Adding to multi tank system,

[John Bowers]

I currently have a 140 and 2x40 plumbed together with a 40 gallon sump+refugium so they all share the same water. I am currently planning on adding 2x90s or 1x90 +1x75 to the system. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with linked tanks and has any advice on rate to add new live rock to the system.

I am currently planning on running the additional tanks without sand bets, with live rock. I am wondering if anyone has experience adding Florida sea-aqua cultured live rock to an existing system and how much can be done at a time. The current system has about 200 pounds of live rock (Florida aqua cultured) about 3-4 years old. I am planning on possibly adding 40 pounds or so a month until the new tanks are full. Alternately I can cycle the new live rock in a separate 35 gallon system for a month or two before adding to the integrated system.


I enjoy seeing all the things that come out of the aqua cultured rock but of course there is going to be some initial die-off which will be greater in the 35 gallon system, so my preference would be to go straight into the main system after a day or two rinsing in a circulating tub to clear out nutrients from things that died in transit.

I know many people don't like the sea-cultured live rock because of the many potentially bad hitchhikers, but for me it is worth it to see an actual part of the real sea going through a relatively natural cycle as it adapts to a controlled environment.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[jcook54]

As long as you're comfortable testing and keeping an eye on the ammonia level, I think your plan sounds pretty good. If you're using real live rock, the bacteria in it will help with the die off you're going to experience. I have a pile of old rock I've pulled from my aquariums over the years and if I want to add it, I just rinse and add. Lots of dead organics in/on it and I haven't ever had an issue. In your case you'll also be adding a bunch of beneficial bacteria at the same time. There will probably be some amount of "new tank uglies" as everything gets in balance but that's to be expected. Are you going to be getting it in 40 lb boxes? You might be able to save money if you buy more and you could take a hybrid approach: add some of it after a good rinse and let the rest of it cycle.

 

[John Bowers]

My plan was to go with either 35 or 50 pound orders, the 75 pound orders do not save much money. I have toyed with picking it up in person from near Tampa after a Florida vacation so I could have it in my tanks within 8-10 hours.

 

[bhodges82]

With a mature system life yours, I would think that there would be no issues adding rock and dealing with die off. A mature system can handle a bit of pollution and be just fine because of the ample about of bacteria present, not to mention that the cultured rock will also have bacteria. If anything I would soak the new rock in Rubbermaid bins with saltwater and blow off as much as you can then add it. One thing to consider as well is the size of your sump, with the additional features systems you are adding extra flow through the sump which will cause the filtration to have less contact time with your water. A larger sump will help show the flow.

 

[ichthyoid]

Following up to Bobby’s comment ^ about your sump, be very careful to allow & test for an overflow in the case of a power outage.

When power fails, aquariums will drop in level after the return pump stops, at least to the bottom level of the overflow. All of that water will go into the sump. With the number of tanks you are considering, that volume is probably substantial. This is a pretty common occurrence in new systems, or recently expanded ones like yours is about to be. So plan & test to prevent any overflow, especially before you leave the house.

My 3 tanks will share a 26 gallon sump, with about 12 gallons of volume unused while the system is running. When the pump stops, the tanks will drop & I have estimated that to be ~5-6 gallons. It will be tested several times before I’m comfortable. I also have a backup tray that the sumps sits in. Plus there will be an Apex leak sensor in the tray to let me know via email, in case the sump ever overflows.

 

[bg2311]

Following up to Bobby’s comment ^ about your sump, be very careful to allow & test for an overflow in the case of a power outage.

When power fails, aquariums will drop in level after the return pump stops, at least to the bottom level of the overflow. All of that water will go into the sump. With the number of tanks you are considering, that volume is probably substantial. This is a pretty common occurrence in new systems, or recently expanded ones like yours is about to be. So plan & test to prevent any overflow, especially before you leave the house.

My 3 tanks will share a 26 gallon sump, with about 12 gallons of volume unused while the system is running. When the pump stops, the tanks will drop & I have estimated that to be ~5-6 gallons. It will be tested several times before I’m comfortable. I also have a backup tray that the sumps sits in. Plus there will be an Apex leak sensor in the tray to let me know via email, in case the sump ever overflows.

I'm interested to see how others manage the additional rise in the sump when they plumb in extra tanks. Looking to add a 60g frag tank here soon. I can start a new thread as not to hijack this one.

 

[ichthyoid]

If you have a small sump, you might either replace it, or plumb in an additional expansion sump, refugium and/or algae scrubber.

If you expand it, you might want to run 2 connection pipes between the 2, for redundancy.

 

[bhodges82]

I'm interested to see how others manage the additional rise in the sump when they plumb in extra tanks. Looking to add a 60g frag tank here soon. I can start a new thread as not to hijack this one.

The way I combat it is by using a backflow valve on my return pipes, when the pump shuts off the valve locks and the flow is stopped. I also only keep 40 gallons of water in my 100 gallon Rubbermaid sump, in case the valves fail I have plenty of room in my sump.

 

[sharis100]

Second the back flow valve.

 

[John Bowers]

I put an overflow pipe from my sump to my topoff water bin, so if power cuts off, it will first fill the sump then flow by gravity into the topoff bin. When power is restored, then the sump will return to normal levels, and then the topoff bin will pump to restore normal levels in the sump, it should return to normal in about 10 minutes or less. I normally keep only 5-6 gallons in the topoff bin, and it can hold about 30. I have tested the system and it should be able to handle the extra volume needed, only problem is that the topoff bin will be diluted saltwater, and the main tank will fall in salinity, but less than 2%. Still waiting on delivery of the new tanks that are backordered.

Backflow due to the pump water creating a siphon back to the sump will not be a problem as I have the water return drilled with a small hole right at the target water level which will break suction if power is lost, and water level drains to the tank overflow level.

 

[lmm1967]

I added 60 pounds of aquacultered rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater to a system that consisted of a 60 gallon cube and a 40 gallon breeder plumbed to a common sump. I added all 60 pounds at once to this system which had been running for a couple years.

I had zero ill effects and never measured Ammonia.

My caveat and what helped me - TBS ships you rocks fully submerged in water and flown to ATL - you have to pick it up the same day he ships and get it in the tank ASAP.

I saw that Richard at Tampa Bay Saltwater is not shipping anything these days and is actually looking for a buyer of the business including his lease in the GoM - if whomever you are purchasing rock from offers an underwater shipping option I would pay the extra money and do it that way.

 

[John Bowers]

The current sump is 40 gallons and is normally at about 20 gallons full when everything is running. When power fails in a test the sump gains about 10-12 gallons with the existing tanks. If I can keep the power failure volume of the new tanks to about 8-10 gallons, then about 5 gallons will overflow into the topoff container. As soon as power is restored, the topoff container will send the 5 or so gallons back to the sump (but now at 50-80% salinity levels for those 5 gallons). Since total volume of the system is about 400 gallons, that is only about a 1% salinity dip. As evaporation happens the topoff will return the salinity to the previous level over a few days as it pumps out the residual diluted saltwater. I currently experience power outages relatively rarely, about once every two years that last more than a couple minutes, so it is a minor risk I am willing to take.

I normally use my topoff bin to make water changes, so it is frequently partially saltwater anyway, and if the power outage happens soon after I did a water change, the salinity change to the system would be even more insignificant.

 

[John Bowers]

I plan on a roadtrip to Florida and intend on picking it up and driving it home in person so it will only be 8-14 hours total. I will transport it in water with battery powered air stones. I talked to tampa bay saltwater about 6 months ago, and they allow in-person pickup. If not Tampa bay, there are a couple other places that do it.

I did have it airfreighted previously in several batches 4-6 years ago. I got it shipped but not in water, so it was not great but not bad either, most of the things lived.