Where do I start?

[jbrock183]

I just inherited a fluval 9 gallon flex tank from my brother. He had to go away for a while and all the fish and coral died and there’s a heavy red coating on all live rock and coral.

In short, can I save the live rock? I’m assuming I need to find a way to get rid of the red algae.

I’m completely clueless. Where do I start? Should I just remove the rock and dead coral and start over from fresh?

 

[ScottJ]

Well, this is a good place to start;
The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium | Reef2Reef

If there are dead things in the tank, I would remove them.

 

[jbrock183]

Should I try to save the live rock covered in red algae? If so how?

 

[ScottJ]

If you want to save the rock, you could give it a good cleaning with a stiff nylon brush in fresh in fresh saltwater for starters. That won't kill the bacteria in the rock.

Maybe start with new sand after cleaning out the tank. Then you can restart things fresh.

 

[jbrock183]

Should I try to save the live rock covered in red algae? If so how?

So, I need to learn how to test the water parameters. What brand of test kit should I get and what parameters should I be looking for?

 

[synchiropus_tha_baller]

API has good testing kits that you could amazon or get at local petco. The bare basics for saltwater include salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite. They have kits that include all of them, usually around 50-60 clams (not the salinity, will need separate test for that)

 

[jbrock183]

Should I try to save the live rock covered in red algae? If so how?

So, I need to learn how to test the water parameters. What brand of test kit should I get and what parameters should I be looking for?

Thank You.

 

[jbrock183]

API has good testing kits that you could amazon or get at local petco. The bare basics for saltwater include salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite. They have kits that include all of them, usually around 50-60 clams (not the salinity, will need separate test for that)

I see several different test kits. What’s the name of the one I need that will test all the necessary parameters?