New tank?

[Melonbob]

It looks like I'm picking up a 50 or 55 tonight I found in the want ads. It's up and running but in nasty shape, with a mess of algae like I've never seen. He admits its neglicted, but that why hes ditching it so cheap. I'm getting all his rock, which actually is very nice and covered in coraline, four or five corals (polyps, hammer, leathers etc.) the 50 gal tank and filter etc, for 100 bucks. I figured this would be the easiest way to get my lionfish tank up and running. Anyways, since the tank walls are so nasty, I'm thinking of putting all the corals in my current tank, getting rid of all the water, scrubbing down the rock and walls, and starting over from scratch. Seeing as all of this is established, how much of a cycle do you think I'll end up having?

[daugherty]

leave all rock alone unless there is a lot of hair alage. if you take the rock out of the tank keep in under water of it will start to die. as for the tank just scrape it all down and then change all the water. the crap will come off easier if there is water. and as long as you keep the rock under water and the sand bed under water you will more than likely not have a cycle.

[Bifferwine]

I would buy a couple rubbermaid tubs or trash cans, make up or buy some new saltwater, move the sand and rock over to the tubs (with a powerhead and heater in each one) so that you can preserve the life in the rocks and sand. Then I'd clean the old tank out as well as you can.