reactivating a old tank

[makai]

hello, i have had fish and tanks all my life but have usally gone out and bought new equipment for every new addition, now i have a old glass aquarium (50+ gallons?) that as not been used in a few years, now here's the problem, i want to make it useable again probably for sharks. freshwater variety, baby iridescents (a type of catfish i waz told) i'm just wondering what kind of products i might need. ie sealers, also can u buy heaters, pumps, and hoods with lights seperatley?:HP :FS :FS
oh btw the way i am planning on mobing up to a larger tank as my "sharks" grow. i am just hoping to use this tank as a make shift nursery.
thanx makai :LY

[MJC]

Makai,

A 20 gallon tank for a SW shark is waaaaaaaaaay too small. I'd say the 20 gallon is just right for the molly or ghost shrimp feeders that you'll be feeding your bamboo or port jackson shark once you buy the 240+ gallon that's required for predators.

In terms of what else might be needed in the large tank, fine reef sand, no decorative corals or rocks with sharp edges. As these fish tend to roam around at night looking for food, you wouldn't want them to cut or scrape themselves.

Create ample room for them to swim around so no rocks up against the back of the tank. You will want rocks and to create caves or crevices/ledges so the fish will have a place to hide (they are predators).

Have a large filtration system as these fish tend to produce more ammonia than your everyday fish.

Lighting should not be overly bright as you would for corals. VHO would be OK, but if you ever want to move up to corals later, buy what your budget can afford to ensure a smooth upgrade.

[Nooboon]

MJC. It seems makai meant freshwater sharks (bala etc). Like that on their avatar.

That is twice now I have seen confusion on these forums due to inadequate definition of the term shark. People need to be carefull what they write and us moderators need to use a bit of intuition to determine what is going on.

Makai. The sealant in an empty tank can perish over time. You could try filling it outside somewhere, with a hose and see if there are any leaks. If there are (or if you want to be cautious), you could strip all the old sealant off with a craft knife or similar blade, and then rebuild the aquarium with aquarium grade silicone sealant.
The glass will need to be cleaned with solvent first. After sealing, give the tank a couple of days at least before filling to allow to cure properly. Once again fill outside to check for leaks and patch any with more sealant.
Obviously the tank will need several good rinsings with clean water before adding the final water and livestock.

You can buy all of your heaters, lights etc as seperate units and that is usually a good idea if you want a customised system.

Hopefully someone else can give you some better information.
Good luck.

[MJC]

Ahh, Thanks for clarifying that Nooboon.

I also see he updated his post to point out it was not a 20 gallon tank but a 50 gallon tank. Just the same, a 50 gallon would be small.

Thanks,

Marty

[makai]

ok thanx for the info, but now the price issue arises. i agree customizing a tank wold probbably be the best idea, am just wondering if it would be more or less $ than just going out and buying a tank already setup?

[Nooboon]

I can't really comment personally because here in New Zealand you don't often see complete setups other than those made up by the fish stores out of their own equipment to make it simple for begginers to get involved.

I would say almost definitely though, it would be more expensive to buy individual products. Sometimes that is the only way to get what you want though. Especially if there is a particular product you are after.

Maybe you should go out and have a look at complete setups and individual products and decide what you would prefer.

[MJC]

Buying a complete pre-owned tank, one that's been established and running for some time vis-a-vis buying a new, complete setup is certainly much cheaper.

However, one cannot have the luxury of picking and choosing what is in that used setup but you can pick and choose used components to your need and specifications. It may be time consuming however as those components are not always available.

HTH,
Marty