need assistance and advice

[rmdonovan]

I recently was given the opportunity to obtain a 75 gallon reef setup from a fellow reefer that is chock full of corals (some mother colonies) the only hitch is....the entire thing is infested with algae (both turf and bubble) and aiptasia!! to the point where it is beginning coral die-off.

once the tank is delivered (tuesday) I plan on giving the tank itself and all equipment a good cleaning. I plan to use 100% new RO/DI saltwater. and do as much "manual" removal or the algae as I can from the rocks/corals before placing them in the tank. in addition I plan on a cleanup crew of approx 30 turbo or astrena snails and 2 - 3 lawnmower blennies and possibly a tang. in addition I plan on running a phosban reactor with rowaphos 24/7 for a while. I will aiptasia x the larger aiptasia and add 6 peppermint shrimp to control new growth, as well as 3 emerald crabs to assist with the bubble algae issue.


is there anything else anyone can think of that I am forgetting? or that I listed here that I shouldn't do?

[rmdonovan]

oh...and possibly a mangrove or 3...and "starve" (not feed) the tank for a few days

[rendogg]

This will be very hard on the inhabitants. I would recommend transferring and using most of the original water and go slow with the rowaphos, everything else would be a good idea.

[stingythingy45]

The Rowaphos and the peppermints are definitely the way to go.Sounds like the previous owner didn't us ro/di.What kind of skimmer does this system have?

[rmdonovan]

there are no tank inhabitants other than 1 fish that I can transfer...well except for the corals.

it has a euroreef recirc skimmer

[rendogg]

The corals would suffer if you used new water.

[rmdonovan]

what percentage of "old" water should I retain??

[rendogg]

Is the tank healthy, other than algae and aiptasia? These pests can thrive in excellent water quality. If you think the water quality is up to par, I'd save as much as you can to reduce transfer stress. If you think it is sub par I wouldn't go any more than 50%. You can be the judge of that.You can do some water changes later once the corals are comfortable. I would also use new sand, clean the old sand and save it for the future.

[rmdonovan]

so do you suggest testing the water...or is that just a waste of time? I think the guys RO/DI membrane went out...

[rkelman]

Don't put a tang in the 75g either. 1 lawnmower blenny would be sufficient. I'd keep everything clean / don't overfeed and change water weekly for a while and starve it out.

[rmdonovan]

ok, here is another thought...
I have a 55 QT tank that has been up for a while now...could I just put an emerald crab 2 peppermints and a lawnmower blenny in there and just do a "rotation" of the rock work in there til it is clean?

either way I am assuming I should shorten the light cycle.

should I not run the 2x250 halides and switch to 6 x 54w t5 until the outbreak is controlled?


what time frame am I looking at here?

[rkelman]

I'd run normal lighting and just keep up the water changes. I buy rocks with algae on them and it just disappears. Proper husbandry is king :)

[rmdonovan]

well then with that being said then would it be smarter to just move everything into my healthy established 135g?....if it wasn't for the aiptasia?