Should I clean a used tank before setup?

[DarkHorseMBA]

Got my new to me tank, 75 gallons.
The seller seemed veer knowledgeable, he is upgrading to a 300g.
The tank and refugium are in great shape, but there is a good amount dried/dead coralline algae on the tank and equipment. I even found a dead bristle worm in the tank.

The seller recommended leaving the dead algae in the tank and refugium. I could scrape it after the tank was full to get it off the glass and that it would help grow coralline algae in my new setup, seed my dry rock and etc. Seems like a good idea, but I'm concerned about any problems that I might inherit as well.

What does the group think about this? Should I completely clean the tank and refugium first?

[txg8gxp]

Clean it, it's not worth getting something bad in the tank to save a few minutes cleaning. IMO

[jrsatx20]

If u fill with water it will be easier to scrape with a razor. U can always stand it on its side and scrape running the water hose but it will make a mess

[txg8gxp]

Vinger will take it right off. That is how I cleaned out my biocube

[txav8r]

X2 on the vinegar.

[jroescher]

Anything dead is going to begin to rot (cycle) as soon as water is added. Remove it and lessen the impact and time to cycle. Corraline is easy to get started again.

[OrionN]

Coraline algae are dead and will come off. Leave it or not is OK eitherway. I would remove all the dead animals to keep nutrient low in the tank. I don't think you need to clean it really clean like bleached them, or sterilize them

[DarkHorseMBA]

Thanks for the help, that stuff was caked on there, would not come off! Soaking one side of the aquarium in a 50/50 vinegar water mix. After a few hours I can scrape most of the algae off with a blade. Going to let it soak overnight, one night on each side.

Thanks for the advice!
DarkHorse