Basically restarting our 40g

[Aparker2005]

Hey everyone. We have had our 40g mixed reef set up since around April/May. Still not a mature aquarium, but was doing good.

Unfortunately we have had an outbreak of hair algae so bad that we are redoing our scape. We didn't think through before we set this one up. Our 75 is doing fantastic!

We basically made 2 pyramid structures with staxx rocks, and lots of swim throughs for smaller fish. It seems however, we are going to have a constant battle with phosphate as food is getting down between all of these rocks where no cuc or anything can get to it. Even with regular water changes, the outbreak keeps getting worse. We also both hate this current scape lol.

So, we're thinking of slowly taking these rocks out and replacing with normal purple rock that we have in our other tanks.

How would be the easiest way to make this happen? We've got 1 piece of purple rock we'll be using in a box. I was thinking of putting it in the tank to seed so we can slowly take the other rock out. Then add our other rock work as we accumulate the pieces. Being a 40g, we shouldn't need much.

Inhabitants are 2 clowns, a white striped blenny, cleaner shrimp, and crabs/snails.

We removed all the coral as the hair algae was suffocating everything. It's growing fantastically in the 75!

Thanks!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Smaller tanks are fairly easy to start over. If you have live rock from your other tank (in the sump) or have it in a bucket somewhere (curing), you can just remove all the rock and trade it out. I have done this as I keep my sumps full of rock. I set up tanks with the rock or trade out when I need different places for corals.

You can do a 100% water change on that guy easily too. Scrub the rocks, rinse in saltwater and still be live and put back in too. Either way, it should not have any effect on cycle or animals. If done outside the tank.

I have a 40g and it was crazy bad with algae. I took everything out, rinsed out and cleaned the tank with vinegar, put all new water in and added animals back into it. The rocks I scraped with wire brush and rinsed in saltwater. No issues if done within a few hours. I have done this at least twice. Crazy low flow system and lots of food gets algae.

 

[Aparker2005]

We only have a seachem tidal on this tank, and 2 power heads. I can put the rock in either the 75 temporarily, or this 40 as well?

Just figured it would be easy to get the bacteria started with all of it in the 40 already.

Also have a trash can empty but never cured rock in it.

 

[DeniseAndy]

If you have enough rock to add to the 40g (fully cured), you can always basically re-cure the old rock in a bucket with flow. Leave it dark. No light. It will kill off the algae. you will need to do water changes. Or just leave out to dry and bleach or acid bath or other means of killing it off completely.