New saltwater tank. Used.

[tirish]

just recently purchased a used aquatop eco 40 aquarium. It came with all of the filtration media but it appears to be fairly dirty. Is this something that should be replaced before I start with the water? I plan to do a good cleaning of the unit before putting water in with diluted vinegar. If I need new media should I buy from the same company or does it not matter.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I would just go ahead and get new media

 

[X-37B]

I would replace the media if your starting new.
Get some citric acid instead of vinegar. Fill the system with tap water and add 1/4-1/2 cup citric acid. Run until clean, a couple days, then drain, refill, run for a few hours, drain and your good.

 

[tirish]

I would just go ahead and get new media

That’s what I figured. Starting out brand new. Not really sure what I’m doing. A lot of info in these forums so should be able to figure it out. Does it matter what I buy?

 

[BigBalli]

Clean everything, replace anything that's soft/foam. The mechanical media (sponges, filter socks) are done, toss them. Ceramic or porous media can be soaked in dilute vinegar or a 10% muriatic solution to dissolve calcium, then rinsed hard with RO and reused. The impeller on the return pump is worth pulling apart and cleaning too. Media brand doesn't matter much if you're replacing, Marine Depot's house brand or anything from BRS works the same as OEM. One thing people forget on used AIOs: replace the silicone bumpers inside the lid and check the overflow teeth for cracks.