Guidance and Advice Needed Please!

[AquaMotion]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting on RC although I've been a member since 07 lol. I actually forgot I was even registered. Anyway, that has nothing to do with why i'm posting. I'd like to thank everyone in advance that is willing to lend some advice or opinion(s).

I've dabbled with the saltwater aquariums for several years and have learned some things here and there from experience, but I'm still not the most knowledgable about it. I haven't always had the determination or drive to keep up on the maintenance of my aquariums and I believe that is my main problem. I am at a new point in my life where I am willing to put forth the effort to maintain my aquarium the way it is supposed to be maintained and learn the proper way of doing things. I've tried numerous times over the years to work with my LFS's, but with my lack of effort and their "beat around the bush" attitude it has been frustrating and for me to get the right information and that "drive" that most enthusiasts have.


Tank:

180 gallon RR

ADHI 35 or 45? sump w/ filter sponge

Life reef Protein skimmer

2 Filter socks

Heater

4 korallia powerheads (not sure what size)

Blueline 55 Aqua return pump

2 - 36" 6 bulb t5 fixtures

good amount of LR ( not sure how much)





Issues:

1. I have a 180 gallon RR aquarium in the wall, the sump and access to the back of the aquarium is in the storage part of my basement where unfortunately the ceiling drops and forces you to hunch over in most areas. The plumbing was done by originally by myself but, it wasn't the best job so I had the LFS come over and re plumb it. Unfortunately, I had to down size the return pump and it was re worked to drain and return more efficiently. One of the original problems was micro bubbles. Even after the re plumbing by the LFS the micro bubbles were still a problem. I tried numerous things from, shutting the skimmer off for a few days to see if they would disappear, down sizing the return pump, fixed the plumbing, using filter socks to filter and break the fall of the draining water. My sump is a ADHI sump and it has a black sponge in it as well, which I thought might have helped the micro bubbles but even after adjusting it, it failed. There really isn't any big rushes of water flowing through the sump either. After trying to fix that many times it became frustrating and I eventually gave up on that problem.

2. The tank hasn't always been in bad condition, there has been times where it looked halfway decent and there wasn't too many problems. At some point along the way the dreaded Brown wafer algae (lobophora something?) was somehow introduced to my aquarium. It wasn't a huge problem at first but was an eye sore. As time went on there was some aiptasia introduced as well, which I tried to keep up on but had no luck. I tried joes juice, peppermint shrimp and removing of pieces of LR. At this point in life I went through a rough patch and let the tank go and didn't keep up on the maintenance and water changes. Needless to say the aiptasia and brown wafer algae flourished and now is ruling the aquarium. Not to mention, they have killed pieces of coral and now the tank is filled with dead coral, nuisance problems and I'm assuming terrible water parameters. Not to much is left in there besides a couple pieces of coral, 4 fish, and a good amount of LR that is in terrible shape.


Goals:

I've been considering to change it to a FOWLR or a more manageable reef with less difficult corals. I think one of my problems was the fact that I had many different kinds of corals scattered throughout the tank that needed different parameters to thrive. Now that I think about it, it would most likely be easier to stick with corals with similar living conditions/requirements. I'm just not totally positive about what I want to do yet. I assume I should make my mind up to narrow down where to begin with the reformation but, I guess it all depends on what kind of changes I need to make, things that need to be purchased, and time involved. Since I decided to put forth a better effort and make it a daily thing for me to work on, I want to do things the RIGHT way that will be beneficial to me in the long run. Like many enthusiasts I have rushed many aspects of the hobby and I have learned the hard way that rushing and having no patience is costly, extremely frustrating and almost always guaranteed to turn into a problem that is difficult to fix. With that being said I will continue onto the questions that I have and advice I am in need of.



Questions:

1. How to determine the micro bubble problem and solutions to fix it.

2. How to go about the reformation...restart the whole tank and cut my losses or try to salvage my LR? (at this point, I think restarting might be the easier and smarter thing to do because I am worried about reintroducing the problems back into the system, but I am definitely open to other insight)

3. If I completely restart the aquarium what is the best way to go about cleaning power heads, the aquarium itself and sump so that there will be no left over bacteria or anything that might transfer into my new setup? (especially suggestions on cleaning the black drain/return compartments in each corner of the tank and cleaning the sump since its on the actual floor)

4. What is the proper way to start it back up? Clean it thoroughly, add new substrate, and let water cycle for a while? I assume I won't be able to save any of my LR without the chance of reintroducing the problems back into the system so I will have to purchase new LR. Any recommended suppliers? The LFS's have a terrible selection and I have heard horror stories of people buying online. (looking for larger prime grade pieces with nice shape..not really concerned with the price as long as quality is top notch and supplier is reputable) Recommended amount lbs? When to add it and cycle time? Do you let it cure in the system if it isn't cured already?

5. What kind of timeline should I be following? When is it the right time to add things like inverts, fish, food, supplements, etc.. and what to add?

6. What are the essential tests I should be running and how often?

7. Do I reset the lighting duration? How many hours of actinics and how many hours of daylight?

8. Once established and cycling, how often should filter socks be changed? How often should carbon be changed? ( I always have just put carbon in a mesh filter bag and set it in the sump, is that okay or should I be going about it differently?)

9. How often should water changes be done to keep things pristine and how much of a change should be made?

10. If I decide to stay with a less difficult reef, what should I dose? I have always been told to use b-ionic supplement for my aquarium, is that a smart way to do it or is there a better/easier product or method that will work more efficiently? (keep in mind I don't want to overwhelm myself with all kinds of new equipment that aren't necessarily a must. I am willing to learn new methods and work with new equipment but, I'm just nervous about it becoming a difficult task rather than an enjoyable hobby.)

11. What kind of maintenance should be done daily or every other day to keep a healthy system? Every week or 2? Every month? I am going to try to develop a schedule to follow to make sure everything gets done properly and consistently.

12. Is there anything I am missing lol? If so, please let me know. I will appreciate any and all advice and suggestions.


I want to apologize for such a long post, for asking so many questions and not having more detailed info about the tank. I realize I am asking a lot of basic questions that I should know already but, I have tried my methods and they haven't worked too well for me so I'm trying to get all the right information. I'd like to reignite that feeling that I first had when I started my aquarium but this time with less frustrations and more knowledge about the hobby.

If there is any questions please ask and I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Thank You for reading and taking the time to help.

[jake koppen]

Ok, what I would do is restart the tank. What ever fish you have, get rid of them and plan a new collection and order that you introduce them (do the research and get a nice compatible list) OR throw them in a holding tank with simple hang on the back filter and air till you're readyto re introduce them.
Rock, I'd bleach just about all of it in a big bin for a few days then rinse rinse rinse till you can't smell a hint of bleach. You can resead all of that now dead but clean rock with a piece or 2 that you get from a local reefer or good source.
Use new sand
Look up ”herbie overflow” for your plumbing
Id just take it all down to where you have nothing live anymore, do allot of reading on here and restart with a really good plan.
Also having the tank in an area where people are constantly by it and enjoying it really makes it easier to keep up with it and take pride in it. Maybe make the basement the place to be some how?
Just some thoughts. Good luck and enjoy!

[CoralReeferGal]

Illbtry to answer what I can... #1 no idea. We have that issue when the sump is low on water. #2, may be able to salvage your rock, do a fresh water dip, with airstone and no lights for several weeks. It will kill everything, and you'll need to culture/cure it again, but if you like the shape and sizes of what you have,it will save you the hassle of finding pieces you like, not to mention the money. #3 I'm not sure; I've never had to clean and restart a tank :/ #4 you're right on. Add substrate and let it cycle. You typically want one pound of rock per gallon. We buy from our lfs, but I've heard good things about liveaquaria.com. would add the rock right away and let it cure while the tank is cycling. #5 though I'm not positive, I would think once the tank is cycled its safe to start adding inverts, like you cuc. Most say to wait 6 months to add fish and corals, again I could be wrong on that though. #6 I don't do the testing on our tank LOL but I believe you want to test salinity, Ph, alk, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Not sure how often. #7we have the lights on 8 hours actinic for 16. #8 we do monthly. #9 we do a 25% water change every 6 weeks. Some people will say they do 10% weekly, 1% daily, 20% monthly... really its what fits your schedule, what works for your tank and what you're comfortable doing. #10 I have no idea. I stock the tank and research, my other half does the maintenance. We have however started dosing selcon, which in less than a week has made the entire tank looks 100x better. Everything is flourishing! #11 were fairly lazy reefers and pretty mush feed corals 3x weekly and water changes every 6 weeks. Works for us!

Good luck with restarting the tank!! hope I helped at least a little bit!