Tank rebuild?

paulg · 01-03-2008, 08:10 PM

Ok so heres my story. I have a 75gal tank that has been running for 4 months now and still no fish. I have been battling hair algae,cyano,and black spots in the sand(yes I know thats toxic).......Anyways I got a new stand so that I can fit my sump under it and I was wondering if it would just be better to start over. The rocks are laying on the sand, Should I make rock lifts while the tank is down? The sand is a DSB. It is about 3 inches deep. Should I remove some sand to make it a bit more shallow? Also the black spots in the sand(sulphur).....while I am taking the old water out should I stir the sand a few times to "clean" the sand? I dont want to waste a bunch of saltwater. What I mean is can I leave about 1/4 of the water in the tank so that I can stir the sand up then siphon out the nasty water.........Am I making any sense? Would you guys like some pics?

scoop · 01-03-2008, 08:16 PM

Pics are always appreciated! For a dsb, I think you need at least 5+". Otherwise you should go to a 1" or so ssb. (You could always consider bare-bottom, too and eliminate a lot of the problems you are having for good.)

jenajet · 01-03-2008, 08:18 PM

What equipment are you running? skimmer, etc?

paulg · 01-03-2008, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoop

Pics are always appreciated! For a dsb, I think you need at least 5+". Otherwise you should go to a 1" or so ssb. (You could always consider bare-bottom, too and eliminate a lot of the problems you are having for good.)

BB is out of the picture

paulg · 01-03-2008, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenajet

What equipment are you running? skimmer, etc?

Tank specs:
The tank is a 75gal.
Red Sea Berlin Skimmer(POS)Building a Geoff skimmer
3 inch sandbed
70lbs of lr
2 koralia 4 powerheads and 2 maxijet 1200's
432 watt T-5 lighting
Cleaning crew:
8 scarlet hermit crabs
15 cerith snails
15 astraea snails
temp:79-81 degrees

Wiskey · 01-03-2008, 08:28 PM

We always want pics!

It really sounds like what your going through is quite simply new tank syndrome. I would reccomend rock lifts though,.. a SSB of only 2 inches will allow you to syphon it and keep it clean without worrying about it poisining the tank,.. you could take all the sand out,.. rince it in FW really well,. have the rock out,.. blast it off super good to clean out any detritus,.. then put it all back together on the new stand then wait and make sure it doesn't cycle again. This will help clean everything up a bit.

Whiskey

paulg · 01-03-2008, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiskey

We always want pics!

It really sounds like what your going through is quite simply new tank syndrome. I would reccomend rock lifts though,.. a SSB of only 2 inches will allow you to syphon it and keep it clean without worrying about it poisining the tank,.. you could take all the sand out,.. rince it in FW really well,. have the rock out,.. blast it off super good to clean out any detritus,.. then put it all back together on the new stand then wait and make sure it doesn't cycle again. This will help clean everything up a bit.

Whiskey

How should I "blast" the rocks??? As for my CUC...should I just put them in a bucket with some sand and a piece of L/r with a heater and a powerhead? I am adding about 40 more lbs of base rock. Should I blast all the l/r currently in the tank or should I keep some to seed the new l/r going in?

paulg · 01-03-2008, 08:41 PM

Oh and pics to come tomorrow

Wiskey · 01-03-2008, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulg

How should I "blast" the rocks??? As for my CUC...should I just put them in a bucket with some sand and a piece of L/r with a heater and a powerhead? I am adding about 40 more lbs of base rock. Should I blast all the l/r currently in the tank or should I keep some to seed the new l/r going in?

I blast off my live rock every month or two in tank using a powerhead in my SPS tank to keep detritus from building up on it too much,.. in your case since your taking it out you could even do a "Dunk and swish" type thing. I would do it all,.. live rock and base rock,.. this just get's detritus off and doesn't kill anything.

Whiskey

Wiskey · 01-03-2008, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulg

Oh and pics to come tomorrow

Sure,.. that's what they all say

Whiskey

paulg · 01-03-2008, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiskey

I blast off my live rock every month or two in tank using a powerhead in my SPS tank to keep detritus from building up on it too much,.. in your case since your taking it out you could even do a "Dunk and swish" type thing. I would do it all,.. live rock and base rock,.. this just get's detritus off and doesn't kill anything.

Whiskey

The base rock has been cooking for a month now. So does my plan for my CUC sound good?

Wiskey · 01-03-2008, 08:47 PM

How long do you plan for the cuc to be in there? They are kinda sensitive,. better as a later addtion to a tank,.. but your plan is what I would go with given the cercomstances.

Whiskey

paulg · 01-03-2008, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiskey

How long do you plan for the cuc to be in there? They are kinda sensitive,. better as a later addtion to a tank,.. but your plan is what I would go with given the cercomstances.

Whiskey

I can ave the tank torn down and set back up in a day. I will leave the tank running as I make the rock lifts. When I tear it down they will be in the bucket as long as it takes for the tank to settle down and possibly cycle if it does.

tufacody · 01-04-2008, 12:25 PM

Ya know, I'd suggest a teardown for serveral reasons. First, it sounds like perhaps your tank hasn't fully cycled, which is odd for two months in a 75. Second, you say you are adding new rock. This will likely wreak havoc on the cycle again anyway. Third, you say you can improve your sump/stand setup. Things like that eat me alive. I know I will never be happy with the tank until it is in the best shape it can be. Better to tear down now and be happy with the final product. Fourth, I've simply found that even with no changes in type of water, salt, or equipment, a restart can result in no cyano or other problems, whereas if its there from the start it is much harder to get rid of.

Just my two cents. Better to do it now then to try to introduce inhabitants to a problem tank. After all, adding a bio-load is only gonna make conditions worse.

paulg · 01-04-2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tufacody

Ya know, I'd suggest a teardown for serveral reasons. First, it sounds like perhaps your tank hasn't fully cycled, which is odd for two months in a 75. Second, you say you are adding new rock. This will likely wreak havoc on the cycle again anyway. Third, you say you can improve your sump/stand setup. Things like that eat me alive. I know I will never be happy with the tank until it is in the best shape it can be. Better to tear down now and be happy with the final product. Fourth, I've simply found that even with no changes in type of water, salt, or equipment, a restart can result in no cyano or other problems, whereas if its there from the start it is much harder to get rid of.

Just my two cents. Better to do it now then to try to introduce inhabitants to a problem tank. After all, adding a bio-load is only gonna make conditions worse.

Yes I agree. That is why I want to do it now before I go any further.