Thinking of changing tanks

[ckwatson]

I am thinking of moving up to a 65 gallon just a few question. I really dont have any where to keep fish or coral for a long time, I am hoping to do it all in one day. I will need some more rock I was thinking of going with base rock just for price. Will I be able to use the sand that I have or should I buy new sand (the tank has been up for about 6 months). I am trying to do this with no cycle, so I can take the rock and coral out and keep it in some water from the tank keep the fish some where. Fill the new tank with water from the old one, If I use the same sand and base rock will it cause a cycle that would kill my fish or coral. Also it is a glass tank with just a few scratches in it how easy is it to buff them out?

 

[ckwatson]

also If I change my sand I may go with black sand, where can you get it from?

 

[ckwatson]

I am going to go with Black sand I think when I set up the new tank. So where is the best place to get it from and the foot print is 36 by 18 how much sand would I need. I do not want to do a DSB and I have read that having one i the middle is not good for the system so what would be the best dept of a not deep sand bed. Also any more info one the questions at the top of this thread would be great.

 

[derek_s]

I'm not sure how much sand is optimal, but I started with a DSB and didn't really like it, so over time I siphoned out some, and now it is about 1.5" deep at the front, prob sloping to about 2.5 in the back.

As far as the cycle, I'd guess that it will be minimal if you use the same sand, water, and LR. If you just change the sand, it probably wont be too awful bad, depending on how much die off the sand generates. I guess this varies on the sand.

I'd think if you keep a close eye on the parameters after you first set up the new tank, and be prepared to do water changes to dilute any toxins that arise, you should be fine. I accidentally added some LR that wasnt 100% finished curing to my tank, had an ammonia spike, but did 15% daily water changes to keep it down. Didn't lose any livestock, and after the WC, the ammonia levels would be significantly lower. After about 3 days it leveled out, and everything went back to normal.

 

[darren24]

I moved from a 58G to a 95G. Set the 95 up right next to the 58. Put all corals in a large tub with power head and heater. Put the fish in a seperate tub with the same. I rinsed and added new sand to the new tank. I then saved as much "old" water as possible and added it to the new tank along with about 25% of the old sand. I filled the rest of the tank with new water.I did not have a cycle and did not loose anything. It did take about 10 hours to do everything (aquascaping etc.)

 

[flyingarmy]

Just make sure you run an airstone and a heater in the bucket/container for the fish/inverts. The more you can keep things stable the better off you'll be and the less die-off you'll get. I'd keep the rock and inhabitants(including corals) seperate from each other. The chance of a rock falling and crushing your favorite zoas or shrimp is high. The quicker you go throught the process the better. Good luck!

 

[platyplakia]

My biggest concern would be the addition of base rock. How much time do you have between now and the time you set up the new tank. I would go ahead and buy the base rock and put it in a bucket. Next time you do a water change, just put your used water on the base rock. I'd also throw in some live rubble or a few pieces of extra live rock if you have it. Then just put a powerhead in to keep the water moving. You may need to change the water a couple times when it starts to cycle. If you can do that it should be no problem. And another peice of advice that I personally found helpful was to put the base rock in before the sand. Once it's in, just add the sand. This way, as you add the live rock and do your aquascaping you run less risk of your structures shifting due to sand moving from under the rocks. Also preventing your rocks from falling and causing disaster.

 

[ckwatson]

thanks every one, all this info will help a lot I should have some time to cycle and seed some base rock. I am hoping to to get every thing done in one day so I will have to track down some buckets and may be an extra heater but it sounds like something I should be able to take care.

Platyplakia I think I am going to try and do some kind of stand for the rock so it will not be on the sand. With the tank i have now I have had some problems with crud building up around the bottom of the rock but thanks for the advice