aquarium dried up 4years...salvageable?

[Angela2016]

I have an opportunity to get a large saltwater aquarium with everything a a great price. Only problem is it hasn't been in operation for about 3 years. They allowed it to dry up without draining it. What concerns should I have? Thanks.

 

[Josh King]

If glass with a silicone seal, it will most likely need to be cut out, cleaned and resealed. I did it on a 55. It wasn't too bad if your a DIY person. You will need to use aquarium safe silicone. Lots of info out there on this topic. You tube.

 

[ReeferBob]

It is probably ok as is. Clean it up, fill it with water and let it sit for a few days. Just sitting will not ruin a tank.

 

[bevo5]

^^^^Agreed - fill it up in your driveway first. Let it chill out for a bit and then you'll be good to go.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Agree +3. Shouldn't be a problem....but simply water test it. If outside, don't know were you live, but you don't want any chance of it freezing. So if you live in colder climates, do your water check in the basement or heated garage.

I'm also sure you'll have to give that rock plenty of time to cure, having gone dry by just total lack of attention.

Pitch the sand and get new sand.

 

[Angela2016]

I'm pretty new to this. What do you mean by "time to cure"?UOTE="redfishbluefish, post: 2683634, member: 21186"]Agree +3. Shouldn't be a problem....but simply water test it. If outside, don't know were you live, but you don't want any chance of it freezing. So if you live in colder climates, do your water check in the basement of heated garage.

I'm also sure you'll have to give that rock plenty of time to cure, having gone dry by just total lack of attention.

Pitch the sand and get new sand.[/QUOTE]
Im

 

[redfishbluefish]

The rock that was in that tank when it was running was actually termed "live rock" because it was loaded with good bacteria and other little creatures. When the rock is allowed to dry out, all these guys die. Now when you re-wet this rock, that dead and decaying stuff needs to get out. This is termed "curing" the rock.

Simply put, you place the rock in saltwater with a little flow (powerheads) and a heater. No light is necessary. You let the rock just sit there and do it's thing of leaching out the dead stuff. On occasion you test for nitrates and phosphates, and when high, you do water changes. Keep doing this until the rock is putting out less nitrates and phosphates. This could take a month or two. The one good thing about this is that the rock should become "live" again with new bacteria moving in, during this process.

EDIT TO ADD:

One more note, since this is a new tank setup, this whole process can be done right in the tank. That is, set it up and just let it sit. If it were me, and I wanted a sand bottom, I would wait a month or so before putting in the sand. Let the rock get a jump start on curing without the sand. AND, by no means are you putting in any fish or CUC until this tank has gone through the cure and has cycled.

 

[Angela2016]

The rock that was in that tank when it was running was actually termed "live rock" because it was loaded with good bacteria and other little creatures. When the rock is allowed to dry out, all these guys die. Now when you re-wet this rock, that dead and decaying stuff needs to get out. This is termed "curing" the rock.

Simply put, you place the rock in saltwater with a little flow (powerheads) and a heater. No light is necessary. You let the rock just sit there and do it's thing of leaching out the dead stuff. On occasion you test for nitrates and phosphates, and when high, you do water changes. Keep doing this until the rock is putting out less nitrates and phosphates. This could take a month or two. The one good thing about this is that the rock should become "live" again with new bacteria moving in, during this process.

EDIT TO ADD:

One more note, since this is a new tank setup, this whole process can be done right in the tank. That is, set it up and just let it sit. If it were me, and I wanted a sand bottom, I would wait a month or so before putting in the sand. Let the rock get a jump start on curing without the sand. AND, by no means are you putting in any fish or CUC until this tank has gone through the cure and has cycled.

Thank you.

 

[Angela2016]

So the sand isn't salvageable at all? Or is it just too much work for something so easily replaced?

 

[redfishbluefish]

You can salvage sand, but it's messy and takes a bunch of water, and best done outside. I use a 5 gallon bucket with about 1/3 filled with sand. Put a garden hose in it while running, swishing around the hose and letting the bucket overflow with that nasty water. Continue doing this, even dumping out the water and refilling, until the water is squeaky clean clear. Repeat with the remaining sand until it is all done. I actually spread the sand out and let it dry as well, but that isn't necessary.

 

[Justiful]

So the sand isn't salvageable at all? Or is it just too much work for something so easily replaced?

For the price of sand, and the effort it would take to wash a large amount completely decayed like that... I would just buy new. Sand is usually cheap unless you want live sand, but all sand becomes live sooo.... kinda an extra that don't make sense.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I do it in the tub with the hand held shower thingy. I sit on the side with a 5 gallon bucket half full of sand, place the hose in there and just stir and stir until it's clear. Some of my sand is over 35 years old. It just gets reused and reused and reused. The sand we use you can't get anymore either, so I guess there's also that.......

 

[Tru REEF]

U can also add vinegar while u allow it to run for a day or two in your driveway or home. This will help remove all the salt and flim around the aquarium.

 

[PatW]

I would do pretty much as above. The seal may not be good. But it can be tested by just filling it up and seeing if it leaks. Best done outside. Also, it probably needs a good clean. I would be tempted to fill it with water and bleach for a day. The bleach will get rid of most of the dead organic material. I would drain it, rinse it and refill with water and a couple of gallons of distilled white vinegar to remove caked on salt deposits.

 

[Angela2016]

I have a question about cleaning the aquarium after it has sat for so long. Can I just use tap water to rinse everything off? Or should I use filtered water for everything including washing the sand and (dead) live rock?

 

[PatW]

You can use tap water for the cleaning and filling the tank for a leak test. After that, I would empty the tank and rinse it With rodi water.

 

[Angela2016]

W

You can use tap water for the cleaning and filling the tank for a leak test. After that, I would empty the tank and rinse it With rodi water.

what about the live rock and sand? Can it be rinsed with the tap water too? Or should it only have ro water?

 

[Diesel]

All good points to get you going.
Do you have any pictures of the tank + equipment?

 

[Angela2016]

[QE="Diesel, post: 2691764, member: 21535"]

All good points to get you going.
Do you have any pictures of the tank + equipment?[/QUOTE]
I don't at this time. It's at the sellers house still. Picking it up sometime this month. But she's agreed to let me clean and water test it today at her house. So I wanted to know if it's ok to use city tap water to do that.

 

[cmcoker]

[QE="Diesel, post: 2691764, member: 21535"]

All good points to get you going.
Do you have any pictures of the tank + equipment?

I don't at this time. It's at the sellers house still. Picking it up sometime this month. But she's agreed to let me clean and water test it today at her house. So I wanted to know if it's ok to use city tap water to do that.[/QUOTE]
Tap is fine