Help~ Im breaking down my tank ^^;

[project1004]

Hi, I am very new to Reef club... and I can use some help ^^
I am about to break my tank down and start it over.
I bought 55 gallon reef tank on craigslist about a month ago.
It was filled with green argaes. done two water changes and this is how it looks now... Today I bought some marcorocks and some sand from very polite ARC "memberichthyoid". I will be doing this on saturday or on sunday morning.
How can I do this??? Can I save this Live rocks???It has few base rocks too. please help ^^;Thank you in advance~~~ ^^;
tae

***pictures***

My 46 Gal Bowfront with Aquaclear? Pro200? Sump and small refugium.
tank I purchased three years ago at petsmart. other item I bought separately since month ago.
Rocks and sand is turning brown from Green argaes dieing? out?

sorry pictures are too big... Im on it now ^^;

 

[project1004]

Sorry ^^'
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[wannaplayatlanta]

Y r u tearing it down to get rid of green algae? Take the rock out one piece at a time and scrub it with a wire brush in salt water from your tank and put it back in the tank with the new rocks. Then do a good size water change. There is no reason to redo the whole tank unless your levels are out of control. Also find out the reason for the algae Spock n eliminate it. Could be phosphates or bad lamps or to close to a window.


Just my two cents

 

[ichthyoid]

I suggested that he recycle his tank as he had transferred the sand from the 55 to this new tank, and doing so will release nutrients. The 55 the old sand came from was in poor condition and overrun with algae. I sold him a bag of Caribsea Special Grade to place in his tank and suggested he just re-cycle instead of washing the old sand. He lives in a Condo, so washing the old sand was not really an option.

Tae,

You can use the old rock, but why transfer the algae into your new tank. I suggest that you sterilize the old rock in peroxide, as I mentioned, since you have to cycle the tank anyway. It only takes a week with the Fritzzyme product. Below is the link for Fritzzyme. They make the bacteria product I told you about. I use the #9 product. Also order some ammonium chloride when placing the order. They have a lot of information on the website that you can read about the nitrogen cycle. When you get them in, give me a call.

 

[db366]

I bought a tank off craigslist that looked about like that. Buy a grill cleaning wire brush and take the rock out and scrub it down. I did that and now I have very little to no algae left. Also reduce your lighting period, I have only been turning mine on every other day for 5 hours.

I also dosed with the Ultralife algae remover stuff, and lots of water changes.

 

[moebious]

I didn't see a cleaning crew in the pics. A couple dozen snails and crabs will take care of that in no time.

 

[cr500_af]

If you decide to keep the rock, then manually remove/scrub what you can (in saltwater), then adopt a "clean tank" husbandry attitude... skim well, feed lightly and stay up on the water changes. If you don't have excess nutrients in the water, you won't have an algae problem.
I'd also pick up a media reactor (TLF Phosban 150 comes to mind) and look into Phosban or GFO to control the phosphate levels that are likely feeding it. Don't dive into either of them without reading and starting slowly. They aren't "dangerous" but you have to use the correct amount and test your levels regularly.

 

[wannaplayatlanta]

I didn't notice that it said u were changing tanks. I would def peroxide then.

 

[project1004]

thank you all for generous comments ^^
I have been looking into the solutions and the problem must been the magnum 350 canister filter old owner was using. also the tank was displayed next to two big windows. I am in no rush~~~ just want to do it properly. The green argae seems to be dying out (turning brown and white and lifted off the rock). I purchased phosphate reactor from ebay for controlling the nitrate ect. (still waiting)

I would like to keep the sand and the rocks that is already there if possible. And I will add marcorocks as well. BTW what are those from pciture 3 & 4?
thank you guys~~~~
picture 3/4