Can I clean out algae in new tank??? New at this

[chrisrench]

I am buying a already cycled tank (115 gal), I am due to pick it up this saturday, my question is this. There is alot of red algae on the back of the glass in the back of the tank. Would it be safe for me to scrape it off and take it out or because I am moving the tank, should I leave it in there to help the fish acclimate (tank already has fish in it. Any input would be appreciated. this is my first saltwater tank and I am a little scared over here.

 

[swizcore]

Someone please correct me if i am wrong but the presence of algae is not harmful to the fish just an eyesore or not if your into that. i would think that if you start scraping and strring up the algae the bio-balance might get upset and stress the fish..?
Someone put me in check please.

 

[chrisrench]

Thank you but let me correct myself. I was going to scrape off the algae when I break the tank down to move it to my house (I am buying it from someone else) So the fish or water wouldn't be in it while I took the algae out. I just didn't want it to upset the ecosystem when I put the live rock, invertes and fish back in. I was wondering if it would hurt the ecosystem if I placed the water back in it but the algae was no longer present.

 

[fishgirl2]

we were told to use phos-zorb in the filter to eliminate green algae...

 

[jastim]

Removing the algae from the back of the tank should be fine. You mention the tank is already cycled. What is the main type of bio-filteration you will be using (live rock, wet/dry filter, etc...)? Depending on how you go about setting it back up and what you are using for bio-filtration you may see a small ammonia spike once you get it set up again.

 

[superman]

Right up my alley. I bought a cycled 55 from a friend. When we moved it we got all the algae of the tank walls. My tank is running great now, and the algae just grew back.

 

[chrisrench]

It is a 125 gal DAS protien skimmer (I'm taking that too) and a 150 gal wet/dry filter. (also taking with me.) I expect the algae to come back, I just can't decide if I should take it out during the setup or leave it in. So I was wondering about the benefits or disasters of doing either.

 

[jastim]

I would be very careful about assuming the tank can still be considered cycled after you take it down move it and set it up again. The thing that makes your tank "cycled" is the amount of bacteria growth you have in your wet/dry filter. When you take down your tank you are in effect taking away their food source (ammonia and nitrites in the water). If your tank is down for any length of time you will experience die off. It is just a matter of how much. I would get the tank set up ASAP after you take it down. I would not be suprised if you get an ammonia spike after setting it up again. You may want to prepare in case this happens.

 

[chrisrench]

Well, I have about 140 lbs of live rock in the tank, and I am keeping the water that was in it. I only live 20 miles from where i am breaking it down from. What do you reccomment for ammonia spikes? thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

 

[jastim]

Sounds like with that much lr you should be in good shape. You might make sure you keep the lr in the water with a lot of circulation until it goes back in the tank. You might try something like Amquel for ammonia spikes if you get one. I think your lr should serve you well though. If all else fails do 15%-20% water change dilutions every half day or so until the ammonia and/or nitrites are under control. This is probably your best bet. Make sure you monitor the water for ammonia maybe once every couple days or so for the first couple of weeks so you can react quickly.
I would be curious to know how it turns out and if you do see a small spike.

 

[chrisrench]

Well, I go pick up the tank tomorrow (sat.) so I will let you know. Circulation shouldn't be a problem for the lv since it will be in huge buckets in the back of a truck. haha I will let you know how everthing turned out and I really appreciate the help. Thank you.

 

[chrisrench]

Well, we did it, the tank is now set up, there was indeed a ammonia spike, I treated it, it is still a little high, but it is coming down and the fish seem to be fine. Thanks for all your help.

 

[underthesea]

You should be fine to take the alge off the back of the tank. When you move the tank just keep the boi balls in a bucket of saltwater from the tank and you should be fine. I have moved plenty of times and never had anyproblem with my tank spiking after the move. Just do it asap and make sure you keep the bio balls and live rock wet and you should be fine. Best of luck with you and have fun with the hobby.