used biocube start up

hello i am new to saltwater aquariums and am about to purchase a used 14g biocube
the bc i have purchased has been set up and currently has livesand a crab some snails and some coral.
but the thing that concerns me is that there is coraline build up everywhere!
on the glass, the back, the powerhead

im going to be draining the tank and starting completely fresh and returing the inhabitants back to my local LFS

i dont know if that is the best decision or should i just buy a new one (which is an option
but i am hoping for some input on where i should start to clean the tank up
and start over
or should i just clean off the coraline algae
im not worried about how long it will take to cycle and start adding livestock
i just wanna experience the whole process.

 

That's a lot of coraline!!! If you don't mind a lotta hard work, scrape away!
Make sure you use something acrylic safe. Personally I think it's worth it

 

is the biocube acrylic?
and also
would it be hard to take the coraline off the back? and the power head
i would like the purchase the used tank because it is tank and stand for 120
but i could get a new one for 160 seems like that might be a better route to have everything new wouldnt it?
and also im not sure if the tank has everything working and what to condition of the actual pump and components in the back are in

 

you say you want the whole experince...but i almost guarentee you get antsy to add stuff as soon as you get it home so i would at least take half the water thats in it home with you...just incase lol! also i believe biocubes are not acrylic they are glass...unless there is a difference between 14g and 29g because m29 biocube is glass, i just use a razor blade to scrape mine off, just be careful...also i would wait to scrape that coraline off until you have some live rock so it will help seed the coraline onto the LR. if it was me i would try not to cycle because then you dont have to go through all the bad crap that comes along with a new tank, But really its however YOU want to do it...its your tank and you can take as much or as little time as you like in this case!!

 

Dilution of vinegar and water to clean off the coralline and some scraping, I am pretty sure bio-cubes are glass. Razor blade and some vinegar and you can make it look fine again. Rinse and rinse again and do a leak test before filling it up and scaping.

 

so what do you guys recommend buy the new tank or the used tank?
and also for a rodi system
im thinking bout getting the mighty mite
Aquarium Water | Reverse Osmosis | RODI Water | ReefKeeper Water | Mighty Mite 50GPD with DI Added
does anyone have any input on that?

 

oh yea i forgot to mention i live in a small apartment
and i am a student so the cash is kinda low :]

 

If it was me I would go with the new at that price.It sounds like you might be regretting the hobby already with the used one.And the RO/DI water is needed eventually,but the LFS should sell it.

 

yea thats what i was thinking buy the new tank and have the piece of mind that everything that the tank comes with is in working order.
the reason why i wanna just get a rodi unit is because all the lfs
are really far from where i live like about 30 min away and i have a really small car
and also live on the second story
i will prob buy rodi water from them for the first couple of times untill i can save up for a unit.
thing i like about the mighty mite is that i can just plug it in whenever i need it and wont have to mess with my apartments water system too much.