Repurposing Liverock gone wild with algea

[xtremesouth81]

Heres the story, I started reefing again after a got married three years ago. So I built my own 120g acrylic tank. I didnt finish all the edges but it held water and it worked. it is not as easy as youtube makes it look. so the acrylic 120 in the garage doubled to another glass 120 in my bedroom. i was doing good on maintenance then algea started growing in the acryic 120 and i purposely let it go to see what would happen. Algea wall to wall a year laterand ive only been feeding the single clown in there like once a week and ive been removing 2 gallons of algea every month. So where are all the nutrients coming from. idk. So Im going to build a large display tank in the family room and I broke down the acrylic 120. I pulled all the rock scrubbed it sprayed off and I got it soaking in a saltwater trough until I build the new display tank and fishroom. Have any of you experience with using live rock out of tank after going nuclear algea and putting it in a new tank.???

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R. Not experienced that. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

 

[MaxTremors]

Should be fine. Algae is going to make its way into your tank regardless, the issue is whether conditions are favorable for it to take hold and whether or not there’s something else to out compete it. Was this initially dry rock and did you ever add anything to the tank besides the clown (corals, a CuC, etc.)?

 

[Fred2482]

Welcome! Live rock will be fine.

 

[redfishbluefish]

You could try cooking it the Melev's way. Note, this is NOT literally cooking the rock. Check out this video:

 

[G Santana]

Welcome to R2R, I'd scrub the heck out of it and use it.

 

[Jeffcb]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[SPR1968]

Some good advice already so Welcome!

 

[Schraufabagel]

 

[PeterC99]

Welcome to R2R!

Love to see your handy work with the 120g.

 

[tharbin]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Hello and welcome to R2R. Glad to have you.

 

[Magic City Reefer]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Heres the story, I started reefing again after a got married three years ago. So I built my own 120g acrylic tank. I didnt finish all the edges but it held water and it worked. it is not as easy as youtube makes it look. so the acrylic 120 in the garage doubled to another glass 120 in my bedroom. i was doing good on maintenance then algea started growing in the acryic 120 and i purposely let it go to see what would happen. Algea wall to wall a year laterand ive only been feeding the single clown in there like once a week and ive been removing 2 gallons of algea every month. So where are all the nutrients coming from. idk. So Im going to build a large display tank in the family room and I broke down the acrylic 120. I pulled all the rock scrubbed it sprayed off and I got it soaking in a saltwater trough until I build the new display tank and fishroom. Have any of you experience with using live rock out of tank after going nuclear algea and putting it in a new tank.???

Welcome! Glad you joined. Yes I'd also use the rock. As others have said and as your research is showing you, algae needs food source: light, nitrates and phosphates. Sunlight directly into a fishtank, well that was fueling our green hair algae and I finally agreed to put window blinds in our southern facing room... and then there is foam also adding another layer of light blocking in most windows between glass and drawn wooden slatted blinds. If algae dies in the tank it will release its stored nitrate and phosphate and become fuel for new algae, so we've spent a lot of time scrubbing rocks free of algae and siphoning algae water from tank, treating with Vibrant, and steps to reduce phosphates and nitrates (10% water changes don't even dent our nitrate counts right now (sigh... another reactor is on its way - going to try sulphur))

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[RiptideAquaculture]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[Kiwi reefer]

Welcome to R2R

 

[attiland]

Heres the story, I started reefing again after a got married three years ago. So I built my own 120g acrylic tank. I didnt finish all the edges but it held water and it worked. it is not as easy as youtube makes it look. so the acrylic 120 in the garage doubled to another glass 120 in my bedroom. i was doing good on maintenance then algea started growing in the acryic 120 and i purposely let it go to see what would happen. Algea wall to wall a year laterand ive only been feeding the single clown in there like once a week and ive been removing 2 gallons of algea every month. So where are all the nutrients coming from. idk. So Im going to build a large display tank in the family room and I broke down the acrylic 120. I pulled all the rock scrubbed it sprayed off and I got it soaking in a saltwater trough until I build the new display tank and fishroom. Have any of you experience with using live rock out of tank after going nuclear algea and putting it in a new tank.???

just keep your rock in the bucket covered with water

 

[xtremesouth81]

wow thanks everyone for all the replies, Yep Im going to reuse ther rock I remembered years ago when i set up my 250 tank i did it the same way i went a acquired LR from abandoned tanks on craigslist cheap and I put in a huge water trough in the garage while built the tank and two months later i moved my 55 gallon and 200 lbs of live rock into the new system and it became a very successful mixed reef for two years then my daughter got sick and I ws awayfrom the tank for 3 months and it crashed. I sold the house got divorced. Now years later Im in a happy home again with an awesome wife and now Im going to do another big build Ill start a build thread. Woe I rambled , any way I got all the LR scrubbed wsahed rinsed and soaking in tubs with powerheads and im going to start skimming out nutrients and do water changes to help clean out the old nutrients. it was originally 100 lbs of Florida live rock and 100lbs from a tank I got off marketplace and it is all established LR. Im going to use it in a filtration tank and create a aquascape in the display tank just for corals and room for fish to swim.

 

[xtremesouth81]

Welcome! Glad you joined. Yes I'd also use the rock. As others have said and as your research is showing you, algae needs food source: light, nitrates and phosphates. Sunlight directly into a fishtank, well that was fueling our green hair algae and I finally agreed to put window blinds in our southern facing room... and then there is foam also adding another layer of light blocking in most windows between glass and drawn wooden slatted blinds. If algae dies in the tank it will release its stored nitrate and phosphate and become fuel for new algae, so we've spent a lot of time scrubbing rocks free of algae and siphoning algae water from tank, treating with Vibrant, and steps to reduce phosphates and nitrates (10% water changes don't even dent our nitrate counts right now (sigh... another reactor is on its way - going to try sulphur))

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

Thank you I will do that