moving tank yet again

[drewster]

Alright, some of you have already seen me blabbering on this discussion board about simple questions that i should have looked up in the first place. Which is probably true. I now have another dilemna that i have tried to research but can't find an answer and you guys seem to be quite helpful. Let me start from the beginning. I bought my 55 gallon tank from a guy about a week ago that didn't take care of it very well at all. I drained 3/4 of the water and took it to my place. I scrubbed all the walls with a sponge, I tried to cyphen the bottom of all the crap and junk that was laying around. Looked like waste deposits i'm guessing. I filled the tank back up with new water. I cleaned all the equipment and ran the tank for a week. The tank already came with two clownfish so i left them in there. They are still alive and seem to be doing fine. I'm still not happy with the cleansiness of the tank. I am done with school next week and i'm moving back home with my parents for awhile. The tank is coming with me which means i have to do this whole process over again. I would like to do it differently though. This is where my question comes in. (You all probably abandoned this note by now) Is there a way to clean the live rock that i have thoroughly for when i set it up again? Also, can i clean my substrate better somehow? It seems to be a combination of crushed coral and sand. Mostly coral i believe. I'm no expert. He said it was live sand when i bought it but he didn't seem like a genious. Can i set up a big bucket with new saltwater and scrub the rocks with a toothbrush or something? The rocks seem to have a few bristleworms and other organisms already. Is this a problem? Any thoughts on how I should go about this next tank move would be appreciated. Thanks
*phew* long note

 

[beth]

You sound like a hobbyist with a "tank must be sparkling clean" attitude, which I can identify with as I am the same. However, when it comes to setting up "reef" type systems [which you have because of the live rock and live sand] your tank will NEVER be sparkling clean, except for the frist 2 mos that it is set up from scratch. Reef tanks have LIFE all over it, that is an integral part of what a reef system is. And some of that "life" is the muck you describe. You can clean up your rock some but you need to be careful with that. Do not use ANY chemicals, soaps, etc. Just clean in salt water using a soft toothbrush. As for the sand, you can't clean it without sterializing it, and once you sterialize it, it won't be "live" anymore. However, it will get life again as your setup cycles. The tank will always have slime, muck, growth, etc in it, which some aquarists view as "muck" or dirty, which is why some hobbyist stay with FO systems rather than reef systems.
I would suggest that you re-read the post I gave you the last time you asked this question.
Clean up as much as you want.
Start over with clean RO water that you can get at the grocery store.
Get rid of whatever substrate you have and buy new live sand OR, clean up what you are currently using, understanding that once you clean it, it will no longer be LIVE [but it will cycle and get live again once your system is set up].
Personally, I don't want to take on anyone else's problems, especially with the lack of maintenance you described from your friend. I'd go with a major clean up, and new water, and sterialized existing substrate, or new live sand.
[This message has been edited by beth (edited 04-29-2000).]

 

[mainejo1]

Drewster, I just set up a 90gal. that I bought well equiped from a woman who took wonderful care of it until she had to spend over two months in the hospital. SOoooooo, we are in the same boat. First of all, I agree with Beth about your gravel. I would ditch it and get a bag of crushed coral and a bag of live sand. I couldn't afford all live sand, so I mixed the two and I love the way it looks. Also, live sand will help your tank cycle alot faster. Before you put the new gravel and sand in, clean the tank well. Rinse the coral well, but not the live sand. Also, put a plate inthe bottom of the tank on top of the gravel bed. That way when you pour the water in the tank, the flow of water will be dispersed when it hits the plate and won't muddy up your water. As soon as your salinity and temp are OK, (1.021-1.023 and around 78 degrees, you should be able to put your clownfish back in. As far as your rock is concerned, I had a rough time getting the green algae off of mine--it is not easy to do. (A real PITA, actually). But, after your tank is fully cycled and levels are stable, you can get a tang or two that will help you clean up what you can't. I agree with Beth, I feel better starting from scratch with a new setup, but like you I got a deal I couldn't pass up so I did the best I could to make the conditions as good as possible. Good luck with your move, and have fun. It will all work out fine with alot of patience, planning, and passion!!

 

[clayton]

I would definately start from sratch, save a portion of the live sand if you like to help 'seed' the new tank. Watch out for the Bristle worms - they are bad!!

 

[drewster]

Bristleworms are bad? I have quite a few pink looking worms underneath my rocks. Are those bristleworms? I would love to start over from scratch but that costs money which i don't exactly have at the moment. I bought some turbo snails today to see if they would clean up a little before i tear the tank down. I hope I don't have some worm festation though that is bad. Thanks for the input guys.