Complete tank cleaning

accuman · 05-03-2007, 06:09 PM

If anyone can help me please. All my fish died, but my water tested great.

I have a 72 gal. tank with about 65 lbs. of live rock. Since the fish died, I

decided to clean the tank completely and start over. I started to vacuum

and mix up all the gravel. the tank is full of brown crud floating around. You

can't see 3" into the tank. I was thinking of just emptying the whole tank

and start over but what should I do with the live rock. Can I put it in a 5

gal. bucket with some of the original water? Do I need to put a filter in

it? What kind? Any additional help with other issues I will run into will help.

thanks, Accuman

CaptainKid · 05-03-2007, 07:15 PM

First, I would want to know how all the fish died when the water tested perfect. Who's to say that the problem won't come back once you've redone the entire tank? Can you offer any info on what might have led up to the fish dying?

You said you vacuumed the gravel. Are you actually using "gravel" for your substrate or are you using sand and just called it gravel?

What are the other specs of the tank? Are you running a sump, is the tank a uni-aquarium (overflow and "sump" is in the back of the tank, etc? Are you using any other type of filtration other than the live rock? What about other gear, i.e. heater, skimmer, etc...? As you can see, you left many blanks in your inquiry.

Based on the info you've provided... You could just drain tank, put yer rock wherever you like... buckets work. Clean out the tank with just some warm water (NO CHEMICALS OF ANY KIND) and start over. Now, I'm sure others have many different ways of starting a new tank... and I'm sure others will chime in. Here's what I would do. Place your rock however you like. Add a good sand bed. If you can, get some good sand from a reputable LFS and seed it with some good quality live sand. This way you don't have to buy all live sand, as that will cost ya. Then, add yer water. Now, I know many here will suggest R/O water, and rightly so. However, if you're like me and don't have access to R/O water... make sure you treat the water with the proper treatments to remove harmful elements. Of course mix your salt and water ahead of time as much as possible to give the salt time to dissolve.. however, since you're starting over it doesn't matter a whole lot right off the bat... will be some time before you put anything back in. Once Rock, Sand, Water are back in the tank... set up your heater, filter, skimmer, etc... and wait. Let everything calm down, and test yer S.G. if you have to, add salt or freshwater, depending on result of that test.... this might take a few days for the S.G. to become stable so check it often. Then... just wait some more. You will have to recycle the tank, so be patient, take it slow, read as much as you can on the net, in books, call yer LFS and ask questions. There is a ton of info out there.

Good Luck!

Nereaga · 05-03-2007, 07:26 PM

he beat me to it. I agree that we need more info.

accuman · 05-03-2007, 09:17 PM

Hi,

Thanks for replying,
Obviously I need to learn alot. I've had the tank for about 2yrs. w/o problems except occasional red slime. which I treated with Red Slime remover. Tests I did were for ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, Ph, andTested for calcium. All were excellent or within normal ranges. I just came back from the aquarium store and the guy there said I might of had a parasite. When I told him that I hadn't introduced anything new to the tank, he said that sometimes a parasite attaches to a gill and can take more than a year for it to do something nasty to your fish.
I use a filter in addition to the live rock, And a heater. I don't have a skimmer ( I don't know what that is.) I also don't have a sump. I would like to get one for this new tank. The guy at the store said I only need A 30 gal. for my 72 gal. tank. I was using actual gravel, not sand. again the guy at the store said thats all I needed. I also don't know what cycling is. If you can help or point in the right direction or sites. I appreciate it.

Thanks, Accuman

Nereaga · 05-03-2007, 09:32 PM

Here is an article on cycling:

http://www.fishtankforums.com/fishtank/saltcycle

CaptainKid · 05-03-2007, 11:26 PM

Hi Accuman,

Check out the link that Nereaga posted, that will give you some good info about cycling.

Once you're up to speed on the cycle, you'll have a good foundation when you start over. Also, I wouldn't use gravel in a saltwater tank. Sand is the substrate you'll want to use.

I would also look into adding a protein skimmer to your setup, as part of your filtration system. If you have enough live rock and a desent skimmer, that's basically all the filtration you'll need... with regular water changes that is.

There is a plenty of info here on these forums. Ask around, you'll get it all worked out.

Chitown1 · 05-04-2007, 06:36 AM

Welcome to FTF!!!

I agree about the gravel, it does not make a good substrate for a salt tank as it tends to trap particles that will build up over time and cause issues just like the one you are going thru. I would like to know the exact readings from your water tests to better determine the issue.

A protein skimmer is a very important part of maintaining a salt tank, it removes organic waste and give your water more stability, but it is important to get a quality unit like a ramora c for a hang on or a ASM for a in sump, a ASM g1 would be a great unit for a 72 with a sump.

Dont get discouraged, it sounds like you received some questionable advise from your LFS, but once we get your issues resolved and you are back up and running the rewards are well worth the effort.

accuman · 05-05-2007, 10:25 PM

Thanks Guys,

Your information helped so much. I'm now going to a different store, one

that's not in a mall! I got 80lbs of sand to be seeded with 5lbs of live sand. I

was thinking of an underground filter, but was told that with the 60lbs of live

rock and the live sand I would not need it. When I start getting pods I'll

continue stabilizing the tank and get some snails and hermit crabs(won't the

crabs eat the snails?). I've been reading the articles posted and other

peoples Q & As. I'm really glad I found this site.

Thanks again, Will be writing again for more advice!

Accuman

Nereaga · 05-06-2007, 12:50 PM

An undergravel filter is not a good idea for a SW tank. If you get 1.5-2lbs of LR/LS per gallon of water, that would be all the biological filtering you would need. One other thing to invest in is a Protein Skimmer. My hermits don't eat my snails either. My hermits eat one other for some reason but all my snails are doing great! Any more questions dont hesitate to ask!!! Brad