restarting!!!!

[sHistA]

i had a tank with 5 fish in it and CC with live rock i went on a trip for 2 months and now i came back and everithing is dead. i want to restart take all CC off get playsand and a layer of livesand. my live rock has been sitting in a tank with dead fish and no filters working can i still use the live rock if non can i brush it and clean it and put it in as base rock? and what is the fastest bestest and cheapest way of maturing a tank?

[seaham358]

If you plan on taking any more long trips I would not waste your money setting up the tank again.
tanks need to be topped off on a regular basis and the fish need to be fed at least weekly.
did you have anyone watching the tank while you were gone??

[sHistA]

no i had an electronic feeder but i can give the fish to my friend for the summer and then come back and get them the point is my live rock has been sitting in a tank with dead fish and no filters working can i still use the live rock if non can i brush it and clean it and put it in as base rock? and what is the fastest bestest and cheapest way of maturing a tank?

[vipvenom]

I saved money by growing and culturing my own live rock. I bought a nice piece of live rock (1lb for like 9.99) and I put it in a sterilite tub (20gal) with some large limestone/ dead coral rocks I got from around my area (FL) and washed. In three weeks coralline algae started to grow and withing six weeks it had spread to all rocks ,some more than others. I added some hermit crabs and a small fish that I caught to start the nitrogen cycle. I had them with a filter/power head and ran them with some old reptile lights I had (60watts total?).

[sHistA]

so i can just get the live rock and just brush it down and put it back in and do i have to rinse the playsand? if so how? and wat is the fastest bestest and cheapest way of maturing a tank?

[noteworthy]

The tank should have cycled even with dead fish... Dead fish = Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate. Did you test the water? I'd pull out any left over fish and test the water.


I'd then drain most of the water because nitrates are not held suspended in water but on LR/etc, Sand, and decorations.


If you can't have someone properly watch over the tank and take care of it I wouldn't suggest keeping an aquarium. I even have someone check on my tanks even if I'm gone a week.

[sHistA]

so ur saing keep all the LR in there?

[nsu7]

Patience is important in this hobby.

[seaham358]

First you need to stop starting new posts... you have about 4 with the same thing going.
second you need to rethink even having a tank if you don't have the time needed to properly take care of it. Leaving a tank for 2 months with a auto feeder is not the right way to do it, what about top offs, water changes ect.
Do not rinse the sand it is not needed, rinse off the LR with fresh salt water and place back in the tank.
Do a lot of reading before you go out and buy fish. How big is the tank.

[sHistA]

44 gal and im doin a FOWLR so i dont really need alot of live rock i was thinking about 10 paounds

[sHistA]

does it mader what kind of sand i get if its a FOWLR tank? if so what kind? and is playsand always that kind?

[sHistA]

and if i use the shrimp method about how long does it take to cycle?

If you are in Penn., you should be able to buy Old Castle and Yard Right Tropical Play Sand with ease.. That is what I would recommend...

[noteworthy]

Shista

A few things.

Sand - I would recommend Argonite Sand to buffer your pH to 8.2 - I use some live.. some regular. You get 10 lbs less for the live over the regular at the LFS for the same price.

Rock - Clean off the rock gently in saltwater from the tank.. set it in a styrofoam box or a bucket and put a few towels over it soaked in saltwater.

From what I have seen of your posts I would say if you have a tank that was left alone for a month or two and you have dead fish floating around in it. I would strip the tank and use a dead fish to cycle it again or raw shrimp and take readings until your levels zero out on ammonia and nitrite and you get some nitrate readings. Personally I couldn't own an aquarium if I let it sit and rot for 8 weeks using an automatic timer for food.



I have PM'd you my rant part of the post.

[sHistA]

u said Clean off the rock gently in saltwater from the tank the water in the tank is all dirty and sick should i till do it?

[sHistA]

??

[seaham358]

Use fresh Salt Water... Having so many posts is part of the problem.. Try to only stay on 1 or 2 of them.