Set-Up-BRAND NEW 75G HELP!!!!!!!!! NEWBIE!

Hello 3reef!!
Its been a while and I got the itch and one impulsive move later, I bought a 75G with a 30 G sump off CL! Now, I took it home and spread it out and investigated. I called my LFS to see how much it would cost to help me make sense of the puzzle- 75$ an hour-3 hour min-Plus parts and water (water 100.00) parts unknown. I think this is a lot of money to set this up.
I used to have a 30GAL tank- HOWEVER, I have never had sump and have no idea how it works!!! Now here are my NEWB questions, its been a while and I have NEVER had such a large tank! This is going to be an adventure and I know 3reef is the only place to get this answered!

1. to start with here are some pictures I have of the tank and its parts- He gave them to me with white build-up (is this safe to start a new tank with the stuff that wont come off or I cant get to. (like the tubes in the pictures below) He also mentioned he soaked the bio-balls in bleach?!!? is this safe?

2. I see a lot of controversy on the use of LR - I used it in my old tank and never had a problem. Would it be safe to start this tank with some LR and sand.
3. The mystery of the SUMP- He included Bio balls- Blue foam (I dont know the term for this), some bean bags( what are these for? and the 30 gallon tank WITHOUT the glass separators- He said the separators cracked in transition so he made glass that fits right in - all I have to do is use aquarium sealant to keep them in place- If you notice from the picture of the sump- theres white lines where the OLD glass was- Do I glue them there now and make an S shape so the water can flow through? I am also not sure WHAT goes in the tank and what goes in the sump? does all the water changes or top offs, go through the sump? I dont really understand how I am supposed to really GET to it as its below the tank and with the tank against the wall, once its filled up- its VERY HARD to access. Maybe someone can help me with what all is supposed to be there? I see theres a protein skimmer. Various tubes- I have NO IDEA what goes where- My old tank had everything hanging off the back- I know I am being very vague, thats how little I truly know about this set-up without paying someone close to 700.00 ;/
Lets start there, I hope someone is patient enough for this- I am LOST.

 

Hey, welcome back. So..let me start off by saying if it doesn't fit don't force it. I'll try and answer, answers are in bold.

 

Nicole....watch this video
CS Overflow - Overview and Installation - YouTube

 

I would throw out the foam, bio balls and the mesh bags of unknown substances...you wont want to reuse those items. Bio Balls are not needed at all, and there is god only knows what kind of badness in the other items. They are cheap to replace, so start there.

You probably need to look at the bulbs in that light fixture as well...It looks like they are T-5 bulbs, and they need to be replaced every 6-12 months...my guess is they are not new bulbs. Depending on what you want to keep, you need to order specific bulbs. I dont use T5 so I am not an expert on which bulbs to pick, but there are definately folks on this site that can help.

 

I think what he meant about the live rock is the hitchhiker factor. I used all dead rock and sand, used Dr Tims to cycle and my tank is hitchhiker and algae free. U don't need to use any live rock if you don't want too.

 

YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! So, I wont use LR- I will use Dead Rock and a cup of sand from an established tank (or I can buy live sand) to get started- NOW, I read these responses and have these questions.

Again, I kind of got lucky with my 30 gallon but, I know that wouldn't have lasted long if not for you guys!

1. What is DT? Devin refers to DT tank several times?
2. Does the protein skimmer shown there hand on the back of the sump and the tube goes to the actual tank? Im concerned with the actual spacing- I cant reach that sump AT ALL and its empty... does that need constant maintenance (again, SUMP NEWBIE)
As far as the lights go, he said there were two sets and he's had them for 2 years and they've never burnt out- I will try tonight to get it going as far as the sump is concerned. I STILL have no idea how its supposed to look- theres so many pieces!!

I will throw away the bio balls and use rock rubble- I see there are two compartments- to the SNAKE set-up he had I ASSUME one side I fill with Rock Rubble - wont this Creep into the other side? Do I need to clean that? do I do my top offs in there?

Can I start setting up my tank with tap water and salt mix? I don't see another solution.

 

Matt has a neat feature....If you hover your cursor over the abbreviation, it will show you what it stands for.

 

What do you mean?

 

ATI bulbs are what you will want.

I think you will be much happier down the road if you cash in the overflow and drill the tank.

 

But if your like me & use a phone to get online. You don't have a cursor. Dt= display tank