How do I get this tank running? (warning: it's a mess)

[zombiefetus]

I bought this beast forever ago and never got around to setting it up. Now I'm thinking of selling my 90g and using the money to fund fixing up this mess. But I have absolutely no idea how to get this up and running. It came with a lot of pieces, a lot of them super old or broken. So I need help figuring out what to keep, what to throw away, and what to replace. And how to put it all together. lol. If anyone can help me out I'd be eternally grateful.


It's 250 gallons, no cracks or leaks. Originally I was just going to plug up all the pipe holes and slap a filter on there, but then the fish I was going to put in it died during delivery to my home ;__; and I ended up doing nothing with it. Now I'd like to get the sump running and figure out the right way to deal with this thing.


This is the back of the tank, there are three holes for pipes.


(close up) The guy who owned it last had all the pipes connected with a pipe adhesive that pretty much melted the pipes together, I have no idea how to get around that problem.


This pipe is curved so I can't even get an attachment to fir over it.


And then this pipe they sawed off at the attachment point, so I can't fit a pipe over it. Is there a special sized connector I could use? I don't even know. :/


This is the sump thing.


There's a pipe at the bottom with slits in it for water intake. That pipe is in good shape and should work fine.


I have no idea what these pipes do. ;___; I assume one of them is to return water to the sump. But the other two are a mystery to me.


This is another view of the two back pipes.


All the other various pipes and things that came with it. (wtf do I do with the pipe that has the red thing on it). The green thing is a pump, but the cord was chewed threw by a rat or something so I'll have to get a new one (suggestions for what to get? It'd need to be under $200 or so). There's also a stack of tray things that are a mystery to me.


And then there's this. Which is, to me, mind boggling. Wtf is this?


Side view.


Bottom view.

[Perchmonger]

The gray equipment looks like a Ultraviolet Sterilizers and you have to go a plumbing supply or pet solutions or any fish supply online and get replacement bulk-heads, and then you can run new piping to the sump and back to the tank, I think those are 11/2 bulk-heads. I hope this helps.

the screw in things in the back of the tank are bulk-heads

[Perchmonger]

I hope you know how to use pvc cement because you are going to get a lot of practice. You need pvc cleaner, activator(purple stuff) and cement. It is easy, and configure your piping before you glue it.

[Pufferpunk]

I'd remove every single one of those bulkhead fittings & replace with new ones.

[El Scorpio]

As would I.

I'd remove every single one of those bulkhead fittings & replace with new ones.

[chuckfriedrice]

I would redo all the pipe as well ! Those bulkheads look like they will be a pain to remove be careful! Looks as if they were glued!

[J-P]

That is a handy man's dream tank
Pic #2
The pipe at the top is most likely your overflow or "out"
The pipes at the bottom are most likely the inlets, but I don't know why there are 2.

Pic #8 & 9 looks like a set up for auto dosing the tank.

Pic #10 with the red knob is a shut off valve. Usually attached to the "in lines" so you don't get back flow.

Pis 11-13 .. that is a UV sterilizer.

[Perchmonger]

That pump looks like an old Gen-X PCX150 or an PCX100 External Water Pump both push about 2000 gph, but I hope it is the 150 because I have 3 pushing my 535gal and it moves 2250gph. Also on you return to the tank inlet you want to put a oneway pvc valve or a shutoff valve between your pump and your tank and your pump and your sump, so if you ever have to do maintenance or replace a pump, you shut both water lines off and bingo. Put shutoffs and easy pvc disconnects where ever possible and it will make your life so much easier. I also made a pvc water change system for my big tank because, buckets or a pythons gets tiresome.

[attachment=0]tnak waterchange.jpg[/attachment}

[zombiefetus]

Thanks for the replies!
I have more questions ._.

How would I even go about getting the old piping off? lol. The upper bulkhead is a bit loose and seems like it's possible it'll come off with some muscle. But the lower bulkheads are both cemented/glued in place and I have no idea how to get them off without breaking my tank. I guess just take a razor blade around the edges and hope for the best? lol.


This is the pump cord that was chewed up. Would it be worth it to have an electrification fix it? Or should I just invest in a new one?


What would connect to the pipe at the very bottom of this picture?

The pipes at the bottom are most likely the inlets, but I don't know why there are 2.

So would I just be able to permanently cap off the pipe that looks harder to remove/replace and still have everything working? Then use the other one as the inlet and the upper one as the overflow?

What do I need to attach to the overflow pipe to keep fish and things from being sucked in (lol)?
How do I set up the UV sterilizer? Is there a guide or something somewhere? I've been googling and can't find anything. :/

I'm trying to mentally figure out what attaches to what pipe, and what supplies I'd need before starting anything. I have a feeling this is going to be a long learning process, I've never attempted to set up anything like this before (but I think that's obvious. lol).

Thanks for your help guys <3

[J-P]

in the second pic, that would be an "in" because it is at the bottom, but in a sump it could be something else. Possibly for a circulating pump within the sump itself?

If the cord is chewed that badly I'd go with another pump. Calling an electrician may be the cheaper option though.

As for removing the PVC pipe, Call a plumbing company or visit a hardware store and explain the situation, they may have a product / solvent that can do the job with a little elbow grease.

Another option is to take a hacksaw and recut the pipe and add new fittings inside. That way you avoid a pressure bottle neck as the water flowing will travel from a narrow pipe to a wider pipe. Again you can ask a pro in the plumbing department.

[Pufferpunk]

I'd just rewire the pump. Definitely take it apart & clean it.

[Perchmonger]

On those bulkheads It looks like silicone, silicone will come looose with elbow grease, you need a 2 pipe wrenches so you can grab the pvc nuts and break them loose, you will not damage the tank if you only grab the pvc nuts. When you run the piping you have to do a dry run with your pipes. Remember the Sump line to the pump is usually at the bottom, because water from the tank come in to be cleaned by the sump; will come in on the top or upper area of the sump, your pump is the work horse of the system, water comes in from the bottom bulkheads on your tank to the top of the sump, then is cleaned by biomedia in the sump, then sent out of the bottom of the sump to the inlet of the pump then out of the outlet of the pump and piped to the UV Sterilizer then back to the top bulkhead of the tank. PP is right about the rewiring the cord or replacing it, because those pumps cost $280 -$375 unless you get a deal for a used one on ebay. Youtube has sump info. I hope this pic helps!

aq-rect_reef.gif

[zombiefetus]

Thanks
I ~think I've got a basic understanding of how most things are supposed to work. I'm sure I'll have more questions later though, lol.
I think tomorrow I'll start cleaning everything, which will take quite a while to get done I'm sure...

And my boyfriend knows of an electrician who may be able to fix the pump for me.


I still have no idea what I'm going to put in this tank when it's set up. My love of puffers and my want of a reef tank are very conflicting.

[Pufferpunk]

Try Oxyclean & use vinegar for the stubborn, dried on stuff.

[Black Widow]

Try Oxyclean & use vinegar for the stubborn, dried on stuff.

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