Cleaning aquarium

[Hilltopreef90]

I’ve had an algae problem ever since I can remember in my 28 gallon cube and I’m starting to wonder if it’s because I didn’t kill all the stuff that might have been in it when I first got it (it was used from a friend) I cleaned it well with plain water but didn’t use bleach or anything to kill lingering algae and who knows what else.
I’m going to upgrade but I plan to clean the cube again and thought this time I’d run bleach through the tank, rinse well, use prime rinse again before I add new sand, and salt water.
I’m moving a smaller tank into it and planned to use the rock, and salt water from it to start off the cube.
Will that be sufficient or do I need to go through a cycle all over ?
I definitely do not want to harm my fish by moving them if it’s not safe

 

[blaxsun]

That should be sufficient, yes. @brandon429 has a thread detailing the process to insta-cycle the new tank using your existing rocks, etc.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

I’ve had an algae problem ever since I can remember in my 28 gallon cube and I’m starting to wonder if it’s because I didn’t kill all the stuff that might have been in it when I first got it (it was used from a friend) I cleaned it well with plain water but didn’t use bleach or anything to kill lingering algae and who knows what else.
I’m going to upgrade but I plan to clean the cube again and thought this time I’d run bleach through the tank, rinse well, use prime rinse again before I add new sand, and salt water.
I’m moving a smaller tank into it and planned to use the rock, and salt water from it to start off the cube.
Will that be sufficient or do I need to go through a cycle all over ?
I definitely do not want to harm my fish by moving them if it’s not safe

That should be sufficient, yes. @brandon429 has a thread detailing the process to insta-cycle the new tank using your existing rocks, etc.

How do I find his post ?

 

[blaxsun]

A thread tracking pure skip cycle instant reefs, no bottle bac

This is a testless cycling thread, we don't want ammonia testing here for any job if possible, because we are teaching reefers/readers that moving live rocks system to system does not restart the cycle: many in our community don't understand that rule and feel that any tank being setup simply...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[attiland]

I’ve had an algae problem ever since I can remember in my 28 gallon cube and I’m starting to wonder if it’s because I didn’t kill all the stuff that might have been in it when I first got it (it was used from a friend) I cleaned it well with plain water but didn’t use bleach or anything to kill lingering algae and who knows what else.
I’m going to upgrade but I plan to clean the cube again and thought this time I’d run bleach through the tank, rinse well, use prime rinse again before I add new sand, and salt water.
I’m moving a smaller tank into it and planned to use the rock, and salt water from it to start off the cube.
Will that be sufficient or do I need to go through a cycle all over ?
I definitely do not want to harm my fish by moving them if it’s not safe

I don’t think you need bleach to be honest. Algae will find its way to your tank anyway.
you needed to find the cause of your problem instead

 

[nereefpat]

We've all got algae. There's no way to keep algae out. What kind of algae is giving you trouble?

Pics?

 

[cooltowncorals]

You should have no problems moving the rock and water from the tank over

manual removal is easiest way to get rid of hair algae

 

[cooltowncorals]

If your water is full of nutrients your problem will follow though

you can clean you tank that way but I would just scrub it with warm water personally and rinse it out with RO

are you using anything to combat your nitrate or phosphate like carbon dosing it GFO?

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I’ve had an algae problem ever since I can remember in my 28 gallon cube and I’m starting to wonder if it’s because I didn’t kill all the stuff that might have been in it when I first got it (it was used from a friend) I cleaned it well with plain water but didn’t use bleach or anything to kill lingering algae and who knows what else.
I’m going to upgrade but I plan to clean the cube again and thought this time I’d run bleach through the tank, rinse well, use prime rinse again before I add new sand, and salt water.
I’m moving a smaller tank into it and planned to use the rock, and salt water from it to start off the cube.
Will that be sufficient or do I need to go through a cycle all over ?
I definitely do not want to harm my fish by moving them if it’s not safe

if you are using rock and water moved over, super intense cleaning is wasted effort because you are reintroding spores of what you just killed....

 

[Hilltopreef90]

if you are using rock and water moved over, super intense cleaning is wasted effort because you are reintroding spores of what you just killed....

I’m not moving any of the rock or water from the tank with the GHA over, I’m cleaning it well then moving another smaller tank and it’s contents excluding the sand.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

If your water is full of nutrients your problem will follow though

you can clean you tank that way but I would just scrub it with warm water personally and rinse it out with RO

are you using anything to combat your nitrate or phosphate like carbon dosing it GFO?

I’ve tried and continue to try everything to reduce the phosphate and nitrates, I use Rodi water, I use GFO, not sure what you mean by carbon dosing. I lanky feed my fish once a day and don’t think I’m over feeding, I’m wondering if maybe some snails or shrimp died (2 peppermint shrimp seem to be awol) to cause the algae to intensify ‍ It was beginning to seem under control and the phosphate was dropping now it’s gotten worse. I do weekly water changes and have been consistent for several months
The tank and algae is pictured below

 

[cooltowncorals]

Look up no3Pox or carbon dosing with vodka or vinegar

Don’t use in conjunction with GFO

I’ve had much better luck with carbon dosing then I ever did with GFO

I use no3Pox from Red Sea

you can scrub the rocks clean when you move them and spray them with hydrogen peroxide search R2R on this too lots of threads

 

[nereefpat]

Before carbon dosing or GFO or whatever, I would be curious to know nitrate and phosphate levels and how those are being tested?

 

[Arthurfarris]

It is essential to test your water source if it is in high phosphate and even elevated nitrates. All of these minerals can help in overgrowing algae in your fish tank. You can use phosphate removing chemicals or might change your water source to prevent problems in the future. As for the nitrate levels, it does not look good if you change the water if you are adding nutrients in the tank by adding tap water.