Cleaning a second-hand tank

[3000kelvin]

Bought a used BioCube that was setup for salt. The back wall is covered in coralline. Was planning on cleaning the tank prior to use. Should I scrape the coralline out of the tank or would I see a benefit to keeping it in the tank for cycling/seeding purposes?

 

[kfisc]

Hello and welcome to the site! If you choose to scrape it, use a light touch. Biocubes are glass (true?), but glass can easily get scratched from razor use. If the back wall is acrylic, this is especially the case. I'd soak paper towels with vinegar, spread them on the glass/acrylic and let them soak for a day or so. You can then take off a great deal of it with a non-abrasive cloth or dish sponge and water.

The coralline will be long dead and will have a neutral impact on your cycle. Good luck!

 

[reefing102]

Welcome to RC! I don’t think it’ll impact the cycle too much but to remove it, a soak in vinegar or citric acid should do the trick. Scraping may be difficult on the plastic back of a Biocube

 

[Anemone]

It would depend upon how you plan on cleaning the tank, as well as how you will set it up as to whether keeping the coralline would help with the cycle. If you plan on cleaning with freshwater and/or seeding your tank with live rock or live sand, then keeping the coralline won't make much difference, and will probably turn white initially anyway. On the other hand, if your cleaning involves keeping the tank filled with saltwater throughout, and you plan on filling it with dry sand and rock, then keeping the coralline may be of some benefit.

Kevin