New & Have Some Questions! Long Post!

[ReefNeebie]

Hey everyone! This is my first post here, and it’s going to be a bit of a long one lol

So About 4 years ago I was living at my dads and worked at a pet store and I got a 54 Gallon Corrner Tank for very cheap and 2 Fluval FX6 Filters for free. Then shortly after a different local pet store was closing so I bought a bunch of their live rock for dirt cheep! I put the tank together not knowing much about what it takes aha after I had it sorta set up, heater one filter on with some media in it, several air rocks and 2 current makers. I moved out of my dads place but I couldn’t take the tank with me. So I left it. My dad unplugged everything and let the water go down to where it wouldn’t evaporate any more. This let tons of algae grow and some of the rock to be exposed and some not.

That was 4 years ago, I recently just moved back in with my dad due to Covid and got the tank filled back up and let things settle for a while. I had it cycling for almost a year (longer then needed I know) chemical levels were 100% stable. Then I noticed small things growing all over my rocks. I thought it was small corals or something. They were very small curly at the bottom and a long tube. Come to find out (from the forms on here) that they are Vermetid Snails (I have posted a pic here just so you guys can see them) and there are HUNDREDS if not thousands of them alllll over my rock.

I have now totally disassembled my tank put my rock in 20L buckets filled with water in anticipation of moving in hopefully the next few months. But my concern is what to do from here? I’ve seen bleaching the rocks kills them but all the algae I’ve built up over the past few years will be wiped out and don’t have anywhere to go to get any easily. But if I keep a rock with the algae as the seeder I know the snails will come back too. And there are too many to glue/go on a murderous rampage. Lol

So my first question is: How do I run my tank without a sump or protein skimmer and only using the Fluval FX6? Or should I also get a HOB protein skimmer?

So my second question is: The algae on the rock worth saving? Or should I bleach my rocks and start over again? I also have live sand and wondering if that will have to be bleached too or if I can use that to seed my tank again.

New and just looking for some general pointers!
Thanks

 

[boacvh]

If you are starting over I would do just that, start over. Personally don't consider them a big deal, but if you don't like them, and you are starting from scratch, that's the perfect chance to just get rid of them. The coraline will grow pretty quickly again anyway. My vermetids exploded and then pretty much went away by themselves after a while.
As far as the skimmer goes I have no clue but I am pretty sure someone else in here will jump in with some advice

 

[ReefNeebie]

If you are starting over I would do just that, start over. Personally don't consider them a big deal, but if you don't like them, and you are starting from scratch, that's the perfect chance to just get rid of them. The coraline will grow pretty quickly again anyway. My vermetids exploded and then pretty much went away by themselves after a while.
As far as the skimmer goes I have no clue but I am pretty sure someone else in here will jump in with some advice

Thanks for the reply! I am not sure if they are alive or all dead lol my heater broke a month before I tore it all down and the temp went down to like 50* so the water was ice cold. If I was to bleach the rocks and started the tank over again would the algae regrow naturally over time (even long period) or do I HAVE to introduce some form of algae into it to kick off the process?

 

[boacvh]

I am not an expert so take my opinion with grain of salt. But probably have to reintroduce it, but in my opinion it will come anyway. Any frag or snail with a bit of coraline should work as a seed.