I'm back! Now, how about Tank Rehabilitation...

[Rae C.]

I have a few questions about starting back into the reef hobby.

I currently have a 65 gallon SPS and fish aquarium. I’ve had it 5 years, the last three of which I’ve done very little maintenance while I finished grad school. It has been pretty stable, going through slow cycles of changing SPS population. Lately, the alga has been increasing its presence.

This morning, I found a puddle of salt water on the floor. The skimmer had stopped skimming and was creating a lot of salt creep on the top edge of the tank. Water from the outflow began leaking and accumulating under the tank, and dripping slowly on the floor. Luckily, it’s more a nuisance than a danger at this point.

The aquarium sits on a linoleum countertop, and now has a mote of salt water underneath. The framing around the bottom has water between it and the glass. I can squish water out of it by pushing the frame against the glass. Is the tank compromised?

I’ve cleaned the skimmer and two power heads. One power head has a compromised power cord under the water line. I’m assuming I should toss this one (Koralia 3, bummer)?

I used a 6 in1 test strip, everything is in the ideal range. Salinity is 1.021. Temp 79F. I can do the whole chemistry set thing, but those chemicals are more than four years old. Are the chemicals still going to be accurate? If I start caring for the aquarium again, will I totally mess up the equilibrium? Should I change the water (it’s been two years)? How do I start back up?

[moondoggy4]

First get rid of the bad powerhead.
Second find out what is leaking.
Third fix what got wet. Clean everything that looks bad.
Start doing water changes.

[moondoggy4]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2199265 lots of good reading