Tearing down 135G to purge vermetids, majano and red carpet algae.

[Capt_krill]

Couldn't take it any longer. The never ending battle of fighting vermetids and majano that came in on an acquaintance's corals needing a temp home. I'm done, I am nuking the tank with vinegar, cleaning scraping and resetting up my 135G and starting fresh.Needing some advice on things to prep for while doing this.I bought all new lights, new sand, already reincarnated about 200lbs of rock that is sitting in a temp tank becoming live (around 4 months now), need to buy PVC, PVC glue and cutters, I have plenty razor blades, scrapers, will be buying a bulk lot of vinegar for cleaning the tank, sump and equipment. I have 4x 35-50G tubs that will be mixing salt while we clean the tank. Will be cutting corals off rock and healing in temp tank until they are healed and ready for transfer/sale. I have bone snips, coral plugs, drill bits and acryllic rods for pinning rock. I need to buy epoxy to glue rock for aquascaping?Can my existing fish move directly to the "re-setup" tank or should they be placed in a temp home for the time being?I will be getting coralrx or the bayer insecticide as a dip before putting anything that vermetids and majanos could come in on back in the tank.Am I missing anything?Secondly, after the corals are cut and in my "frag" tank, they will be up for sale this sunday. Green slimer, red branching monti, green monti cup, nepthea/sinularia, jedi mindtrick, bunches of muchrooms, pagoda cup, attempts at chalice frag slicing, and chalice frags etc. I will have pics up soon there after to post. Just want to get it all right the first time so I am not missing anything.?

 

[cabo]

I would have some vinyl/pvc soft tubing for a backup with clams to secure and barbed pvc fittings. ?I had grand plans on plumbing that did not work, but I wanted things up and running while I considered my options..so I ran tubing until I could fix. I was under time constraints however. ?I don't know how quick your aquascape will go, but that live rock will need to stay in water eventually.?

 

[dnahas]

I have them too, and probably?not far behind you on making that decision.?I like?muriatic acid @10%, its a bit faster. ?Either way, Make sure you soak all equipment and [plumbing] in the acid, those things grow every where. ??For the extra layer of comfort have you considered a 10% bleach soak? ?

Other than your reincarnated rock, the "re-setup" is going to have zero bacteria or bio life to process the cycle, so you are starting from scratch. ? I would consider keeping the fish(and coral) in the current LR temp tank (with some of the new LR) until water tests verify the DT cycle is complete. ???

 

[Mike R]

Other than your reincarnated rock, the "re-setup" is going to have zero bacteria or bio life to process the cycle, so you are starting from scratch. ? I would consider keeping the fish(and coral) in the current LR temp tank (with some of the new LR) until water tests verify the DT cycle is complete. ??I agree. ?You should let the tank completely finish its cycle and give the system time to build up sufficient bacteria to handle the bio load. ?How many fish are we talking about??? ?"]

 

[Capt_krill]

So an update.Tank have been torn down, scraped, cleaned, vinegar washed (for about 5 hours), corals and fish are in a big 50g trough waiting to be fragged, all new plumbing, every single piece of equipment has spent at least 24 hours in vinegar and scrubbed to a near new standard. Cleaning a skimmer with half disintegrated vermetids is a PITA. Had to use a hard straw and flaps of ductape to get them unstuck from the bottom of it. I am hoping the 48 hours it spent in a 3:5 gallon ratio of vinegar killed them so even if i do miss some they wont be alive to reproduce.?Fish (most) and cut corals will be in the temp 40g tank with a frag rack, 200G skimmer, modded ac70 filter with chaeto and a santamonica scrubber. Borrowed a 3x AI module & MP10 setup for the temp tank.?135g is still filling with water and salt waiting to reach 1.025 before adding sand and LR. Going to add 2 blue damsels to help kick start the cycle. Cut corals will be dipped with the bayer insecticide method before going in the temp tank and will be coralrx dipped after the tank cycle.Which brings me to the final part. All of my cut corals that are NOT going back in my tank will need to be taken off my hands soon otherwise they will be trashed. I have a bunch of kryp heads, frog spawn, slimer, devils hand etc all going for cheap pricing or even free. I will post final tally after the cutting has completed.?My fish count is 2 aquacultured clowns, 1 md foxface, 2 blue damsels and 3 pajama cardinals. I dont have a massive bio-load anymore.Pics and progress incoming after the fragging.

 

[Jose]

I had the same problem, severe infestation of vermetids; I did it all even got cleaning crew and fish to deal with them, these were the smaller version ones no the bigger version ones.I nuked my rock, emptied the tank etc, etc, etc.After 8 months and adding corals that I very carefully dipped (even bayer method); I have vermetids again. So not sure my 3 weeks of nuke process, restarting my tank, etc etc etc were worth it.I have now a nursery tank where everything goes for at least 4 months before it even makes it to the main reef.but again this is a little ocean and life always finds the way.

 

[Capt_krill]

If they come back I doubt I will stay in the hobby. Not worth the time or effort to fight a never ending battle against pests that cannot be annihilated?by acid and bleach.

 

[Jose]

mine came back... I have controlled my overfeeding and I'm carbon dosing so less food for all means not an explosion of filter feeders.I also added sponges and propagated them in my refugium, sponges devour detritus so that leaves little food for other filter feeders; that has control them some but eradicate them I have no clue.Most inverts (snails, hermits) come with tiny vermetids; so it is super hard to control them IMO

 

[Capt_krill]

I have hardly any fish for the size tank I have. I have a skimmer rated at double the tank I have, I run an algae scrubber, carbon/GFO, and STILL had vermetids explode like rabbits.?No sponges though. Who knows maybe that is the secret.

 

[Jose]

I have yellow wrasses, 6 line wrasse and christmas wrasse that are supposed to control them when babies, specially the yellow wrasse.That may be helping also.

 

[Oscarmk]

<pre>I also got a couple of vermetids in my 1 year old tank somehow, I only have base rock now live, and QT everything while dipping and closely observing for pests. I don't have any other pest on my tank, I think vermetids is something every tank will have regardless, and the only thing that can be done is pop control, by limiting nutrients and other filter feeders competitors, e.g sponges. I did introduce pinneaple sponges on purpose I have some of those but not many either. I have read several stories about people nuking their tank because of this snails, so it definitely can get out of hand quick, I do feel sponges help. I hope it works out much better this time for you.If you are throwing that coral away, I would happily take it from you ????On another note not sure if it is just me, but the mobile support for this new forum is awful on iPhone at least, almost impossible to type/edit, several issues.</pre>

 

[Capt_krill]

The formatting is awful haha.I will let you know what I have left after this weekend.Got the large monti cap re-homed and a lot of the slimer is gone.