Clean up crew dead right away???

Look and ye shall find! I have my previous question already answered:

Here is my method for review:

1. Drink a beer.
2. Pre-mix (3) 5 gallon buckets of RO/saltwater.
3. Take LR out piece by piece:

a. Dip in first bucket brushing off diatoms and any other lose pieces.
b. Dip in second bucket getting off any additional lose particles.
c. Place in third bucket for temp storage w/heater while I clean tank.

4. Drain tank.
5. Remove old sand and discard.
6. Remove bio balls (Are these even needed???) and clean anything else that looks dirty with RO water (no salt)
7. Clean tank with RO water allowing the sump pump to run getting anything out in there.
8. Drain tank.
9. Touch up any missed spots with RO water again then drain.
10. Fill tank with RO water.
11. Add heater to warm up water then add salt.
12. Test water. Make sure PH is in the 8.1-8.4 range (may have to add buffer), ammonia 0, nitrite/nitrate 0, salinity 1.024
13. Add LS and wait to settle.
14. Put back bio balls and Chemi-pure filter media.
15. Turn on pump and make sure everything is working.
16. Add LR and aquascape.
17. Drink another beer and begin the waiting process.

I also plan on photo documenting my approach for all to see. It just might make it easier for the next guy in my shoes.

What did I miss or do out of order?

 

My biggest observation... you're not drinking nearly enough beer for this task! ;D

I would add a piece of shrimp at the end to cycle. Actually, I would add a damsel... but the shrimp piece will work too.

 

HAHA. I will add drink beer between each step.

That might result in something like this.......

 

More beer is definitely needed IMHO!!!

 

Everything looks in good order. Have fun with all that. But dont nuke the LR, there is no need. Just make sure you seed it with a couple of lbs of new rock. And mix the salt/water before it goes into the tank. You dont really need to start doing any test till 3 weeks in. Just make sure you sp. gravity and temp is right. Also Pered is right..you need to drink more beer. IF it was me, I would skip the beer and go straight to Jamason and Sour.

 

Run some cuprisorb on the tank, it's made by Seachem. It will remove any harmful metals, not just copper. The Live Rock and sand will soak up any contaminant and then slowly release it back into the water. The cuprisorb will take about 2 weeks to remove it all.

 

TDS is total dissolved solids in the water. Bad stuff like minerals and metals. All tap has it, and ideally you want your pure water (not salt water) to read 0 TDS. Less than 10 is usually good. 48 is bad... it is loaded with phosphates which algae consumes and grows with. Get a good TDS meter to check your water for now on. Here is a link to a company I use for 90% of my purchases, on that page you will find handheld and inline TDS meters and a ground probe.

 

Already on that. Should my chemi-pure elite filter media handle that?

 

You're on track for 1) reef tank success and 2)beer deficiency.
I'm not sure about the bio-balls. advice on these seems to run both ways.

keep us posted!

 

Excessive potassium can paralyze clean up crews.