Starting again, more questions

[Jeremy Luke]

So I had a previous thread and the community voted. You can refer to this thread for more background:

Seeking Tank Advice - Restart or Recover?

Some time ago I battled an invasive sea lettuce like algae for months. I finally was able to kill the algae and I killed every single colony I had grown in the process. Since this time I have kept the fish alive and well but haven't really taken good care of my tank. I came close to getting...

www.reef2reef.com

It looks like for the immediate I will not be moving so I most likely will go ahead and relocate the tank.

Questions:
- How long can the live rock be out of water before there are problems?
- What is the best way to remove dead coral colonies and vermitid snails from the live rock?
- What is the best way to remove the sand bed during the move without scratching the hell out of the glass? (I'm going bare bottom)

Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Thanks Vetteguy. Technically, the tank has continued running and I've kept the fish well fed. All the corals are dead though. Just want to move the tank and start it over.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks Vetteguy. Technically, the tank has continued running and I've kept the fish well fed. All the corals are dead though. Just want to move the tank and start it over.

Be selective in sand, filtration, lighting. . . you sorta know the rules. A restart is never a bad thing at times.

 

[flsalty]

The live rock doesn't need to be out of water. Just get some buckets or totes, put the rocks in and fill will the water you drain from the tank for the move.

The vermetid tubes should snap right off. As for coral skeletons, it depends on the coral. Acros and such can be clipped or broken off at the base. Encrusted corals can be chipped away, or just leave them. That's how reefs are built anyway. Once it gets covered in coralline it's just going to look like part of the rock.

How big is this tank? I usually just scoop out as much sand as possible, then set it on its side and hose it out.

 

[Jeremy Luke]

The live rock doesn't need to be out of water. Just get some buckets or totes, put the rocks in and fill will the water you drain from the tank for the move.

The vermetid tubes should snap right off. As for coral skeletons, it depends on the coral. Acros and such can be clipped or broken off at the base. Encrusted corals can be chipped away, or just leave them. That's how reefs are built anyway. Once it gets covered in coralline it's just going to look like part of the rock.

How big is this tank? I usually just scoop out as much sand as possible, then set it on its side and hose it out.

I was thinking that rock would need to be out of water long enough to remove dead coral and vermitids.

The tank is 48 x 32 x 20 and it's rimless.. I'm going to need extra hands and suction cups to relocate it. It would be a lot of extra effort to get it out the back door and hose it out. It took four of us to get it off the pallet jack and down into where it is in the house.

 

[flsalty]

I was thinking that rock would need to be out of water long enough to remove dead coral and vermitids.

The tank is 48 x 32 x 20 and it's rimless.. I'm going to need extra hands and suction cups to relocate it. It would be a lot of extra effort to get it out the back door and hose it out. It took four of us to get it off the pallet jack and down into where it is in the house.

You'll be fine doing that with the rock. Just don't let it dry out.

Yeah, that size tank is a little unweildy.