I am looking for advice for setting up my reef tank again. I have a 55 gal that was set up and I had to tear down about 6 years ago. I still have all the sand and rock which is obviously not live any longer. I would like to re-use all that i can, well because i'm cheap. I want opinions on cleaning what I have and reseeding once I get the pumps running again. I am also looking for a decent place to buy equipment and possibly livestock so I can start the cycling process. Its been a while for me so please be easy on me! Thank you to all who can assist me.
Setting up my tank again possibly!
- Thread starter JROD79
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Evan West
Well-Known Member
Welcome back!!! So first off what equipment do you have? A good place to buy equipment is Bulk Reef Supply. For that rock my may need to cure it again before setting the tank back up.
Thank you. I have a 55 gal tank, about 100 lbs of what used to be live rock, 3" across of what used to be live sand, RedSea Berlin Skimmer, two power heads for circulation which I will have to purchase again and my cfl light which I will be changing out eventually to leds.
My plan was to throw out some of the sand and replace with new to reseed the tank, of-course after the sand and rock gets cleaned. I may have to reseal the tank too.
My plan was to throw out some of the sand and replace with new to reseed the tank, of-course after the sand and rock gets cleaned. I may have to reseal the tank too.
Last edited:
reef lover
It's a reef thing....
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Hudson Valley Reef Keepers
Hospitality Award
518 Reefers
My Tank Thread
Welcome back! Those are good pumps. I like vortechs myself but on the pricey side. I would try to get that cfl swapped out asap. There's cheap led lights on eBay that would be sufficient.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,518
- Reaction score
- 2,854
Rock YES, Sand NO. You definitely want to go with new sand. As for the cleaning options the standard for cleaning out your tank and the mechanical equipment is water with white distilled vinegar. Given as long as your tank has been down, I would run that for a week or more to ensure you really clean out and kill off anything in there. Then drain and spray out completely and wipe down and let air dry for 24 hours. If you are really worried you could do bleach water, drain, spray out, wipe down and then let air dry for 24 hours. Then follow this with the white distilled vinegar cycle mentioned above. No nasties will survive that 1, 2 punch method.
reef lover
It's a reef thing....
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Hudson Valley Reef Keepers
Hospitality Award
518 Reefers
My Tank Thread
We call them black eBay LEDs lol..search reef lighting and you'll see lots of options.
Ok thank you, did you see the RO unit i found on amazon? Do you know if that will work properly for making water?
Sent from my SM-G935V using REEF2REEF mobile app
reef lover
It's a reef thing....
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Hudson Valley Reef Keepers
Hospitality Award
518 Reefers
My Tank Thread
Ya it will work...does it have deionizing resin as the last filter....Dr foster and smith carry a few models specific for reefs. About the same price...but not with 4 years worth of filters.lol
don_chuwish
Smells something fishy
I'm not convinced that you have to replace the sand with new, but it's certainly the easier route. If you just want to clean the old sand you can. Rinse in small batches using 5g buckets, about half full with sand and your garden hose. Rinse and agitate with your hand (heavy gloves recommended) until the water runs clear. Then all the rinsed sand can get a 24hr vinegar bath - stirring occasionally. You'll see bubbles, which is good. Rinse well again - more cloudiness should rinse out. If you like how it looks, call it good. If you want it even cleaner looking, add a bit of bleach for another 24hr soak. New sand is starting to look attractive now isn't it? Even with new sand though you want to give it that same first rinsing until no cloudiness.
Same with the rock - blast off anything loose with the hose. Vinegar & water bath with circulation (maybe 5:1 water:vinegar) 24hrs, blast off the rocks again and inspect, repeat if you feel the need. Next steps are kind of up to your time constraints, but I like to give the rocks a nice long soak in RO water with circulation, a few days at least, change the RO water and go a few more days. Then start 'curing' in heated salt water. Testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate. Should see a cycle happen. Do water changes.
I had the time to kill while everything else was being built/setup, so I went well over a month in the tub this way, covered for insulation, reduced evaporation and no light.
Garden totes are very handy for all this.
Same with the rock - blast off anything loose with the hose. Vinegar & water bath with circulation (maybe 5:1 water:vinegar) 24hrs, blast off the rocks again and inspect, repeat if you feel the need. Next steps are kind of up to your time constraints, but I like to give the rocks a nice long soak in RO water with circulation, a few days at least, change the RO water and go a few more days. Then start 'curing' in heated salt water. Testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate. Should see a cycle happen. Do water changes.
I had the time to kill while everything else was being built/setup, so I went well over a month in the tub this way, covered for insulation, reduced evaporation and no light.
Garden totes are very handy for all this.
Thank you for your help. I looked into the sand and i think i may just buy new considering its really not that expensive. I dont have time issues, it will take what it takes. I dont want to rush it but would like a plan before i get started with it. Things have changed alot since i had it set up. My overall plan is to get this 55g going. Perfect it with the thought that this will end up as my fuge for my 210g tank i have not had the pleasure of setting up. So as i buy i would like to have my parts and pieces of the ecosystem be a fit for my 210 with minimal fabrication needed.I'm not convinced that you have to replace the sand with new, but it's certainly the easier route. If you just want to clean the old sand you can. Rinse in small batches using 5g buckets, about half full with sand and your garden hose. Rinse and agitate with your hand (heavy gloves recommended) until the water runs clear. Then all the rinsed sand can get a 24hr vinegar bath - stirring occasionally. You'll see bubbles, which is good. Rinse well again - more cloudiness should rinse out. If you like how it looks, call it good. If you want it even cleaner looking, add a bit of bleach for another 24hr soak. New sand is starting to look attractive now isn't it? Even with new sand though you want to give it that same first rinsing until no cloudiness.
Same with the rock - blast off anything loose with the hose. Vinegar & water bath with circulation (maybe 5:1 water:vinegar) 24hrs, blast off the rocks again and inspect, repeat if you feel the need. Next steps are kind of up to your time constraints, but I like to give the rocks a nice long soak in RO water with circulation, a few days at least, change the RO water and go a few more days. Then start 'curing' in heated salt water. Testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate. Should see a cycle happen. Do water changes.
I had the time to kill while everything else was being built/setup, so I went well over a month in the tub this way, covered for insulation, reduced evaporation and no light.
Garden totes are very handy for all this.
The thing i really know nothing about is the led lighting at this time.
Thank you and im all ears and welcome as much help and info anyone would like to share
don_chuwish
Smells something fishy
55G is great for side to side swimming space but it does get a little tricky with the lighting. Many of the LED units are designed around a 2' x 2' space and the 55G is basically 1' x 2' at each half. Need something with a light pattern that fits... preferably with some savings over the ones designed for more spread.
Lots of options at various levels of capability and price:
The Reefbreeders Photon 48-V2 might be worth a look, not sure what your 'sticker shock' threshold is though.
Much cheaper but also less capable would be 2 of their Nano Light Touch.
Definitely keep an eye on the Selling Forum here. The premium stuff doesn't go cheap, even used, but occasionally there is a hidden gem to be found.
Lots of options at various levels of capability and price:
The Reefbreeders Photon 48-V2 might be worth a look, not sure what your 'sticker shock' threshold is though.
Much cheaper but also less capable would be 2 of their Nano Light Touch.
Definitely keep an eye on the Selling Forum here. The premium stuff doesn't go cheap, even used, but occasionally there is a hidden gem to be found.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,518
- Reaction score
- 2,854
Right, it should be mentioned that it isn't that you can't clean the sand, it's just so impractical that it isn't worth it given the cost. As for the bacteria seeding the live rock, no there isn't enough in live sand to start the cycle. You will need a piece of live rock to help seed the dry rock that your current live rock has become and a source of ammonia.
