what to do? getting tank back up

[atcdrifter]

i want to get my tank back up n going again,basically things got ruff for me so i couldnt do tha salt water tank anymore in stead of tearing it down i just let it sit there n evaperatethere was no live stock in it,its a 100gal n 70% of tha water evaperated tha rest thats in there doesnt smell i left tha power heads on for circulation anyways i was thinking about draining it n filling it up wit hose water n run tha filters n skimer i figured if i did that twice then i could fill it wit ro water n start tha cycling process any input would be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[BeanMachine]

i want to get my tank back up n going again,basically things got ruff for me so i couldnt do tha salt water tank anymore in stead of tearing it down i just let it sit there n evaperatethere was no live stock in it,its a 100gal n 70% of tha water evaperated tha rest thats in there doesnt smell i left tha power heads on for circulation anyways i was thinking about draining it n filling it up wit hose water n run tha filters n skimer i figured if i did that twice then i could fill it wit ro water n start tha cycling process any input would be greatly appreciated thanks

Do you have a refractometer? I wouldn't start your tank with hose water. Add RODI to the existing saltwater as I'm sure its probably pretty salty.

What filters do you have? Protein skimmer?

 

[wickedfish]

Bro do yourself a favor make new salt water. Or if you have bins go down to Newport before 12pm and get some free. Your water probably is all stank booty anyway. Change all of your water. Why not, it's got no livestock might as well start right.

By that I mean probably full of NO3 and PO4.

I've been there before where life is hectic an tank goes on the back burner. Get a few snails they will clean up all the growth.

 

[atcdrifter]

ya i got salt n all that i just wanna know if i should drain tha tank n i guess rinse it or if i just drain it n start fresh is good enough

 

[BeanMachine]

ya i got salt n all that i just wanna know if i should drain tha tank n i guess rinse it or if i just drain it n start fresh is good enough

A rinse and cleaning probably wouldn't hurt.

 

[toomuch420]

+1 on drain & clean

 

[Reefer08]

Id drain the water and start with new water. If you don't have an RO/DI then I'd recommend just buying saltwater from your local fish store. Or depending where you live you can get scripps water from the ocean for free.

 

[atcdrifter]

thanks for tha replies guys so is it safe to drian whats in it now rinse it out wit hose water n then start fresh wit my rodi water?

 

[atcdrifter]

any other opinions if this is ok or not?

 

[GoReef165]

thanks for tha replies guys so is it safe to drian whats in it now rinse it out wit hose water n then start fresh wit my rodi water?

Depending on how long this has been sitting and having your powerhead circulating the water and only 30% of it at that...I'd just drain the tank completely, maybe even take the sand out and wash it clean, then put it back in and start a new 30 day cycle. Since you want to get it back up and running, why take a chance and try and salvage any good bacteria when you might be leaving a bunch of nasty detritis and waste in. Now's the time to get it off to the best start possible? Maybe add some seeded sand from a local reefer? You can add natural sea water from your LFS or use your RODI water and mix your own.

 

[DEC6]

What kind of tank was it before?? Just out of curiosity I would fill it back up with water and see what happens. You can always drain it and clean it like all the other suggestions anytime....but now is you chance to EXPERIMENT!!!! When I first started I would go to the LFS and buy a chunk of live rock that looked like it might have something on it. Sometimes a piece of rock that looked like it had a piece of gum stuck on it would turn into a cool leather coral. The bacteria in it will probably survive and if there was nothing bad in it before it probably isn't in there now.

GO FOR IT........MAKE DARWIN PROUD!!!!!!!

 

[atcdrifter]

Depending on how long this has been sitting and having your powerhead circulating the water and only 30% of it at that...I'd just drain the tank completely, maybe even take the sand out and wash it clean, then put it back in and start a new 30 day cycle. Since you want to get it back up and running, why take a chance and try and salvage any good bacteria when you might be leaving a bunch of nasty detritis and waste in. Now's the time to get it off to the best start possible? Maybe add some seeded sand from a local reefer? You can add natural sea water from your LFS or use your RODI water and mix your own.

ya it been sittin for over 3 months wit tha power heads on suprisingly it doesnt smell at all but its been reall cool in tha house

 

[atcdrifter]

What kind of tank was it before?? Just out of curiosity I would fill it back up with water and see what happens. You can always drain it and clean it like all the other suggestions anytime....but now is you chance to EXPERIMENT!!!! When I first started I would go to the LFS and buy a chunk of live rock that looked like it might have something on it. Sometimes a piece of rock that looked like it had a piece of gum stuck on it would turn into a cool leather coral. The bacteria in it will probably survive and if there was nothing bad in it before it probably isn't in there now.

GO FOR IT........MAKE DARWIN PROUD!!!!!!!

it was a mixed reef tank before wit fish never had any problems wit it either