep well if it I don't have) at least 50% of tank volume in RODI on hand just for emergencies - so getting 20 gallons that are in reserve is also good idea.

If a home RODI system is starting to sound like a good idea, it's why most of us (even with smaller tanks) have them.

 

[Quietman]

I hope this doesn't sound discouraging, I don't mean it that way. But we've all seen people rush into reef tank and struggle to the point where they give up. Mostly that's due to not understanding everything involved and having goals that don't line up with requirements. No one wants you to succeed more than the people on this forum and we're all here to help.

 

[00Dan]

I hope this doesn't sound discouraging, I don't mean it that way. But we've all seen people rush into reef tank and struggle to the point where they give up. Mostly that's due to not understanding everything involved and having goals that don't line up with requirements. No one wants you to succeed more than the people on this forum and we're all here to help.

I always welcome candid advice. I'm looking to set myself up for success, so the input on the rocks, ATO, and RODI is helpful.

 

[00Dan]

I'm hoping to get the tank up and running this weekend. I'll be doing another vinegar solution bath for the whole tank and equipment this evening.

As far as the sand and rock is concerned it seems I have some options based on the feedback in this thread and my research.

1. Get all new sand and rock and cycle normally in a sanitized tank.

2. Use the old sand and rock and let the tank sit empty for 6 weeks. I suppose this would give the opportunity to really get an established cycle done.

3. Use the old sand and rock and nuke it somehow (vinegar, pool chlorine, peroxide?) Then start a new cycle.

Thoughts?

 

[Quietman]

If you're going to let sit fallow for 6 weeks, I wouldn't nuke it. Might be some good stuff you want to keep on there.

Otherwise..sounds good. Why not set up your aquascape and see if you like it over the next six weeks? Good plan!

 

[Quietman]

Oh, remember...one you cycle you have to feed the bacteria. Bring ammonia up to 1 ppm and when it goes back to zero add more. Do water changes for nitrates if they get high. And you'll still have to add fish slowly even though it's been cycled for 6 weeks.