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Changing tanks
5/7/15
Planning a Tank Move
9/1/14 Moving Tank - Question on acclimating livestock
8/20/13 Moving My 125 6/7/10 Tank upgrade, moving, reading
9/19/08 Hi WWM crew, I wrote a couple months ago about
upgrading my tank, however I did not have specific questions. Now I
have the new tank and the specific questions. My current tank is a 75
gallon with a snowflake eel, approx 14", 2 anemones, <Mmm, not
a good idea to mix anemones with Eels... too likely to "run"
into each other> snails and crabs, 90lbs live rock and crushed
coral. I am upgrading to a 125 gallon tank. I do want to put the new
tank in the same location as the old one, but I am not sure how to
safely do it. I know tanks are almost impossible to move when partially
filled with water. <Yes, and even if some of the WWF folks were
visiting to heft all, too likely to damage the tanks in the process>
Now here are my questions: - I am sure that I should fill the new tank
about halfway with water and let it run for a couple days, correct?
<Yes> - If I do that how would I be able to move it to the
location of the old tank? <Mmm, t'were it me, mine, I'd use
some clean trash cans/liners in same if not new, or plastic bins to
hold most of the "old" water, substrate, livestock to make
this switch...> - I have a 10 gallon QT tank, which I have never had
to treat with copper (knock on wood), what is the longest I can put my
eel in there for? <Days, weeks with attention to water quality,
but...> - Can I simply take the anemones and the rocks they are
attached to and put them directly into the new tank or should I put
them in QT as well until the new tank is set up? <I'd move
all....> - Is it correct to assume that the new tank will cycle,
even with 75gal old water and 50gal new water? <Yes> - If so,
what can I do to reduce the chance of it cycling? <Ahh... Please
read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the linked files
above...> I want to be sure I upgrade the tank correctly so I do not
loose any of my livestock. Any words of advice would be greatly
appreciated! Thanks in advance for your help, you guys are great!
Michelle <Make a plan while reading... These moves can actually be
fun (!), given a systematic approach. Bob Fenner> Moving a large tank 9/11/08 Hello all, <Jesse> So I knew this question would come, but I have dreaded writing it. I just purchased a house and will be moving in the coming weeks. Therefore, I need to also move a 220g tank, which I am super excited about. I wanted to check my plan of action with you all to make sure I was not making a major mistake, so here it goes'¦ Set up 100 gallons of new water (PH, temp, etc...) at the new location just like a 50% water change. Drain 100 gallons from the tank and discard it, Place live rock and fish in Tupperware tubes that are about 20 gallons each for transport with the water from the existing tank. I do not plan to feed the fish for a day or two in advance to reduce waste. I will continue to remove rock and ensure that it is submerged for the move. One the fish and rock is placed in tubes I will scoop the sand into buckets to transport as well. I plan to do this in layers as I have about 2 -3 inches of sand. The sump will also be filled with water and moved to prevent a die off. I have air stones and plan to enact this plan during the coolest part of the day. The actual house is only about 7 or 8 miles away so it will not be an extended drive time. From that point, it will be a simple break down and movement of all the equipment. I plan to re set the tank by putting the original water back into the tank and adding sand in the order it was removed, bottom to bottom, top to top. Once the water is in, I plan to replace the rockwork and add the fish. After a small adjustment period, I will add the 100 gallons of new water. I run four 400gph pumps, a protein skimmer and a 1200goh return pump from the sump. I am worried about a spike, but my hope is that between running a polyfiber pad, skimming aggressively and the water movement the conditions will stabilize. <Very likely so> I plan to be prepared to initiate water changes just in case. I have thought about this for a while and this was what I came up with. Please let me know if there are any glaring issues. Thank you, Jesse <This looks like a work-able plan... do get help with the lifting... For solace, read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> I Need To Drain And Drill My Tank...Please Critique My Plan -- 05/25/07 Hi crew! <<Cheers Glen!>> I have been madly studying all the articles and FAQs and I am learning a tremendous amount. <<Excellent>> I am driving my wife mad, she thinks I have turned into an aquatic lunatic. <<And this is bad how? [grin]>> But I am happy. <<Ahh...well then...>> We recently bought a 6x2x2.5 (200g?) <<A bit more (224), but close enough>> tank with HOT skimmer (AKS SK100 http://www.aquariumsrus.com.au/filters/skimmer.htm). I have 100kg of base rock and 20kg of live rock cycling with 9000lph of circulation on a 1" sand bed, Ammonia has gone back to zero, but Nitrites are still at 2ppm. <<A bit more cycling to do then>> The cycle was hastened by the addition of some colonized bio-noodles from the LFS. A few creatures are emerging from the LR, which is wonderful: a little brown crab, some segmented worms, 2 anemones and some dark green algae. <<Do be cautious of the crab (would remove were this my tank), and the 'anemones' are likely Aiptasia or Anemonia majano and best to control at this early stage. Do peruse/search/read on our site re these organisms>> The LR had only been at the LFS for 1 day, but I didn't mind, as I had no livestock in the tank. <<Indeed...I like to obtain my rock 'fresh' as well for the added benefit of 'extra' organisms one will usually obtain...though this also means keeping an eye out and dealing with the 'undesirables'>> I have been looking at gravity feeding my 3' sump with an overflow box, but I have to get a custom one due to the top bracing in my tank. <<Mmm, yes...I once had a custom 'Euro-braced' tank that presented the same issues. My solution was to modify the bracing at the location of the overflow>> When I was talking to the Aquarium and glass people here in Brisbane (AquariumsRus), they mentioned that would come and drill the tank if it was empty. <<A better solution...>> I would much prefer a drilled tank over an overflow, but I am not willing to dump 850 litres of salt water, the salt is expensive and I just put it in there 2 weeks ago! <<Understood...and no need to 'dump' this water>> Nitrates are only ~10ppm. Would you be so kind as to peruse my plan and suggest improvements or outline silliness? <<Gladly>> 1) I will unload all the base rock and LR into big tubs and clean plastic bins 2) Circulate and aerate the tubs after filling with tank water 3) Siphon out 1" sand substrate (after battling with sand storms I have decided to go 7" DSB in sump and BBT in Display) 4) Get glazier to drill 2 x 1.5" holes in the base of the tank, one in each back corner 5) Install 1"bulkhead fittings into the new holes (with 100% silicone sealant) 6) Attach 27" high PVC tube risers to the bulkhead fittings to set water height in the tank (3" from tank top?) <<You can this...though I would consider installing sealed overflow towers around the standpipes/risers to prevent draining the tank in the event of a problem with a bulkhead fitting>> 7) I am considering NOT drilling the back of the tank and have the return water come in over the top at the back via 1" PVC <<Not sure I understand this sentence. Are you saying you won't consider drilling the back panel (my preference over 'bottom drilled' tanks) for the throughputs as opposed to drilling the bottom?>> 8) Install base rock and LR back in the tank, pump water back in 9) Monitor possible re-cycle from LR disturbance? <<Yes>> Some peripheral questions if I may? <<Of course...>> 1) Are glass weirs required in the above solution? <<Not 'required'...depends much on the installation...but do 'suggest' them in this instance>> I think I have seen PVC tubes used in the LFS from holes in the bottom of tanks. <<Indeed...have even set up such systems myself>> 2) Will the ceramic bio-noodles function well at the bottom of my sump DSB for NNR or should I just keep them underwater in the sump? <<Honestly, once the tank cycles I would remove these altogether...though if you wish to leave them in the sump (but not under the sand) this too is fine>> 3) How long will the LR survive in the tubs while the silicone cures? The silicone says 7 days!? <<You are just using the silicone to 'seat' the bulkhead fittings as described on our site, yes? No need to wait 7-days for the silicone to completely cure...give it 24-hrs to 'set up' and you can return the rock/water to the tank>> Thanks very much for your input and advice. Glen Hendry Brisbane, Australia <<Is a pleasure to share. Eric Russell...Columbia, South Carolina>> Moving a live saltwater tank 4/11/07 Hello crew, <Hi there! Jorie here> long <Long - please use sentence case when writing in to us, otherwise someone on this end has to re-type for publishing purposes...I'll fix your message this time, as it's relatively short, but next time (and if you get another crew member), your query will likely be returned for you to do this...> time follower of your site. 3 years successful because of you guys. <That's great to hear - and don't forget to give yourself some credit here!> After having a 3 year 40 gal tank with a clown percula, coral beauty, and royal Gramma, along with 50 lbs of great live rock, Fiji pink live sand and flourishing soft corals, I am in a situation that I have to move. Unfortunately, the house I am selling must be fumigated and I have currently sold my tank with all of its live stock. the person who is buying it lives an hour to an hour in a half away. What is your best recommendation on doing this <Lots and lots of 20 gal. "Tupperware/"Rubbermaid" type containers. I'd suggest taking 1/2 of the water with you, the rock, at least some of the substrate, and obviously, the livestock. A general word of caution - don't overload the containers, as they get quite heavy. When my boyfriend and I made a similar move, we ended up with almost 10 of these types of containers to move a 46 gal. SW tank, a 29 gal. BW tank, and a 44 gal. FW tank. It is a lot of work, but it can be done.> I also am using an Eheim Pro 2 canister as back up and have a Bak Pak reef skimmer. I propose to double bag each fish separately with tank water and add liverock with soft corals attached in Rubbermaid containers. <We actually moved the fish in their own Rubbermaid container, but the double-bagging should also work. Just make sure that the bags are large enough to accommodate the waste that will likely occur...> The live sand will be in buckets along with critters with tank water just over the top slightly. <Sounds good.> The Eheim filters are always clean, so I will totally clean it as the live rock is the majority of the filtering and of course the skimmer will be cleaned as well. <Makes sense.> What are your opinions? <I think your plan should work fine. The only thing you haven't mentioned is heating and aeration of the Rubbermaid containers just prior to and just after the move - just as a precaution, you may want to throw one heater and one powerhead in each container, obviously to be turned off during the move itself.> Of course I will not feed the fish for 2 days before I send them of on the 1 1/2 hour journey. <Also a wise idea.> Thanks for your input. <Sounds like you have this well thought out. Best of luck, Jorie> Moving a Marine Tank 8/1/05 Hello! I'm going to be moving from Lincoln, NE to Chicago, IL in a month and a half. (About an 8 hour drive.) I'm concerned about moving my 75g saltwater aquarium. The contents are as follows: 80lbs Fiji LR, 4" substrate 1 Tomato Clown 1 Yellow Tailed Damsel 1 Royal Gramma 1 Eheim 2026 filter I also have a spare 37g aquarium and a spare Eheim 2026 at my disposal. I'd like to only make one trip. I really like my fish, and I'm afraid of their fate should I give them back to the pet store. So, my question is, is this move possible? What can I do to minimize risks? <This is a very doable move. The best way to minimize risk is to plan well. Have plenty of bags, boxes, containers and clean towels, and all of the parts you will need to reassemble the system at the new house. In my experience, moving sand beds is a bad idea. I would salvage a few cups of sand from the top inch or so of the bed to use to "seed" the new bed after the move and discard the rest. I know this is expensive, but sand beds have a lot of living and dead organic material in them that is inevitably released when it is disturbed. No amount of rinsing can overcome this.> Are there any "portable aquariums" I can buy to make their trip better? What do you think of those, say, Coleman thermoelectric heater/cooler things to help stabilize the water temperature? <These heater/cooler units will not be powerful enough to do much good. I would suggest getting lots of plastic bags and a couple of Styrofoam boxes from a local store. Each fish should be packed in it's own bag with about 1/3 water and 2/3 air. Pack the bags into the boxes and tape heat packs to the inside of the box lids if it is cold that day.> How do I keep the water I transport in buckets at a respectable temperature so I can get the fish back in it ASAP? <This is tougher to do, but you could pack bags of water in Styro boxes or fill picnic coolers with water. Having a couple of extra heaters for setting back up will help also.> I have lots of plant growth on my LR; is it best to transport those in buckets of water? <Definitely. It will help prevent die-off on the rock and provide more space for moving water.> What do you think about the idea of filling my 37g with water from the 75g's water changes and using it to set up a quick temporary aquarium with only water and some live rock? (no substrate.) That way I wouldn't have to wait for the water to un-cloud itself.... <I think you are on to a great idea. I would not necessarily fill it with water from water changes, but rather fill it with water you take on the move. It will give you a quick place to put the fish while you arrange the bigger tank and there will be less water to heat. Just be sure to circulate/aerate the water well!> Can you suggest any products I can buy to help make sure I do this correctly? Thanks as always! - Chad <There are no products necessary except for bags, heat packs and Styro boxes. This move will be short enough that you shouldn't have any problems. I do suggest that you drain (but don't clean) the power filter. This will provide the bacteria with plenty of oxygen (which would be quickly depleted from stagnant water) so that the filter will be biologically active upon arrival. Best Regards. AdamC.> Tank move, ?s and plan check Greetings Bob & Crew! <Ray> Once again, thank you so much for the wonderful site. My reef tank would be nowhere as successful as it is without your guidance over the years. Sorry this question is a long one, but I have a lot to go over. <Okay> Anyway, I will be moving from my 2nd story apartment to my girlfriends house in a month or so (exact weekend still in the air). It is about 3 miles away. I've read up on your moving article and through the FAQs on moving. Lots of good ideas and has helped me out greatly. <Ah, good> Now, moving my pair of onyx clowns (still in their QT tank so no problems there) and my grow-out/breeder setup (a 20-gal long with a 50-gal LR grow out fuge/sump) are not problems. Moving my 55 gal reef is. I have several fish (2 Percs, yellowtail damsel, Firefish goby, yellow tang, coral beauty, neon goby), inverts (4 types of snails, 2 fire shrimp, skunk cleaner, 2 brittle stars, a few hermits), several corals, and my prized RBTA which has maintained residence in the front-center of the tank. In the past 2 years, I have only lost one fish to disease (while in QT), one jumper, and one fish sucked into a pump intake. Had one peppermint shrimp killed by an arrow crab (he was evicted after that). Never lost a coral. I would like to keep my record clean and not loose anything with the move. Equipment: Remora skimmer, Whisper 60 HOT filter, dual 175W MH pendants, CPR AquaFuge HOT, submersible titanium heater, 3 powerheads. Got about 75 pounds of LR and 2-3 inches of live sand. Now, I am thinking of upsizing my tank to a 75 while moving. Will be adding a sump/fuge in the future. <Oh, much easier, better to do this now... enroute to the move> Finally, here is my plan. Have the 75 on its stand ready to receive inhabitants. Unfortunately can't afford equipment for a 2nd complete setup. Tank takedown: *I will siphon off as much water as possible from system and transfer in water jugs (7 gallon). *All equipment will be moved into Rubbermaid (prevents water from getting everywhere). Except lighting of course. That will be moved and set up the day prior. <Would move same day> *Move the corals with their LR in small Rubbermaids with tank water. *move remainder of LR to Rubbermaid with water. *Aquafuge will be moved about 1/2 filled with water keeping miracle mud intact. <Drain this unit most of the way... easily broken otherwise> *Catch fish and inverts as I can and transfer them to small Rubbermaids with tank water. Figure it will be easier with most of the rocks gone. *drain tank to sand line. Then move the tank with live sand to new house. Setup: *Transfer live sand to new tank from old one placed next to tank temporarily. I will also be adding new sand to tank as will not have enough to cover increased size. <No problem> *fill about 1/3 with new water and add some new base rock. <Use old water first... top off with new> *Get heater in tank. *move in live rock. *Fill to 3/4 with water from old tank. *Get filtration going. Will temporarily have second Whisper filter running for extra mechanical filtration. *Acclimate corals and move them into tank with their respective rocks. *Fill tank with water from old tank and newly mixed/aged water if necessary. *Get skimmer running. Get AquaFuge running. Place powerheads. *Acclimate fish and move into tank. *Have inverts acclimating (by drip method) and place into tank. Acclimate anemone same as inverts. *Watch everything closely for signs of trouble. Remember to blink and breathe. *If everything survives, drink beer while staring at the tank for remainder of evening. <Very important> I figure the whole move will take about 6 hours. <I'd plan on ten, twelve> I will of course have enough extra water mixed and aged for two 10-gallon water changes the next few days and will be keeping a close eye on water parameters. My biggest problem/concern (besides killing anything) is about my anemone. It has resided with its base attached to the underside of a rock since day one. On further inspection, its foot is attached to both the rock above the gap AND the rock below it. Both rocks are fairly big in size. Here is a drawing of how the rocks are perched with the anemone attachment in red: <<Didn't come through>> <No biggee... work the foot loose from all but the main rock... carefully... with your thumb, finger nails... Bob Fenner> Moving aquariums Gang, a few questions about moving tanks for which I've been unable to find specific answers. <Okay> We are starting a move from an apartment to a house 40 miles from home in about two weeks. My end goal is to have 2 of my current 3 tanks set up in the new house. Currently, the two that I'll end up using in the new home are my 125 with DSB and my most prized fish and a 36 with DSB, lots of corals and 3 fish. My 3rd tank, which is nearly empty except for some frags and a DSB about 6" deep, will be used as a temporary holding tank during the move. I also have a 40 gallon tank in storage. So my plan is first to make up new SW at the new house, then to move the almost-empty 29 gallon and the 40 gallon to the new house, then set each up with a few inches of sand. (I'd like to save out some of the sand to add to the 125.) About 5 days later, I will tear down the 125 and 36, placing all the live stock in 5 gallon buckets, which I have plenty of. Then I'll move the tanks and set them up in the new house. I'm planning to put the fish and other livestock in the 40 and 29 gallon tanks with a few pieces of LR for use as hiding places. So, my questions: How long do you estimate I'll need to let the 125 and 36 run before moving the livestock back into them? <A few hours likely... simple tests for ammonia, nitrite will suffice here> The fish that I'm most concerned about moving (because of their sizes, replacement cost and my affection for them) are an adult Magnificent Rabbitfish, an adult Blueface Angel and a pair of Bluethroat Triggers. The Triggers are fairly young and so are probably not their full potential size. Both are males that "colored up" a few months ago. The males get along well together, but I've asked my LFS to try to find a female to swap for one of the males before the move. All will go in the 125. <Do keep these "in the dark" with aeration, or better, triple bagged in Styrofoam fish boxes or equivalent with oxygen> What is the best way to catch these large, very precious fish that will cause them the least amount of stress? <Drain the water down, remove the rock, lift (not by hand, the Rabbitfish is venomous, has sharp fin spines, the triggers are tremendously powerful biters), with a plastic scooping container of size (e.g. Tupperware)> What is the best way to transport them? <With oxygen, flat-bottomed fish bags of 3,4 mil thickness trebled, individually banded... in fish boxes. You can likely borrow, lease, buy all this at a LFS> Will these 4 large fish do OK in the 40 gallon tank for a few days or would it be less stressful to go ahead and move them to the 125 as soon as the water clears up? <The latter if possible> Somewhere on your site, it's mentioned that DSBs should be moved in large wedges, I suppose to retain the stacking order. Though an aquarist friend is going to help, I really dread moving all that heavy, wet sand. What's more, during that process I need to catch a pesky Formosa wrasse to take to the LFS. Last time I moved it, it was tiny, yet still managed to hide until I removed him with the last few tablespoons of sand. Now it is large and can tunnel amazingly fast. Can you recommend the easiest way to move all the sand while not injuring the wrasse? <Best to seek it out while siphoning and/or scooping the sand, drive it from the sand with a dowel, net it and move it in a small, inch or so, depth of sand in its own bag...> How important is it to retain the original layering of the sand? <Not important or practical> What kind of containers would be best for the sand? <Large, flat, insulated... if there is a great deal of interstitial material I would rinse a bunch of this out... the lost life will soon regenerate> And finally, recently I've noticed a lot of vague, negative comments about DSBs on the reef forums. Can you add any insights as to current thinking on DSBs? <Same arguments as there always were... properly maintained beds are "worth the risk"... keep stirring, occasionally vacuuming, periodically replacing parts with new calcareous material... and all will generally be fine> I'd like to continue using them, mainly because they make it easier for my short arms to reach the bottom of the tank. <A good reason> As excited as we are about finally buying a house, I really dread this part of the moving process and would appreciate any tips that will make it easier and safer for the fish. (And did I mention that money is very tight right now so extra expenses need to be avoided?) Thanks, Suzanne <Plan carefully (make lists of tools and materials, steps to completion), get plenty of help, rest... and you'll be fine. Bob Fenner> Big Project Ahead -- Temporary Housing Plan (3/9/04) Dear Crew, <Steve Allen with you today.> I am planning to take down and rebuild my 3 year old 100 gal. reef tank. Reason is to add more overflow by drilling (now only 600 gph), polish out scratches in the acrylic, remove an un-catchable fish, replace the one inch substrate (clean dry aragonite) and re-arrange the rock work for better maintenance. I feel that my temporary set up will be needed for about 48 hours. <Sounds like a good idea. This is a big project. IME, these things always take longer than planned. Be prepared for it to take up to twice as long.> I will be moving everything including 100 pounds of rock into two 50 gallon tubs each with heater, power head, and air stone. I will fill them with the system <water>. <To save some system water for re-start, you might consider using 20-30% new water in these tubs.> My system has a total of 170 gallons in circulation with sump, two remote refugiums with 6 inch sand bed, 50 pounds of rock, macroalgae, etc. <nice> These will be valved off and equipped with temporary heaters. <Small powerheads to provide circulation during this time would be good too. I used a heater and a Hagen 301 to keep my refugium alive for three weeks waiting for a new sump to be built to replace the defective one that ruptured & flooded my home office. That worked quite nicely.> Water is perfect with ORP at 450, no nitrates, etc. On the second day I will move the base rock,<live rock?> add the new substrate, pump some system water back into the show tank, add the upper rocks with polyps and corals, let it all settle and then add the fish, shrimp, and snails back. <Hopefully the second day. You may find yourself getting very little sleep to finish in 2 days.> I will have 50 gallons of mixed, aerated water, for make up as needed. <Smart to be prepared.> Any suggests would be appreciated. <Sounds like a well-reasoned plan to me. I do thing circulation in the refugiums would be a good idea.> Am I safe from a re-cycle of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate with all this seasoned water and rock? <Preserving a good portion of the system water will help. A blip in nitrogenous compounds is possible. Consider adding Bio-Spira Marine if you can get some. Should help.> Howard <Hope this helps.> - Concerns with Moving Aquarium - Hi Crew, I was delighted to find an entire section on WetWebMedia dedicated to moving aquariums. <Not at all an uncommon chore - just moved mine a couple of days ago.> I am always amazed at the breadth of information you provide! After reading all of this material, I do have a few additional questions. My problem is that my moves are part of a relocation package so they are managed by a moving company (operating on their schedule in a non temperature-controlled environment). <Then you will likely need to manage the moving of the tank yourself... perhaps see if you can expense later.> It typically takes about 1 ? weeks for the movers to deliver to my new house. I have a 180 gallon acrylic reef aquarium that has been established for about 7 months (200 pounds live rock, 200 pounds live sand + livestock). <Trouble.... would not leave this to the moving company.> I might be able to put my live rock in aquarium water-filled containers and have it shipped by the movers (although I am concerned about the die-off that could happen due to uncontrolled temperature) but I see no way the movers could successfully move my livestock. <Neither do I.> Even if I drive to my new location and take the livestock with me, this is a 22 hour drive so the livestock would be in bags for at least two days (hotel stay ? way through the trip). Even after arrival at my new location, I will still not have the aquarium setup for the livestock. Do you have any additional suggestions for managing such a lengthy move? <Yeah... work with LFS in your current area as well as your destination. Get their assistance to ship the fish either ahead or behind you... leaving them at one or the other store for a brief holding period, ready for your arrival/their new home. Movers could take the tank/system... you could haul the live rock.> I suppose I could carry a few empty Rubbermaid-type (15 gal) containers, stacked inside each other along with a few heaters and air pumps. This would allow me to let the fish out of the bags for a "breather" during the midpoint hotel stay. I would not have access to RO water so I would have to bring a dechlorinator and salt. <Again... a good reason to get in touch with LFS in new area to see what you might be able to procure.> This sounds like a lot of work just for one night (as well as added stress for the fish - moving and re-bagging them) but I am concerned that two days in bags is too long. What do you suggest? <Check with your LFS or maintenance company... they have much experience with shipping livestock.> You mention also the possibility of anesthetizing livestock in preparation for a move. How is this done (what product, how to administer, dosage)? <Have heard of this... wouldn't suggest for the average hobbyist.> Could this help significantly? <Don't think so... anesthesia lasts only so long, and in some ways being in an oxygen-filled bag in a dark box has a similar effect. Would add just one more complication to the move.> Thank you for the advice! -- Greg <Cheers... good luck with the move. J -- > Changing Tanks Help Dear Crew, I am after some advice on the best procedure to change my marine tank over to a larger one. I currently have a 3 foot Juwel Vision 180 (180 litres) bow front marine aquarium with a Tunze 3130 protein Skimmer (can cope 400 - 1000 litre aquariums), Eheim 2026 External Power canister filter (can cope up to 98 gallons), UV sterilizer etc, no corals, just coral sand, plenty of live rock, hermit crabs, star fish, clown fish, yellow tang, goby and a blenny. <Sounds like a very nice set-up> The new aquarium is 400 litres so I think the skimmer can definitely cope :-) My external Eheim filter should be able to cope I think??????. <Should be fine here> I guess I am asking some advice on firstly if it is recommended to move to larger tanks, is there much work needed? I.e., are water changes less frequent? Easy to maintain, I guess there would be a larger margin for error? <Much less "work" overall... much more stable...> Should I go with this new tank I planned to set the new tank up and start to transfer some coral sand and live rock, take some water from my current tank and add to the new tank. Then transfer live stock to new tank and place the remaining water from my old tank into the new tank. Then make fresh lots of salt water and top the new tank up. Is this wrong? <Nope... sounds to me like you have a very good grasp of what your options are, the steps to complete this improvement> Please any advice would be appreciated. Many Thanks. <You might gain by reading: http://wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the Related FAQs (linked, in blue, at top), if you haven't already... making a few notes re tools and materials you'll want to have on hand. Bob Fenner> Switching Tanks Hey Bob, How's it going these days? <Fine, as always> I have a question that I wasn't readily able to find on the web page (hey...I may have looked right past it). <Yes, or more likely it was not visible to you, or present> I have recently acquired a 125g tank (wohooo I finally get the BIG one). I currently have a 66g that looks pretty good (now that we have learnt a few lessons the hard way). The situation I have is the stand for the 125g is the same stand that we are currently using for the 66g. Of course I'd like to have the 125g set up before transferring everything over, but I ain't liftin no full 125g tank (I'd like to see the guys that can!). <I avoid them> Any suggestions on making this transfer and easier one? <Plenty... this is the same operation as "moving a system". See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the links beyond> Tank contains: 1 Yellow Tang 1 Banggai Cardinal 1 Blue Devil Damsel 1 Domino Damsel 1 Clarkii Clown 1 Mandarin 1 Anemone 1 Green Open Brain Yellow Polyps 3 Bunches of Anthelia Green Star Polyps Single Mushroom ( only one still...??) Ricordea Mushroom Anemone (recently split from two mushrooms into 3...what an experience) Devil's Finger Leather Pearl Bubble Crabs & Snails We have an order on hold at a LFS for the new tank after it's going for a bit.... Any help you can offer, would be great Bob......and an awesome Web Page BTW. Hannah :) <Thank you my friend. Read over the "action plan" on moves cited, gather the tools, materials together... and extra help (for fun, assistance)... go over your plan and execute. Not hard in retrospect. Bob Fenner> Aquarium Transfer Hello Bob, I just purchased a 125 Gallon tank to replace my 72 gallon tank. The 72 gallon is a saltwater tank and has the following... Equipment: Overflow to AMiracle Wet Dry sump, Berlin Hang On Protein Skimmer, 2 Power heads, 90 lbs of Live Rock, some Caulerpa plants, live substrate crushed coral. Fish: med. Blueface Angel, Yellow Tang, large Blenny & 2 striped Damsels. <Bet you they appreciate the new larger digs> How do I perform a complete migration without doing any harm to the fish and biological system? Is there a foolproof procedure somewhere at WetWebMedia? <Mmm, sort of like the "moving aquariums" pitch: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and associated FAQs.> I worry about temperature, water quality, how to transfer the fish. <Not much to this... taken a step at a time, systematically... draining water into large container, using airstone there, moving livestock... transferring substrate (I'd put over new) and rock into new tank... moving livestock, topping off with pre-made, stored water...> Should I use a new fresh crushed coral or sand as a substrate in the 125? <Could be either depending on the look, types of livestock you intend. Bob Fenner> Tank move Hi, Bob, I chatted a bit with Jason about this but I thought I'd run this by you as well. I need to replace my cracked 210G tank. I've been thinking of doing a staged restocking of the tank but wanted to know if you thought the extra trouble was necessary. Here's the current plan to date: Day one: 1) remove select fish and corals to my 45G tank for holding for 1-4 months (until the new tank is stable) 2) return some corals and fish to the LFS (chance to tweak my stock) 3) hold my anemones and some SPS at my LFS for 1-3 months until new tank is stable 4) hold most of my LR and much of my water (filtered) in some new 110G livestock water troughs (with heaters and powerheads for circulation). 5) Mix up about 50-80G in the new tank with some new substrate and some old substrate 6) Let the new tank settle over night with powerhead and heater in it Day two: 7) Replace LR, hardy corals (leathers, Zoanthids, mushrooms) and water in tank using interlocking triangles as per one of your aquascapes in your book 1-4 months later, after things seem stable 8) Add stock held at LFS (anemones, some SPS) 1-2 months after that: 9) Restore fish and remaining corals from 45G to main tank Several questions: Do you think it makes much of a difference to spread it out so much? Or do you think I could get away with holding some the fish in the 45G and putting all the anemones and corals back in immediately? <I would "stretch it out" as you state in your plan> I'm planning on largely preserving the water and some of the substrate (trying to avoid any anaerobic sections). <I'd sacrifice half the water easily in vacuuming the substrate to assure a good deal of the interstitial "gunk" was removed> If I remove the fish initially, I've lowered the bio-load so hopefully the new tank can keep up even with less bacteria in the substrate, etc. It would be nice to avoid steps 3 & 8. On the other hand, I'd like to minimize die off in the process. <Mmm, I'd include steps 3,8> I've moved tanks before and the water gets pretty cloudy in the process. I was planning on buying a canister filter with floss or diatomaceous media to clear up the water. Any thoughts on that? Is diatomaceous better? I've never used either type previously. <A diatomaceous filter... rental even is a plus... ask your LFS if they have one they'll let you borrow... pack it with D.E. and activated carbon powderized> On the one hand, new tank setups seem a bit delicate at first. On the other hand, I'm not especially keen on making extra work for myself. Thanks for any thoughts on the matter, Marc <You have a well-thought out master-plan. I'd stick to it. Bob Fenner> |
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