Starting over but how to save my stuff

[Ztrain]

I have a two year old reef that I basically gave up on after six months. I tried the live rock and got literally every bad thing you can get from it. Aptaisa, flatworms, asterina stars, those snails with webs. It is currently over run with bubble algae. Sponges everywhere. I thought I had awesome coralline. Nope that's flat worms......

Anyways I bought a new biocube 29 that I have all dry rock in that is currently working on cycling. I have a Tunze 9002 skimmer in there and a Kessil 360w over head for lighting. Other then the skimmer what filtration should I be running on the tank?

Also I'd like to move my 2 clowns, and a flame hawkfish that are in the current tank from when I started it. All the fish are still alive with no outbreaks, just an awful looking tank. I'd also like to save the two nasarious snails and 3 hermit crabs if possible. Problem is I don't want any contamination from the previous tank following them through. I'll then break down the old tank.

The local fish store said that he'd take any of the live stock as is if I choose not to move it because I really didn't want any of the above listed critters to die. But the snails look clean most of the time but the crabs generally have a flat worm or two on them. Also don't want any of the algae (esp bubble) hitchhiking to the new tank if at all possible....

Thank you,

 

[theMeat]

Welcome to the site.
Patience, a quarantine tank, and coral rx will offer you some degree of not putting pests in your display. Personally i would keep the fish and ditch everything else. Maybe cook the rock if you don't mind waiting.
You might wanna find a new lfs.
There's also many fish or inverts that can battle many dif problems that arise.
Good luck.

Oh, take the tank, pumps, sump, hoses, and anything your going to use in the new set up, Give it a vinegar bath, rinse, and let dry for 3 day or more before reusing.

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Snails and hermits are cheap, don't risk it. Dip any corals and fish. (For fish use Safety Stop)

Before you put anything in your new tank from the old sterilize it with chlorox water and let it dry.

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[theMeat]

Don't put bleach on your stuff. Unless you're prepared to leave it soaking in freshwater for a few weeks after, changing the water daily, and then letting it dry for a few days. Some plastics will never get rid of the bleach residue.
There's no need. An overnight vinegar bath will dissolve any calcium and coraline, rinse, then letting it dry for a few days will kill anything harmful.

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Huh? You do realize that bleach starts it's life as salt and water and when exposed to salt water or drying returns to salt and water?

I have been washing my filter socks in bleach for the past 20+ years. As long as I dry them out completely before using them in my tank it doesn't even make my skimmer any more effective. (Bleach is an oxidizer which can be used to kick start your skimmer in the event of a spawning event emergency)

Never had a single issue. Obviously it has to be unscented bleach.

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[theMeat]

When i clean filter socks in bleach it takes over a week of changing the water and rinsing daily before the smell of bleach goes away. If you just rinse and let dry it still smells of bleach. If it's ok to put bleach in your tank, that's news to me

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

If you have have snails spawn and your water turns to milk and skimmer goes flat (from the oils) a few drops of chlorox in the skimmer intake will kick start it.

You are doing something wrong. I add a cup of plain bleach to a small load with about 4 filter socks and have never had them still smell like chlorine the next day. Chlorine disipates very quickly.

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[Alfredo De La Fe]

95-98% of it turns back to salt and water. https://www.clorox.com/dr-laundry/bleach-101/

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[theMeat]

Running them in washing machine you run the risk of exposing them to detergent. Plus the socks gelt ruined alot faster. Yup, lotsa ppl do it.
Don't know what i could be doing wrong. If i smell bleach i smell bleach. Maybe you don't have a powerful sniffer? Maybe you were built backwards? Does your nose run and your feet smell?

Besides, bleach isn't needed for what op is describing.

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I have been using the same filter socks for at least the past 10 years and I wash them at least once every two weeks. Never had a problem and they are not falling apart.

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[theMeat]

Ten years on filter socks is very hard to believe. Washing them in the washing machine every 2 weeks is unbelievable. So glad i don't use socks any more

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I swap out my filter sock every 3-7 days. I have about six of them and wash them when I realize I just used my last clean filter sock. I prefer to use them because they grab larger particulate matter. If any sand ends up in my overflow it doesn't end up in my sump.

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[theMeat]

Yup, get why someone would use them, and they do help keep the water clear. I would just rather clean my sump once or twice a year, than changing filter socks every three days. Then washing them, and letting them dry. That mulm that forms in the sump is helpful anyway.
Knew a guy who was washing filter socks in washer with detergent for a year before someone told him otherwise. The funny thing about bleach or detergents is unless you have alot present you don't notice an issue, but that doesn't mean it's not causing some.
After decades in the hobby if there's one thing i learned is that everything that goes in has an effect on everything else. So i'd rather not take a chance on putting in anything when there's no need to, so i don't have to figure out weird problems and issues that could arise.
When i did run socks i found the best, as well as easiest way was to get a quality nozzle on a garden hose. Rinse it real well, and put it right back. No stinky socks in a bucket, no more laundry to do, and no chance of contaminants.
linky....http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/rhf/feature/index.php

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Yeah, useful article but completely irrelevant. Clorox is not chloramine. Chloramine is much more stable and does not gas out. Requiring the use of a dechlorinator.

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[theMeat]

You'r right, chlorine dissipates faster. It's good to get a bad thing out of your tank faster right? Or you could just not take a chance of putting any in.
Guess you missed the part about chlorine, which is bleach. And the part about how basically chloramines are a mix of chlorine and ammonia. Did you know ammonia can be found in aquariums? Did you ever see the effects of mixing clorine with ammonia? Umm, no, not in my tank, on any level

http://www.mwua.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Science_of_Chloramination_-_Dina.pdf

 

[iliriano]

Sorry bud I think your thread went sky high. Lol also by the state of cooking your rock is that you mix it with fresh water and muriactic acid 7-10 buck at Home Depot. Few min and you rock is done. Their are some good YouTube vibs out there just be extremely careful with that stuff. Oh you'll need lot of baking soda to neutralize the acid after your rock is done cooking. Hope this helps.

 

[Reef lover24]

For filter socks I would clean them under hot water by hand then I would dip them in non scented bleach and let them soak.. Drain and dip in R/O Water then let bake in the sun. It only takes a few hours and I never had one issue.