HELP needed: Old Motionless Tank to New Tank Setup

[trakker]

The wife bought me her dads 75 gallon SW tank (FOWLR) for Christmas (it is less than 2 years old). Heres the situation: The tank has been sitting for about 6 months with LR, sand and SW still in it (full). The filter has been actively running (and still is) since the shutdown yet there hasn't been any water changes, test etc. since then. Also, there hasn't been any fish in the tank for some time now. MY PROJECT..move the tank to my home and give it new life. Being a newbie at this, I sure could use some help. 1.) what is the best way to get the tank system back in operation 2.) Should I use the existing water/sand or start fresh 3.) Do I need to cook the rock? I will post info/pics of my build as it progresses. All help is appreciated!!

[TimH07]

im by any means no pro at all, but i think if i were in that situation i would pull the live rock out and put em in rubber maid tubs with new salt water and circulate them for maybe 3-4 weeks to be sure (if the coral is dead you dont want that in your tank imo). i would also scoop out the live sand with current water (perhaps let the tank settle a few times to get as much as possible. and take the sand and use it with new saltwater.

or same thing but run the rock in new water with the sand in the tank, then do a 40ish% water change in a month?

[trakker]

Thanks for the suggestion. You are on the same lines of thinking that I am. I'm presuming the live rock will eventually cure, but I don't want to take that chance and just toss it in the new setup. I probably will get rid of the old corral (there isnt that much in the old tank anyway). The sand and water should be okay. Let the fun begin! Thanks again.

[trakker]

Well I visited the father-in-law tonight and actually got to see the tank up close and personal. Got a few specs on the tank (skimmer, filtration system , etc., etc.) Once I have the final list, I will post in thread along with pics of the upcoming build. I'm still reading and learning, so bear with me. For now, I have posted a few pics of the tank as it sits today. Looks like I have some work ahead of me. Oh well, thats what it's all about!