Tank Reboot - Need suggestions

[moneymm]

So i started this hobby about 7 years, and i would say its been a complete failure for me, i dont remember ever having a time where my tank looked good and didnt have an awful algae attack.

My fish and few corals all died about 6 months ago.

I want to transition to an easier to care for tank, one that cant get away from me like this one did.

i have fewer time then i did years ago for maintenance, but really want to get something looking nice.

What would you recommend i do, ditch the live rock and go with some fake coral insert, remove my nice light and just get a cheap LED to not grow any algae?

maybe switch over to freshwater?

or are you gonna convince me to give reefing another shot?

[FelixAguilar]

Well from your signature it looks like you have some money in your equipment (Lifereef) so that tells me you didn't go about it just to see what would happen. You should consider a fish only tank for a while see how that goes. You will have to provide a good environment for them to thrive but that's not too hard. Get a clean up crew and some fish that eat algae and see if they make some headway cleaning up your tank. Fish are cool to look at and I would say less maintenance than a reef tank. Good luck!

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by FelixAguilar

Well from your signature it looks like you have some money in your equipment (Lifereef) so that tells me you didn't go about it just to see what would happen. You should consider a fish only tank for a while see how that goes. You will have to provide a good environment for them to thrive but that's not too hard. Get a clean up crew and some fish that eat algae and see if they make some headway cleaning up your tank. Fish are cool to look at and I would say less maintenance than a reef tank. Good luck!

yes alot of money invested, thats why its hard to give up. plus the kids want some new fish. i just dont want the headaches of quarantine tanks and algae problems

[Oldreeferman]

Originally Posted by FelixAguilar

Well from your signature it looks like you have some money in your equipment (Lifereef) so that tells me you didn't go about it just to see what would happen. You should consider a fish only tank for a while see how that goes. You will have to provide a good environment for them to thrive but that's not too hard. Get a clean up crew and some fish that eat algae and see if they make some headway cleaning up your tank. Fish are cool to look at and I would say less maintenance than a reef tank. Good luck!

I was going to mention the same thing. With a fish only tank with live rock you would not have to monitor all the chemistry anymore only for corals does that present an issue, especially if you do not have the automation or the time to invest beyond water top offs & feedings. Even fish can be a handful due to ick & odd feeding habits & tank shape & size etc. Be certain to research everything you can about said fish before purchasing any so that you will know what & when to add so they all get along and be sure to get them from a reputable LFS if possible so you can see them feed & are ick free verses the online gamble. A QT tank would be a good investment if you plan on delicate species big time.

[Sk8r]

Algae come with excess phosphate. Phosphate can test zero amid fields of waving green, because phosphate goes into the algae. To be sure you don't have it, get well-conditioned rock and well-washed or live sand, and if you start to see it anyway, run GFO (Phosban) in a reactor---which will remove the remnant of it. Also don't get fish that require green food. After you've solved the phosphate problem, the rest is fairly easy so long as you keep your alkalinity steady, which means testing it and using buffer.

[moneymm]

ok, so my fish died a year ago, but for a while i just left it running feeding the snails and whatever CUC was left, once a week, but after a while, everything now seems dead. i only have a few inches of water in the tank, so most of the live rock is not in the water, and seems to have some green mold like substance on it.

nothing is living in the tank for months.

is this live rock still good to use? should i just take everything out of the tank clean with vinegar, let dry out, and then start the tank completely fresh? or is there a chance i still have bacteria growing in the live rock and i dont want to kill it?

what about the sand? still good?

what about the light i am using, if i dont plan to keep any corals, am i just growing extra algae by using it?

[Vinny Kreyling]

I would ditch the sand, too much of a job to clean it right.
The rocks I would try Peroxide. Take them out & pour it over the green sections. It should bubble just like a cut. Then I would put them in new saltwater in a tub or whatever to submerge them with a small pump for circulation.
Then clean the tank & sump good with vinegar. You could even run the system on fresh water with vinegar. Rinse good & start it back again. You have a great light & if you go FO just turn it down some. IF the bulbs have not been changed in over a year I would replace them. GL & you can take your time if the rocks are kept wet.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by Vinny Kreyling

I would ditch the sand, too much of a job to clean it right.
The rocks I would try Peroxide. Take them out & pour it over the green sections. It should bubble just like a cut. Then I would put them in new saltwater in a tub or whatever to submerge them with a small pump for circulation.
Then clean the tank & sump good with vinegar. You could even run the system on fresh water with vinegar. Rinse good & start it back again. You have a great light & if you go FO just turn it down some. IF the bulbs have not been changed in over a year I would replace them. GL & you can take your time if the rocks are kept wet.

thanks i will def do all this.

whats the downside to using the light past a year, (especially if just a FO tank).

one downside to this tank i have is that its not big enough for the bigger fish i want (and my kids are interested in). I am considering a tank size upgrade, where the best place to find a tank for sale or a person to build a thank on LI? im in massapequa. 120 Gallon or so with a built in internal overflow this time.

[Vinny Kreyling]

MM- my dentist wants to sell his 120 & its only 1 year old.
Downside to old lights is a spectrum shift on bulbs, usually better for algae growth.

[nmotz]

Originally Posted by moneymm

So i started this hobby about 7 years, and i would say its been a complete failure for me, i dont remember ever having a time where my tank looked good and didnt have an awful algae attack.

My fish and few corals all died about 6 months ago.

I want to transition to an easier to care for tank, one that cant get away from me like this one did.

i have fewer time then i did years ago for maintenance, but really want to get something looking nice.

What would you recommend i do, ditch the live rock and go with some fake coral insert, remove my nice light and just get a cheap LED to not grow any algae?

maybe switch over to freshwater?

or are you gonna convince me to give reefing another shot?

I think just about everyone in this hobby has at some point become too ambitious. A few years ago I really wanted a nice nano SPS tank but those really are hard to keep up with and like you I just did not have the time. Going out of town was a nightmare too. The best advice I can ever give someone in this hobby is: know your limit. If you can't do what's required for that big fancy reef tank with amazing fish, that's totally ok, but I'd advise against trying to pull it off anyway. Just scale down for what you can handle. I love stony corals but I don't have the time or budget to deal with all that right now. I have two boys under 4 yrs old, an unbelievably challenging period in my life. Someday, I'll grow coral again, but I can't right now. Don't give up necessarily, just be willing to scale down to what you can actually handle ENJOYABLY. Even if you succeed but hate all the work required, it isn't worth it IMO. Just my opinion, I wish you all the best my friend!