Sad but ready to start over

Ok My tank bombed. I have been sick and have not been able to manage my 24g reef tank. I have saved my 2 fish but my corals are gone. Algea is just awful....

My question is this. I haev alot of live rock in there it has algea growing on it and the tank just has muck all over it. What can I do to salvage what i have? i want to drain the tank clean it and start over but not have to purchase new live rock...

What do I use to clean the tank, live rock and anything else. Please help a sad reefer out. I am better now and want to start to enjoy my tank again. Thanks.

 

the rock has phosphates locked in it by now... you will have to place it in an acidic bath to pull the phosphates out (boron i believe?). it will kill all your life on the rocks

 

So am I just better off getting rid of everything in the tank and buying new?

 

or you could take the rock out scrub it best you can and strip the water with gfo. which could be pricey, I personally like challenges in the hobby and would amke it work, or you could "cook" the rock as was suggested above

 

I am up for the challenge just want to do it right.. I have lost a good bit of money already so don't want to start down a path and end up in the same boat. I guess I will run to the LFS and ask what the recommend to clean the rock..

 

A good stiff bristled hand brush and 2 buckets of salt water, one to cleans off the rocks and one to rinse them off in, that's all that is needed.

I completely disagree with the statement "the rock has phosphates locked in it by now" unless you have been dumping copious amounts of food in the tank also. From the sounds of it all thats wrong with your tank is some severe neglect and believe me it happens to the best of us at one time or another.

The object is to clean off the algae with out putting a bunch of free floating bits and pieces into the tank that can start growing all over. Take the rocks out and scrub them off really good in clean salt water. Then put them in a bucket of clean salt water to hold them while you turn your attention to the tank. You might want to rinse them off twice, at least I always do using fresh water both times.

Clean any algae off the glass and off of the sand if there is any. siphon off the dirty water down to the sand making sure to get the little puddles of crap that will be left on the sand, I'd use a tablespoon or a bigger mixing spoon to scrape the dirt and a little sand up with it.

Once this is all done put the rocks in, add water and you should be good to go. Of course there will be a cycle but as long as you have kept the Rocks and substrate wet during the cleaning process there should be plenty of bacteria left to jump start your tank and get it going in a short hurry.

 

http://www.3reef.com/forums/3reef-radar/sonic-scrubber-pro-aquariums-69619.html


http://www.3reef.com/forums/general-reef-topics/sonic-scrubber-9-98-wal-mart-69774.html#post669919

I would put the rock in a large container of saltwater with a powerhead, heater and no light for a few days. while your doing that trash the sand and clean the tank, the sonic brush in the links above work great for cleaning coraline off the glass.
after a few days use the sonic brush to help scrub the rocks clean - put them back in the tank with new sand and saltwater aand let it cycle as normal, the rocks should still have bacteria on them that will speed the process up and there will be left over organic material that will feed the cycle as well.

the alterative is to search the term "nuke liverock" which will destroy all life on the rocks.

edit: I see I got sidetracked for longer than expected while typing

 

Thanks for the info. That makes me feel a bit better. Funny I have no algae on my glass just in the filters and plastic parts of teh tank. Glass is clean.. I am going to drain the tank and follow what you guys wrote above.. Hopefully I will be back in business in the next few months.. Thanks gang.

 

back top the p04 deal, if you have HA growing only on the live rock he could have an issue with it leaching po4. it really al depends on how old the live rock has been established in his tank.
if it grows only there it could be a direct indicator of problems on the horizon, if not dealt with today. remember try and stay away from bandaides as they often arent long term fixes, deal with the issue and solve what could be a long term problem for a trouble free tomorrow

 

I agree with this. What I would do is empty the tank and get rid of the sand/substrate. I would soak the rock in a bleach solution to kill any algae on it, then soak in a mix of baking soda and RO/DI water, then rinse and let it dry.This will effectively kill all the algea so it won't grow back. I would then add new substrate, add the rock and start a new cycle with a small damsel or piece of raw shrimp. IMO, this process will be best and will prevent algae from growing again as long as you properly maintain your tank. Good luck.