difficult new tank

[sarahh]

so i just got this tank here today and it is a 24 *36 footprint.
bad news is that the tank silicone disintegrated when i touched it (although it was up and running yesterday latest).
I put all the live sand and rock into a spare 55 with a canister filter (i know, i know) and have cleaned the filter about 6 times so far.

The live rock is incredibly dirty, so i am putting a link to my photobucket. I need ideas!! short of boiling the tank and it's contents, then vacuuming it to death, i am not sure how to proceed. there are some palys in there ( pretty sure) and some nice robust aptasia. Although there are some small leather looking things that have shrivelled.

the pics show the progression from "oh, dear lord" to "is that tonga branch?" to "are they palys?"

anyway, advice? plumbing advice? etc... tia

Edit:

 

[cr500_af]

I'd personally reseal the tank, even though it is a PITA... and be glad you discovered this before it leaked. Ask gnashty how much fun it is to learn it AFTER the leak.

 

[sonofdagon]

Hi Sara. I wouldn't do anything drastic. Start replacing the water. Let the tank clear up and stabilize over several weeks and see what comes out of the rock. Those are some nice branches.

 

[rbredding]

re seal now.... or do it after you've got 100 gallons of water and fish on your livingroom floor..

 

[gmpolan]

From being an individual who has had to the silicone go. Trust me, Re do it now and save yourself a huge headache. Water on the floor is never fun no matter how big or small the tank is...in my case it was 150 plus gallons.

 

[fish scales2]

Take the rock and swish it around in a bucket of water and then place it back in the 55. As for the tank, act now before something drastic happens.

 

[sharkbait]

gmpolan;614553 wrote: From being an individual who has had to the silicone go. Trust me, Re do it now and save yourself a huge headache. Water on the floor is never fun no matter how big or small the tank is...in my case it was 150 plus gallons.

This! I am glad I caught my sump leaking when I did before I got everything plumbing and running. Take care of it now and don't worry about it later.

 

[sarahh]

excellent advice, and thank you

i have the tank on the front lawn right now, and the plan today is to scrape it, scrub it and remove the old silicone. tomorrow i will reseal it and think about how to put it all together.

it's a HUGE pita, lol but much easier here than figuring out how to replace the flooring and how exactly one removes about 100 gallons from the dining room floor..

alright, thanks again, i got some work to do

 

[cr500_af]

sarahh;614620 wrote: excellent advice, and thank you

i have the tank on the front lawn right now, and the plan today is to scrape it, scrub it and remove the old silicone. tomorrow i will reseal it and think about how to put it all together.

it's a HUGE pita, lol but much easier here than figuring out how to replace the flooring and how exactly one removes about 100 gallons from the dining room floor..

alright, thanks again, i got some work to do

Smart! :yay:
If you need a hand there are plenty of us on the west side who could help you.

 

[sarahh]

Thank you! here's an update after a PWC and a 1/4 tank sand vac (couldn't do anymore without more water loss) i added another filter and scrubbed some of the rock.
the nitrates were over 160, not surprisingly, and i am working on bringing that down with water changes and vaccuming. Will not be adding anything until this water quality is sorted

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some survivors

Edit: upon closer inspection, there are bristle worms, green algae, bubble algae and tiny little shrimp in there.. is there anything i can put in there to eat some of it? the bubble algae rock will be pulled out and cleaned thoroughly, but rest?
andway, tia

 

[cr500_af]

Don't sweat the bristleworms. As far as "tiny shrimp" are you talking about amphipods?

Oh, and take care of the green hair algae the same as the bubble... scrub what you can, and let your better maintenance take care of the rest.

 

[sarahh]

probably the google search showed similar looking things