Resurrecting a very old tank

My dad ran this tank (55 gallon) since I was a Freshman in High School up till about 10 years ago. I assisted him with maintaining it and a 155 gallon tank, so I have some experience. It was a reef tank that he was able to keep afloat until he moved and everything died in it when he moved. I’m now 30 and he is giving it to me.

That said, I’ve done a leak test on the tank for a 24 hour period and I have no leaks. I’m also assuming to wash the tank out with nothing but water?

He also had a light that he stated was used to assist is growth, the cable looks like it got munched on by some rats or got damaged in the move… plus the plug looks like it has about 10 years of corrosion on it. I plan on replacing the plug/wire and testing later today.

Which leaves the filter system. He told me that the air pump that powers the entire filter was missing, so I need to find a new one. I also noticed that the airstones being used are old and so is the carbon filter. Also noticed the rubber tubing has gone brittle with age.

Now that you have an idea of the age of this thing, I just need some pointers to avoid issues with using aged equipment. Any other gotcha’s I am missing? What about using a UPS to keep things moving during power outtages?

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