bleach or salt?

[brewmaster15]

hi all,
I have this 50 gal tall planted tank that due to my lack of care :-[ is now a heavily planted with brush algaes. I want to start over, but would like to avoid the bleach method, as the bacteria is very cycled and I am very impatient. I could just bleach and rinse, then throw in some cycled filter sponges, but what I was thinking of trying was to bring the salt levels up to 1.026 specific gravity. Basically making this tank a salt water tank. My thinking is none of the freshwater brush algaes grow in marine tanks so that concentration of salt should kill what is there.
I have read in several resources that the bacterias that detox ammonia and nitrite are the same in both fresh water and salt water. Not sure this true entirely but if it is, I should just kill the algae( and what little plants I have left! >:( ), not the bacteria. There are no fish in it.

anyone ever try this? Am I missing something? I think the salt will be easier to rinse out of the tank than bleach.

-al

[ChloroPhil]

Al,

I'd just bleach it. Brush algae is really really hard to get rid of and can withstand an amazing amount of abuse. If you're worried about beneficial bacteria loss and cycling, if properly done your planted tank won't really ever cycle in the traditional sense. Your plants are going to be using up the ammonia pretty quickly. Even so, I'm sure you've got a mature sponge around there somewhere to squeeze into the tank. :)

[Debbie]

I keep both fresh and salt and can tell you that the bacteria is different for both so you would kill off your bacterial beds anyway. Bleach is easier to rinse than salt as bleach will evaporate to a certain extent while salt won't. Also after you rinse with water you can rinse with dechlorinated water and that will neutralize any chlorine left behind.
Are you planning to toss the plants? You can bleach them too for a short time, at least the tougher ones such as anubais and java fern. The salt however will kill the plants.

[brewmaster15]

HI Debbie,

The plants are fertilizer either way.

I used to believe that the bacterias were different also, but In the context of tidal areas and rivers it makes sense that they can adapt to fresh - to salt.

ever see this article...

http://www.algone.com/nitrifiers.htm

Also of lesser concern is the salinity (salt content of the water). Nitrifiers are adaptive to a sizable range of salinity, satisfying all salt-water species. Interesting in this case is that the bacteria can adjust to changes in salinity without loosing their activity. Interesting, because you can switch from freshwater to marine (or vice versa) while transferring the existing bacteria to the new tank. This also allows seeding marine tanks with water from a freshwater aquarium for cycling purposes.
its one of the ones that got me thinking of trying this.


HMMM>.. I see another experiment "brewing " here :)

-al

[Debbie]

While I will have to say that it is possible but my experience says otherwise. I had to quickly pull a saltwater fish out of the reef tank and the only hosp. tank I have was occupied by N. leluepi babies. I tossed the leluepis in with the green terror etc. and put salt water in the tank. I kept the filter the same, and I know it was mature because I have been using the tank as a grow out for leluepi babies for about 6 months (they breed like rabbits). About 2 weeks after I QTd the fish I had an ammonia spike that wouldn't quit so I ended putting a divider up in the reef tank. No medication was used I QTd the fish because it was getting picked on. I had heard that the bacteria was the same and others have said no so I thought I would leave the filter media in the filter and give it a shot.
Maybe there were other factors that killed off my bacteria that particular time but I don't know what they would be.

[Wahter]

Al, any chance you could get some Flagfish or Siamese Algea eaters and leave them in the tank for a few weeks? If there's nothing else to eat, usually those fish will clean up the algea. What type of plants do you have that's got the algea on them?

[brewmaster15]

Hi Walter,
Thois stuff is literally on everything to the point of smoothering it, I'd post a pic but to be honest I am embarrassed.

Its on my amazon swords, dripft wood looks like a saghe brush desert, java ferns, gravel andsilicon seals. :-\ :'( This tank was doing fine, then wham it grew faster than I could remove it.

I'll take some pics before I actually salt it. Might as well see what happens. I like a good experiment.

Debbie,
I definetly don't doubt your experiences here. I have a feeling that alot may depend on bacterial subspecies and strains.

I'll let you know how I make out . I think the salt will rinse out okay as the ions will go right into the water. a drain and rinse with RO water or two and it should be okay....I hope.

-al

[Debbie]

Good luck. I think you will find the salt a little harder than that to rinse, but if you are persistent it will rinse. Depends on how long you have the saltwater in there.

[bubabui]

Hi,

What does brush algae look like?

[Debbie]

Here's a link. Any brush algae that I have had has been blacker than this though.
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/brush-algae.jpg