32g rework...

[Jedi1199]

My 32g tank has been a real problem for quite a while now. I just cant seem to get the algae under control. Today I decided it's time to do a full rework on this tank. Pried off all the coral frags and removed all of the rock. Scraping all of the algae off the back as possible and scrub the rocks clean. and finally about a 75% water change. It is quite a chore but I hope this will solve my algae problems, or at least get it down to a manageable level.

 

[brandon429]

what are you doing w the sandbed

are you treating the rocks in any way as they're scraped

 

[Jedi1199]

what are you doing w the sandbed

are you treating the rocks in any way as they're scraped

For the rocks, once cleaned off, I will place in a brute can with RO water for a while to make sure any issues from the tap water are gone. I have plenty of rock from my other tanks to use to keep the cycle from going wonky (I hope) lol

The sandbed I will give a good vacuum to. When I started this tank I used the "live" caribsea directly from the bag. It wasn't till a couple months later that you told me that I should have rinsed it first. so hopefully a good thorough vacuum will help

 

[brandon429]

You gotta see Shadow_k’s rip clean of a tank just this size though

it’s so detailed it may change your mind on some of the plans, for the benefit of your reef after the cleaning

the least fuel that is upwelled in there as you remove rocks and set them back, the better


would you want to consider what shadow just did with a 20g it’s the best shocking after pics I’ve seen





there is a benefit to 100% cleaning vs 75% and its safer this way too. zero recycle risk this clean way here, wanted to note the option.

 

[Jedi1199]

I did a little reading on the "Rip Clean" a while back... I agree the results are what I am after. So tired of fighting this stupid little tank. Can you refresh my memory?

 

[brandon429]

pls forgive the lenthy cut n paste but he documented it so, so well:
JBJ 20 gallon AIO dealing with a bad cyano/Dino back and forth for 4 months.I’ve tried chemicals, natural ways could not get rid of it.

here is my journey for my easy rip clean

Draining the tank after removing all the inverts , fish and corals.

Put my rocks in a bucket to swish around/scrub I did not take a picture of the scrubbing of the rock.

tank cleaned out and rinsed with RODI water

Now I tackled the sand this is My sand after 1 rinse

rinse number 75 and yes I counted haha

Rinse 120 crystal clear water mixed it with my hand and water stayed clear.

My camera doesn’t do this tank justice it’s crystal clear !


(adding in an all white shot, the most revealing shot in reefing, hides nothing, shows complete skip cycle clarity here)

thank you Shadow_k for your work, pics, and smashing thorough rinse job, no bottle bac used here whatsoever. Complete skip cycle rip clean complete.


after two weeks

 

[brandon429]

he tap rinsed the sand a hundred times till it was clear. final sand rinse in ro, set back setup with all new water not 75%

even if you buy new sand, it takes nearly that many rinses to be that clear we show. skipping pre rinse of sand isnt the best approach, it doesnt produce instant laser clean pics like pre rinsing does.

dont add bottle bac, its a skip cycle setup because your live rocks never dry out and contact only saltwater.

what happens to sandbed bacteria doesn't matter, we blasted them to the moon there via the bathtub drain.

his after pics would have been slightly grayer, less vibrant had he rinsed the sand less than he did.


when we say rinse to zero clouding, that cannot be understated


the cleaner you rinse sand, the happier your tank is for weeks and weeks after, until you pack it all in with waste again (circle of detritus)

all corals are brighter, fully open again due to the rip clean we dosed literally nothing into the setup, they like to be rip cleaned secretly/clearly

 

[Jedi1199]

OK... Well I have already scrubbed the rocks off under running tap water. so it is too late to change that. The sand I can do no problem. For the skip-cycle, as I said above, I can toss in a few pieces of rock from another established tank until the tap washed rock is ready to go back in.

Should I soak the tap washed rocks in saltwater or RO?

Edit: for documentation purposes, here is a FTS of this poor tank that I snapped on Friday morning 9-23-21. I wish I had thought to take a shot under plain white lights... too late now.

 

[brandon429]

saltwater


and I bet 100% you did not sterilize them, they're still cycled. too brief of a run, its not like 2 days of soaking

still safe

lol they're mega clean now this will still work. hit the sand hard and clean it will all skip cycle still.

later on ill post you a thread where Amalee75 did a tap run on her rocks it was fine, just rare/

the young lady wasn't joking around and blasted off her brush algae with a vehicle pressure washer. I associate with over doers like that very very well.


filter bacteria are too well insulated in slicks and sloughs to be harmed by brief tap rinsing/

its why the insides of the pipes in my apartment literally look like peanut butter, though only hot vs cold tap flows through.

 

[Jedi1199]

the young lady wasn't joking around and blasted off her brush algae with a vehicle pressure washer. I associate with over doers like that very very well.

Haha!! Now THAT is some serious cleaning... wish I had thought of that!! lol

 

[brandon429]

found it
i never forget an extreme work example.

Build Thread - Amalee’s 75g Build

Hello everyone! So I never thought I’d start a build thread, but here I am. I currently own a Waterbox 20. But I got a 75g with a stand during a trade and at first I doubted my decision but I am actually very happy I went through with the trade! The overall budget is $1000 including livestock...

www.reef2reef.com

her rocks got an extended tap water blasting at 300 psi lol for a long, long time and it still skip cycled.

for the sake of coralline heavy rocks, or rocks with tubeworms and pods we can saltwater them instead where possible.

 

[Jedi1199]

Oh yes.. should I remove all of the media from the filter? I have a mix of rock rubble and bio-balls in the rear chamber as well as standard filter floss and the little floss/carbon cartridge that are made for this tank (Bio-cube 32).

Obviously the filter floss and cartridge are toast, was more wondering if I should remove and clean all the rubble and bio-balls?

 

[brandon429]

for sure. your rocks alone will carry the whole system, clean out those areas completely of detritus, wipe out the slicks etc.

Id keep the biomedia in saltwater rinse for those, as an offset for the tapping of the front rocks this is a mere insurance alignment I dont think it'd recycle even if you removed your filter and never put it back. we are cleaning out any areas that may spew waste when started back up in the clean tank. its important not to use bottle bacteria in these cleaning jobs we need to demonstrate the trust that updated cycling science gives for each reef. the bottle bac sales machine wants us flinch-dosing for every aquarium move.

even with the tap assault, that will not kill your filter bacteria. I'm 100% sure. being cloudless on the reassembly is 100% the job due

that lysmata is the weakest reef animal you could own for this job, he'll be a literal mine canary and the cleaner you reassemble the higher his chances of success for sure.


your tank already looks good I like your standards~ thought it was going to be a rough challenge

 

[Jedi1199]

Well now I need to figure out what to do with the fish and corals in that tank while I finish the process... Perhaps the 20g brute can I am draining the tank into... I'm thinking as long as I siphon off just the water, and don't disturb the sand it should be ok...

 

[brandon429]

Yes agreed

match that temp and salinity in the new tanks water it’ll work great

 

[brandon429]

If you drew off any water from that original column above and its clear/not cloudy its ok to reuse and save that much more makeup water. thought that might help/attaining 32 gallons all new would take me many blue bottles taken to the lfs.


reef water specifically contains cycling bacteria though the crowd will say it doesn't, adding some water back is safer than adding any old sand back and yes it gives a minor reintroduction of some original bacterial mass (on the tiny suspended particles found in all reef tank display water-these inclusions in a single drop under a microscope are transmissible rafts of cycling bacteria)

and if you have all new water, use it and forget the extra bac. Shadow used all new water

 

[Jedi1199]

I have plenty of fresh water to refill the tank with. Not a concern there at all.. I have 32g of already mixed SW as well as over 50g of fresh RO water.

 

[brandon429]

excellent backup! the cleaner the better then, can't wait to see finals.

they dont need pH matched or any params other than 100% new bright clean water matching current water's salinity and temp.

 

[Jedi1199]

Might as well document as I go..

Everyone out of the pool!!

Still have some water to drain off...

 

[brandon429]

this is the point in surgery where the reef tank patient is going into second stage rem, the tank itself babbling as it drifts off into sleep at the behest of the anesthesiologist. the tank wakes up looking like Shadow's after pics, very happy about the situation.