Found a Great Deal on a Tank....But Cyano Infested

[jonboyb]

Found a 90 gallon All-Glass RR with the Oceanic stand and canopy for an unbelievable price. 150lb LR, large maroon clown, large snowflake eel, and others. Some corals but they likely won't make it. Setup with a 15 gallon sump but comes with a brand new 25 gallon baffled sump. Has several pumps, PH's, skimmer, UV sterilizer, etc. but I'm mainly interested in the tank because with his maintenance program they're probably not going to last. Lower end PC lighting that will need replacing. However, it's got cyano as bad as I've personally seen. His last PWC was 3 months ago

I really want to jump because of the price....but this amount of cyano scares me. His flow is setup VERY poorly and then no PWC's have been the cause, but every piece of LR is covered too. Will consistent cleanings and PWC's along with upgrading his pump and PH setup take care of the issue, or should I run to the hills screaming

I can't even buy the tank for what he's selling everything. I wish I could take the time to clean all the rock carefully then start the tank up again clean, but with the large fish and 24" snowflake eel, I have to go ahead and set it back up quickly.

Any advice?

 

[jonboyb]

I just noticed my picture makes it look more like coraline growth but I assure you it's cyano sludge

 

[Ziggy953]

If the price is good and you don't mind a bit of work to get rid of the cyano then I say GET THE TANK! 90g is a great size for a SW tank.

We can help you along the way to getting rid of the issues!

 

[newfound77951]

I would say go for it too. If it's a good deal and the equipment is good then the cyano can be dealt with. That's a lot of nice LR that would cost a bundle. You'll be doing a lot of PWCs, of course, but there are worse things to have to do....

 

[roka64]

I say go for it. Cyano is kinda of a pain, but if you take care of it you will have it pristine in no time. I would mix up some buckets of fresh SW to transport the rock, replace the sand and have a whole new batch of fresh SW warmed to the temp of the tank. I have a feeling, if you do it that way, the cyano will be gone in no time.

 

[Ziggy953]

See great minds think alike. If my wife hadn't told me that what I have now is all I can have until we go really big then I would have about 10 other tanks going. LOL!

GET IT!!!!!

 

[jonboyb]

If I do it, I was thinking of hauling the LR in the existing water and having fresh SW for when I get home (about 10 miles). That way I can clean and shake off as much cyano from the rock as possible in the old water before putting it back into the tank. Keep my new water as clean as possible...because the cyano is really caked on the rock.

My only concern about mixing my own fresh SW is the fish he has. I doubt he has a clue what his water parameters are and I don't want to shock them. Even with significant acclimation, I fear his numbers may be soooooo far off decent parameters the fish may not acclimate well to a properly dosed tank. I guess I need to run some tests on his water parameters so if SG and pH are low (like I expect), I can mix my SW a little lower than normal and gradually bring the tank parameters back into a good range. I tend to mix a little "hot" (SG=1.025 and pH=8.4) so my trace elements stay higher.

Seriously guys/gals.....it was sad to see once I got there. I may actually try to sell the fish so I can do the tank right without harming them...even though I would love to keep them all.

 

[jonboyb]

I forgot to mention his 2-foot snowflake eel has a bad dispostion and apparently bad eyesight that's going to make really cleaning the tank hard. Definantly a biter

 

[Ziggy953]

I would save as much of the water as you can. You can always put the fish in a smaller tank and then slowly acclimate them to the new water. I would not reuse his sand. Get new sand for the tank.

If you take your time you should be just fine. The fish are tougher then we give them credit for.

 

[melosu58]

They might not have the best eyesight but it`s better than you think. Mine can see a piece of shrimp from a ways off.

 

[intimatecple]

you can also do a slow drip 2-3 hour acclamation and they will also do fine... get the setup!!! and listen to the above statements

 

[DJLiquid]

Look out!!!

I forgot to mention his 2-foot snowflake eel has a bad dispostion and apparently bad eyesight that's going to make really cleaning the tank hard. Definantly a biter

I was bitten by a moray eel that size (middle finger) and it bleed for nearly a 1/2 hour. I still have the scar. Feels like razor blades cutting you when they bite! Youch!!! Fast like a snake too!

 

[mr86mister]

Curious to know. How much is this person selling all of that for? If you believe you need to start over again maybe you can find a local LFS to either hold on to the fish and corals or you can get store credit for them to help with the costs of getting new stuff.

 

[Justin_Toronto]

Have you considered asking your LFS to hold on to the animals while you move the aquarium, and get everything set up / established?

It will give you more time to drop in some new sand, cycle it, clean off as much cyano as possible, and get all his equipment cleaned and functioning properly. As with buying any used aquarium I've found, it's not as easy as just moving it as is... once you get it home you're going to find a bunch of parts you'd like to replace, re-plumb, or modify.

With any move there will be a bit of a cycle, so it'll be good if the animals weren't there until the water has restabalized.

edit: Oops, just saw Mr86 posted the same advice.

 

[austinsdad]

Test the current setup water so you can better gauge acclimation into the new water.

Sounds like good plan to transport the rock in the current water. Take a turkey baster and blow off the cycano in that same water before moving it to the new water. That'd give you a good start. The you can get the water flow correct in the new setup.

 

[fijiwigi]

If it were me I would Scrub all of the rocks really good one at a time with a stiff nylon brush to get as much of the cyano off as possible. Even if it means the rocks have to re-cycle. Starting over would be easier than battling cyano IMO. Order some new powerheads to make sure you have good flow.Put the fish in a holding tank(buy a 20g if you have to or even a rubbermaid tub) And scrub the tank really good then scrub the tank again. Fill with brand new sand, RO/DI saltwater, put the rocks in, setup all your equipment, Add an ammonia source, test for a cycle, Once Paramaters are ok slowly acclimate your fish over several hours. Then just see what survives.

 

[austinsdad]

Make sure you start with a NEW nylon brush. One with no metal on it anywhere either. Keep it with your fish equipment and use it again someday as there'll be plenty of uses.