It’s ideal to manage new tank uglies with rip cleans because we now have open pores, better systemic filtration than before, and we can feed the system better now vs withhold feed to try and starve algae.
the invasion algae wasnt killed off and left to become detritus loading, it was forcefully and surgically removed along with all the other stores of waste. An instant age reset cheat trick we use here
now we have a clean start and can try the ramp up other ways now, and if we need to rip clean it again should something go wrong, that’s ok its harmless to do. Rip cleans are safety parachutes anyone can use to break away from challenges.
the goal is to try and reef without needing them. And then if you can’t, that’s ok neither can I. At least we aren’t losing corals.
when rip cleans were first proposed after I’d been running them on my tank a long time, they we decried by the masses as harmful and upsetting and likely to cause dinos. Work threads turn anecdote into science by pattern, and then instill permanent change in reefing procedure once the patterns are verified.
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Look what **Stansreef*** did!! Copied from the peroxide thread
shows sand rinsing mixed with direct rock prep and plant removal plus kill step:
Been battling dinos, cyano, green hair algae, etc. on my Fluval Evo13.5 for months now. Chasing nutrients, different chemical treatments, urchins, snails, etc. with no lasting results! Was at my wits end, came across this thread and thought why not rip and treat!
Read through the various posts and techniques for sand cleaning and hydrogen sprays and came up with a game plan.
Pulled all my coral frags first, scrubbed them with a toothbrush dipped in h2o2 (avoiding fleshy areas). Dipped in RO, then tank water, then placed in a 5 gallon bucket with tank water and a heater. Put fish in a separate 5 gallon bucket with heater.
Pulled all rocks, scrubbed down all areas hard with a toothbrush again being sure to avoid zoas. Rinsed/dunked the rocks numerous times in salt water to get rid of debris. Then sprayed the rocks with 3% h2o2 and let sit for 4 mins. Dipped in RO then salt water before placing back in tank (after sand treatment).
Kept the rocks moist with saltwater misting while I worked on the sand. Pulled all the sand and rinsed with cold tap water numerous times in another 5 gallon bucket in the sink. Kept tap rinsing until water was crystal clear (lost count of rinses). Rinsed with RO a final time before placing back in tank.
Placed the rocks back in, refilled with water, added the fish and corals back! Corals are still ticked off but I they'll pull through. 2 days after rinse and I'm very pleased! Just waiting for zoas to open up fully.
A couple before and after pics shows the story! Just need to rearrange rocks and some corals in the future. Thanks for the thread
@brandon429
