Recovering a tank disaster

[ariellemermaid]

After the hurricane our tangs died and everything went south in our 200g tank. For years we’ve battled cyano on and off- chemiclean did its thing but it always came back. After the hurricane everything got covered in it, then came the micro and macro algae. Since we were planning to move, we mostly gave up and started planning for a complete tank reset.

We’re finally ready to re-home the remaining fish in QT tanks and start getting the new tank ready. But here’s my question: What would you do with rock in this condition? The initial plan was to bleach everything, start over with a sterile tank. However, reassessing now, the sheets of cyano are largely gone for now and it’s mostly just macro and micro algae. There are some corals to save so I couldn’t bleach 100% of the rock anyway.

So what would you do in this circumstance? Is it worth trying to clean the rock, or should we just start over completely?

 

[lapin]

What sort of nutrients are in or being added to the tank? If none, then that’s maybe why no cyano,

 

[RedReefer]

Get ocean live rock. Start it over the right way.

 

[BryanM]

If you can afford it I would for sure use real ocean live rock for the reset.

It is obnoxiously expensive, and it is worth it.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Get ocean live rock. Start it over the right way.

If you can afford it I would for sure use real ocean live rock for the reset.

It is obnoxiously expensive, and it is worth it.

I’m not super inclined to go that route. Between the cost and the massive amount of rock I’ve already paid for, I’d prefer to work with what I have. In addition to that, the one thing I’ve been super successful at is keeping the tank 100% free of fish diseases and bristle worms. These fish have known some tough times, but never a disease.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Ok, I was finally able to convert my video so I can upload it. Here is the scope of what we're dealing with.

 

[BryanM]

I'm not sure how much manual cleaning would be successful, but a lot of that looks like it could be manually torn out and other parts probably tooth brushed off or wire brushed off. Even if it takes several weeks, I think this would effectively save the rocks and most of the good bacteria, giving you a huge head start over sterilizing it.

 

[Fish Fan]

I can't see the video (best would be to post to YouTube first, and then to link back here), but I'll stick my nose into the conversation anyway

I agree with those above about using real ocean rock, it just can't be beat, in my humble opinion.

But I can see that having such a large tank would make using ocean mariculture rock prohibitively expensive, not to mention what you've already spent on rock thus far.

Again, I can't see your video, but if you really feel that your system is overrun with insurmountable algae, you could consider bleaching it, and starting from scratch. Bleach will kill everything, good or bad, so this would be like a full dry rock start again. If you do that, consider adding at least some good quality live rock to seed the now dead, dry rock. But this way you'd be free of any pest algae you're dealing with now:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cont...3K8Xytae59Kx2dv6BxABqKQVnlvaWkUhoCJOQQAvD_BwE
Good luck whichever way you go!

 

[Uncle99]

Ok, I was finally able to convert my video so I can upload it. Here is the scope of what we're dealing with.

Can’t see the video.

Most stuff is photosynthetic so put the rock in the darkness for two weeks with flow. Rinse

Put in a clean brute with new water two more weeks.Rinse

Restart system ensuring stable nitrate and phosphate levels.

LR is always faster but in the end, not convinced significantly better. Sometimes you get more than you want with LR.

Simply a choice.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Can’t see the video.

Most stuff is photosynthetic so put the rock in the darkness for two weeks with flow. Rinse

Put in a clean brute with new water two more weeks.Rinse

Restart system ensuring stable nitrate and phosphate levels.

LR is always faster but in the end, not convinced significantly better. Sometimes you get more than you want with LR.

Simply a choice.

Yeah iOS and R2R videos don’t work. You’d have to try from a computer. Interesting idea- deprive light and then use it. I’m not sure 2 weeks is enough to deal with what I’m dealing with, but perhaps longer….

 

[Fish Fan]

Yeah iOS and R2R videos don’t work. You’d have to try from a computer. Interesting idea- deprive light and then use it. I’m not sure 2 weeks is enough to deal with what I’m dealing with, but perhaps longer….

Can you just post a few clear pics here, I think it might help

 

[Uncle99]

Yeah iOS and R2R videos don’t work. You’d have to try from a computer. Interesting idea- deprive light and then use it. I’m not sure 2 weeks is enough to deal with what I’m dealing with, but perhaps longer….

Just hate starting from scratch. Not all the stuff is pest algae and bacteria, just more than the good stuff. We need to reverse that.

Pest stuff favours instability in terms of chemistry and temp as well as the lack of (or too much of) nitrate and phosphates.

Good algaes and bacteria’s populate slower but love super stable unchanging chemistry.

In good populations, these guys go along way at keeping rocks clean and sand white.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Can you just post a few clear pics here, I think it might help

It’s at the old house, maybe tomorrow;
I thought video would be better. Just imagine a saltwater swamp situation- like a mangrove tank. Tons of macro algae with patches of hair algae. It’s almost like a freshwater tank at this point in terms of greenery.

 

[Fish Fan]

It’s at the old house, maybe tomorrow;
I thought video would be better. Just imagine a saltwater swamp situation- like a mangrove tank. Tons of macro algae with patches of hair algae. It’s almost like a freshwater tank at this point in terms of greenery.

That actually sounds really nice

 

[ariellemermaid]

That actually sounds really nice

In a way, I guess. If you’re trying to grow an algae forest instead of a coral reef. Here are some stills from the video:

 

[Fish Fan]

In a way, I guess. If you’re trying to grow an algae forest instead of a coral reef.

I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make light of your situation

 

[ariellemermaid]

I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make light of your situation

No I mean you’re not wrong. It’s a thriving macro algae tank. Nature has completely taken over and that’s not a terrible thing, just not exactly what we were going for in a display tank.

 

[Fish Fan]

This seems like many varieties of both micro an macro algae that's overrun the tank. From the above pics, I would take all this rock and bleach it, or relegate it to a bin like a Brute trash can, and let the rock "cook" in the dark until the photosynthetic organisms die off, which could take many months. Bleaching is faster and easier

 

[Fish Fan]

No I mean you’re not wrong. It’s a thriving macro algae tank. Nature has completely taken over and that’s not a terrible thing, just not exactly what we were going for in a display tank.

Yeah, I get that, and I wasn't trying to be argumentative, I only mean to be helpful where I can

 

[ariellemermaid]

This seems like many varieties of both micro a macro algae that's overrun the tank. From the above pics, I would take all this rock and bleach it, or relegate it to a bin like a Brute trash can, and let the rock "cook" in the dark until the photosynthetic organisms die off, which could take many months. Bleaching is faster and easier

I have 3 brutes. This is doable. But, how long are we talking? One way or the other, it seems like I’m looking at bleaching some rock and preserving others.

I guess one question to throw out there is whether trying to bleach and rid the tank of cyano is even worth it. I’ve managed to keep a fish-disease free tank, but micro-bacteria seems impossible to avoid. And, if I’m going to preserve the surviving coral in the tank, some contamination is inevitable.