Where to find a 90 or 100 gallon aquarium and stand (no canopy) for a reasonable price Oh and how to you store your RO/DI water?

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Come on Jan, you can do it! The only tool you need for the value is this:

View attachment 133464
That's a nice photo. I believe RO unit work by using the water pressure. You have to plumb it. Clean out under your sink and take photo, a nice photo please and post it.

But you can do it!
You have no idea what you are asking me to do. I have virtually no storage in my kitchen so it won't happen overnight. Plus I'd have to clean under there before I'd let anybody see it and there may be spiders. But its in my thoughts. Youtube videos SAY you can get portable units and you have to believe youtube. I'm glad you have such faith in me and my oxygen hose that likes to disconnect for no reason from time to time and make me almost black out until I'm crawling on my hands and knees looking for the disconnect (or a hole in the tubing supplied by my cat). I'm sure I'll look pretty funny but I have handiness in my genes -both my parent flipped houses for years. Too bad the only tool I was taught to use was a broom.
 
You don't need a sump for a reef system, they do make hang on back skimmer.

207847_reefoctopusns80-d_1.jpg
 
I am thinking about a garbage can like this where you have to tip it to move around:

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My apologies for the poor photo. A trolley or wagon may be much easier to move around. But I agree, no 5 gallon buckets for me.
EXACTLY what I was looking at. They also just have a trash can that sits on a dolly your can use to move.
 
Please don't take me seriously, just trying to help in a good natured way. Well back to basketball
 
You don't need a sump for a reef system, they do make hang on back skimmer.

View attachment 133468
But I WANT a sump - I want to try all the cool gadgets - I'm so sick of HOB filters I could scream - all of mine clog up with floating plants several times a day - if the damn fish didn't love those plants so much they would be gone. A friend of mine got a Canister filter to replace his HOB filter and says he has cleaner water and less problems than he EVER had with a HOB filter. I can see the skimmer getting just as clogged up as my HOB filter. Plus what kind of filter does this skimmer use - probably a HOB filter yes?
 
Under the kitchen sink there should be a value with a hose connected to the faucet. Remove the hose and screw on a tee as shown below:

View attachment 133407
Just ask for help in the plumbing section. You could also screw on a multiple output value: EDIT: Use this solution so you can turn the water off to your RO unit.

View attachment 133411

If you have a built in dishwasher, look for the waste line like this:

View attachment 133412

For the RO waste line, tap into this line with a tee. Once again, explain what you want to do to the plumbing guy at the store.

I would love to help out but Mrs. Mad has me fully booked these days :mad:

Mark
Do I have to shut off the water to do all this - I think my shut-off valve is somewhere in the front yard rather than in the basement. And there ARE BIG spiders down there.
 
The photo request was to see if you have a shut off value under your sink. If so, just hire a plumber, it may take him 15 minutes to hook up the fresh water line. The waste water line is a simple job for plumber.
 
Do I have to shut off the water to do all this - I think my shut-off valve is somewhere in the front yard rather than in the basement. And there ARE BIG spiders down there.

I hear ya, I hate spiders!

No, you just turn off the water under your sink if it has a shut off value.
 
But I WANT a sump - . Plus what kind of filter does this skimmer use - probably a HOB filter yes?

Sump are cool. Skimmers don't have filters, just an air stone and possible a pump. Proteins ie: fish crap, will attached to the tiny bubbles made by the air stone. They rise up in the skimmer and dumped into a little collection cup. The basic principle of skimmers, remove the crap before it turns into ammonia.

Suggestion, look in craigslist for someone selling a reef system. If you find one, make the requirement that he/she set up the system in your house. All due respects but the plumbing required for sumps system is complicated. Do you want a Durso, Herbie or Bean Animal drain system? :)
 
You don’t even need a skimmer for a SW tank. It’s helpful. But not necessary.

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“Brute” trash cans are a popular method.. (15 gallons I believe)

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As for the stand: Look at a second hand store for a solid coffee table or similar item.
 
But when you do a water change on a saltwater tank you are removing both salt and water - so I'd need storage for salt water as well - am I correct? Do you know what percentage of water is removed by most reefers for a water change? Surely not the 70-80% that I'm used to for my freshwater tanks?
MEASURING SALINITY
You buy a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the salinity (salt level) in the marine tank.

Hydrometers come in a glass tube style and a plastic chamber style. The plastic chamber hydrometer is a little more expensive than the floating glass hydrometer, however the plastic chamber is less likely to break. The glass ones tend to break.

A refractometer is more expensive than a hydrometer and more accurate, but they aren't that expensive. However, they can take a bit to work out what you are looking at when measuring the salt level.

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TOPPING UP THE TANK
If you have coverglass on the tank, it will significantly reduce the amount of evaporation. If you need to top up the tank between water changes, you simply add a bit of freshwater to get the salinity correct.

I used to set the tanks up and use a permanent marker to make a line on the glass where the water level is. Then just add freshwater to top up to that mark.

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WATER CHANGES
When you do a water change on a marine tank, you remove minerals (including salt) that is dissolved in the water. You just gravel clean and drain it out like a fresh water tank.

To fill the tank, you make up the salt water at least 24 hours before you use it. The new water should be checked for pH, temperature and salinity.

If you have chlorine in the tap water, you can dechlorinate the fresh water before adding the marine salts. However, if you have chloramine in the tap water, you make up the salt water and aerate it for 24 hours, then add a dechlorinator about 5-30 minutes before using it in the tank.
If you are using reverse osmosis water, it should be free of chlorine/ chloramine and you theoretically shouldn't need a dechlorinator. However, it depends on the R/O unit and how old it is, as to whether it removes all chlorine/ chloramine.

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A lot of people don't do water changes on marine tanks because they have mostly corals and a few fish. They have protein skimmers, refugiums in trickle filter/ sumps that hold macro algae and that help to use nutrients. They usually add supplements like calcium on a daily or weekly basis.

I used to do 90-95% water changes on my marine tanks. I used natural sea water from the ocean and simply drained the tanks each month and refilled them. I just left enough water in the tank for the fish or shrimp. I had a lot of marine algae in the tanks and live rock. I have used protein slimmers over the years but don't like them that much because they remove most of the plankton and that includes baby fish and shrimp.
 
Jan,

Below is a portable RO unit. To install this system you remove the screen on your faucet and screw in the value. So now you have 2 hoses connected to your faucet. One hose connected to your faucet is the input water, the other hose is the waste water. So when running, you will have water running out of your faucet ie: like you forgot to turn off the water,

Is this what you want?

Portable RO.jpg
 
For a reef system, you can buy all in one aquariums which have a build in sump in the back of the tank. Below is a reasonably price ($540) 45 gallon aquarium, you would still need to buy the lights. They also make a 18 gallon version.

reef tank.jpg


Cobalt Aquatics 45G C-Vue Aquarium

It has a small built in sump in the back of the tank:

Built in sump.jpg


It has 2 filter socks, space for a skimmer and possible you could add a refugium. Do not compare hang on back skimmers with filters, they are completely different. I suggest you visit the Reef 2 Reef forum, these guys are the experts in reef system. These tank can be high tech.

Good luck !

Mark
 
For a reef system, you can buy all in one aquariums which have a build in sump in the back of the tank. Below is a reasonably price ($540) 45 gallon aquarium, you would still need to buy the lights. They also make a 18 gallon version.

View attachment 133498

Cobalt Aquatics 45G C-Vue Aquarium

It has a small built in sump in the back of the tank:

View attachment 133499

It has 2 filter socks, space for a skimmer and possible you could add a refugium. Do not compare hang on back skimmers with filters, they are completely different. I suggest you visit the Reef 2 Reef forum, these guys are the experts in reef system. These tank can be high tech.

Good luck !

Mark
That’s a ridiculous price for a 45g SW setup, especially because it doesn’t come with lights.
 
That’s a ridiculous price for a 45g SW setup, especially because it doesn’t come with lights.

Feel free to post an alternative frameless low iron glass tank with a built in sump/filter, I would love to see it.

Note: that price include shipping.
 
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