I think a fullish reset is on the horizon.
Between the red planaria flatworms, the super high phosphates and with me just hating the aquascape I am starting a plan to redo this tank.
But I am scared to knock it down 100% and then throw my fish back in.
So a very complicated plan is starting. Trying to keep the good bacteria and not having to fully cycle the tank and keeping my livestock.
Suck as much flatworms as possible to begin with.
Will be 3 giant phases.
I am taking a 50g horse trough and going to move approx 50% of my rock.
1st phase - pull 50% of the rock, As the rock comes out it will be treated in a tub of flatworm exit, then Dipped and swooshed around in fresh mixed 1.026 salt water and then transferred to my basement where the horse trough is waiting.
This is the first round of knocking out the flat worms.
In the horse trough will be one of my spare skimmers, a powerhead and a heater. And possibly a light because there is a lot of softies etc on the rocks.
Will start dosing lanthanum chloride in heavily into the skimmer inlet to pull phosphates. After 14days I will do second round of flatworm exit and a 100% WC on the water in the trough and continue watching phosphates.
Phase 1 is the easy phase. Hopefully keeping the beneficial bacteria alive.
Phase 2- in a 100g horse trough in my living room I will bring the rock from the basement and a batch of fresh water and set up as a temporary tank to hold my fish. Some of the smaller fish will get transferred to my 54g at this time.
Will repeat phase 1 with the rest of my rock.
At this point there will be no rock, only sand and water in the tank. I am thinking about vacuuming the sand as mush as possible. I know there is phosphates bound in the sand and I am debating on replacing the sand. I have 5g of cleaned dry sand(could have phos bound up still- this is unknown) or do I go buy 8-10 bags of sand from one of the online places. If I go fresh sand I will drain the whole system and do a good cleaning/scrubbing.
Anyone sell dry sand?
If you have made it this far I give you props!!
Phase 3 - rebuilding
I have wanted to redo some plumbing, ad a second return pump, change UV position etc
Fill half the tank with fresh mixed water, transfer rock and livestock from 100g trough back into the tank. I am assuming the fish would have been in there for about a week.
Flat worm exit treatment on second bath in the 50g. Transfer that rock into the tank, finish my aquascape.
Let the tank run for 2 weeks. Do another full tank flat worm treatment w/100g water change.
Then pull the fish from my little tank and transfer them to the big, suck out as much red planaria from that tank and possible, treat the little tank with flatworm exit. Wait 2 weeks, do the flatworm exit treatment In Tubs for corals and rock with corals and transfer into the big tank.
Break down little tank.
