[Hopefully this shows up as your text in black and mine in blue.][We live in the 75022 zip code. We don't know anything about what a salt water aquarium should look like but the first impression we had was that this was not a well taken care of tank.][Yes.][For a tank that had been serviced every 2 weeks we expected a better general state of cleanliness (inside and outside the tank) and less clutter and wiring hanging all over the place. We would love to know what an enthusiast opinion is of our tank before we have them come back out and continue service on the tank.[Here is a tank that gets serviced every 2 weeks:]
View attachment 4831[If you have the time/inclination/resources contained wires will look way nicer. Flexo F6 wire wrap is my personal recommendation. I don't want to know what constraints are on the current service company, so I don't want to make negative remarks without knowing their constraints.]][We are considering rebuilding the entire tank enclosure so if you know of qualified persons who can do this please let us know. The walls are not FRP or other water resistant material but rather regular drywall. the drywall is flaking all around the tank and it is only a matter of time before the walls deteriorate all together in our opinion. Anything metal in the vicinity is rusting.[The rust isn't surprising. Plan to waterproof everything and/or add good ventilation to cut down on this. Treat it like it is near a shower stall, except no exposed metal unless you use lids and possibly a fan. Anything that is exposed to salt mist, even slightly, will rust eventually. Lids significantly cut down on this (some upsides and downsides, lids vs. no lids is a longer conversation).]The tank doesn't seem to be supported by any structural element but rather just a wood beam whose connection is hidden behind drywall.....it may not be designed to hold 1000+ pounds of water and tank. One side of the tank platform has settled 1/2" (don't know the age of the tank).[I was ok until you mentioned the 1/2" settling, that is a problem. Age doesn't really matter, that shouldn't happen. My 300 gallon freshwater tank is in the same spot it's been since I moved in just over 3 years ago and it is just as level as the day I set it. I expect that 10 years from now that will not have changed. Two common methods for built ins are:][1) Build an independent stand with leveling feet, and then put the drywall around it.][2) Build it in to the structure. It sounds like option 2 was used here, and that it may not have been sufficient. I do like to make the back of eurobraced tanks (how yours is made) 1/16" to 1/8" lower than the front, but it should be very consistent, and the same end to end. A full 1/2" is a concern as the bottom may also no longer be flat, which is a large flood waiting to happen.]][Less relevant as the conclusion in your case seems to be "not enough", but the "Rocket Engineer" stand design has worked well for many people and provides a good rough guideline for how sturdy a wooden framed stand should be.][And the maze of electrical wires all around the tank is a bit disturbing. We feel like we need to do something to prevent a major problem one day. If there was someone more knowledgeable bout this we would love to get a second opinion. [An hour with good wire wrap and some zip ties would go a *very* long way. Also, if you're willing to re-route things you should put that power strip somewhere that it cannot get wet in the event of a flood, drip, etc. Don't try to shroud it, just move it.]][This is an acrylic tank and for the most part other than surface scratching, the tank appears to be in good condition. Is it worth it to upgrade to a glass tank? I would rather keep the acrylic unless there was a compelling reason to switch. After you spend 18 hours grinding the coraline out, then repolishing the entire inside of a running acrylic reef you'll feel differently. To be more specific:[Both are workable, I prefer glass. With acrylic you want either situations that don't require scraping algae (planted freshwater, low light tanks, non reef tanks), or you want to stay on top of it regularly so that the coraline does not build up. You *can* polish acrylic underwater in a reef safe manner, but I think I can count on one hand the number of people I've met who have actually done so. It also scratches easier than glass. Technically it is possible to polish glass (been there done that too), but unless you want to invest dozens of hours doing so it's easier to replace the tank than try to polish a glass tank, running or otherwise.][[To summarize, IMO it's much easier to maintain a glass reef, but most people aren't willing to replace an entire aquarium just to not deal with it]. Personally I put lighting and flow higher on the priority list than the tank material. If you are in a position to do so I'd go glass. Opt for low iron if the clarity is important to you. Pay attention to where your algae scraper is with respect to the sand, don't knock your rock stacks over, and all will be well.]][The protein skimmer has a small leak in it that is leaking about 1/2 gallon a day. It sits in a basin that acts as a sump. We have to siphon it out at least once a day to prevent overflow.][I mistakenly assumed it was water tight from the photo.][1) Fix the leak.][2) Either way, this should be set up so that the tub drains back in to the display. I know other people will disagree with me on this, but in 95% of cases if you can't safely walk away from a reef for a week without worry for an occasional vacation then it's time to make some changes.][What does a a RODI system cost? Is this the same as a RO system that we would install for home drinking water? Will the tank require new plumbing to bring it's own water source to the tank? How is the salt added to the RODI water? [There's some more detail to this, but go to Bulk Reef Supply and look around. Check your local water Co., but you probably have chloramine rather than plain chlorine in the water. Different issues if you're on a well. Options for all budgets, but it is cheaper to make your own water than to buy it from a store, plus it's always there. I highly recommend setting yourself up with an auto shutoff valve, pretty much everyone without one ends up eventually flooding the place they make water if not (you can of course make your water in a sink or bathtub so that the "flood" just goes down the drain, but that wastes RO water and the filters aren't free). This requires a drain, but it doesn't need to be next to the tank (although that is really nice for maintenance). Common methods are moving water through the house with a hose/pump, 5 gallon cube jugs (easier than buckets), or a Brute garbage can on wheels (this one carries a risk of tip-over).]] [There is a clip on fan that cools the lights. It has also rusted from the salt water exposure. ] [Any advice or input would be very much appreciated. ][IMO you could make a very nice reef with your current setup and a few hours of cleanup, obviously that would cost a good bit less than replacing the entire thing. I would learn a bit about how it works, or at least keep the current setup until you have an idea of where you want to go. That will leave you much better versed in what to get if you do decide to replace it.]