Using Existing Plumbing After 2 Year Hiatus

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Folks,

Sadly my thriving SPS tank crashed two years after a massive flood in our home (not related to the tank). It took the better part of one year to get USAA to finalize all the insurance claims, and then another year for me to finally find the time to restart the tank. Thankfully, that time has arrived!

My main display is on the first floor, with the sump and fish room in the basement. I used PVC to plumb the tank, which has sat dormant for two years. I suspect there may still be some water trapped in parts of the plumbing, not to mention whatever gunk may accumulate over the years of inactivity. Candidly, even the tank itself needs a good cleaning, which I plan to tackle this week.

My question is, do I need to replace the plumbing, or just flush it and move on? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[FUNGI]

I would flush with vinegar, then bleach and move on

 

[FurrierTransform]

I would flush with vinegar, then bleach and move on

And water afterwards

 

[Formulator]

Agree, just flush it out. I don’t know that bleach is really necessary but I suppose it won’t hurt anything as long as it is rinsed well. The other thing I have done with my setup which is the same as yours with sump in basement - connect a shop vac to the drain pipe in your DT and turn it on. You will be amazed at the gunk it pulls out. Just make sure the other end is above water level in your sump.