One of my fish apparently knocked my brain coral off its perch a couple of weeks ago right into the intake for my closed loop. (The coral was a bit beat up, but it seems to be recovering.) The closed loop however, needs some maintenance. I need to tear it down to clean out the pump and the SCWD because the flow was severely compromised and I am hearing the pump jam a couple of times a day.
Since I have to tear down the canopy to disconnect the closed loop, I'm going to take the opportunity to do some much needed maintenance since it will be MUCH easier to reach into the lower parts of the tank.
I'm looking for ideas to make some of the work go smoother:
1) What should I use to clean the pump/SCWD? Will soaking in vinegar do, or should I get something more caustic.
2) I have several patches of anthelia that I want to get rid of. (Why I ever put it in my tank to begin with, I'll never know.) Any suggestions on how to get rid of it? It doesn't exactly peel off the rockwork very well. I was thinking of maybe buying a few toothbrushes at the store and scrubbing the anthelia off some of the rocks after I pull them from the tank. Anybody have any better ideas?
3) Because the closed loop is somewhat crippled right now, water flow is compromised which is causing some unhealthy growth on the sand bed in a few areas. Any suggestions on how to best deal with it other than disturb the sand in that area?
Since I have to tear down the canopy to disconnect the closed loop, I'm going to take the opportunity to do some much needed maintenance since it will be MUCH easier to reach into the lower parts of the tank.
I'm looking for ideas to make some of the work go smoother:
1) What should I use to clean the pump/SCWD? Will soaking in vinegar do, or should I get something more caustic.
2) I have several patches of anthelia that I want to get rid of. (Why I ever put it in my tank to begin with, I'll never know.) Any suggestions on how to get rid of it? It doesn't exactly peel off the rockwork very well. I was thinking of maybe buying a few toothbrushes at the store and scrubbing the anthelia off some of the rocks after I pull them from the tank. Anybody have any better ideas?
3) Because the closed loop is somewhat crippled right now, water flow is compromised which is causing some unhealthy growth on the sand bed in a few areas. Any suggestions on how to best deal with it other than disturb the sand in that area?
