Lots of questions....pics included

[sheria]

Hi everyone,
I just want to firstly say thanks for even taking the time to read this -hugs-. I have a 75 gallon aquarium in my parents home that I started years ago. I moved for 2 years, and they havent done anything with it.

The skimmer has never been dumped, and the water topped off with tap water. My mother was using a solution called "Chlorasorb", which claims that it gets everything bad out of the water - which Im guessing isnt true. The only thing in the tank currently (besides the live rock of course), is snails, crabs, and quite a few green polyps, that have gotten quite large. There is no fish whatsoever.

Sooo needless to say I have moved back, and am ready to get it how it used to be. Currently, I am using a Euro-reef CS6-2 skimmer, and its been running, and they never empty the cup. I pulled it out from under the cabinet and have been pressure washing it...inside the sump and all over the skimmer are these little white - worms they look like. They are hard like shells...what could they be?http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/IMG_0037.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/IMG_0036.jpg
They are even inside the skimmer itself...are these really bad? they are so hard to clean off and they really gross me out (I hate worms). What do I do? Do I need to replace that pump? It was still working just fine as far as I know.

Also, here is a picture of the sump. (its dirty i know) You can see the white things on the base of it. Its a My Reef Creations sump, with a built in refugium. I never started the refugium...and wanted to know what type of pump to use for it, what type of substrate, and what type of lighting?
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/IMG_0038.jpg
Also, the aquarium is overun with algea...as you can see....
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/IMG_0039.jpg
The tank is basically 100% tap water. Above the tank there is 2x 250w metal halide (i think 10k), and I have hookups for 4x 96w PC but there is no bulbs in them at the moment. Since nothing in the tank needs the halides im thinking of just putting in some PC's to help with the algea...what do you all think?

I purchased the nicest RO/DI unit from purelyh2o.com - 7 stage I believe. It comes in tomorrow. My other question was, should I just do a 90% water change? Or just half? Or better yet...how would you all go about this overwhelming project? lol Thankyou all so much for taking the time to help. -hugs-

[new_world_disor]

persoanlly id empty and start again. thats just MO though. good luck

[tufacody]

i'm with the above. everything is probably saturated with phosphate.

[sk8rreefgeek]

hate to say it, but I'd start over

[mattleycrue]

I would take out the rock, rinse it, dump and replace ALL of the sand, then put it back together. That way the cycleing process shouldn"t be too bad. Oh and while you're at it 100% waterchange if you have the means to makup that much water.

[sheria]

What are the white stringy things? Is there absolutely no other options? If i have to start over I'm just going to get rid of the whole thing...

[sk8rreefgeek]

are there a ton of feather dusters in there? they kinda look like feather duster casings.

How much do want for the Ro unit? jk

Don't give up yet, your post has only been up for about an hour...

[Gooseman]

looks like you have a large selection of tube worms &/or feather dusters.

[Macimage]

I'd move the the live rock and live sand to buckets, manually remove the algae, clean the tank and then refill with RO/DI saltwater. I'd rinse the sand out very well with the old saltwater before putting it back.

Then I'd clean the sump and all the equipment really well too. It sounds like your skimmer is not working very well if the collection cup hasn't needed to be emptied for 2 years. I'd either upgrade skimmers or check RC to see if there is a good modification for that model skimmer.

Joyce

[sheria]

Are they going to hurt anything? I dont see them in the main tank, mainly just in the sump, attached to everything.

Im guessing if the tank is saturated with phosphate, that a water change alone isnt going to help. If I have to get rid of the sand, and move the rocks I am going to definately give up. Its just far too overwhelming :(

But thanks so much I will definately wait to see what everyone says.

[Macimage]

Don't give up!! Those look like calcerous worms and they are not bad.

It really easier to take it apart than do a bunch of large water changes. Just start on a Saturday morning and by the afternoon you'll be thrilled with how nice and clean the tank and rocks look. You can spread out the cleaning a bit by cleaning the skimmer on a different day:).

Joyce

[sk8rreefgeek]

you might post up your location, you never know, someone may come help...

[Jefe12234]

I don't see why you need to start over. The rock looks pretty clean from what I can see in the one pic. If you start using RO/DI from now on, do regular water changes, and get your skimmer working better, it should be in good shape before long. The tube worms are filter feeders and they can be removed from equipment by soaking it in an acid like vinegar or diluted muriatic acid from a hardware store. I'm assuming the tank wasn't fed all this time and that is probably what kept the tank from turning into a swamp. Make sure the tank and filtration are in good shape before adding any fish or feeding the tank.

[sheria]

So I guess you're right...I think I can do it. So, I might just get a rubbermaid garbage, filled with fresh RO water, and let the liverocks circulate in that for a few days. Would that be sufficient to clean them?

Also about the sand...each bag was about $40 and I must have atleast 7 or 8 bags in there, probably more. It seems that washing it off will be a disaster...but I dont want to buy more. Should I just take a blow to the wallet and buy new sand, or just try to clean it? Also, how do you go about cleaning sand?

[sheria]

The tank itself really isnt bad at all, its just covered in coralline algea...everwhere - but thats a good thing I guess. I will definately try the vinegar thing, cause they are hard to scrape even with a brittle sponge.

[Macimage]

I'd soak the live rock in saltwater as RO water will cause it to be dead rock.

When my 225 tank back started to separate and I had to empty it, I took out all the live rock and animals and then cleaned the sand with the old water that was left in the tank before I siphoned the water out. Then I added a few inches of new saltwater and few times until my test kits were all at 0 and siphoned that out to really clean up the sand, because I didn't want to buy new sand, but needed to get rid of all the junk in it.

You can either remove the sand so that you can really soak and clean the tank or your can clean the tank with the old water still in it and then siphon the old water out.

Yes, you don't have to start over, but it really is easier than messing around with water changes and trying to clean your tank with everything still in it. Your tank will look so new, clean and pretty:).

Joyce

[phreak312]

I agree with Jefe, it looks like your rocks are pretty clean and the green mushrooms look pretty good. The algae on your glass can be scraped off with a razor blade (glass tank only) or credit card (acrylic tank). Plus the fact that coralline algae is the one growing is actually a pretty good indication that the water isn't as bad as you think. I don't think there is any need to start over. Then I would just do weekly water changes and test. And clean up the sump and skimmer as Jefe says with vinegar.

If you run the liverock in RO water only, you will kill basically everything on it and then have to start from scratch.

[cpl40475]

Keep about half of a milk jug full of the old sand and rinse the rest of it. That way you are not out the money for all new sand use the old to RE-seed the sand. Id do as the others said also and soak the parts in vinegar and water to help clean them. Im betting the skimmer is clogged up pretty bad

[sk8rreefgeek]

I've HEARD you can buy 'playsand' from home depot. you could use a little live sand to 'seed' the cheap playsand...

[rkelman]

I wouldn't start over either. I don't see anything other than needing a good cleaning.. The white worms are featherdusters. No worries.

[Jefe12234]

Why does everyone think the tank needs to be broken down and cleaned? From the pics it just looks like the glass and skimmer need cleaning. The rock and sand look fine. There's no microalgae visible. I'd say run the tank as-is for a while. Get the skimmer working well, do some water changes, run some GFO. I don't see the problem really.

[sheria]

Oh thanks so much! Im going to try the vinegar, and clean the glass tomorrow. I have to go buy new test kits as all the ones I have are expired. I'll keep you all posted...and will put up some more pictures. -hugs- Thanks again

[Macimage]

Sounds like a good plan. But you're not going to clean the inside glass with the vinegar right??

Joyce

[sheria]

Hi everyone,
I got quite a bit of feedack on whether to do a full tear down or not. I cleaned everything up, skimmer, glass etc. I have a few more questions, that I will post after these pics...
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/fish3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/fish5.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/fish1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/fish4.jpg

There iare no fish in the aquarium, just snails and cabs. Massive amounts of Aiptasia (spelling?)
So here is the few questions...
1) Do you all think a full tear down should be done?
2) What type of substrate, and how much, goes into the refugium?
3) what type of lighting over the refugium?
4) How do i get water running into the refugium? I was thinking a verylow flow pump, from the skimmer compartment into the refugium, which would overflow in the return pump compartment... Also, there is a black bulkhead on the refugium, maybe that has something to do with it?
5) lighting questions, right now i have 2x 250 halide bulbs, and the ballasts for 4x 55w PC's. Do I actually need to add those other bulbs? if so what kind?

Thankyou all sooo much

[jimwat]

Your tank looks surprisingly good all things considered. Your bioload must have been very low with no fish and your tap water must be pretty clean. If I let my tank go like that with the tap water here, my tank would look like I was farming hair algae.

- Anyway, I would vote to NOT break down this tank. I do not see any aiptasia in your tank (massive??)
- I would not put any substrate in the refugium unless you think your going to need pods (like for a mandarin).
- You can get lights that will grow macro algae from Home Depot for cheap
- 2x250 MH over a 75 is quite a bit of light. It really depends on what you want to keep.

[maxrebo788]

I would not start over - from the pictures you posted, your tank looks fine. The fact that your tank is not overrun with algae could be a good indication that your tap water may not be a problem.

With the lack of any major visible algae, the best way to determine the actual shape your tank is in would be through test kit measurements.

Figure out where your levels are at first and then slowly try and make any adjustments to get back to where you need to be.

Try that for a while. If things don't improve, then I would consider starting over.

As I once heard someone say "Only bad things happen fast in this hobby." If you rush too quickly into starting over, you may find yourself in a worse position then where you are now.

-Max

[sheria]

thanksjim.
Also, i was wondering how to flow the water through the refugium...do I use a small powerhead and flow water from the skimmer chamber? or do i cut the plumbing lines and make a split T from the overflow, and but a valve to slow the flow? (id rather not because i am liable to have the tank come crashing down :(

[Ratkiller]

I wouldn't do a thing to it, except weekly water changes. It looks like every thing cleaned up really well. One thing I would purchase would be about 4 cleaner shrimp (peppermint) to take car of the apistasia. Other then that do weekly 5 gal water changes, regular maintance cleaning and invest in a good test kit to test the parameters of the water, to watch out for any crazy spikes. In about a months tiem if verything is still good then you can statr thinking about up grading lights, skimmer, and adding a refug. good luck.

[jimwat]

+1 on the peppermints. But wait until you've got your tank has stabilized before adding anything new. And to maximize the peps efficiency at eating the aiptasia, do not feed them and/or add any fish until the aiptasia is gone.

There are many ways to add a fuge to your setup. You'll get a better response if you start a dedicated thread. :)

[sheria]

I am so sorry for bothering you all with my questions - I just want to say I really appreciate it.

Another question though, how do i set up the refugium (its built into a sump by my reef creations)

Do I use the black hole thing for it? Or do i get a powerhead and flow water through it...(from the skimmer compartment?

And what about mineral mud? Would that be ok for a refugium? Let me know and thanks again!!

[Timbor]

Can you try to post a pic of your full sump, including skimmer section, return section, and refugium?

Right now you have only posted pics of like half your sump. If we could see the whole thing, it would be easier to understand how to get the water to go where you need it.

Tim

[sheria]

Thanks again for your help. I found a picture of my sump (it is that very exact one, minus the two in the back corner. There are 3 or 4 slots at the top of the refugium, that would flow into the return pump

So what do I do? thanks !

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/bbre02/rs2.jpg

[Timbor]

Ok, so correct me if I am wrong, but from that pic it looks like the skimmer section is on the right hand side, then the refugium is the front left, and the return section is the back left compartment?

From the way it looks to me, water enters the skimmer section and should be able to run through the refugium and into the return section just fine.

Where do you have your return pump located right now?

Tim

[Timbor]

Here, to make things easier, this is what I am thinking about how the flow is supposed to go through the sump.

Is this correct?

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n187/Timbor/RCsumpthread.jpg

Tim

[sheria]

Thats exactly how I have it set up. I was just wanting to know, how does water flow from the skimmer section to the refugium? Do I put a small powerhead? If so, how much flow should it be? Thanks so much!!

[Timbor]

It should be able to run by gravity, as the water runs towards the return section. All the flow through the chambers should be controlled by the return pump. You don't want to be forcing flow with another pump, as that would probably lead to one chamber being pumped dry, or another overflowing, etc.

As long as the water flows in the direction I outlined, you should be fine.

Tim

[scaryperson27]

1) Do you all think a full tear down should be done?

No. If you have tons of algae in your tank, then it could be taking all of the toxins, and pollutants such as Nitrates, Nitrites, Phosphates, Ammonia, etc. out of your tank. You should either find a aquarium shop that'll test your water, or buy new test kits and test the water yourself.

2) What type of substrate, and how much, goes into the refugium?

I would advise going for a Aragonite for the tank, and a type of mud for the refugium. What brands are available to you? How much you stick into the regfugium depends on the space you have to work with.

3) what type of lighting over the refugium?

Any power compacts, or t5, HO fluorescents with a rather low Kelvon rating should do. A lot of people advise the Home Depot Reflector with a Daylight spiral bulb but do make sure it doesn't short out due to salt creep/deposits from splashing from saltwater.

4) How do i get water running into the refugium? I was thinking a very low flow pump, from the skimmer compartment into the refugium, which would overflow in the return pump compartment... Also, there is a black bulkhead on the refugium, maybe that has something to do with it?

Can you raise the skimmer and drill a hole into the refugium wall so that you can just overflow the water into the refugium? If you use a pump, there could be a chance of one of the compartments overflowing. We need a well lit picture of your refugium.

5) lighting questions, right now i have 2x 250 halide bulbs, and the ballasts for 4x 55w PC's. Do I actually need to add those other bulbs? if so what kind?

No you don't need any more lighting then you have. The PC bulbs I would assume were for Actinics? If so, Actinics are mainly used for aesthetics and nothing more.