Kevin353

Ok so i woke up this morning and looked out the window to the dumpster and saw someone had gotten evicted and left some stuff behind (we live in an apartment. i went out and found this fish tank sitting next to the dumpster and brought it inside.

We just recently moved to Ohio and i had to leave my previous fish behind. i am originally from Colorado and i had a 25 gallon tank and about a 100 gallon pond i took care of there.

my problem is every fish tank i have had before was the basic glass with black trim and never had one like i found so i was wondering how one would go about setting this up (ie filters, heating, and all the other essentials). Below are pictures of the tank. its dimensions are 5 feet by 18 inches wide by 20 inches tall.

links would be greatly appricated if you have them. i would also like to know about how much it is going to cost to get it up and running before the cost of fish. if its too much i would have to space it out over a month or 2.

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Lucy

Hi Kevin,
Welcome to FishLore

Wow, great find. I used the aquarium calculator, that's a 90 gallon tank!

The only advise I can give you is take it outside and fill it with water to make sure there are no leaks and be sure your floors can handle the weight.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help with your questions.

Good luck to you.

Kevin353

well i live in an appartment so cant take it outside and fill it and since its an apartment on first floor i think the floor can handle it (no basement).

also how would you go about cleaning it. i saw somewhere some said something about using blech to make sure everything is dead. since i wouldnt be setting this thing up right away (due to money) and since i found it by a dumpster do you think i should bleach it? and was it out very throughly.

Lucy

Will it fit into your bathtub? If so, put some towels down so it doesn't scratch the tub, plus if there is a small leak, you'd be able to tell if the towels are wet.

About cleaning it i would definitely give it a good cleaning, you don't know if the tank had serious problems.
I can't advise you on how to do that. I have read somewhere on the forum about using bleach or vinegar, if you use these you'd have to rinse it very thoroughly, that may pose a problem since you can't get it outside with a hose.

Someone with more experience should be along shortly to help you with that.

needabiggertank

That looks like a nice custom SW tank. The light and stand are going to be expensive.

Kevin353

yea i think i am going to go with bleach because i dont have vinager laying around the apartment and i read in a previous article there is a chemical used to get rid of harmful bleech and its to big to fit in the tube so i am filling it in the kitchen on tile floor to see if it leaks

Kevin353

SW? im trying to figure out what all the blue balls are for and what the back part is all about. i first thought it might be a holding tank because when i was filling it up the back part didnt fill up but there is a hole's in onside of the blue back making me think its a filter system. but on the other hand how clean would those blue balls make it? i have a 5 gal trash can full of them. so if anyone has a clue on how to set this up it would be great.

Lucy

Once it's all said and done, it will be a gorgeous tank.

I would still put the towels down to warn you to any small leaks.
Fill it a little, mark the water line and wait a while check the towels and the line. If no leaks, fill a bit more..mark the line....until you get it filled.

What is the chemical you read about?

SW=Salt Water

needabiggertank

Those blue balls are for filtration they are bio-balls. They let the water trikle through.

needabiggertank

You said there is a hole under those balls? That is for the sump hook up or canister filter. That tank would make a georgeous reef. But if it does leak you could always repair it. As long as the glass isnt cracked.

Kevin353

ok im still alittle lost on these balls but i will research them more. if you have any information i could read it would be great.

thank you

this reply says dechlorinator
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/fr...tml#post345002

well its all the way full and no leaks, water lost, or water on the floor so no repair nessicary yet. i am going to let it sit over night.

in the back of the blue diveder wall there are 4 holes in a sraight line about the size of a pin which go into the black tube shown in pic #5. there are no holes on the outside edge to hook anything up to.

btw it isnt glass i actually think its plexiglass or plastic not sure what.

so since i have those bio balls do i need a special filter or no filter at all or what? im still lost. on my previous tanks i always used the filters that hang on the edge of the aquarium but those where 25 gal and this is a 90!!!!! so i dont think they do the trick.

im going to be using the tank for freshwater fish btw. with plants and everything. going to turn into my new hobby.

THANKS EVERYONE

Kevin353

UPDATE:

alright so i looked into bio balls and most of the set ups had a suck tube a a return tube and went to another tank below the actual tank. this second tank has the bio balls in it with the water running over them. and then was returned back to the tank via a pump.

in my case my second tank is inside my actual tank. water comes in from the bottom left corner of pic #2 then the first 2 slides filter out the big dibree and then the water passes over a smaller slide to allow the water to go into the bioball container ( pic #3 and #5). which has 2 slides with holes in them to allow water to pass through them after going through the bio balls. then goes to the last container which i believe a sermisable pump goes in and pumps the water back to the actual tank via the black tubing.

Please let me know if i got this right.

also how big of a pump would i need to force the water back into the aquarium?

im thinking if the pump pushes to much water out of the bio tank then it will go dry and cycle to fast. but if the pump is too slow then the bio tank would fill up to fast and just defeat the purpose.

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore!

Our DIY members can help most with that custom tank and getting it ready for being stocked.

Kevin353

no DIY people yet so i hope i have it right.

seedy

HI kevin
Without being there to help/see its not easy. You seem like your on the track as most filters work on the same principles. You need something to filter the particles from the water ( mechanical filtration = sponge pads or filter wool etc ) and something to help treat the water ( biological filtraton = bio-balls ).
You just need something to keep the water moving over or through these ( pump , air stone ) and you have a filter.
Im sure you will work it out.
Hope this helps.

Narcicius

Wow great find, hoep it all works out. and keep us updated.

Kevin353

i would like to thank everyone who offered their help in this thread. i have gotten it all setup and now just waiting on the $$$ to come in so i can get fish and plants. but here are some pics of what it looks like now.

Attached Images

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	fish tank 002.JPG (69.7 KB, 7 views)
	fish tank 003.JPG (67.4 KB, 9 views)

Faye Rod

Welcome to Fishlore! My advice is to spend the time while you're saving money to research the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle fishless. I can't even imagine the water changes you would have to do with a 90 gallon tank to keep fish alive while you cycle! Good luck!