So my wife bought a 500 gallon tank......

gjohns427

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So my wife bought this (used): Just over 500 gallons. Just the tank and cabinets, nothing else included, so basically starting from scratch. Big step up from our 2 35 gallon freshwater tanks. I think the acrylic tank weighs 700 ish pounds. It is on a slab. While I am versed in industrial pumps and valves, the initial plan is to have it set up and maintained by a local company for salt water. I am, however, very open to suggestions as to reliable pumps and filtration systems, and any other advice. Probably not going to have coral. I don't even know the terminology or extent of required equipment. I am a big fan of forums and will be reading what I can. No immediate timeline, and pretty good budget; I saw the post about this not being cheap, and we knew that "diving" in.
Gary


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revhtree

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Welcome to your new home for saltwater reef aquarium resources and fun! Welcome to the family! :D
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vetteguy53081

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AquaLogic

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If you have even the most basic understanding of plumbing (you can cut and join PVC) then learning to plumb it yourself is pretty simple. It looks like it has dual overflow boxes, which makes sense for the size. Is there a sump in that cabinet? If not, you'll need to start with getting or making a large sump.
 

vetteguy53081

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So my wife bought this (used): Just over 500 gallons. Just the tank and cabinets, nothing else included, so basically starting from scratch. Big step up from our 2 35 gallon freshwater tanks. I think the acrylic tank weighs 700 ish pounds. It is on a slab. While I am versed in industrial pumps and valves, the initial plan is to have it set up and maintained by a local company for salt water. I am, however, very open to suggestions as to reliable pumps and filtration systems, and any other advice. Probably not going to have coral. I don't even know the terminology or extent of required equipment. I am a big fan of forums and will be reading what I can. No immediate timeline, and pretty good budget; I saw the post about this not being cheap, and we knew that "diving" in.
Gary


IMG_6455.jpg
Gorgeous tank and furniture. I highly recommend Reeflo Gold dart pump (very reliable for me ) followed by Pan American, Iwaki and little giant
48" bashsea sump would be ideal
 

moretor1

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Corals wouldn't be that hard especially in a tank that size if you have the money for a bunch of power heads

The most expensive part would be the lighting, for huge tanks I would probably go with t12's for lighting as I'm not keen on spending $5k on leds...
 

VintageReefer

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How did this happen lol she was driving and saw it on the side of the road lol

Great looking tank btw and welcome

If you are planning on corals, this will get expensive from lighting and from the corals themselves. Corals typically are small 1-2” pieces, larger colonies available usually 4-6”. Live rock typically is 8-20$ a pound and you would need a few hundred pounds. A tank of that size will take a lot to fill. Best way if your patient is to space them out and wait for them to grow and fill.

Let us know the goals and we will help point you in the right direction.
 
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