Help! Newbie:Inherited 75g tank&stuff,what to do next

[Nubull98]

Hello Everyone, :)

I just inherited a 75 gallon pre-drill tank. It had been stored in the garage for the 6 last years. It looks like someone opened the drain, let the water out and moved it to the garage, I capped the plumbing and filled the tank with tap water, no leaks after 5 days. Most of the mold/dirty came with a towel.

My real problem is, my uncle had lots of equipment, most of it setting out in the garage wasting away. Halve of it I have no idea of what is for as he had several tanks at one time, let alone if it still works.

In the cabinet with the tank is [Titles are from labels on the parts, in order as the plumbing goes]:
UV, Skimmer, Wet/Dry, Skimmer;
misc chemicals and salt.

Equipment condition:
Angstrom UV: the case is metal and the ends are rusted, could only unscrew one cap;
Foamaster Skimmer: Mold (black stuff) inside;
Wet/Dry: Case cracked in several places, media[Cotton mesh like] black and rotted; Similar to Max Reef ( rotating sprinkler, raised media);
Foamaster Skimmer: More black stuff inside it;
NO PUMP found.

What should I replace this equipment with?

the local pet stores only have the hang-on filters, the pet catalogs only show the all-in-one filters, some with skimmer in the middle like the Amiracle Max Reef or Pro-line models.

I would like to setup the system as the tank and cabinet are in good shape. Any ideas, recommendation, diagrams, equipment pictures are welcome.

thanks in advance

[Anonymous]

Hello Nubull98, Congrats on your inheritance :roll: You are asking a lot of questions that most can only be answered upon inspection of the equipment. first of all do you have any experience as an aquarist??, in fresh or saltwater? the equip you have was used on a salt setup. any of the plastic items can be cleaned with liquid bleach, rinsed dried and inspected. any rusted items should be put aside for later possible repair.
many items are not cost effective in repair. however some parts may be salvaged. 6yrs is a long time for a tank after a TEARDOWN I suggest you place it in a level spot add room temp water to the top doing it a third at a time3-days then let it sit for 2more wks "no leaks" then great! prob will be ok. I believe the best recommendation I can offer you is BE PATIENT PUT LOTS OF THOUGHT INTO THIS,READ, READ, ASK QUESTIONS DO YOU REALY WANT/CAN BE INVOLVED WITH A LARGE TANK? If you have reservations put it up for sale. sometimes an inheritance is not a blessing keep us posted we will help you all we can. Good luck!

[ssgibby]

when you clean with bleach, I would use 10 parts water, 1 part bleach

[HoopsGuru]

I would just bury all that you listed.....most if not all are either unnecessary for a current setup, are outdated (6+ year old technology is ancient), or perhaps could be faulty after 6 years of sitting....in other words, I would be hesitant to trust it.

Keep the tank up and continue to monitor for leaks....seeing that you posted on a saltwater only forum, I will assume you want to start up a new system. After your tanks seems ready to go....start a new thread and we can get you rolling. In the meantime, if you are serious about really diving into sw....I would purchase a book to start reading. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner is an excellent one to start with.