Need guidance on whether to start tank over again

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Comckinney

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
22
Ok here's the deal, I was given a 125 gal saltwater tank today by a friend, only problem is that I have never had a saltwater tank before this tank has been drained down to about an inch or two in the bottom to cover the sand, it has stuff growing all over the inside of the tank, I personally think it needs to be cleaned and started over. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should use and how to go about it. Please help! PS the tank smells like a stagnate pond in the middle of a sewage plant.
 
Well, more than likely you will need to replace the sand since stirring it up when moving the tank will unearth rotting particle called detritus which cause problems down the road. Click the article tab at the top of the page and read about fishless cycling and the nitrogen cycle. If the stuff on the inside of the tank is purple, that is coraline algae which is safe, as long as its not obstructing your view from the front and sides, you can leave it alone, otherwise try using a metal edged scraper to get it off, it will take a few of them and some work. Clean any and all equipment off that came with it and scrub and soak it in a water/vinegar solution of 16:1 or something similar, never use soap or detergents. If there was any rock included, either stick it in a rubbermaid container and pour old or new sw over it, or you can scrub it with a new brush if it is covered in hair algae, aiptasia, or anything else that looks questionable. Use gloves when handling the rock, make sure they are thick too, since there may be things in the rock that can cause you pain if you accidentally touch them such as bristle worms.

You will need test kits containing ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite at first, then pH and a few others later. Grab a thermometer if you don't have one.

Hope this helps. Welcome to AA!
 
That helps alot the only thing this tank can with was the tank sand and sump. I guess what I really need to know is what do I do to start this completely over.
 
thom said it well. what else do you need to know? just remove the rock if any, put it in buckets/bins with the existing water, then wash out the tank as good as you can, removing and trashing the sand bed. make up new salt water and refill the tank (remember to leave space to put the rock back in), and let it sit running for a few weeks, periodically testing the water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and posting the results here.
the goal BEFORE adding livestock is that you have no detectable ammonia or nitrite.
 
Ok but what about the sump how do I clean that to start over and what doesnit need to contain.
 
it could contain heaters, a protein skimmer, a refugium, media reactors....whatever you want. what does it look like? take a picture of it and post it here.
 
That's the sump, also what the heck do I do with the starfish and shrimp that's in the tank
 

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i would clean that thing out thoroughly, then find a good quality protein skimmer to fit that first compartment. i see he's got a light in there. probably a refugium at one point, but i think you are better served with a powerful skimmer.
where is the shrimp and starfish now? in the tank still with 2" of water in it?
i would take the shrimp and starfish to the LFS and ask them to hold it, or give you credit for them, and cycle the tank. then add livestock later.
 
well, you could fill the tank back up with sw and try to keep them, but i'm thinking you may have a cycle ahead of you. at least a spike in ammonia. you might lose them anyway.
 
Yea I'm thinking scrap it all and start completely over. At least I didn't have to pay for the tank.
 
Starting to think I would have been better off buying a new tank. Cleaning this thing is going to take forever the stuff stuck to the sides is half an inch thick. They did not take care of this thing at all. Going to have to put in new piping and everything.
 
What's the best way to clean this tank it's kicking my but, can't figure out how to get all the sand and water out.
 
Well got all the water and sand out and used up two scrapers, and still not done, this bytes. Wish there was an easier way.
 
there isn't an easier way, vinegar and water is the best bet. btw, i thought it was given to you? a new 125 with stand and canopy is probably a thousand dollars or so. would you accept a thousand dollars cash to go to someone's house and scrape some coralline algae from their glass?
 
Yea that's true just didn't get the canopy have a home made one but have to get the lights to go in it.
 
Ok got tank clean after a day of scraping and washing w/the vinegar and water mix of about 16:1 it took all day, now for the sump system the pictures are father back in the thread. What do I do with the rocks and things in the sump, clean or trash? And what is the best setup for the sump? I am completely new to the whole saltwater aquarium, I have had a 10 gal tropical tank for about 2 years now but that is as far as my knowledge goes, that tank is at the point where I don't have to do anything to it but change the water about every 2 to 3 weeks.
 
i would clean the sump out nicely, then shake that rock rubble off in some salt water to get the dirt out of it, then put it back in the sump. i would buy a protein skimmer to fit in that sump that is rated for 1.5 to 2 x your total tank volume and put it in that spot where you had that light hanging in it in the pics.
can you measure that section so that we know what skimmer will fit?
 
Will post measurements tomorrow. I don't even know where to get this stuff.
 
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