Should I Drain And Start Over?

[nim6us]

Hello All!

This is my inaugural post on the site, I've been keeping tropical fish for some time, but have recently just acquired my first salt water tank, and as you might imagine I have some questions

So just a brief background, I've been wanting to get into a marine fish keeping for some time, but was intimidated by the initial cost. I had a buddy who was moving and had to get rid of his tank and it felt like the time was right. It's a 200L tank with cabinet from AllPondSolutions. It took literally all day but we got it in place and it's been running now for a few days. There are a few corals and just 4 fish, 2 clowns and 2 blue tangs, everything seems happy.... BUT....

THE TANK IS FILTHILY

I mean the water is clean, but the sides of the tank and the below the sand substrate is pretty grody. Now this is my fault for being so naive. The front of the glass is spotless but the sides and the back glass has algae, or barnacles? Not sure. But I asked the guy I got it from and he said it was "authentic". That he cleaned the front glass but nothing else because it more closely mimicked their natural environment. Again I know it sounds dumb for believing but the guy has had the tank for 3 years, all the same original fish, I've worked with him in the past, he's a really clever guy, so I figured he must be doing something right.

So as mentioned it took all day to setup, I'm sure it was stressful for the fish and coral being moved about, not to mention the IMMENSE amount of water. Now I'm not afraid of hard work, and if it makes more sense to just drain the tank scrub everything down and then put it all back, I'll do that. However if I can clean it up without emptying it, I'd prefer to.

Now for the glass, I'm pretty sure I just need to scrape it down. I've ordered a long handled blade scraper, I tried using a scouring pad, it took off large chunks but the bulk is crusted to the glass, but I'm guessing the scraper should do the job. My 2 concerns are, cleaning the pump intake and heaters and cleaning along and below the sand substrate.

Below is a picture of the pump intake and one of the heaters (I plan on securing them once clean) you can also see some of the back glass that's caked.

Below is a picture of the substrate, you can see the grime down below the sand.

So what's the verdict? Should I drain and restart, or can I clean it up? More importantly, how do I clean it? I don't think I can use the scraper on the round intake and heaters, and I'm unsure how to clean against the glass where the sand is. Any advice is very welcome!

 

[Jason mack]

Firstly welcome To R2R , I would drain and start again , what you have growing on the sides and back is probably coralline algea .. is iT redish purpleish pinkish in colour ? Anyway you can clean iT of , as for the sand ... Chuck iT out and get new , if you start poking around in that its gonna release Some nasty stuff into Your water .. take Your live rock out and store iT in a container with saltwster and a heater and power head dont let iT dry out ... then empty Your tank , refill with rodi water and Some vineger and let iT soak for a day or two then clean iT .. rinse iT Well with tap water and then again last with rodi water

 

[pa1ntbru5h]

That purple stuff that's stuck all over is Coralline algae. It's a good thing to have.
All it takes is some scraping to get it off. If you want to clean it off the plastic parts, you can soak the parts in water and vinegar and it should scrub off fairly easily. But make sure you rinse the vinegar off well before putting it back in your tank.
To get rid of the crud under the sand, blow the sand with a turkey baster or something similar. But only do small patches every day otherwise you'll cause problems most likely a bacterial algae bloom.

 

[Jason mack]

this aritcal might help Some ,
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.84/

 

[nim6us]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies! Great info

 

[mcarroll]

Corals don't look like they're doing too bad....I wouldn't do anything drastic. Do a little time with a siphon hose to clean up the sand.

Can you post a complete set of test results?

 

[ThunderGoose]

I'm in the don't drain it camp, pa1ntbru5h has the right idea.. Coralline algae is a sign of a healthy tank but if you don't like it you can take it off with a razor blade. Do you have filter socks? If so, scrape one side, give it 30 minutes and clean the socks. That way you don't have a lot of material to cause a bacteria bloom.

 

[nim6us]

So I don't hear anyone recoiling from the state of the tank, are we saying that while the tank may not look aesthetically clean, all the algae on the glass and sand is not necessarily a problem? Was the guy I got it from actually onto something, that these growths are good?

Also a test kit was part of the supplies I ordered, will post results when it arrives as I'm sure I'll have some follow up questions.

 

[pa1ntbru5h]

The purple algae stuck to your glass and plastic is a good sign. All the algae on the rocks and in the sand is more of a pest algae that will take some time to get rid of. Instead of starting all over, I just suggest that you blow off the rocks and siphon the sand in small patches and do frequent water changes (maybe 2-3 water changes a week at 25% of the water volume). Also get some snails and hermit crabs to help clean some of it up. I would advise you not to add any fish or anymore corals until the tank is looking better.

 

[pa1ntbru5h]

Also, your rocks look like they have a ton of detritus building up on them. What's the flow like in your tank?
Normally a tank with adequate flow wouldn't allow so much detritus to build up on the rocks like that. If you don't already have one, look into adding a powerhead or two.

 

[nim6us]

Also, your rocks look like they have a ton of detritus building up on them. What's the flow like in your tank?
Normally a tank with adequate flow wouldn't allow so much detritus to build up on the rocks like that. If you don't already have one, look into adding a powerhead or two.

Funny you should mention that, I've just been doing some research. I kept hearing the term "powerheads", and have just tonight found out what they are. I don't think the tank has any real flow. There's the canister filter return, but the return is just a few inches below the surface of the water, so I don't think it's moving the water that much.

I think I know the answer to this, but I should get a powerhead right?

Below is a picture of one of the rock/coral groupings. Again being new, I'm not sure what is dirty and what is natural growth. I'm guessing this is dirty and not natural. Do you just blow with a turkey baster to clean?

 

[pa1ntbru5h]

Yes. Use a turkey baster to blow away all that grey crap on the rocks. It's going to make your tank really cloudy so I recommend you do a water change during or right after. If you can, hold the water siphon right up to the part you're blowing off so it just sucks all the crud out before it spreads around.
Also yes get yourself a powerhead or two. If you wanna get fancy, look into Ecotech Vortech pumps. If you want something cheap that still has controllability, look into Jebao Wavemakers (be careful which one you choose, they're pretty powerful)
Get a few snails and hermits to help with clean up..
Here's a link to something that should get you started https://billysreefconnection.com/cl...910-clean-up-crew-packages-free-shipping.html

 

[BrettMallette]

I wouldnt do a total restart doesnt look bad at all. Im also assuming clean up crew is almost non existent. More flow and something to keep the algae at bay while your figuring things out.

 

[BrettMallette]

Have you by chance tested the water at all?

 

[nim6us]

Have you by chance tested the water at all?

No as mentioned, I have a test kit arriving Wednesday and will do a test ASAP.

Yes cleanup crew is non-existent. I've been looking at some options, a diamond goby perhaps lawnmower blenny. Any recommendations on hardy cleanup crew members?

 

[pa1ntbru5h]

No as mentioned, I have a test kit arriving Wednesday and will do a test ASAP.

Yes cleanup crew is non-existent. I've been looking at some options, a diamond goby perhaps lawnmower blenny. Any recommendations on hardy cleanup crew members?

Check my last post. I linked you to a clean up crew package that can get you started. I wouldn't add anymore fish yet. Maybe a lawnmower blenny once you clean up the tank a bit. But right now in it's current state, blowing the rocks and sand off risks a nitrate and or ammonia spike. Ammonia is poisonous and could kill the fish, which is why I said do small sections at a time.

 

[mcarroll]

So I don't hear anyone recoiling from the state of the tank, are we saying that while the tank may not look aesthetically clean, all the algae on the glass and sand is not necessarily a problem? Was the guy I got it from actually onto something, that these growths are good?

Also a test kit was part of the supplies I ordered, will post results when it arrives as I'm sure I'll have some follow up questions.

Algae is not the enemy.

I like to think that algae mediates between my husbandry defficicencies and what the fish and coral inhabitants actually need. I keep trying to do better so the algae doesn't have to be around so much!

Mostly that seems to work.

 

[mcarroll]

No as mentioned, I have a test kit arriving Wednesday and will do a test ASAP.

Yes cleanup crew is non-existent. I've been looking at some options, a diamond goby perhaps lawnmower blenny. Any recommendations on hardy cleanup crew members?

I would only add a crew of snails....I really like black cerith snails if you have them available...

Also, your rocks look like they have a ton of detritus building up on them. What's the flow like in your tank?

It was clearly kept as a low-flow tank in the past, just looking at the corals...but also the growth on the rocks.

I still wouldn't personally suggest doing anything drastic unless they don't like the corals the way they are, or really want to do something different with the tank.

It looks pretty healthy. Look at those feather fusters!!!

 

[pa1ntbru5h]

I would only add a crew of snails....I really like black cerith snails if you have them available...



It was clearly kept as a low-flow tank in the past, just looking at the corals...but also the growth on the rocks.

I still wouldn't personally suggest doing anything drastic unless they don't like the corals the way they are, or really want to do something different with the tank.

It looks pretty healthy. Look at those feather fusters!!!

I agree. It definitely looks like a low-flow softy tank. But more flow doesn't hurt especially in a 50gal tank that's using only the return as the source of flow.

 

[mcarroll]

Folks gravitate toward an ultra-clean look, but there's nothing that really suggests that's healthy or sustainable. (It's not.....light + nutrients + space will grow something.)

This tank could be changed at the owner's prerogative, but it looks fine to me as-is if they like it that way.

A bit of TLC maybe. At most, once things are settled add another coral or two and start covering up that open rock!

@nim6us Keep an eye on NO3 and PO4.....any chance that either of them is ZERO?