FishMagnet

Hi all.

Its an odd question I know. I have my reasons though.

In short,
I tore it down, removed all the coralline algae and tube worms etc I could from glass and filters, but its impossible to get it all. Its been running for 5 years or so. How bad do you think what is left will leech into the water? Would I be better off using new filters? Could I offset what does with another medium until the calcium eventually fades through water changes or will it take years?

I'm using RO water which I think will help...but what else?

I've only found one other post like this. Anyone else tried it?

Thanks for any responses.

lew2000

I changed out both my tanks from SW reef and FOWLR to freshwater tanks. I did what you did - and i also let the mechanical media sit for a while in a vinegar solution.. I rinsed out the bio media from my filters and let sit for about a day in a vinegar and water solution and all of the other media. I then started the FW fishless cycle - with some media from another tank (nowdays you can use TSS to get started quicker - if you don't have media from another FW tank to begin bacterial colonization. MY GH, and KH weren't any different from my tap water. However, be aware, that with fresh water tank, using RO water, you are going to have to add trace elements and buffering. So for me - i did not notice any residual effects upon my water chemistry.

FishMagnet

Excellent, thank you!
That was exactly what I was looking for.