Winter Cleaning

[ReefinND]

I've slacked a bit on my water changes for a couple weeks now on my 90 gal, and am getting ready to do a thorough cleaning of the sump + equip to get back into the routine. I've got a few patches of bubble algae, high nitrates plus a little red slime in a few places.

So begins the elbow work to get things spiffed back up. I did one water change, 17 gal, last night.

Most of the bubble algae (luckily?) is on my powerheads, so I can take out the powerheads to remove the algae. Anything I should watch out for here? Just scrape them off and maybe give them a good scrub down? Soak in vinegar for awhile. (Haven't done this yet since tank has been running)

For the random bubbles i have in my rock work, just scrape them off without popping them, the best route? I do have an emerald crab but he's apparently the type that doesn't care for that bubble buisness.

I've always had a problem with nitrates so with my sump, I tried using part of it as a refugium a few months ago; added a ceramic block and some chaeto but .... it literally has not grown at all? Is this normal? Maybe the light isn't strong enough?

My first step is to empty the sump and give it a good rinsing/scrubbing.

Another question I have is vacuuming the sand bed. I've never done this before and haven't had a goby for quite some time. It's a practice I'd like to start...... How would one start going about stiring and vacuuming? Split it into maybe 4-8 sections and do a water change after each one? Do a new section daily? Get my nitrates down from (hopefully) cleaning out my sump and a few good water changes?

Any other suggestions with nitrate reduction other than to shape up and keep up with my weekly 10% water changes?

I think I'm probably on the high end with stocking, which is probably the main contributor but that is what it is (guilty of being a somewhat new tank owner wanting all the fish)... The tank is now a year and 2 months old.

(2) clowns
(1) bonsai coral beauty
(3) lyretail anthias
(1) bristletooth tang
(1) royal gramma
(1) yellowtail damsel
(1) springeri dottyback

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[saltyhog]

The bubble algae plans sound good to me. For the ones on the rock I start a siphon and with one hand gently pry the bubbles of the rock and with the other hand siphon them off. Makes me feel better just in case I bust one by accident.

One of the things that help me keep my refugium clean is to have a small powerhead in there pointed at the bottom. It also turns the chaeto (until it gets too big). My chaeto went from slowly dying to growing like a weed when I upgraded my refugium light.

How old is your sand bed? If it's over a year old I would divide it up in to 3 or 4 sections and vacuum or stir every day for a week in one section. The next week repeat that section and add one, and so forth until you're stirring the whole tank. Since I started doing this my sand bed has never looked better. This is not my idea but one of our members here who posted about it, @blusop

Here is a link to his thread. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-white-sand-method.252861/#post-2983149