Tearing down my 55G reef

I have decided to tear my reef tank down and rebuild it! Several reasons have prompted me to start over.

first of all I started my reef with a bad choice in substrate...i used alot of crushed coral. I then realized my LFS wanted to clear out that stuff and was why he had suggested it.

The second reason why, is i have a cyano problem that i had been fighting. It only forms on my glass and substrate not on the LR so i am thinking its seeded in the substrate and am hoping a new start will eliminate this issue.

The main reason i want to go through with the tear down is thanks to my latest discovery! I have a NASTY NASTY FLATWORM! at least one. I have Pericelis sp in my tank and is estimated to be 4-6 inches long and 2-2.5 inches wide. Needless to say its unwated and will prove to be a challenge to remove.

Before i started my teardown i wanted to get a plan together so it goes smoothly. That where all of you come in ... i'd like to get your ideas and suggestions for how i can improve my setup and hopefully avoid doing this teardown ever again!

 

Check this one out. It is my own experience on changing my substrate. It's not too hard if you plan ahead. Have a read at it:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/841659-post1.html

And good luck!

- Mag.

 

nice step by step of the process, thanks!

 

Yes, don't underestimate the time it takes if you've never done this before. I found myself working on this for several hours and had planned to take pictures while at it, but once I started, I realized it was not going to be possible since I was doing this all by myself. Moving a 55 gallon tank, even though not impossible, can be tricky for just one person. So, maybe getting a friend to give you some help will also be a good idea when the time comes.

Let us know how you did it and if you can get somebody to help you, take some pictures of the process.

Good luck again!

- Mag.

 

I will if i do go through with it. I am hoping more members give their ideas too because i only want to go through with this if my problem will improve and not become worse. i know sometimes things are better left untouched. My main concern is the effect of loosing the "live" contents of my sand/CC mix, and if someone has a magical way of making my ugly flatworm from come out form hiding so i can scoop it up i could avoid doing all of this at least for the time being.

 

Why don't you describe your current setup so we can get a feel as to what you've been doing, and can then suggest new options.

 

Something I did when switched out my sand bed was to put all my livestock in buckets and then put the buckets into a bath tub filled with warm/hot water to prevent to much of a temp change for the livestock. It does take aaaalllllllll day too!

Its a good idea to post your plan as guitarman stated

 

There is not near as much live stuff in the sand as there is in your rocks, so you should not have any problems there.