Buying a neglected system

[KSReefing]

Hey everyone,

So I am thinking about buying a system from a local that has completely neglected his tank. The tank is a 75 gallon tank filled with live rock that has obviously seen better days. My question is how can I possibly take his rock and completely kill it off making it free of pests, algae and all that sorts. I will not be in any rush to set the tank up because I will be swapping my stuff from my IM Nuvo 30L. The equipment this set up comes with is well worth the money hes asking for it so putting in the extra work to clean a tank and rebuild the stand is no big deal for me.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

You could bleach or acid wash the rock but you would be killing months/years worth of maturity. Does he/she know what pests exist or would it be too much of a gamble?

 

[itsken37]

Take the rocks and put them in bleach water for a day. then rinse, scrube, soak repeatedly for 30 days

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Bleach will gas off in 24-48 hours naturally.

48 hours in a bleach/water solution 1:7 should work. Give it a light scrub at the halfway point. Rinse until you can't smell the bleach and a final rinse in RO with dechlorinator (hefty amount). Let air dry for atleast 24 hours and give it a sniff. Proceed to cycling.

Bleach will degrade fairly quickly so if you have remaining organics then make a new bleach solution every few days.

 

[sfin52]

Whats wrong with the rocks? Sand toss. The great thing about old live rock is the maturity. Thats all gone with bleach or acid

 

[KSReefing]

You could bleach or acid wash the rock but you would be killing months/years worth of maturity. Does he/she know what pests exist or would it be too much of a gamble?

Not sure on pests but I can't Imagine that is free of pests. I have always started all my systems with dry rock so really it's all I know haha.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Put the LR in a tote and QT it for a few weeks. If time is not an issue it would be better to treat the rock for algae and pests then starting from scratch.

 

[tankstudy]

If the equipment is worth the money, I would just buy it for the equipment. You can never tell what's on or in the live rock. I would just chunk it and use your own live rock from your 30 combined with new dry rock live rock.

It's not worth the risk to find out the real reason the hobbyist neglected their tank was due to an unknown infestation.

 

[KSReefing]

If the equipment is worth the money, I would just buy it for the equipment. You can never tell what's on or in the live rock. I would just chunk it and use your own live rock from your 30 combined with new dry rock live rock.

It's not worth the risk to find out the real reason the hobbyist neglected their tank was due to an unknown infestation.

I would agree.

Hes got a Classic Full Apex, DOS, DDR, 2 AI hydra 26Hds, eshopps skimmer, jebao return pump, MP40QD, Sump, 75 gallon reef ready, Looks like around 100#s of live rock. A Current led light (Plan on selling) .

Wants $700 for it. I have a the new apex already haha but I feel like a backup would be nice for a 3rd tank I will inevitability set up.


Any recommendations on treating the rock? Again time is not an issue. I will be completely rebuilding the stand for it. Building and aquarium cabinet and really putting some planning in to it.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Do ittttt

 

[cngh]

if time is not an issue, then i'd go with bleaching/vinegar baths and basically do a complete reset on that LR (which will be dead rock afterwards). once it's cleaned up and you know 100% nothing is alive on it anymore, then cycle it in a tub or bin with some of your LR from your old tank. you control the variables in this scenario. then if/when you need it down the road, it'll be ready, pristine, and pest/algae free.

if you QT, you just don't know what maybe went dormant or is just barely hanging on, which then gets a new lease on life when you introduce seemingly QT'd LR into your new system. there's not as much certainty you won't introduce some nuisance.

my .02 cents, if it's coming from a stranger's neglected system and they did who knows what to it, just nuke it (to be clear: not in the microwave sense. do not put in microwave!) and re-cycle it.

 

[piranhaman00]

Dont kill the rocks, treat for anything present in a tote or something.

 

[Deschutes541]

I'm sorry for derailing the thread but why not simply lay out the rock outside for a few days instead of bleaching? Surely any pests would be dead by then.

 

[WIReefer]

Dont kill the rocks, treat for anything present in a tote or something.

I agree if the rocks are old and mature I would definitely not want to lose that.

 

[KSReefing]

Example of some of the rock.

 

[PR_nano]

That doesn't look bad. Add some clean up crew and you should be good.

 

[Cole.mormon]

Plus one on the cuc

 

[X-37B]

Keep it live!
I would put it a brute can/tote and run a fluconazole treatment while manually removing the algae and anything else you dont want.
After the treatment add 3-40 astrea snails to keep algae in check.
Dont kill the live rock, lol!

 

[jeffrey750750]

I would scrub brush that rock in fresh saltwater and use it. Looks pretty established, how long has his tank been up?

 

[KSReefing]

Sounds like he bought the rock live from a store over 2 years ago. So it’s definitely got some life to it. I ended up pulling the trigger on the setup and scored on it being he dropped the price down an additional $100. I’ll pick it up next week.

He has 2 mixing barrels I’ll put the rock in . I already have an RODI setup. I’ve got plenty of power heads/ pumps to circulate as well as heaters. So I should be good there.