Live Rock and back into saltwater questions

[thillt123]

I'm back in the saltwater game. I had a small 30 gal reef tank set up when I lived in Coralville. I moved to Des Moines and had to store it at my parents house. Bad, very bad idea!!!

I have a few questions"¦ I plan on bringing my parents tank to my place and they no longer have any fish, but have lots of live rock. I would like to "œkill" all of the overgrown algae/organisms on the current rocks and start fresh in my new setup. Any ideas on how to do this? I've herd you can bake the rocks, but not sure if that will harm them? Open to any ideas"¦

Next wondering if anyone has any unused pumps, RO unit or anything else I might need that I could use on my setup? I would like to build a skimmer. So, that will probably have to be another post"¦

I currently have a 30 that I just added water, rock and sand to. I plan on putting my parents 90 gal bow in the wall and would like to use my other 55 as a split refugium to grow some plants and other natural filtration. I have the room this time and learned a lot from my past experience with a small tank. So, I want to do it right and as cheap as possible"¦

 

[xroads]

Hi Thomas

To cook your rocks put them in a tub with saltwater, heater, & maybe a filter. Keep it dark & allow the algae to die off.

No pumps but you might ask on our club website

www.iowareefs.com

 

[Dave Dunbar]

THERE IS NO "CHEAP AS POSSIBLE" in this hobby!! Really though get the best you can afford!! That way you wont have to buy it twice!!
Dave

 

[apjohnson]

+1 Dave.

The only way that you can do the "cheap as possible route" is to buy used equipment from reputable sellers. If you're buying locally, check out www.iowareefs.com and you can see the buyer/seller feedback section to see the seller's reputation.

When buying equipment, just because two lights are 400 Watt metal halides does not mean they are the same. Some ballasts last longer than others, some lights don't have proper ventilation, etc. If you have specific questions about what people's experiences have been with specific brands, post and ask...you're likely to have someone that's owned just about every brand out there.

There were some used Sicce pumps posted on the site recently by a Cedar Rapids seller that would probably make great skimmer pumps.

Good luck!

--AJ