Red Slime (Cyano) removal and curing outside of tank

Discussion in 'Algae' started by OneFishTwoFish, Jan 8, 2012.

  1. OneFishTwoFish

    OneFishTwoFish

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    Hello all,

    I just purchased a used SW tank which included lots of LR, most with red algae on them. Some have little red "mushrooms" on them, which look healthy and very pretty. I have a bunch of questions...
    1) I have an extra tank I can use to cure the live rock in, and remove the problem algae, before putting the rock in its final tank. Can I both cure the rock and the algae problem together? I do not have a pump/filter for the tank, but I do have a heater. To cure the rock, do I use some of the tank water the rock came in, combined with new saltwater? Or only new saltwater? Because of the algae problem, I am going to try nerite snails, as the previous owner used chemi-clean "numerous" times, and the algae may have built up immunity. IF the snails dont do the job, I will blast with chemi-clean, as a final effort. So- can I use this tank without a circulatory pump to accomplish my goal, or must I use my new tank?? And what exactly would be the process for the curing of the rock along with curing the algae problem??
    2) I have a lot of dry (completely) "cleaned" live rock, that looks great in that it is very porous, not dense, TONS of holes, and pearly white. Also some dead corals in the bucket. Unsure how it was "cleaned". My goal is to use this rock as my main rock in my new tank, as it is the best of all the rock. I plan to seed it with some live rock that was used for filter media in the used tank (and sump, etc) that I purchased. The rock shows NO signs of red algae, and looks very clean. So - can I seed the dry live rock with the "good" wet live rock in my new tank? And - right now I have the dry rock sitting in buckets of well water from the tap (very hard, but good water, no chemicals, etc) in an effort to soak out any chemicals that might have been used to clean the rock. How long do I soak before a water change? 24 hours, several days?? And, assuming regular water changes, how long total do I let them soak before believing any chemicals or bad stuff on them would be leached out, and I can put them in my main tank??
    3) I plan to use both the 4 or so large pieces of "good" wet live rock (no algae) and the "good" cleaned rock to start off in my main tank, and cure it there, as well as seed the dry rock. Am I headed in the right direction??
    4) IF I cannot cure the red algae problem and my live rock in the other tank, and must use a pump/filter/etc, then I will place ALL the rock in my main tank and cure it all at once, and remove the algae. Then choose which rock I want to aquascape. The reason I thought this would be last resort is I dont want to "infect" the good rock with the red algae, in case I really cant get rid of it.

    Comments, everyone!!?? :question:

    I know this was a lot of info and questions, sorry.
     
    OneFishTwoFish, Jan 8, 2012
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  2. OneFishTwoFish

    little_fish Moderator

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    Omg, that is quite the post. But you are making this waaaaay more complicated than it needs to be. The rock in the other tank is already cured, its already live.

    Anyways, here is what i would do.

    1. When you move the tank suck out as much of the red crap as you can. get in there with a siphon and toothbrush for maximum removal. Toss water and sucked up algae. Also do not take the sand and stuff with you!!! throw it out!
    2. When you get to your house add back in with fresh saltwater. Also add in more powerheads so the volume of the tank is turned over at least 40x per hour. The flow is very important in keeping this stuff from coming back.
    3. Week long blackout.
    4. Do another 50% water change once again, sucking out all the crap you can see. Now add in your dry rock (after giving it a wash with your hose) and new sand (dont get crushed coral)
    5. Toss in uncooked table shrimp to recycle tank with the lights out again. Keep the lights off until the tank is cycled.
    4. Do another big waterchange sucking out as much of any remaining algae and crud as you can see.
    5. Add your first fish!

    You are going to need to be careful about how you stock your tank and how you feed your tank because you have a tank with a history of algae issues. But if your smart, you can keep them from coming back
     
    little_fish, Jan 8, 2012
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    OneFishTwoFish likes this.

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  3. OneFishTwoFish

    little_fish Moderator

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    Some other important things you should do:

    1. Change the bulbs

    2. Use RO/DI water to make your saltwater with. What is good for drinking water, generally isnt good for our tanks, and hard water can really screw with some of your parameters.
     
    little_fish, Jan 8, 2012
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  4. OneFishTwoFish

    OneFishTwoFish

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    Thank you, umpteen times!! ( I am a very complicated person, thus the complications I encounter, lol) Will follow instructions to the letter (and number)
     
    OneFishTwoFish, Jan 8, 2012
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