Tank reset critters

So I recent reset my tank by bleaching my rock and getting new dead pink fiji sand. So basically I have a sterile tank. Can I add my sand sifting star,20 or so hermits and sand snails back to my tank w/o bringing back the massive cyno and algae problem I previously had into my nice new clean tank? Or how can I make sure they are clean as possible before adding them back in?

 

I'd be afraid of all of those guys dying off from a lack of food.

 

I have them in a old 30g bow front with my old corals, some sand and some rock to keep them sustained until I can figure out what to do with them. Keep them alive inst much of a problem, do you think there is a risk of reintroducing all the crap i wiped my old tank for.

 

No, but make sure you rinse everything very very well. Also, I would figure out what caused the issue to begin with. Were you using RO/DI? overfeeding etc.

 

I have a nice RODI unit that I have 0 or 1 PPM water at any given tank. My biggest issue was cyno/red slime it was everywhere and started to choke out my coals.

 

Your biggest issue was phosphates; they were coming in from somewhere and not being properly removed. Cyano was the result- it feeds on phosphates.

 

definitely dont want to add the sand star. like mentioned nothing in the tank for it to eat. The cyano/algae wont be a problem with adding the other inverts wont be a problem but you may induce a cycle which the ammonia and nitrite spikes will definitely be bad for them. like mentioned the phosphates and possibly flow are contrubuting factors. there are several options there. bioload, and feeding probably being the biggest impact. you may also want to look into a biopellet reactor as well.

 

you do need a figure out a way to remove phosphate to limit cyano. I don't think your CUC would add anything back in but like others said, they need to have some stuff to eat so in a clean, sterile tank, that might be limited. Do you run any type of phosphate remover? How old is the tank?

 

20 hermits is WAY to many for a 30 gal tank, esp. if it's newly set up. I'd be thinking about 3 instead, and if you want snails, I'd stick with scarlet reef hermits to mitigate snail predation.

I'm not sure what type of "sand snails" you're referring to, but Nassarius sp. don't eat algae, and IME, Ceriths don't eat cyano.

Your tank won't support a sandsifting star...not enuff open substrate to keep it fed. Also, they eat the beneficial fauna from your sandbed.