Moving into a new tank?

[jaustin]

Hello, I have a 60g cube on the way with a 30g cube sump and I was wondering about transfering everything too the new tank. I plan on using all my existing water, rock, and sand. I've got about 20lbs in the refug. and 50 in the display. The sand bed is about 2" deep. I've been turning over small spots of the sant to release the ditritus and dekay for a couple months now and it's pretty clean. My female maroon clown helps me do this also. My nitrates havent spiked at all since then and phosphates don't show up on my salifert kit (i know this kit is not low range).

I have a skimmer rated for almose 3 times my water volume and i use a TLF reactor full of carbon and change it out every 2-3 weeks.

I recentely had to change my 30g sump out for a 20g sume due to the 30g cracking. I got almost all the dirtitus out of the sump sand from that event.

All my livestock will be living in a 30tall while i make the tank exchange. I'll be doing a 10g water change also at the swap time.

Anybody have any thoughts on the swapness maximus tankus?

 

[rostato]

Just use new sand, and a couple cups of your old to seed it. I could tell you exactly what I did going from the 46 to the 90, but that would take a phone conversation. I would be typing all night. Call me anytime.

post number 28 shows about what I did. I havnt killed anyhting including SPS and clams.

One other thing I did that may or may not have helped was added about 4 vials of biodigest to help with bacteria.

 

[weaglereefer]

I would just get new sand, not worth the hassle. Where'd you get the bio-digest?

 

[smoothie]

If ya need an extra tank with a hob filter come borrow from my garage. Also remind me to email Tom what size pumps/powerheads I have in the garage

 

[rostato]

You can get biodigest anywhere, marine depot, aqua buys, ect. I dose it every 15 days

 

[jaustin]

So you guys say not to reuse the sand i have, just use a few cups to cover the new sand once the tank is setup? I can get two bags of live aragonite sand and add that to the tank.

 

[rostato]

I used all new sand, and added 1 full measuring cup from my old tank. I just spread it out as far as I could on the new sand bed. I had a small diatom outbreak after about 2 weeks, but its gone now.

The best thing you can do IMO, is get the new one running with heaters and match your temps using the same probe, and salinity, then cut them both off the same time. Drain some water out of the new tank, and save it for waterchanges.

Drain the water from the old tank into a few buckets, and add corals and inverts to that.

Bag up your fishes, and float them in the new tank.

add all the water that doesnt get milky from your old tank into the new tank. I only used about 25-30 gallons from my 46.

After the fish float for about 30 min, you should have all your rocks transfered.

Dump the fish in.

Then I threw in all hardy corals.

I only acclimated my clams, nems, shrimps, and finiky SPS. I just ran an air line fully open untill there was a 50/50 mix of new tank to old tank water in the 5 G bucket. It worked out great for me.

It was however a really stressfull 3 hours...

I added 4 vials of biodigest to help keep things stable

I then did 10-15G water changes every 4-6 days for a month.

Everything is stable but my PH, but that is always a problem for me in whatever tank I keep.

 

[cr500_af]

I'm trying to develop a logistics plan for doing this, but my 90 w/30 sump will have to go in the same place as my 75. Your exact method isn't possible. At present I have enough water storage for about 75 gallons, but I need to be able to temporarily store most of my present water PLUS the approximately 50 gallons I'll need to finish filling the new one. I don't have the extra pocket money right now to buy more Brutes, so I'm thinking of a new kiddie pool. I have the room, and it should be cheap. Water should be in it less than an hour. I don't see why I should have any sort of cycle. In essence, all I'll be doing is a 30% water change (really just adding 30% new), and replacing a portion of my old sand with new. I should retain a large amount of bacteria, and my bio-load is very small. I am also going to use small doses of Seachem Stability, I think, as an insurance policy.
Constructive criticism welcome!

 

[rostato]

You don't have anywhere to move the 75 as a temporary measure? I just moved my old tank a few feet away a few days before hand that way I could fill the new on in the new spot...

 

[cr500_af]

rostato;320786 wrote: You don't have anywhere to move the 75 as a temporary measure? I just moved my old tank a few feet away a few days before hand that way I could fill the new on in the new spot...

I sure could, but I'm concerned about stirring up the sandbed etc if I drain a considerable amount and refill it... but if I don't drain LOTS I can't move it. I was thinking that after draining and refilling ~50-55 gallons, the tank would be in a horrible state.
If about three of my friends were here and had eaten their Wheaties, maybe I could move it while leaving 35 gallons or so in it, but moving that tank with any amount of water in it seems risky. Sloshing water has a way of making heavy containers get away from you.

 

[rostato]

It'll be fine. just drain it all out, and use a bowl and plate on the sand bed to re-fill. It'll be like nothing ever happened. Seriously, moving a tank is not that bad if you take your time, do it right, and keep the sand bed in check. I used to move my older tanks regularly and not had problems...

 

[ralph atl]

good info here