Questions about cleaning/cycling

[Davey Jones]

I just bought a tank/stand/canopy this weekend.....YEAH!!!!!!!


The tank I bought has a lot of coraline algae on the back and small amounts in other places. The bottom has some algae and a haze to it.


If I want coraline algae on the back of my tank when I get it set up, do I need to clean the algae off that is currently on the back? Will some of it come back alive when I get my tank set up? Will it die off and start my ammonia cycle for me? Do I need to clean the bottom since it will be covered in sand eventually?



Thanks.

[b0bab0ey]

The only way I know to remove dried on coralline algae is to clean with vinegar and then scrape off with a razor blade. It's quite tedious. I wouldn't worry about the cleaning the bottom and whether you keep/remove the corraline is entirely up to you. It won't hurt/help anything. I would, however, rinse the tank thoroughly and clean it out with saltwater before you set it up.