nycman
New member
I got the bad isopods on the tampa bay rock and will be nuking my 180 gallon tank. I don't have the time or patience to catch the things one by one, nor want to poison. Instead, I have learned a lesson that dry rock is the only safe way to go from now on. Here is my plan. Please let me know if this will work. THanks!
1) Set up new 20 gallon tank with fresh RO/DI saltwater and new cured and cycled LFS life rock. Run for 1 day.
2) Take out all life rock from display tank and refugium - discarding any ugly pieces and putting aside any attractive, useful pieces to bleach and convert to dry rock.
3) Grab all crabs, starfish, snails, shrimp (clean up crew) and drip acclimate to the new 20 gallon tank.
4) Get new dry rock (pukani) and soak it in diluted bleach water, along with the keepers from the display tank. Cure it as such for 2-3 days, rinsing it thoroughly.
5) Empty as much water as possible from display tank, fuge and sump, and then refill with tap water. Add a concentrated vinegar (need to figure ratio) and then turn on pumps and skimmer to have the acidic tap water flush the whole system. Empty and refill a few times with fresh tap water. Test PH to ensure acidity is equal to fresh tap water.
6) Place new dry rock in display tank and do aquascape.
7) Refill with salt water and start cycle process, either with a fish or bio booster kit, monitoring for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate daily. No lights.
8) After a week or so, when numbers are reasonable, drip acclimate transfer cleanup crew in 20 gallon to display tank. No lights.
9) Move LFS live rock from 20 gallon tank to fuge, and light fuge only.
10) Continue monitoring into all parameters are zero, and then turn on lights and add fish.
While a loss of $2000 and a lot of time, at least I will have a tank whose inhabitants I can now trust and control. Does this plan make sense?
1) Set up new 20 gallon tank with fresh RO/DI saltwater and new cured and cycled LFS life rock. Run for 1 day.
2) Take out all life rock from display tank and refugium - discarding any ugly pieces and putting aside any attractive, useful pieces to bleach and convert to dry rock.
3) Grab all crabs, starfish, snails, shrimp (clean up crew) and drip acclimate to the new 20 gallon tank.
4) Get new dry rock (pukani) and soak it in diluted bleach water, along with the keepers from the display tank. Cure it as such for 2-3 days, rinsing it thoroughly.
5) Empty as much water as possible from display tank, fuge and sump, and then refill with tap water. Add a concentrated vinegar (need to figure ratio) and then turn on pumps and skimmer to have the acidic tap water flush the whole system. Empty and refill a few times with fresh tap water. Test PH to ensure acidity is equal to fresh tap water.
6) Place new dry rock in display tank and do aquascape.
7) Refill with salt water and start cycle process, either with a fish or bio booster kit, monitoring for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate daily. No lights.
8) After a week or so, when numbers are reasonable, drip acclimate transfer cleanup crew in 20 gallon to display tank. No lights.
9) Move LFS live rock from 20 gallon tank to fuge, and light fuge only.
10) Continue monitoring into all parameters are zero, and then turn on lights and add fish.
While a loss of $2000 and a lot of time, at least I will have a tank whose inhabitants I can now trust and control. Does this plan make sense?