Starting Over...AHHHH!!!

noaquariumyet

noaquariumyet

Member
Ok lost my tank of 2 years...I want to restart...Heres my plan...
1. take out all live rock and put into premixed tubs of saltwater w/ powerhead and heater
2. drain tank...(if i drain it all the way will "live" sand become "dead"?)
3. wash all powerheads, heaters, sump skimmer....(everything)
4. fill tank with fresh water and mix salt in tank...
5. wait 2 days.
6. do a freshwater dip with the rocks to rid of whatever may have destroyed my first tank..
7. place rocks in the tank...
7b. turn on skimmer, powerheads heater..
8. start to cycle tank using raw shrimp
9. test water to be sure no ammonia in tank
10. do a water change...
11. put in fish!!!!!
I cant wait to get it going again... please let me know if i have covered all things that need to be done to get my tank up and running again I havent cycled a tank in 2 years..
?what is the best way to handle the sand...In other words, what is the best way to ensure that the sand is kept live???
 
D

dholmblad

Guest
It is suggested to ditch the sand, since your going to be emptying the tank this seems like a good time to switch it out for new sand.
 
J

jcrim

Guest
I disagree... some established sand will help keep your cycle to a minimum and help the stability of the tank. Keep the sand wet. In fact, I try to keep the water level just over the sand. If you have any bio-balls submerse them in a bucket with an airstone. Preserve all the bacteria you can.
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by noaquariumyet
Ok lost my tank of 2 years...I want to restart...Heres my plan...
1. take out all live rock and put into premixed tubs of saltwater w/ powerhead and heater
2. drain tank...(if i drain it all the way will "live" sand become "dead"?)
3. wash all powerheads, heaters, sump skimmer....(everything)
4. fill tank with fresh water and mix salt in tank...
5. wait 2 days.
6. do a freshwater dip with the rocks to rid of whatever may have destroyed my first tank..
7. place rocks in the tank...
7b. turn on skimmer, powerheads heater..
8. start to cycle tank using raw shrimp
9. test water to be sure no ammonia in tank
10. do a water change...
11. put in fish!!!!!
I cant wait to get it going again... please let me know if i have covered all things that need to be done to get my tank up and running again I havent cycled a tank in 2 years..
?what is the best way to handle the sand...In other words, what is the best way to ensure that the sand is kept live???
But what destroy your tank in the first place??? If it's really something that bad, you might as well toss out the sand too. Whatever it was that destroy your tank can live within the sand bed too. You have to tell us what happened in order for us to help you.
 
noaquariumyet

noaquariumyet

Member
i think its a combo of things...i let the water stand for 1 day with litte water flow... and a raw shrimp that i thought was eaten was found in the bottom of the tank after i looked and saw all dead fish... i think the ammonia spiked too high ...
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by noaquariumyet
i think its a combo of things...i let the water stand for 1 day with litte water flow... and a raw shrimp that i thought was eaten was found in the bottom of the tank after i looked and saw all dead fish... i think the ammonia spiked too high ...
If that's what happened there's NO need to empty out your tank to start over. Do a 25% water change, get some power heads. Let it run for about 2 weeks, do not use tap water by the way. Use RO/DI water to do water change. You can buy premix saltwater too from ***** or your local LFS. Test your water parameter for salinity, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, etc. Don't put nothing in there until your Ammonia and Nitrite are at 0 and Nitrate's under 20ppm. If everything is still pretty high, do anther 25% water change in a week, don't forget to siphon your substrate to get some of that stuffs out. Then after all that goes well, then add a Green Chromis to see if everything goes well. Good Luck...Just my thoughts by the way... :happyfish
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by noaquariumyet
can anyone respond to mike...is he correct..no offense mike!!!!
No offense taken and by all means get plenty of advice before you invest anymore money on fish. :happyfish
 
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