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Replacing a leaking aquarium 1/7/16
Temporary Move of Tanks; and re-use of old/er substrate
8/15/15
Changing tanks
5/7/15
Moving An Aquarium Cross-Country 5/5/15 Moving a 100g Reef Tank
1/26/15
Planning a Tank Move
9/1/14 Moving 125 gallon glass aquarium tank into apt.
11/20/13 Moving Tank - Question on acclimating livestock
8/20/13 Upgrading tank 11/11/12 20 gal long tanks Upgrading to a bigger tank/Moving 1/17/12 Upgrading to a new tank, moving lvstk., LR
curing 10/1/11 moving... reading
8/26/10 Tank Cycle, SW, upgrading to a larger
sys. 8/10/10 Moving a SW sys.. lvstk. 7/8/10 Moving My 125 6/7/10 Moving Large Tanks, and occupants/reefs
5/28/10 Transfer of Existing Items to New Tank
3/17/10 Moving tank 1/5/10 Old Tank, New Owner: Moving an established, yet neglected
tank. 1/1/2010 Need Some Help/A New Lease On Life 10/16/09 Moving a 375 gallon tank -- 09/14/09 Moving a 260 Gallon Tank 6/11/09 Breaking an aquarium..., moving...
5/16/09 FOWLR Transfer 180 gallons to 540 gallons, incl. moving sand
bed 4/30/09 Cycling/conversion to larger tank 4/29/09 Re: Moving Tanks: (4/6/2009) Follow up:
4/24/2009 Inexperienced Tank Move 10/26/08 Hi, I am going to help my mom move her 55 gal marine tank to make room for a 125 gal she just bought with only 150lbs of LR, no stock. <A nice upgrade.> The 55 was set up just 1 yr ago and has about 50lbs of LR, a yellow tang, a blue tang, 2 green Chromis, a Percula, a red starfish, and 1 urchin. <The fish will appreciate the extra room!> All will remain in this tank until the 125 is stable. We hired some trusted local experts to move and set up the 125 (as we are not too familiar with all the components) but planned on moving the 55 ourselves. <Okay.> I have read your info on moving tanks and my question is: After we have the (55) tank moved and have filled it, how long should we wait to start acclimating the animals? <Right away assuming the rock in the 125 has cured, along with adding the rock from the 55.> I did this when I switched from a 29 gal to a 45 gal and I lost every fish I had!!! <Sorry to hear this.> I checked temp, ph, salinity and all were fine before I acclimated the fish, but it was still very, very cloudy and I don't want to make the same mistake twice! Someone told me that they went into ph shock but I tested. <Could have been shock 'from many factors. Also likely the biofiltration was not established, won't be a concern with all the LR. Do check the ammonia/nitrite levels in the 125 before starting the move.> I am nervous about doing this again but can't afford to have the experts move both tanks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! <With a properly setup tank, you will be fine. Scott V.> Moving a Nano with other issues 10/27/08 Hi Guys! I
really need your help. <Hello Heidi, okay.> I will be moving to a
new house in the same city so not far at all. I have a 34 gallon Red
Sea Max that has been set up since February 08. I have 34 lb. LR and 30
lb. LS. I have three fish and some softie corals such as GSP, finger
leather, Zoas and 2 Acans. I also have a Maxima clam. I have read all
of your information on moving tanks and livestock, which has been very
helpful. <Ahh, good.> So here is my "other" issue....I
have been battling Raphidophytes in my tank for about 3-4 months now. I
have tried about everything to rid my tank of them. Now I'm going
to have to break down the tank and I'm wondering if I can move the
tank and get rid of the Raphidophytes at the same time with minimal
harm to my livestock. This is what I was thinking.... Bagging the fish
and corals in current tank water. Packing up LR in a bucket covered in
old tank water. I want to get rid of substrate completely. Do I need to
save some to "seed" the new sand? <I would, there is no
need to toss the substrate unless you wish to swap to a different
type.> Clean tank, pumps, skimmer etc...with soap and rinse
thoroughly. Set up tank in new location with new sand and FRESH
saltwater. <I would use as much existing tank water as possible,
regardless of the algae.> Swish each piece of LR in a bucket of
fresh saltwater to dislodge any of the algae strings then put into
tank. Acclimate fish and corals to new tank like I would as if bringing
home for the first time. Making sure to keep all old water out of tank.
Do you see any problems with the above plan? <Unless you have
another biofilter I would not do too much to the rock during the move.
You can cause another curing/cycling process if not careful.> And is
there anything else I can do during the process that will help defeat
the algae? <Nothing I will advise. Control in the tank is the
answer.> I also considered buying new cured rock and cycling it in a
bucket with a power head and heater until the move day. Then using the
new rock to set up the tank. But I think the corals could potentially
transfer the Raphids into the tank. <Either way the algae will make
it.> I would appreciate any suggestions or help you can give me!
<Do check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm and the
linked files above, tis basically what you are dealing with. Common
issue, especially in smaller volumes.> Thanks! Heidi <Welcome,
Scott V.> Tank Transferal Issue 10/10/08 Hi, thank you for the authoritative website, now, my question concerns transferring the contents of my little 65litre marine setup to a used tank I wish to buy which has 160litres capacity or approx. 40 of your U.S gallons :) <Okay.> The 40 gallon tank is a Juwel 160 with a built in corner filter and a pump and has been used as a freshwater setup - I have browsed this website and can see with the proper preparation converting from FW to marine is not so difficult, but really my query is about how best to make the actual transfer of my livestock, which comprises: 2 clown fish and a painted shrimp and about 20lbs live rock. My plan (probably deeply flawed) was to take the water from my current tank which has been operating successfully for about 10 months, add the live rock and creatures with some sand - aragonite, I think is what keeps cropping up in the forums <Tis the sand you want.> - and then simply fill the tank up with conditioned, salinated tap water and hope for the best. <There is nothing wrong with tap water, just test for chlorine/chloramine and treat accordingly: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water4maruse.htm. Not all "conditioners" do the job!> I imagine this idea probably seems ludicrous to you experts but since I do not have a cycled intermediary tank I can think of no other way. I would be grateful if you could advise me as to the soundness(or not) of my cunning plan. <No, your plan sounds okay. No matter how much prep or hocus pocus one does, there comes a time when everything just needs to be dumped in. Just be sure the new water is properly treated (the above link) with the salinity, temperature and PH the same as the old water it will be mixed with. Do also transfer any filtration you have in the smaller tank until the filter in the larger tank does cycle, but your LR will be your main biofilter anyhow.> Thank you, Sean W <Welcome, congratulations on the new setup, Scott V.> Moving a Cycled Tank 9/22/08 Hi <Hello> I have a fishLESS Eclipse 12 since I upgraded my tank and moved all the fish over about a month and a half to two months ago. I have kept the Eclipse running. I have been putting a pinch of flake food every few days. I did a water change about a month after I moved the fish and rinsed off the mechanical/chemical filter. As of today my water test readings are 0,0, 20. I want to sell the Eclipse. I am going to put an ad up in my apartment to sell it. In my ad I said that tank has been cycled for about 8 months so the tank should be ready for fish right away. My question is...in your(for whoever is answering this) opinion is this accurate? <Not in my opinion, moving a tank almost always causes some degree of die-off and ammonia/nitrite spike.> Since I am going to have to siphon the water into buckets and then the water will have to be put back into tank after the move. Or will the buyer have to wait for everything to settle? <I would advise so.> If so, in your opinion how long of a wait? <Could be a couple days, could be another full cycle depending on how everything survives the move.> Or more so, is there a chance that the move will screw up the cycled process that it will have to cycle again? <Unavoidable to a degree in my opinion.> Do you think its ok to sell a tank this way, or would you advise to just break it down completely before selling it? <However it is easiest for you to sell.> Besides answers to the questions, any additional information that you can give me would be appreciated Thank You <Welcome> <Chris> 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> Tank Moving, 6/26/08 Dear WWM <Hello> I love your site, it has helped me so much over the course of the past year. <Thanks> My question is about moving a 75 gallon saltwater fish tank. It has been set up for about 8 months now. My question is when I make the move should I save my sand or buy new Live sand when I reset up tank at new destination. <I have always used new sand, its just too heavy and messy to move.> The reason I ask is all the LFS I have talked too have different opinions. Let me know what your thinking is and any other good advice for moving live rock, fish, and corals. <Get lots of friends to help, then go out and meet new people because your old friends won't like you anymore after helping you move the tank. Have lots of premade water ready, and take your time. I have used 22 Gallon Rubbermaid containers filled about 1/2 up to move the rocks and a fair amount of water, but be careful as these get very heavy very fast. Otherwise I just bagged up the livestock and boxed up the gear.> The drive is about 3 hours, and I am planning on setting up tank as soon as I get there. Thanks, Evert <Have a few spare powerheads and heaters, I too planned to set up my tank right away last time I moved, but was too tired and busy. The livestock lived in the Rubbermaids in my kitchen for about a week before I got to getting everything going. Take your time and be careful with lifting, hurt yourself and the whole experience will get even worse.> <Chris>Tank Downgrade 5/23/08 Hi
Everyone. <Hello> Just wanted to say awesome site - it is such a
great resource. I have done some searches online and even posted on a
couple of forums but unfortunately have had no responses :( So thought
I would turn to you guys as I really want to get a second opinion on my
temporary downgrade and know you guys can probably advise better than
anyone anyway! I recently had to shut down a 4.5 x 3 x 2 tank and I
moved everything into a 3x2x2 which has been fine although I had to
sell off my 2 tangs as they were going a bit loopy in such a small
tank! <Good move.> I also sold off quite a lot of rock. I would
really like to move what I have left now into my 120 litre frag tank
due to space reasons whilst I work on my new 420L corner tank system.
So my question is would the following be ok in a 120litre system for
around 2-3 months whilst I setup my new tank? I have 3xYellow Tails
Damsels (Small), 1 x Strawberry Gramma(Med), 1 x other damsel about
(large), 2 x Chromis (large), 1 x cleaner shrimp, Crab+Snail cleanup
crew, and a few corals. I will have around 15KG of live rock in the
tank and a Tunze 9002 nano skimmer running the tank also has a 10L
remote fuge. I know I may be pushing my luck but I was thinking
if I did slightly larger water changes around 40-50% a month would
everything be ok until there bigger home is ready? <I would be doing
at least bi-weekly water changes here. However, water quality would not
be my only concern here, aggression may become a problem with so many
fairly aggressive fish in this sized tank. But I think it at least has
a chance to work, depends on how the fish handle the close
quarters.> Just thought whilst I am here when I move everything into
my new 420l system would a pair of Clarkii's, Sailfin blenny, 2or3
more Chromis, and a mandarin be ok to add to my current livestock?
<As long as you give the tank a year or so to mature for the
mandarin I think you will be ok.> I would really like to add a Kole
tang but I am thinking a 420L is probably to small for a tang anyway?
<I would agree for a corner tank.> If this is the case would a
swallow tail angel be ok to add as well as the above? <Genicanthus
melanospilos would probably do fine in this tank, just be aware that
they are rough shippers, so give it a nice QT to recover before adding
to the tank.> If not could it be possible if I opted for some
smaller adult size clowns? <Could go this route too, just no more
that 1 pair of clowns or you will have a war on your hands at some
point.> Thanks in Advance for the advice! Adam <Welcome>
<Chris> Temp. mixing of softies and stonies 5/16/08 Hello Crew!! Just to get it out of the way, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! <De nada> Everything I have learned about saltwater tanks and fish/corals has come from your incredible website. Although my question is listed in the archives, I need a personal opinion. I have two tanks, and am looking at the possibility of combining them for several months due to moving. Tank #1: 20 gallons housing about 20 lbs live rock, blue Ricordea mushrooms (12, attached to a single rock), 3 "hairy mushrooms" (has split twice in the last 3 months), Anthelia, and an angler fish (Lophiocharon trisignatus). This tank has been established for about a year, and reads 0 for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, etc. Ca runs around 430, Mg 1300. The salinity is 1.025, and temp is kept at 80. I do weekly watcher changes of ten gallons and use only RODI water, use a CPR BakPak and Aquaclear 70 with Chemipure. Everything is flourishing. Tank#2: 55 gallons stocked with recovering stonies that have been rescued from unsuitable environments. Inhabitants include about 100 lbs live rock, a Favite, a Goniopora, and a pagoda. Additionally, this tank also houses a Tomini tang (large enough for his new home, a friend's 150g), 4 Nassarius snails, 2 Turbos, 6 small hermits, 3 cowries, and a peppermint shrimp. This tank has been established for about 18 months with no losses. I run an Aquaclear 110 (running Chemipure as well), and a seriously modified Coralife SuperSkimmer that draws half of a cup of the nastiest stuff every two days. I use RODI water, and change 15 to 20 gallons a week. All reading on this tank are the same as the smaller tank, though it requires a bit more fiddling with the calcium and magnesium to maintain the desired levels. I rely on water changes rather than supplementation as much as possible,<good> and the lighting is PC, about 5-6 watts per gallon. So the question: I understand allelopathy, and do NOT wish to harm any of my wet friends, but is there a way to combine the tanks? <Well, it's always a risk... but there are things you can do to help things go as smoothly as possible. For example, for a few days/weeks prior to combining them, move water between the two tanks, take a few gallons from one tank and pour it in the other (a bit like when you pour something from one glass to another, back and forth, to mix a drink). This gives the animals a chance to "smell" each other before they're put in the same tank. Also, running extra activated carbon helps take out some of the allelopathic chemicals.> I am hoping I can re-home the Tomini so it does not harass the Angler, give away two of the "hairy mushrooms", as many of the ricotta as possible, as well as the Anthelia. I am very much hoping that I can combine what is left into the 55 gallon tank without causing chemical warfare. I would be willing to run Polyfilter full time or change 30 plus gallons a week, if it would make it work. <Activated carbon is likely the best for this.> I do understand that one should not mix softies and stonies, but I'm hoping my bioload would be low enough, and my water quality high enough to pull this off. <I would think so... at least you don't have any leather corals.> Please let me know what you think, and thank you so much for the time, effort, and energy that you all put into WWM and the new forum!! <With care and patience, you should be fine. But please don't be too disheartened if you lose something. Moves are hard on these things, and if some of your stonies are already under-par, one or a few of them might not make it. But you never know...> --CJ <Good luck! Sara M.> Is it worth the move...If it makes you happy! 5/10/08 Hello Crew! <Hello Esther.> Thanks for all you do! I have read hundreds of pages on WWM and this site has always provided some sort of answer. <Great, thank you!> But I am looking for an opinion on a task that has not been answered, (as it pertains to my situation), in the "Moving Aquariums" pages and related links. I have not moved a tank that has owned inhabitants before, so sorry if this a real "tank-moving' newbie" question. <No problem.> Recently I have been on the kick of "less is more" and have eliminated all the junk from my house. <Heee, been there, done that.> This has left the wall that my 75 gallon resides next to bare. Because of the previous furniture and whatnot, the tank was positioned to the far end of the wall. Now that it is the only thing there, it looks off because of it's positioning and I would like to move it to center it with the wall. Here is my concern, I have only live rock and a skimmer for filtration, and I fear that dismantling the tank to move it a mere 2 feet will end up crashing my system. <Hmm, not if done properly/quickly.> I have read the moving pages to learn the process, and have many dedicated Rubbermaid tubs at my disposal, so I can keep all the rock, inverts and fish in the original tank water with heaters and power heads. In your opinion will the rearrangement and process of taking down the tank have adverse effects to the biological system? <Very little if any.> My tank has been great, the corals are multiplying and my fish are healthy and I don't want to ruin it all for 2 feet, but it really would showcase the tank more, and I am betting the most of you have moved more fish tanks than I have. <I have moved very many, much more in teardowns to change position or drill than anything. For the distance you are moving you should be able to do this quickly enough to suffer no ill effects. Just don't stop to go out to dinner in the middle of the move and you will be fine ?> -Esther <Happy reefing, Scott V.> Can my Wet/Dry filter "hold its breath" 5/1/08 Will the bacterial colony living on the Bio-Balls in my wet/dry filter be damaged or reduced by being submerged for a few hours? <The bioballs will be fine so long as they are not in a sealed container.> It's a 50 gallon temperate marine tank (60 degree F) with five gallons of Bio-Balls, an AquaC Remora skimmer, 4' DSB, a bimac octopus, a bat star, and a red spotted sea anemone. My wet/dry is built into my tank and when the return pump turns off (during tank feeding or power failure) enough water slowly back-flows through the return pump to mostly fill the wet/dry and submerge the bio balls. I have a battery powered air pump that will run an airstone in the submerged wet/dry, and in the tank, during a power failure. <Good, oxygen in the water is what you need to keep your biofiltration alive.> How long could my wet/dry go submerged, with an airstone running, before suffering significant damage? <A few hours.> I could remove all the water, and Bio-Balls, and install a check valve, but I'd rather avoid that headache unless it is necessary to protect my bacterial colony. <You are better off having the bioballs submerged than drying out.> Thanks for all the great advice!! <Welcome, have fun, Scott V.> On the move 04/28/2008 Hi crew, <<Hello, Andrew today>> I will be moving my +-200g reef setup and have a few question. <<Fire away>> Caroline (coralline sp.) algae on the glass, will this have any negative effects on the tank if it dies and is it better to scrap all that out first? <<No, no negative affects at all>> Can about 1" of the top layer of the sand from the DSB be taken to reseed the DSB or will it be better to just take 1 - 2 cups? <<Yes, sure. I would only use the top 1/2 inch. Personal preference there, suppose it depends on the current depth of the sandbed>> With the current DSB been cleaned and the, e.g. 1 cup of sand used to reseed the DSB is there a time period for the DSB to start working again? <<A bout a month to settle, engage in activity>> With my livestock of +- 30 fish my nitrates is going to rise, is there a procedure to prevent this other than water changes? <<Yes, there are products on the market, however, your best solution is to dilute. Water changes are a good procedure to use>> Thanks, Mohamed <<Thanks for the questions. A Nixon>> Aquarium Moving Questions
4/27/08 Refinish hardwood floors what to do with aquarium 03/31/2008 I have a 90 gallon tank and a nano cube on the first floor of my home I've had them for two years, and I am learning something new every day either through direct experience or reading helpful information from your pages and other places on the net. I was hoping that someone here would be able to help me with a few question. The time has come to refinish the hardwood floors in my home on the first floor which means that every stick of furniture and furnishing must be moved out and the floor can't be walked on for 3 days. I have a basement that I can move the tanks to but this causes several problems. How do I feed my tanks? <<How can you "feed" the tanks?>> Can I skip three days? I don't have an auto top off and I need to add water daily. Can I skip this for a few days? I usually add a gallon every other day to the 90 gallon. If I don't add water my water level will fall below my overflow and the water from the sump won't circulate, what can I do? <<From the sounds of it, your only option is buckets, and carry water to the basement and add top-off water yourself as and when needed.>> The tanks will be in the basement and the only way to get to the basement while the work is crawling through a window I will need to leave open. Can I leave the tanks alone and avoid breaking into my home. Finally, will the oil based polyurethane they are putting on the floor harm my tanks, Will the fumes from the varnish bother the fish and corals. <<Would be wise to completely aerate the room to exhaust it of fumes>> The varnish really stinks and the fumes will come from the floor above. Any special things I should do cover tanks run air purifier, I had one running before near the tank but it seemed to inhibit the protein skimmer, or something other ideas. <<Covering the tanks is always a good idea when any form of diy is being carried out in the house as particles can travel quite far in a closed environment. If you have air purifiers available, then yes, sure, go for it.>> Thanks in advance <<Thanks for the questions, A Nixon>> Changing Tanks 03/27/2008 I just have a quick questions, right now I have a 90 gallon fish only tank. I only have two small puffers and a lionfish in the tank right now, I have been lucky enough to be given a complete 125 setup, mostly cause this individual just upgraded to a 300 gallon tank, I'm very jealous but anyways, In my 90 gallon tank I have been battling with hair algae for about 4-5 months,. I have done everything to taking out the rock and scrubbing the algae off. My question is this I have about 100 lbs of live rock that I have cured in a separated container. Can I take the water from the cured rock, all water level are normal in there, and also take the water from the 90 gallon and move the fish into the new tank with causing a problem. I'm not going to move the rock or substance that is in the 90 gallon because I don't want to deal with the algae in the new tank. Or do I need to not use any water from the 90 and start fresh??? Or if you have any other ideas, that would be great, I'm just trying to minimize the time that I have two systems setup and I don't want to lose any fish or the tank to cycle again. Thanks in advance for your help <<I would use the water from the rock tub and the rest new saltwater. You don't mention anything about filtration on the new tank. Any new filter system put this tank will have to be cycled before you can add fish to it.>> <<On the algae plagued tank, getting to the source is the key as there is obviously something feeding the algae, whether it over feeding, high nutrient levels in the change water, bad lighting>> <<Hope this helps. A Nixon>> Recycling old substrate, Moving Tanks 3/6/08 I'll start by saying thanks for all the effort put into the site. <Thanks for using it.> I currently have a 55g reef tank that has been running for 3 years and this is the first question I have had to send. The rest have always been answered through searching this site. <Excellent> With that said, I have read various postings that have a little conflicting info and wanted to clarify. I recently purchased a complete 150 setup and need advice on making the switch. My current setup has approx. 3" CaribSea AragAlive and around 80-90lbs LR., Remora skimmer and Eheim canister with livestock being a yellow tang, <will appreciate the new home> 2 ocellaris clowns, royal Gramma, engineer goby and Firefish goby, 2 BTAs (not on purpose, had a split and can't get the newby out yet), frogspawn, various mushrooms and polyps, Kenya tree, pulsing xenia and umbrella leather. I was told by my LFS that I could transfer all of the sand from the old tank and mix with the new and transfer the whole tank right then and that any cycling that occurred would be minimal and not affect the livestock with sufficient water change and monitoring. <Hard to say for sure, and a big risk. I'm a big fan of the slow, conservative approach.> Then I consulted your site and found some differing opinions. <This hobby was made for differences of opinion.> Some of the posts said take it all (barring excessive detritus and bad smell), some said take only the top inch or two and some said use only a small amount to seed the new tank as transferring all of the old sand will cause a big cycle of the new tank due to die off of organisms from different layers. <I would go with either of the latter options. I agree that taking all the sand will lead to problems with little benefit. As soon as the lower levels of the sand are exposed to oxygen rich water or air many of the organisms will be killed of. I would just take a fair amount of sand from the top inch or so and use it to seed the new sand bed.> I can only remove all the sand and deal with the cycling if I leave everything else in the old tank (engineer goby would stress with glass bottom only I would think). Can you clarify if one is better or just up to individual preference? <I think seeding the new tank, letting it cycle without the fish (should be pretty quick) is the way to go.> There is a lot of life in the old sand and I hate to lose it. <Can't be helped to some degree, but will reestablish itself in the new tank if allowed. Another benefit of letting the tank cycle without fish.> Once everything is out of the 55g tank I will use it for cycling 130 lbs of incoming LR. <I would use the new tank to do that with, keeping the fish in their normal home.> The second issue is with the refugium that came with the 150g. This was a used tank and the refuge has about 4-5" of mud that has been sitting submerged in stagnant water for about 3 weeks. <That is going to smell nice I bet.> I will remove the old water but wanted to know if the mud is still safe to use or should I clean it and start with new mud? <I would replace if economical, lots of dead stuff in there now I bet. I would come back but not before fueling a nice algae bloom.> Last question is regarding lighting. In searching for lighting I found some setups that are "generic" from China that are much cheaper ($600 for 3x250 HQI, 4x96w PC). Should I follow the "you get what you pay for" approach and steer clear of these? <I would be wary, especially if not UL listed. A few hundred dollars saved here could cost you your home, tank, everything.> Sorry for the lengthy post and hopefully I won't have to post again for another 3 years. <No problems, good luck with the new tank.> <Chris>
Properly Storing Tanks And Equipment 1/5/08 I am breaking down a 90G, 55G, and 30G tank. I will not be using the tanks or equipment for a period of time, perhaps a year. Is it safe to store the equipment and tanks for that period of time without any ill effects? <Sure.> Do the glass aquariums have to be in a climate controlled environment? <If storing in freezing temperatures, let the tank acclimate to room temperature before adding water.> Is the equipment best stored in a clean dry container? <I would.> Is there any specific cleaning process to ensure the equipment doesn't rot or anything. It will be filters, protein skimmers, lights, heaters, etc. <I would clean and dry well before storing.> Is there any specific way to store my RO/DI unit? Should I remove all the filters before storing it? <The membrane in the RO unit should not be allowed to dry out. I'd probably want to store this in a sealed jar full of RO water and keep in a dark storage area. As for the RO filters, I'd discard and replace when you set up again, not that expensive.> Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. I have a LOT of money invested and would hate to see it go to waste. <Do understand here.> Thank-you You're welcome. James (Salty Dog) Upgrading to a Larger Tank 12/23/07 Greetings Crew, <Hello Mark.> I have been a regular reader of the website for many years. (I guess being addicted to WetWebMedia is better than some of the alternatives.) I appreciate all your insights and have learned a lot over the years. <This whole hobby, more a way of life, is addicting!> I have read the site thoroughly and have found a number of varying answers to questions about upgrading to a larger tank. I would like to get your take on the current thinking. My situation is a 10 year old 55 (18" tall x 15" deep x 48" long) gallon tank will be upgraded to a 70 gallon tank (18" tall x 24" deep x 48" long). I would prefer to let the new tank cycle before transferring the livestock BUT the new tank must go where the current tank is located. Also I want to use the live sand (5"+) and the live rock in the new tank and I really can't afford to buy new sand and live rock. Here is my current plan. I know it has risk but does it have a good possibility of a successful conclusion? 1. Transfer water in the existing tank to a 35 gallon Rubbermaid container so the existing tank and stand can be moved out of the way. 2. Move the existing tank and stand. 3. Set up new tank and stand. 4. Transfer fish to temporary holding bin (six line wrasse, a matched pair of percula, and a purple tang - all about 2" in length.) 5. Move sand with critters to new tank. 6. Transfer water from Rubbermaid container to new tank. 7. Transfer live rock to new tank. (live rock has 4 BTA all clones (the original has split 3 times) red mushrooms, various Zoanthus, anthelia, and a couple of leather corals (also clones) attached to it. 8. Transfer live stock to new tank. Given that the above is really my best option given my circumstances, this leads to a specific question. <Not only is it the best for your situation, it is the best way period! You are essentially taking your filtration to the new tank. No problems here.> Is it better to let the tank settle down for a few days OR add the 20 gallons of pre-made water immediately. <Add it at the same time.> I really would like to get your input on the above plan or what else I could do to increase the likelihood of success. <I would just suggest you be sure to keep the water temperature up while everything is between tanks and perhaps provide a little water circulation/aeration. All in all it sounds like a good plan. Have fun and congratulations on the upgrade, Scott V.> Mark Hill Upgrading to new tank... moving... incl. livestk. 12/2/07 Downsizing from 110 gallons to 55 gallons.
Moving Contents Of Existing System To A Smaller Tank...Still A Need
To Cycle System And Acclimate Fishes -- 08/31/07 Moving a DSB 8/25/07 Hi Guys! I'm setting up my FOWLR (no corals for now) and I want a DSB for nitrate reduction. Problem is, I will be moving this thing from Virginia to Colorado in 3 years when I graduate from vet school. I already have started planning for the move (I'll adopt out my fish to my parents whose salt tank I'm managing and I'll move the live rock and re-cycle upon arrival). <...sounds like a good plan.> I'm simplifying my life with no coral until after the move, but I just can't let go of the DSB. It's a 23-27 hour drive and I was wondering if you had any advice on the feasibility of moving a DSB. I can leave it in the tank (it's only a 29 gallon), so in theory I'd be able to move without exposing too much of the anaerobic areas. <Even a DSB in a 29g tank can be extremely heavy! (Trust me. I know, I have one.) That said, if you're personal friends with the Incredible Hulk and can manage to get it in your car and to its new location without breaking the tank; go for it. Of course, you should keep just enough water in the tank to keep it submerged. And you'll have to be careful to keep it from getting too hot/cold during the trip. Also, you might want to let it "cycle" for a few weeks at the new place. Even if you're really careful, you'll inevitably stir up some bacteria poo.> So, attempt to move the DSB or chuck it and start again (groan!)? <Even if you decide not to move it, don't pitch all of it. Carefully take out a chunk of it to use as seeder sand for your sand bed at the new place. And you could share the rest with local aquarists looking to seed or refresh their sand beds.> Thanks a bunch, and if you ever need the advice of a then-seasoned salt keeper with a DVM and an interest in fish, call me in 20 or 30 years! <You're going to make us wait that long?!> Casey <My pleasure, Sara M.> Going from 75 g tank to 125 8/20/07 Hi Bob, <Neil> Fabulous website. <Doomo> I spent some time on your website looking for answers on steps to moving a current tank to a newer (larger) tank. <Exciting> This is my current situation: I have been running a 75 gallon FOWLR tank for just over a year. I recently bought a 125g. I am looking to keep the tank in the same spot as the current 75g. <Ah... the olde presto chango eh?> I know I will have to siphon the water out and move it into the 125g, but is there something that I am missing? Can I simply fill up the 125g with as much 75g water as possible and fill up the rest with ro water? <Mmm, I'd be using pre-mixed, stored...> I have 5 fish that I will also have to pull out. I was thinking about keeping them in a bucket with an air stone. What do you think? Is this too much of an exercise or should I simply start from zero with the new 125g? If I do that, I will have to find a temp new home for my livestock. I am looking to eventually add more sexy fish, such as a banded shark or blue-spotted ray. <Nah> Thanks for your help! Neil <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the linked files above, and elsewhere on WWM re the cartilaginous fishes care. Bob Fenner> Migrating to larger tank 8/9/07 Hello crew, <Josh> This is my first time writing, however I have used this site as a resource for about a year - it's been fantastic! Thanks everyone for making this hobby a whole lot easier to swallow! <Welcome!> On to my question. I have a 30 gallon reef tank that has been fairly successful for about 9 months. I have recently purchased a 65 gallon AGA with a 15 gallon sump. I have finished my plumbing (using a SCWD for my sump return), added 35lbs of live rock to the tank, 40lbs aragonite substrate, and 20 lbs sand. I also moved in a 6-7lb rock from my already cycled tank. There is about 10lbs sand and 10lbs LR in the sump. I let that cycle for about 10 days and then added 3 green Chromis <Mmm...> 2 days ago, after a week in qt. This morning I awoke to find 2 of my Chromis have passed on, <Not surprising... the genus sometimes takes a beating in being moved> despite regular schooling and eating habits with all 3. My tests show up all normal (1.023, 0 nitrate, 0 ammonia, 0 phosphate, ~400 calcium, 79-81 degrees F) and I haven't seen any ammonia since before I added the Chromis. I appeared to have already cycled, but am not entirely sure. I am trying to figure out the cause of their demise, <Mmmm, "psychological stress" mostly> as well as asking advice on how to go about the transition from my smaller tank to my new larger one. Also, should I get more Chromis as I hear they do better in groups? <Given enough space, yes> I don't want to do that until I know the reason for the others deaths. In my 30 gallon I have a bicolor pseudo (giving to a friend due to his aggressive nature - looking forward to finally being able to catch him), a neon blue goby, a cleaner shrimp, snails/hermits, pearl bubble coral, lots of zoos, variety of xenias, and a green cup coral. There is also about 30-35lbs of cycled live rock still in there. How should I go about making the transition? I have a SeaClone 150 on the 30 gallon, that I will be moving to the new 15 gallon sump - and I do not want to buy another one, so the two tanks will have to share it for the moment. Should I slowly move the animals over? Should I move the rock first? All at once? <The rock first, all at once; the animals by least to more toxic... the Zoanthids last> Any advice on the procedure of moving all this life over would be great! I will be keeping the 30 gallon running for at least 6-8 weeks after the initial move to act as a larger qt tank for when I do get more fish for the larger tank; how much LR should I leave in it to act as a qt? <About five pounds> You guys are always an incredible help, thanks in advance, Josh <Welcome. Bob Fenner> Moving 20 gal to 55 Gal Thank you for the response. After much thought, I am leaning toward the standard 55 gallon aquarium instead of the 56 column. I agree that the surface area will be much more with the standard 55 gal, and there will be more swimming room for my fish. ( I do plan on adding a FEW carefully thought out fish.. I'm going to be patient and wait though). <Good traits, beh.> As far as moving the setup from the 20 gal high to the 55 gal, here is my plan (utilizing your suggestions, my thoughts, and other word of mouth suggestions..) First, fill the 55 gal tank w/ about 30 lbs of clean, <Thoroughly rinsed> sugar fine sand (or enough to make a 3/4 inch sand bed). Then, add the 35 gals of "new" saltwater. ( I will dechlorinate first, then add salt). Then, I will add about 5 lbs of live sand bought from the LFS. I will run the filters, heater, etc. for about 2-3 days.. ( I will have to plan on how to lower the intake so it reaches the water.. but that's another story.. I will figure this one out-- not worried about this). I will then add about 5 lbs of live rock (bought from store, cured, cleaned first). Then I will take the sand out of my current tank, add that to the mix. (while keeping the 10 lbs of live rock in the 20 gal.) Wait for 1-2 days. This should leave about 1in sand bed total. Then, remove in this order: live rock, filter (along w/ the media... so I will have 2 filters running on the 55gal tank), the fish, then the ornamental rocks. This process should all be done within a few hours max. I will of course acclimate the fish just like I am taking them home from a LFS. How does this plan sound? I have been reading re, asking questions to local fish store employees and friends, and have received different answers. Thank you once again for all your excellent help!!!!!!!!! It's much appreciated! E <Mmm, I would extend the time frame twixt setting up the new tank, adding a source of cycling microbes (e.g. with the LR) and testing to see if the system cycles... ahead of the movement of materials from the extant 20 gallon system. Bob Fenner> Moving a glass tank into basement -- 07/18/07 Hi
Crew I have been a big fan of your site for years now. Great job
everyone, thank you for all your hard work. I have been planning my
first saltwater aquarium for about a year and a half now. I final have
figured on a 180 gal. glass tank (72x24x24) . After much debate on
where in the house my wife would let me keep it, we have decide to put
in in the basement as part of the rec-room. At first the living room
sounded like a great spot, but with all the maintenance equipment being
out of reach. the basement seems like a much better choice (concert
floor, dedicated fish room and water supply. My question is, my
basement stairs are the kind that go down half way and then does a 180
degree turn to go the rest of the way down. With a tank this big it
would have to be turned on end to make the corner. Will this be a
problem with a glass tank or would acrylic be a better choice because
of this. I don't want to ruin a brand new tank . I have determined
this is the biggest tank I can go, and have planned all my equipment
and stocking plans around this size. Thanks for all your help!
>>>Greetings Robert, Jim here. A glass tank is more than
strong enough to stand up to this treatment...the limiting factor is
the back muscles of the people moving it. A 55 gallon should be no
problem, but be careful. Cheers Jim<<< SW Aquarium Transfer -- 06/19/07 Hello, ladies & gents, <Howdy> I am beginning a plan for this switch, and I read the info on http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm, but I think this will be a bit different, so this is what I'm planning, please point out any flaws you see or any thing you think would be better. I'm the guy with the 5" passer angel, the baby banded cat shark, dogface, and yellow tang. We are purchasing a 200 gal to replace the 80 gal, and it will be here in roughly a month. The hitch is that due to our house layout, it needs to go exactly where the 80 gallon sits. I have approx. 50 - 60 lbs of live rock. I'm thinking of making it as dim as possible, and placing the live rock in a 72 qt cooler (rinsed thoroughly), siphoning as much of the tank water into the cooler as it will hold, then placing the fish into the cooler as well. <Mmm... for how long? I would use another cooler or such to keep the fishes in... easier to move, remove them from. And I'd save more of the old water as well> I should be able to hook up the Fluval FX5 so that it runs in the cooler, theoretically aerating the water and preserving the bacteria and the biofiltration system. Then once all the live guys are out, using the gravel vac to remove the rest of the water and clean the substrate. Using a second cooler, I'll put the tank substrate in it, maybe trying to put an air pump on it to preserve the live bacteria there. At that point we can make the tank switch, getting the new one in place. I'm going to add another 100 lbs of substrate (which should replenish the dissolvables) and then add freshly mixed saltwater. <Pre-made and stored...> Our tap water is good, no nitrates or other undesirables, and is at approximately 78 degrees out of the faucet, <Wow!> and I use it for my 20% changes every week or so. Before we make this swap, I'll PH test it also, so that I can get it to the correct level. Right now the tank PH is about 8.2 and is stable. I'm thinking of trying to preserve as much of the original tank water as possible, perhaps using 5 gallon buckets or another 72 qt cooler to keep the new water % to around 50. My guess is that this transition is going to take 4 to 5 hours. At some point I am going to want to put the FX5 back on the tank for circulation of the new water. There will be a wet/dry system, too, but obviously it will take a while for the bio capacity of the wet/dry to be established. <Not long in this circumstance> I can put the protein skimmer on the tank as soon as the water level is up (Jebo 180) for aeration as well. The old substrate will be in the tank with the new substrate, and the new water will be at the proper mix and temperature (and dechlorinated) before it goes into the tank. How long would be a safe bet to keep the fish/live rock in the 72 qt cooler after removing the FX5? 5 minutes? An hour? <Hours> Would it be beneficial to add something like StressCoat to the water to ease the stress on the fish? <Mmm, I wouldn't> Is there a benefit to placing the fish & live rock in the same cooler, or should they be separate? <I'd separate... some advantages, dis- to both... but more if kept apart IMO/E> If this plan seems sound to you, please say so, but if you think there is a better way or improvements, please comment. I want to make this transition as smooth as possible for my babies. Thanks, Thomas <Sounds/reads good. BobF> Tang Stressed From Move -- 6/09/07 Hi <Hello Tammy, Brenda here> Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I have had a hep tang for 10.5 years, and he was seemingly doing quite well. We just moved and we had someone professionally come over to take down the tank at the old place and reset up at new. We have a 55 gallon tank with a clown, two damsels, an urchin, a chocolate chip star and the tang. ALL of them have been with us for 10.5 years or longer. <A 55 gallon is a bit small for a tang.> Before the move the pro said he noticed the tang was swimming in circles (I hadn't noticed it but...) and then after the move, it was lying on its side at the top of the tank. It looks majorly stressed. He said he thought it might have taken on air and that it would pass....sooooo sad, I hate to see it like this. It did move from the top of the tank to the rocks overnight but it is basically lying upside down now, constantly trying to right itself. What would you suggest? I'll do anything to try to help it thru this, I'm really sad about it. <Closely monitor your water parameters. Your system has been disrupted from the move. Be prepared for water changes.> THANK YOU (The stressed tang, thanks you too) Tammy <You're welcome! Brenda> 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>> Tank Moving 5/11/07 Hello again, <Hello Gary.> I will start with the same comment I always make when writing you guys.....THANKS!!! This site has always been more than helpful with your articles and answers to questions. Ok, I am moving...and am NOT looking forward to moving my tanks. I have 40gal FO and a 30gal coral only tanks. The FO tank I am not too worried about, the puffer and wrasse are VERY hardy and can carry that tank with about 10gal water in it saving 20 more gallons in bottles to put back in at the new house, only needing 10 gal of new water after arrival. I will put the fish into some plastic shipping bags for the 10 mile trip and reacclimate slowly. That all sounds ok, yes? <Yes.> As for the 30gal coral tank I am a bit more worried. The tank has been established for 5 years and has a plenum. I only have a week to get into the new house. I have a 10 gal that I will setup with old water from the 30gal tank and bring most of the larger corals over in plastic bags leaving them sit in the 10 gal till the 30gal is brought over (with pumps on). As you know with aged coral tanks, there are a million things growing and I don't want to lose too much of it. I am worried that carrying the tank down stairs and into a SUV for the 10 mile trip will mix up the plenum and cause all kinds of stuff to be released. ANY SUGGESTIONS? And yes I do feel fortunate that it is only 30gal and not 50-120gal. Any help, hints, tricks are appreciated, thanks again, <Gary, do read here for helpful info. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i6/Moving.htm Also search our site for FAQ's on subject. James (Salty Dog)> Steve Re: First Marine Tank - compatibility of the current fish with those that we would like to buy. Buying and moving complete setup - 4/28/07 5/10/07 Thank you very much for your reply below <Thanks for including previous note to jog our memory!> - we've now bought the tank which came with 2 yellow tailed damsels and a Firefish. <Good for you!> The maroon clown was sold separate by the previous owner. Setup of the tank went extremely well, though I've got to say I never realised the weight of such a tank, or even the weight of a 23ltr jerry can full of water! <Unbelievable, isn't it!!> But we got it all back together within a few hours and got the fish back in as soon as possible too. They even ate this morning when we fed them which is great! <Yeah! Happy fish!> We've had the tank up since yesterday and testing today showed pH at 8.2, ammonia at 0, nitrites at 0 and nitrates at 20ppm. All excellent values except the last, is this because of moving the tank? <Excellent that you are not seeing any ammonia and nitrites, that means you didn't lose too many of your good bacteria in the move. Maybe the nitrates were a little high before the move? 20 ppm is not terrible for a fish only tank, but as lightly stocked as it is and has been, it is a little surprising that it is this high.> We're planning on adding the yellow tang and flame angel fish in about a month thanks to your previous advice. <Do invest in a quarantine tank. If it saves one batch of fish in the main tank, it will pay for itself.> We are also now considering an anemone and a Percula (or Ocellaris) pair. We understand that anemone need particular conditions and we were wondering if ours were suitable. <You are asking yourself all the right questions! Keep researching. A good place to read and the links in blue about lighting: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm > The system is a ~100 (us) gallon tank, with a 3ft miracle mud/Caulerpa sump, 2x 150watt halide + 4 blues. Flow is from 2x 4,500 ltr per hour fans and then the return from the sump. So I guess our questions are: Should the nitrates return to 0 with a little time, or do we need to take action now? <Give the refugium and live rock some time to work their magic. Do consider adding a deeper sand bed, maybe seed some from another established zero nitrate tank, to allow for additional opportunities for denitrification. And of course do some extra water changing for a while and help bring the nitrates down. You should have a good bit of detritus settling after the move anyway that you will want to vacuum out.> Is the light and flow sufficient for an anemone? <Depending on the wattage of the 'blues', you may be ok. You want 5-6 watts per gallon. If the blues are 65 W each, then you are in the right range. You may want to replace at least 2 of the blues with 10,000k daylights to get a more effective spectrum. And you have a variety of heights and positions to allow for choice of light exposure. Flow seems reasonable depending on sump return rate.> Are the damsels going to be a problem with the anemone/clowns? <No, they should be fine, in this size tank. Damsels can be territorial, and clowns also, but their territories are small relative to this size tank.> Thanks once again for your help! Geoff. <You are welcome! Alex> Moving BIG Tanks 5/3/07 Ok, now you can start a whole new section on your website for me.... "Moving Fishtanks 101". <Okay> So I've moved my 90 gallon tank several times, no problem there. How does one go about moving a 200gallon tank that is likely around 300# of glass? <More planning, friends...> I'm not sure if the movers will take it or will be equipped to take it. Ultimately, if the thing was dropped or damaged, I'd have a lot of critters homeless and would take about 8 weeks to get one built. <If you would rather... and have the money, there are likely aquarium service companies about that will move it all for you...> That aside... my real question is, if I clean out my ShopVac, get a new filtre... is there anything wrong with ShopVac'ing out my 200lbs of sand? <Nope... we/ our service co., used to use these... the "top" of the vac actually fits quite well on a regular "pickle bucket"...> I'm just thinking it's gonna be a real pain to get that tank sand free if I don't vacuum it out. Just rinse it really good when I go to put it back in? <Yes... Bob Fenner> David Brynlund Tank Moving and Cycling -- 5/1/07 Hi ya'll!! Love the site! <Hey there! Thanks!> I'm a newbie to saltwater and am asking this question for more for my own edification than anything else. <ok> I just mixed water and salt mix in my 75 gallon tank. I added 60lbs of live sand and 72lbs of live rock. Within 24 hours of doing this, I had a tank-filter hose leak bad enough where I had to break down the tank, move it, pull up the carpet / padding and have to have the carpet pad replaced and the carpet replaced. <Eeek! That's not fun.> My questions are (1) now that I've setup the tank in a temporary location, I'm presuming that I will use the test kit to determine if the cycle has finished and perform a water change as needed to get the levels down just like it were in it's original spot? <Yes. When your ammonia and nitrites are back down to zero, it is cycled. If they do not rise much, you may want to add a tiny bit of fish food to get it going. If it is well cured live rock, you may not see any cycle, and readings will stay at zero. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/estbiofiltmar.htm > (2) When I get ready to move the tank back it's original position, will it need to recycle b/c the live rock will exposed to air, albeit a short time, again b/c of the breakdown process? <No. If you just remove it all to containers while you move the tank and setup, you should not have any appreciable loss of bacteria. Don't leave the rock out of water, just set it in the containers of water. Buy some Rubbermaid stock if you are planning on being in this hobby for long -- we keep them in business. Hee!> Is there anything else that I need to worry about or can do to take preventative measure - or am I just extending the time before I can get fish and inverts by doing another move? <This should not slow you down. It is just very inconvenient.> Many thanks in advance! <Welcome. Alex> Buying and moving complete setup - 4/28/07 Hi, <Hello> We are buying a complete established tank setup including fish: HYPERLINK http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160109784398&rd=1&rd=1 First of all does the current setup look ok? We are new to the hobby, and advice is appreciated. <As far as I can tell, this does look like a nice setup. I would add more substrate. There is some algae on the rocks that might give you a little trouble, but the fish you are looking at might help with it also. I was going to worry about the butterfly, but then I saw that it was not included.> We are very interested in adding a yellow tang, flame angelfish and a coral beauty angelfish. <You probably need to pick only one of these angelfish. Multiple Centropyge species do not usually get along in this size tank.> It seems that the maroon clownfish may not be compatible with these, is this correct? <The maroon clownfish should be fine with these. They just do not get along with other clownfish. I have this same mix, and they are fine (yellow tang, maroon clownfish, and flame angel, yellow tailed damsel). If so we would probably give the clown to our LFS. <Keep her unless you want a different kind of clown.> Are there any other incompatibilities with the existing fish and those we'd like to add, or any other problems? <This should work. Just keep reading, and learning.> We will be adding the new fish about 3 weeks after getting the existing tank and fish. <This may be fine, but be prepared to wait longer in case of any trouble settling back in.> Finally, once we've transported everything (taking water too), how long after putting the water back into the tank should we wait before re-introducing the existing fish? <If you are moving water and everything, then the sooner you get them back in the better. The longer they are separated, the more differences you will have in temperature, pH, etc. If you put it all back together quickly, things don't have as much time to get askew. A little cloudy water is not a problem for the fish, but extreme temperatures, lack of oxygen, and pH drops are problems. Stock up on plastic tubs! Rocks and water are heavy!! Read here and links: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i6/Moving.htm> Many thanks for your help and your excellent website! Regards, Geoff Hannam. <You are welcome. And Enjoy! Alex> 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> New 90 gallon...with or without fish? -- 03/09/07 Hi
guys: <Amy, what's it all a boot?> I have a question and
could really use some advice. I have just come across a
really good deal for a new (to me) 90 gallon setup. He is
offering everything to me for a really good price, and throwing in the
fish for free (Scopas tang, maroon clown, 5 Chromis and a small purple
lobster). Plus 70 pounds live rock and sand. <Keep your eye on that
tropical lobster... can be predaceous> The problem I have is that I
hadn't planned to actually set up the new tank until we are able to
get our living room painted, which will take a week or
two. I had planned on putting the live rock into a large
Rubbermaid container with filter, lights, powerheads,
skimmer and heater until I was ready to put it into the
tank. So my question is...can I do this with the fish
too? I won't be able to bring a lot of the original
water with me, as the deal I'm getting is 3 hours away, across the
border and I don't have much more room in my van for
more containers. Would this be feasible...and what would be
the best way to make the fish most "comfortable" with their
new temporary home? <Mmm... a bunch to state... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the linked files
above... make a tools and materials list... steps to completion...
Plan> I'm not getting the new tank for another week, so if you
think this would work, I would go out right away and set up the
temporary tank. I would take the filter off of my 29 gallon
and do a large water change to fill up the tub with established
water. I could even take some of the substrate from there to
go in the tub if needed, along with a couple small pieces of
rock. I also have an established though fishless 10 gallon
that I could put somebody into. Which one or
two would be most comfortable in there short-term? <I
would use the larger volume... the first choice> In my 29 gallon, I
have an ocellaris clown, royal Gramma, Firefish and cleaner shrimp,
<This may have issues with/from the lobster...> so I suppose
someone could go in there temporarily but I'm worried I
wouldn't be able to get it out again without removing the live
rock. <I would plan on carefully removing this, separating the
livestock, then re-placing it> Plus, I would only be housing the
tang and clown for a couple of days until I could trade them to an LFS
that is an hour away (opposite direction from where I'm getting the
new tank). Any advice would be appreciated If you do think
the idea won't work, the guy will just transfer the fish
to his other tank until he can give them to someone else,
but I'd rather not pass up such a great deal. Thanks so much! Amy
in Canada <Can be made to work... read, plan... execute against the
plan... Bob Fenner> Upgrading tanks and related Q's 1/23/07 Thanks for such a great site! <Thanks for the accolades! Wouldn't be here without folks like you.> I have a few fairly stupid questions about moving tanks. <Moving tanks can be scary, so I understand/applaud you covering your bases!> I have read through the FAQs, but feel free to forward me to a site if I'm asking stuff that's already there! <Oh, I will.> We are upgrading a 90 gallon reef to a 240 reef. <I love going bigger...> The new tank is going in a different spot from the old one and we are not in a hurry, so that will hopefully make things a bit easier. Here is the plan so far......place a new deep sand bed in the new tank and a small amount of new live rock (40#). <That *is* a small amount. is that because you plan to utilize the rock from the 90?> After the tank has cycled, add a school of Chromis and allow the tank to settle for awhile (2 weeks, month, longer??). <How long do you have? After cycling is complete, and you add the Chromis, 2 - 4 weeks is a good observation period. If you have longer, you can only gain if you wait a little longer. > Then, we would start moving the livestock to the new tank. Livestock consists of: 1--6" Naso tang 1--3" yellow tang 2--2" Sebae clowns 1--2" Mandarin 2 cleaner shrimp 1 peppermint shrimp 2 green crabs 1 sally light foot crab numerous hermit crabs, snails, etc. 1--3" sand sifting starfish hammer coral frog spawn coral bubble coral star polyps Heliofungia torch coral mushroom feather duster Now on to the stupid questions: <Goody, goody!> <<You're cracking me up Graham. RMF>> 1. I know that I put several cups from my established DSB into the new sandbed to seed it. Should that be taken from only the surface or from all levels of the sandbed? Do I need to worry about release of toxins to the fish still living in the 90 gallon when I disturb the DSB? I hate to lose the established DSB (and kill all those little critters) in the 90, but I can't think of a way to transfer it to the new tank without releasing toxins into the 90 while the fish are still living there. <Here's a link that also links to some other good reads. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dsbmaint.htm If you use a toolbar that can keyword search for you, then you can try looking for toxin(s), gas, etc. For the most part, "seeding" a DSB is marginally successful, and creates as much or more die-off as moving "established" bacteria to the new sand bed. All I mean here, is that you don't get a fast-track to DSB NNR with the seeding, just faster cycling, and the probable migration of beneficial life forms.> 2. Should the fuge be moved to the new tank from the start to begin establishing pods in the liverock or should it remain on the 90 gallon to supply food to the mandarin before the move? <The latter, as I would be concerned for the life forms if the new system spikes.> I'm guessing the 90 gallon since the 240 will not have anything preying on pods initially. <Bingo.> 3. Would our 4' lighting be adequate lighting for the new 6' tank? The darker edges of the tank could house coral specimens requiring less direct light. <That is true, and I would probably agree with you here without even knowing what kind of lighting you employ. It will be a little awkward, to be fair. You might not enjoy the darker areas, but, you may at that.> 4. Can all fish, remaining live rock, and inverts then be moved at one time or should this be spread out over several days/weeks? The fish all get along very well and I am worried that in moving, the two tangs may develop aggression toward each other. The two tangs are inseparable in the 90 and we want that to continue so I was worried to not move them simultaneously. <Move the tangs together. In most cases, they will retain their bond, but you may not see it for a while. Keeping the livestock secure in the old system while moving each specimen one by one has it's own problems, and is a hard call to make. On the one hand, the fish staying in the system keep getting stressed as you remove livestock and rock. On the other hand, you have fingers! ...That is to say, er, moving them all at once may be hard to keep track of and observe reactions. Go with your gut is what I say.> 5. Should I keep the new tank with less water and then move some of the water from the 90 to the new 240 when the fish move? <Here's another good read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm look for the section on keeping old water to lessen shock.> 6. Unrelated to moving questions.....is a school of 9 Chromis too much fish for a 240 with the other inhabitants? <Maybe a little, as they do get large... how about 3-5 instead?> We do not plan on adding anymore fish after the move and would like a "lightly" stocked tank in terms of fish. < I reiterate: 3-5 specimens.> 7. Are we giving the Naso a fair chance at life with a 240 or is this still way too small? <If you are talking about Naso lituratus, it depends on who you ask. If you ask the "Burgess's Atlas", then you need 500L (130+/-gal), but I think an eighteen inch fish is pretty large for a 130, or even a 500gal. I guess it depends on how fast he grows, and whether you have a LFS to trade him to if he does outgrow your system.> 8. I have read numerous different opinions on sand sifting starfish (Asteroidea sp. maybe?). Opinions seem to range from easy to care for to very difficult. <As they are usually based on experience, you can understand this...> Also, I have read they are beneficial to clean the sandbed <Yes.> to detrimental from eating too much from the sandbed. <Mmm... beyond my experience here, sorry. Stars in general aren't hard to catch if you have a problem with them, so if you've done some reading and think it's a good choice, just make sure you LFS will trade it in if you have a problem. I don't foresee one, but I'm not hugely experienced with many different stars.> Any opinions? <Um... sort of, above.> Thanks, and my apologies if I'm asking things that I missed in the archives. <No, and that is a common misconception that crewers think posters "missed" something. Any of the many times I link to a page here, I do so because I know how hard it can be to think of the right search criteria for Google to act on. In many cases, I can remember reading what you are asking, or I just know it's here, and where to look for it. Of course, there are some posters who just take the shortcut and send a message, typos and all (...And we KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!! ;) and I *do* appreciate the effort you put into writing a well-prepared query. -GrahamT> MLF Tank upsizing Q's (And why we use spell-check B4 sending 1/15/07 Hey <Horsey?> guys, <Howdy, Mahendra! Graham T. with you today.> I have a question. <Then I opened the right message! (sorry, I'm a little odd today) > I have a 60 gallon reef (18 months) and I just bought a 100 gallon tank. <Well, at least you paid for it...> My question is: can I move everything I have in my 60 gallon into my 100 gallon. <Yup. Why would you think you couldn't?> I will use the same live sand and the same 25 gallon refugium. The rest of the water I will top of with (100-60)=40 gallons of premixed saltwater (aged over two weeks). <Sounds like a perfect plan to me!> The 100 gallon tank has already been disinfected <?> and cleaned. Any advice? <Just make sure you have lots of buckets, and a means to keep your creatures comfortable between tanks. Make sure your plan is all laid out before you take action, since you might end up stuck with a problem while you water is cooling fast.> Thanks guys - you have helped me a lot during my journey of perfecting my hobby. Keep up the good work. <You are welcome, Mahendra, but I would like to mention something that (unfortunately) is on the daily FAQs frequently in a week. I corrected more than twenty spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors before sending this back to you. While some of us don't mind terribly on a short message, it is ALWAYS tedious and, yup: annoying to have to capitalize your pronouns and put spaces after every comma, period or similar mark. Please try to consider the volume of emails we get in a day and decide if you would want to fix them all manually? -Graham T.> Moving Aquarium 11/12/06 Hi, <Hello> I'm moving my aquarium and wet-dry filter to a different location and was wondering which would be better; a) should I immerse the bio balls in a container filled with the aquarium water, or b) should I put the bio balls in a small quantity of aquarium water and cover the container with a wet cloth. Which would let the bacteria last longer? Thanks, Rich Aylward <If the move is an hour or two maximum, submersing is the route I would go... if much longer... just the moist cloth. Bob Fenner> SW Tank transfer question 10/4/06 Hello, This is my first time emailing you a question, however I have been using this website for quite a while for information. Here is my problem. I am doing a fish tank transfer. I currently have a 40 gallon hexagon tank with 20 pounds of live rock and 15 pounds live sand. I don't have any special lighting. For fish I have a dwarf lion, emerald green Coris, and a bi color goat. I also have around 5 crabs, and three snails. For filtration I have a bio wheel hang on the back filter with a bag of Chemi Pure in it and an Eheim canister filter with a UV sterilizer on the return. Here is where it gets sticky. I just bought a 60 gallon tank and am planning on putting it in the same spot where the hexagon is now. I am going to do a refugium under the new tank and keep my Eheim canister filter with UV sterilizer and use them on my new tank also. How should I do this transfer? <Mmm, I'll refer you to our "general" marine aquarium system Article/FAQs, but more specifically... I would double-check to make sure all the new 60 gallon system gear was on hand, including new substrate/s pre-washed and ready... drain most all the water out of the forty five, remove the rock there (watch out for that dwarf Lion!), and with a strong friend, carefully lift all and move over a few feet out of the way (leave the Eheim going, maybe re-add some of the old water)... set up the sixty, add water, adjust temp., spg... leaving a gap for the old water, substrates displacement... and move all (one fish at a time, natch) over to the new system> I was planning on keeping all my water from my 40 and all my live rock and sand and putting it in the new tank in same spot as my 40 is now, while my fish were in a 5 gallon bucket of water from my old tank. <I would leave them in the 45 while waiting... less moves the better> I was then going to top off the 60 with new water and let the temperature stabilized and then put my fish back in. Would this work? <Better to do all within a few hours... adjust the temp. just close with buckets of water...> I really don't have room to have both tanks running at the same time. I am terrified of losing these fish as we have become attached to them. Also do you have an in sump pump recommendation for my refugium? <Posted on WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/refugpumpfaqs.htm> I need something that is quiet because it is going to be in our living room. My new tank has two one inch bulk heads in a built in overflow. Thank you! Jeremy <Here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Tank Transfer Question 10/4/06 Thank you very much for the quick response and information. <Welcome on Bob's behalf. Chris here taking over to save Bob a little time.><Yay! RMF> When setting up the refugium in my new tank is there going to be a cycle period for it? <Yes, but small.> I am planning on putting in a thick sand bed with Caulerpa. Also I am planning on putting more live sand in my new tank along with the live sand already in my old tank. Does the new sand also need to cycle? <Will be some die off, so a small cycle may be noticed.> I was thinking about setting up my refugium maybe a couple of weeks ahead with just a powerhead inside to circulate the water and do some water changes on it, I could put the live sand in a bucket with a powerhead for a while if need be also. <Sounds like a good plan.> One last question, the people at my local fish store told me to clean my new tank (I bought it used from someone) with highly concentrated saltwater. Is this a good idea? Thank you again for the info, you are very generous to share your knowledge with us rookies. Jeremy <Better to clean it with a mild bleach solution or vinegar followed by thorough rinsing.> <Chris> Moving... 8/23/06 I currently have a 29 Gallon fish/invert only tank. In two weeks I'm moving to a new place, so I've been looking up how to transport my tank. Today my girlfriend bought a 55 gallon complete with wet/dry system, protein skimmer, a lighting system that could light up Candlestick Park, <Heeee!> and many extras for a $100.00 (last time I ever complain about her going to garage sales again). <I'll say!> Now my moving the tank task just got more complicated. <Mmm, actually easier... setting up the new tank... move all livestock to it> I have about 3-4" of live sand in my current tank, with a Penguin Bio-wheel 350 filter and about 30 lbs of live rock. I can't take both tanks to the new place, I have to get rid of the 29G one. I was wondering if I could use the filter from the 29G while I'm waiting for the wet-dry to cycle? <Yes> I was planning on transferring the water from one tank into another, then buying the rest of the water from a local pet shop. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Chris V <Mmm, please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the linked files above. Formulate a plan, gather the tools, materials... get some friends to help... and you're done! Bob Fenner> Getting new carpet... Mmm, so are we... Moving SW
system 8/7/06 Hi there,
You have helped me in the past and I appreciate
it, and I need your advice again. In short I have a 55
gallon FOWLR, with a black saddleback clown, (in for about 6 months)
and a blue tang (on it's 2nd week). I have 50 pounds
live rock, (about 3 months in the tank), Crushed Coral substrate,
SeaClone 150 skimmer, turbo twist 18 watt uv, emperor 400 filter, 2
powerheads.... anyway I had the unfortunate event of having a leak from
my tub drip enough water on my carpet that it is being
replaced. My tank is on that same carpet. How can
I get my fish out and drain my tank for a couple hours while the carpet
is replaced without losing my fish. <Mmm, not hard to do with a bit
of thought, planning...> I've heard you
can put them in a (clean) 5 gallon bucket for a while. Or I
have a 29 gallon QT, <This would be best> but I have 2 percula
clowns that are always in there, and a small bicolor angelfish that
came with the blue tang (I put the angle in the QT and the tang in my
55 right away). Would I overload my 29 by putting them both
or even one of them in there. <Not likely in a/the short
while. I'd re-set up and move the fishes back in the day or two it
takes to empty/move/replace the tank, have the carpet replaced> The
saddleback is a tough fish. He's out survived a lot of
others. How would you go about this situation. I
have to drain the tank (I am going to save the water in a (clean) 30
gallon bucket and my water changing 5 gallon buckets) put the fish
somewhere for a few hours, move the tank, move it back, refill it, and
get the fish back in there. I am very nervous about this
cause I've never had good luck with blue tangs and this one seems
to be doing great. Please help me out. I'm
very stressed, and I think I'm gonna come down with the ICH before
this is all over. Thank You Bob, You are a
great help to me and all others.. Aaron Lysek <No worries. Take your
time... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm
and the linked files above... to help you formulate your thoughts
here... Bob Fenner> Marine tank move and pesticide concerns 7/25/06 Hi, crew! Thanks again for this resource and your help in the past... I have a couple questions for you today. The first one is pretty easy- I currently have a 20 gal. marine tank with live rock (not sure of the weight, as I acquired the tank from a previous owner, but it covers the back of the tank 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up), a scrappy ocellaris clown ("Blooper"), a blue damsel ("Dex"), a 3-4" T. crocea clam showing signs of new calcareous growth, Astrea snails, a scarlet skunk shrimp (carrying her second batch of eggs this summer!), mushroom corals, and one Nassarius snail. I picked up an empty 30 gal. tank and stand for a song, and am going to move this crew to more spacious quarters, after first painting the back of the tank with flat black water-based enamel and a mini-roller, as you suggest- the old tank is mirrored, which I hate. I want to add a deeper sandbed to the new tank- currently it's in the danger zone of 1-3", would like to aim for 4-5". Can I move most of the old sand to the new tank, and top off with more? <Yes... but best to place the new on the bottom... the old live on top> Much of the old substrate is coarser than it should be, I believe... crushed coral perhaps (again, it came with the tank from the old owner, so not sure exactly what he started with... tried to find out everything about it, but a language barrier prevented full communication... also, when he suggested adding a yellow tang to the tank because it "would look nice with the other fish" I knew we had a problem. He had had the tank set up for almost a year with no water changes, just freshwater top-ups, and only a small power filter on the back for circulation. Yikes! <I'll say... wonder if he ever flushes the toilet... Bad visual!> Took a long time to get those nitrates under control). I have one 20lb bag of oolitic aragonite, but more will be needed clearly, even with the old substrate to reach an adequate depth. Can I move much of the old substrate over, and top it off with the finer sand? <Same response> My thoughts are to let the substrate cycle in the filled new tank, transfer the skimmer and one powerhead to the new tank, then arrange most of the live rock around this equipment, add the damsel first to the cycled tank to stake out a territory (he is bullied in the old tank by the clownfish), then move the clown and the shrimp, and the canister filter to the 30 gal. Does this sound like a good plan? <Yep> My second problem is more tricky. Our cat, who occasionally goes outside, has kindly picked up some fleas, and introduced them to our apartment as well. My roommates want to spray, as the Bio-spot drops Mr. Fleabag was just treated with will only deal with the problem on him, and not on our carpets etc. Obviously, I'm highly concerned about the ramifications of introducing highly toxic pesticides into the aquarium environment. <Me too.> I'm considering setting up the new tank in a closet/alcove thing in our living room (currently filled with houseplants and a small gecko and Betta tank), which has sliding doors that could be closed and sealed off "homeland security style" <Hopefully better...> with plastic film and duct tape- thereby segregating the reef, my gecko, and Betta from the bug bomb. However, cycling a tank takes time, and I'm not sure how long I can convince my roomies to wait for bacteria to grow while fleas are nipping at their ankles (uh... my roommates, not the bacteria, who to my knowledge, lack ankles, lol). <Heeee!> Given that I'm starting with an established tank and well seeded substrate, how much time would you recommend giving the substrate to cycle, <A week> and at what pace would you proceed with livestock transfer? <Next day...> I'm itchin' for an answer, ;-) *Carla M. <Wish you were my roomie... BobF out in HI> Replacing a damaged acrylic tank 7/18/06 Hi Crew,
<Tom> We have a healthy 120G reef setup for 2+ years now, much of
the credit goes to the WWM database. Around 170lbs live
rock, 1-1.5" sand/rubble bed, several good size SPS (up to
12" across), <Nice!> a few nice LPS, xenia, 6" derasa,
Lysmata shrimp, few dozen small hermits and Nassarius
snails. The fish range from about 4.5" down to
2.5", and are a purple tang, pacific blue tang, flame angel, pair
of Percs, yellow watchman goby, royal Gramma, Twinspot/yellow hogfish,
yellow Foxface - all healthy & active. Salifert tests
indicate quality & stable water. So what's the
problem? The old tank is giving out <?!> so we need to
move the contents & gear across the room to a replacement tank of
about 130G. Could it be done as simply as the following plan? 1. Pump
about 1/2 the old tank water into the new tank. 2. Keep the old tank
circulating with powerheads. 3. Put about 1" of new sand into the
new tank. 4. Seed the new sand with a few pounds of the old sand and
let settle for a 1/2 hour or so. 5. Move the rock and coral &
arrange in the new tank. 6. Move the fish and remaining animals into
the new tank. 7. Pump the remaining water into the new tank. 8 Top off
the new tank with enough saltwater, probably 10-20 gallons of aerated,
buffered saltwater. 9. Keep the new tank temperature stable &
circulating with powerheads while we move the existing gear (sump,
chiller, pumps, skimmer, lights, Ca reactor, etc.) <Sounds good,
complete... will you move the remainder of the substrate ultimately
into the new system?> We've budgeted a day for the move and the
next day to work out issues, and another day for wrapping
up. Is this plan OK? What else could we do to
minimize the stress on the animals and make this a successful event?
<Plenty of towels, buckets... a reduction in any/all other
distractions> Is the new tank likely to have any re-cycling issues?
<Likely not> Thanks, Tom <Welcome. Thank you for sharing. Bob
Fenner> Fast shifting of quarantine tank 7/18/06 Hello, (not sure which one of the team might be getting this mail.) <Salty with you today.> I have a question which I did not see addressed in the archives which are available on your website. I have a bare bottom 35 gallon quarantine tank which is currently set up with a sponge filter driven by an air pump and an Eheim 2232 Ecco canister filter along with 30 watts of lighting and a small power head. This setup has been running for about 3 months and is currently housing a small Niger Trigger about 3 inches in length. The tank has been quite stable for sometime and regular water changes are performed to maintain the water quality parameters. <Sounds good.> Due to space constraints I need to shift this tank to another room (which is only about 4 meters away) where I have a 65 gallon tank which I will now be dedicating as a quarantine tank. What would be the best way to move everything to my larger tank? Currently I had planned on placing water that is removed from water changes from my other tanks in to the quarantine tank (about 10 gallons) and then adding 20 gallons of aged mixed saltwater and then finally transferring all the water and the filters from the existing 35 gallon tank into the 65 gallon tank as quickly as possible to avoid any die off of the established bacterial colonies. Would this be the correct way to do it? <Sounds good to me, as long as you are sure no disease is present in the tank you are removing the water from.> Could I expect any die off that could affect the fish at all? <Highly unlikely in that short a time.> Would you recommend doing things differently or are there any precautions that I perhaps should take? <Sounds fine.> Of course any and all help or advice you could lend would be greatly appreciated. Kind Regards <And the same. James (Salty Dog)> Aehsun Successfully Moved my Reef Tank Contents 1400 mi. 5/24/06 Hello again, <Hi there> Amazingly enough I have reason to celebrate and thought I would share how I successfully moved the live rock and livestock of my 75 and 58 gallon reef tanks into a 120 gallon tank 2 weeks ago. <Please do> Sadly I did lose my very large (6-8") bubble coral and 2 Firefish that hid in the rocks, but incredibly that's all. The live sand went putrid as expected, but that was OK. It will be easier to run the tank bare bottom with the LR and keep the sand bed in the refugium until we get a house out here. No use having a sand bed in the tank right now as it will have to be torn down and moved again once we get a house out here. Anyway, I finally found a new job back out West ( Utah ) where I belong after working and living in Saint Louis , MO for the last 4 years. I'm from Colorado , so I'm right next door now. Anyway I moved into a temporary apartment here in Ogden , UT the first week of April and started my new job. Four weeks ago my wife called me at work to say that the 58 gallon tank was overflowing and was half empty. <Yikes> I had to fly back home to Missouri to fix it and remembered to put a big chunk of Chaeto in a Ziploc and bring it back with me. It was clear after the mishap that my wife couldn't keep my tanks going so I decided to move the contents out here where my new job is until our house sells and we can buy a new home. When I got back to Ogden , I bought a new 120 gallon AGA reef ready tank that I had my eye on and mixed up 150 gallons of saltwater to get ready for the move. I plumbed the tank so it would be ready for the drains to the sump and return pumps. The under tank sump is used for circulation and is the home of my EV-180 skimmer. I built an external 40 gallon refugium from an EBay kit and added some live rock rubble, 80 lbs. of seeded oolitic sand and the large chunks of Chaeto I brought with me from my tanks back home. I put a small heater and a small air pump in the refugium to get it going during the weeks prior to the move. I added a pinch of fish food into the refugium now and then to keep things going. I flew to Saint Louis to get the tank contents ready. I packed all of my fish and corals into Kordon Breathable Bags and suspended them from the sides of Styrofoam fish shipping boxes (Big Thanks to Beldt's Aquarium in Hazelwood, MO!) <What a great old store> with bamboo barbeque skewers to enable good gas exchange though the surface of the bags. <Interesting> (My wife's idea!) I tossed in some heat packs and left the Styrofoam tops off and only folded in the cardboard tops so as to have some air circulation and not suffocate the animals. I packed my 200+ lbs. of live rock in the same types of Styrofoam boxes and then covered the rock with wet cloth dish towels as they breathe better than newspaper and don't have the inks and chemicals that newspaper does either. I had about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the rock boxes and made sure that the towels were in the water to wick up the moisture and stay wet. I only folded the cardboard over the rock as well so that it could breathe. I tossed some heat packs enclosed in Ziploc bags into the rock boxes as well. I rented a minivan to drive to Utah and that night I loaded everything into the back of the van and left the van in the garage. I left the back door of the van open and ran a couple of space heaters aimed at the boxes in the van to keep the boxes warm until morning. The first night we stayed at my Mom's house in Colorado to drop off my dogs until the house sells in Missouri as it makes showing the house difficult for realtors when the dogs are there. I brought the fish and corals into the house and once again aimed a space heater at the boxes in the van to keep the rocks warm. The next day we got to Ogden and the rock was still wet and still smelled healthy. The only bad things that happened were that the 2 Firefish that hid in the rocks died and luckily fell out of the rock. Also the bag containing the bubble coral was cloudy and smelled really bad so unfortunately I had to toss it. The 200 lbs of live sand smelled like a sewer and found itself next to the trash dumpster. It's been 2 weeks now and I haven't detected any ammonia and everything looks just like it did before I moved it. So far my Flame Angel, Copperband Butterfly, all of my corals and clams are doing fine. I am really amazed at how well it went. Just goes to show with good planning you can successfully move a reef a long distance. Bryan <Thank you for sharing! Bob Fenner> Tank Upgrade, Moving - 5/17/2006 G'day again <Hi.> Marine Transfer <Okay.> If I remove all of my LR, Coral Sand and Water from the established 60 Gallon tank and transfer it to a 120 Gallon new tank, detach the Protein Skimmer and Trickle Filter, and hook it up to the new tank, along with extra sea water to make up the difference (50 G's), will my tank cycle all over again? <With such a large disruption to some degree yes.> I was thinking of adding some Cycle or bacteria supplement <No skip those products, I wouldn't add anything at all, extra water changes or bio-Spira if anything at all.> and some cured LR at this time also, would this help? <Yes but still better to set-up new tank before breaking down and transferring livestock, do read our FAQ's re: moving tanks.> Ta Lummo <Adam J.> Tank Moving - 5/2/2006 I am going to be moving into a new house and have a well established 175 gallon saltwater aquarium. What is the best method for moving the tank and all the fish without having to start over? <Read here, Brian. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm James (Salty Dog)> Moving and combining tanks in one day = mission
impossible? 4/29/06 Greetings and thank you for your valuable
service and advice. Whenever I have a question, or anyone
in my aqua club has a question, I go to your site for
answers. Thank you for all that you do! I wish I
had more time (hours) to read all the FAQs on this topic, but it
appears my situation may have a unique combination of variables and I
don't want to screw this up, so I am going to the experts to make
sure I do this right. Hope you don't mind . . .
<Likely not> I currently have a 55g reef with about 60+ lbs
liverock and 2-3 inches crushed shell/coral substrate (I now know after
reading some of your site that this substrate is not a good thing).
<Mmm, well, not as good as others in the majority of applications...
but more so in others still...> Tank has been set up for 6 years but
neglected by previous owner who sold it to me on eBay. I
have nursed it somewhat back to health (didn't realize the
substrate was such a big problem). It is running a skimmer
and HOB CPR refugium. No other sumps/filters
applied. It has PC lighting, not enough to do high light SPS
corals, etc, just enough to grow a few softies, etc. Current
livestock: mated pair false Percs, royal Gramma (owns the
tank), juvenile coral beauty, 2 yellow goby clowns, 4 green Chromis,
large peppermint shrimp, 3 emerald crabs, large serpent sea star (fancy
banded) and a large and varied assortment of dutiful hermits and
snails. I just purchased a non-drilled, non-bulk headed, 90g SW reef
system that has been running for about 3.5 years (despite its previous
owner, apparently). It has a deep sand bed (2-6 inches, not
even), 90+ lbs liverock, flame Hawkfish, two clowns (not same species,
I know, again, big no-no), possibly a coral banded shrimp (may have
been dinner to Hawkfish), sand sifting starfish of some sort, two tangs
(yellow and maybe sailfin), very large anemone (he didn't know what
kind), 3-4 damsels (will be donating those to a new home somewhere), 2
"furry" crabs one black one grey (?). He is
running two sumps/mechanical filters and no skimmer. He has
a UV sterilizer and several hundred watts of PC lighting plus
moonlight. he was not running a heater or any other
powerheads (the glass looks rather green . . .). When
combining tanks, I will ditch the crushed shell/coral substrate in
favor of the live sand. I will also ditch the two sumps and
UV sterilizer in favor of skimmer and large CPR HOB
refugium. Are these good ideas? Or would you keep
one or both sumps? <I would keep at least one of these... better
both, and make one or... into refugiums...> I hate the
idea of sumps and the possibility of power outages leading to soggy
carpets. .. I also will likely sell the other two clowns and Hawkfish
and damsels to fellow marine aqua club members assuming the clowns will
not get along well (not a big assumption I think). <Well worth
investigating more here... much reduced maintenance and increased
vitality from the sumps' use...> "Plan A" is to move
the entire 90g setup and livestock, sand, rock and all in one day, set
it up in the new home 30 miles down the road and once the sand settles,
put livestock back in with livestock and rock from 55g, all in one
day. "Plan B" would be to move the 90g tank, set
up in new home (with skimmer and fuge) and put livestock in the 55g
reef temporarily. I am worried that stirring up all that
sand will result in a huge die off and nitrate/nitrite
spikes. Will this happen? The livestock will
undoubtedly be cramped for those few days while the 90g
settles. Aside from the clownfish issues and Hawkfish v.
shrimp issues (serious issues), will the livestock be compatible enough
to tolerate each other for a couple days in the 55g? <Should be fine
here> I have no other tank space in which to temporarily house
inhabitants. Which would be better, Plan A or Plan B? <Plan B... A
is too hectic, likely to have/cause problems> And do you have any
suggestions/modifications to make this move better?
<Posted... on WWM> I do have experience moving my current 55g
across town as well and all went well with that one (except for nearly
dropping the tank on the way up the stairs, but we don't like to
talk about that). <Yeeikes> Thanks in advance for any and all
advice and sorry for the long novel! <Thank you for writing,
sharing. Bob Fenner> Tank Moving/Switching Good Morning Crew, <Hello Howard> I have just recently set up a 25 gallon tank, Florida live sand/live rock tank about a month ago and decided it's not big enough to my liking and want to transfer everything from this tank into a 55 gallon acrylic tank. The tank has 25 lbs. live sand and 45 lbs. of live rock and a cleaning crew consisting of blue leg hermits and some Astrea and margarita snails, and I'd like to transfer everything over to the larger tank with the least amount of stress possible and also without going through another cycling process if possible. My plan was to get another 30 lbs. of live sand for the 55 and fill it up about half way with new saltwater (with the same PH, temp. and salinity) and install the powerheads and new 4 X 65W PC light fixture and get it going, and then slowly switch about 2-3 gallons of water per day between the tanks for a week or so, and then transfer over the sand/rocks from the old tank along with the water, powerheads, Remora skimmer, and the small power filter. Does this sound like a good plan or is there a better way to make the switch over to the larger tank? <Sounds like a safe plan to me Howard.> Thanks and keep up the good work, <You're welcome.> Howard W. Moving a smaller to larger marine system - 4/11/2006 Dear Bob, this is Amit (and his son, who has all the questions but, fortunately, has not yet learned to type); <Heee! A valuable skill... but likely we'll be vocalizing to our "interfaces" soon enough... sigh> It has been more than a month since I have bugged you, and believe me, it was hard to refrain! In the meantime, NC now has a Lottery, but teacher's salaries have not gone up. <I understand... when I was a H.S. science teacher, my J.C. college students were graduating in two plus years and making 50% and more more!> Nevertheless, thanks to a lucky break in the marketplace, my son is now the owner of a 75 gallon, and he is walking on clouds. <And mowing lawns I hope/trust> If you don't mind, I would like to run by you the distilled wisdom(!) of my research just to make sure that I am not committing any mental errors (I am terrified of taking the responsibility for all these thallassic lives, plus the happiness of a 7 year old kid. Whenever I can, I will try to pose Yes/No-type questions to save you time--and please do take your time. The person I got the tank from says I don't have to pick it up for a while): <A pleasure> The 29 gallon nano we now have has a purple Firefish, a YWG, <Yellow Watchman Goby...> and a mandarin that seems to be in good health so far (to maintain his good health is the main reason for upgrading). Ammonia 0, Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Ph 8.3 (have not checked for alkalinity or calcium, nor have researched these yet, but from the stray remarks I have read, I have the impression that they are only crucially important for coral). Salinity fluctuates between 1024-1026. Here are some True/False questions: (1) For a FO setup like the one we have and will continue to have for the foreseeable future, live-rock is not necessary, but is nevertheless beneficial. <Correct... but/though you do need something to (help) generate endogenous food organisms for the Mandarin... and likely YWG> (2) A skimmer is almost always a good thing to have. <Almost always> (3) If you have about 100 lbs. of LR and a skimmer, you do not need a filter... <Mmm, both are worthwhile> (4) ...but having a filter will enhance water quality. <Yes> Assuming that all of these are answered in the affirmative, I plan to set up the 75 gallon as follows: (i) 3-4 inches of crushed coral (mixing new CC to what we already have from the 29 gallon); <Good> (ii) 35 lbs of LR (from the 29 gallon we now have) + 65 lbs of new base-rock; <Yes> (iii) Sea Clone Skimmer (already have) <Mmm, more lawns... perhaps the neighbors cars to wash as well... and looking into, saving up for a better make/model> (iv) Millennium 2000 Filter (already have) <Worthwhile> (v) One maxi-Jet 400 powerhead (already have) <And maybe another one in time...> Here is the outline of the transfer: (I) Move fish to separate 1 quart plastic containers; (II) Siphon the 29 gallon's water to the 75--add only 20 more gallons of new water (add 20 more in a week); (III) Transfer the CC, and mix-up with new CC to attain 3-4 inches height; (IV) Transfer the LR, and mix it in with new base-rock (does it matter which goes on top?) <Mmm... better to set up the 75, leave running for a few to several weeks... does take this long... and move the gravel, water and 29's LR after...> (V) Put the fish in; (VI) FINISH (I)-(V) IN A DAY!! <As stated, would set up the 75 in advance... hopefully not in the same space... or move the 29 in anticipation...> (VII) Wait at least a couple of weeks before adding any new fish. <Yes, easily> One last question: I believe that CC is recommended because it helps maintain good Ph levels--but we also have our eye on a Jawfish, which apparently likes to dig into sand. Can one set up a tank with one side/half CC and the other side/half sand, so the Jawfish can find sandy bottom to dig into? <Yes... or even provide just one area for such> Thanks very much for taking the time. Deep regards, Amit <Welcome my friends. Bob Fenner> Moving to a Larger Tank - 2/11/2006 Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen, <<Good Afternoon Ellen!>> Is it acceptable to, when going larger, to put all water, substrate, live rock, fish, inverts from the smaller tank to the larger (55 to 150) with enough extra water/substrate to fill it or should it still be done slowly as in setting up a new tank? <I have done just this many times. Do keep a close eye on water quality.>> Thanks so much, <<Glad to help. Lisa.>> Ellen Switching from a 44 gal to a 30 gal (Marine Systems) 2/1/06 Hi, hope this finds you all well. My question concerns switching an established 44 gallon tank to a smaller 30 gallon tank that was used previously for freshwater. I've looked over the FAQs and the Moving Aquariums article on the site, but nothing seems to quite answer my specifics questions; so here goes. I've had this 44 gallon pentagon tank established for over two years now and it's currently home to: Longnose Hawkfish (had for more than a year and is about 2.5") Coral Banded Shrimp (had for two years, first creature in the tank after cycling) Pencil Urchin( Had for about 2 months) Assortment of Turbo's, Nassarius (sp?) and hermits. ~35lbs Live Rock and about a 3" deep sand bed I have an Emperor Bio-wheel power filter (single wheel), and a power head and heater as the only real hardware within the system. I've recently come to the conclusion that this tank is a) too heavy for the stand its on, more like a drafting table; <Yikes...> b) too deep for the strip lights I have on there (only 20 watts); c) not in a good place in the house anymore. I think I'm going to move forward on a deal for a 30 gallon tank, stand and hood into which I'll move everything from the 44 gal. Most people seem to want to go bigger, but I'm trying to minimize on costs for the time being. I would also be able to acquire a power compact lighting unit from a relative which I could use with a 30 gallon and get some better coralline growth. Not sure if it's a wise decision to move to a smaller tank, but I feel that trying to go to something larger would be too expensive for me right now. Also the Hawkfish isn't a very strong swimmer (lacking a swimming bladder I've read) especially in the vertical direction, so I would think this would be better for him. Or should I hold out for a tank of equal if not greater size? <Up to you... smaller systems are harder to maintain...> My main question was mainly about the duration this move should theoretically take. It's only a 20 foot move from one room to another, but I'm switching tanks. I was basically going to follow this guideline. -Remove livestock place in separate buckets with water from 44 gal, or in a 10 gallon NanoCube which only has two peppermint shrimp in it. -Remove approx. 60% water from 44 gal and transfer it to the 30 gal -Transfer Liverock and substrate over to 30 gal and arrange as desired -Add freshly made water till its topped off -Add hardware from 44gal and make sure its all running, e.g. filtration, heating, power head -Add livestock Seem about right to you? <Mmm, no. Would be far better to set up the new tank, move some of the existing substrate, LR... leave going for a few weeks... move the rest later> Also, because I'm using nearly everything from a previously established tank I won't have to worry about cycling or any severe ammonia spikes, correct? <Nope... will re-cycle somewhat no matter what is done> Lastly, is this is do-able in one day? Thank you so much for all your help. Very Respectfully, David H <I would set up both... move the livestock after the thirty is well-established. Bob Fenner> Will be moving a tank, 100 gallons 1/17/06 Hi, Brad form Cleveland Ohio here. I will most likely purchase a complete reef set-up with a 100 gallon acrylic tank, 200 lbs live rock, 100 lbs live sand (bottom of display tank), five fish (1 chevron tang and several other more hardy ones) and numerous hard and soft corals. I have been doing research on moving this and the biggest concern seems to be weather or not to re-use the live sand bed. <What would the Nuge say? "When in doubt, I throw it out... it's a free for all"> Some have suggested that there will be no new cycle, just use all the sand (others say same sand but rinse it), some say use 1/2 new sand, 1/2/ old sand, others say use all new sand and maybe seed it a little with old sand. I am also obviously concerned about the corals and the fish. I plan on having a 30 or so gallon Rubbermaid container with pre-made salt RO, with heater and powerhead (maybe a hunk of live rock) ready and waiting for the fish (and possibly a few corals/ crabs, etc) so that if they need to live there for a day or two (if needed), they can. Also a similar set up for other life that may need to wait to go back into the system. We will move as much as possible (45 min drive) (using more Rubbermaid smaller cont. for live rock in tank water) and so on. I wonder if it is feasible to leave sand bed in place in tank and just drain water all out (and carry tank with sand in it-acrylic tank will be lighter). Will be moving items in a temp controlled minivan. <Is feasible> If you have any other ideas/suggestions please write me, <These are posted on WWM...> as the move may happen as early as this weekend (Jan 21-22). By the way, I have already read your article, wonder if you know of any more related reading? Any advice would really help. Thanks millions in advance! Brad Black <Nope. bob Fenner> New Tank/Old Tank Transfer - 01/12/2006 I am in the beginning stages of upgrading my system. <Awesome.> I have purchased a 120 48x24x24 perfecto drilled in 1 corner, a 150 ProClear /skimmer and a Dart Reeflo 3600gph pump. <Sounds sufficient.> My real question is how much of my existing water should I use. <If possible I usually recommend against "all-at-once" transfers, best to let the new tank go through a complete nitrogen cycle and then do the transfer. You can however use water, live rock, sand, etc.. from the old tank to seed the new one.> My thoughts are to set up the new tank and continue to do water changes on the old tank. I will then transfer the used water to the new tank while matching the volume with new water. <You'll want some type of pump in the tank then, until there is enough water to start your filtration system, stagnant water is not a good thing.> Once the water level is high enough to run my filter I am thinking I will start transferring LR and adding new then transfer corals and fish. <I would be sure the tank has stabilized before adding livestock.> Also any thoughts on water flow? <Depends on what you are keeping, I personally prefer 20X+ turnover for reef tanks but your return pumps sounds good though, Adam J.> Proper steps to
combining two aquariums - 01/12/2006 Hello everyone (not sure
who will read this), <BobF this time> I have asked questions in
the past and have always received a response and I am very appreciative
of your help. I could not find any specific info on my concerns so I
need to ask another question or four. <G> Background: I have a
60g (48L) & 20g saltwater set-up which I will be combining to just
the 60g. At this time my 60g is fish only with a sump (3g of water),
10g refugium, skimmer, and NO lighting. My 20g has 2 BTA, a Caribbean
& Curlicue Anemone, some mushrooms, polyps <Not all easily
mixed...> and a few small sponges, along with 2 small clowns, 1 blue
damsel, and a brittle star. I will be removing the fish I need to from
the 60 and want to place everything from my 20 (including live rock and
sand) into the 60. <Good move> In the end I want to keep
my cleaner shrimp, yellow head jaw fish, and sea cucumber
<A small/ish, compatible species I hope/trust> from my 60, the
BTA's/fish/star/mushroom & polyps from the 20g, and find homes
for the Caribbean & Curlicue, but at this time I need to transfer
all of them. (I am aware of the problems and dangers of combining all
of these, and so far they are cohabitating well in the 20.) I do plan
on adding more 'things" to the 60 that will work well with the
BTA's in the future, but will wait until I no longer have the
C&C. Also, I am finishing a canopy which I will be slowly adding T5
lighting at 108 watt increments (retros), starting with the first 108
watts this week. (The 20g currently has a 76 watt set-up which I will
be placing on my 10g refugium for the 60g.) My plan is to half empty my
60g (need to move it another 4" from wall), catch the fish I need
to remove, and refill with fresh pre-mix water. <Sounds good> My
questions are: Should I also move everything from my 20 at the same
time, or wait for the 60g to stabilize from stirring everything up?
<I would move all at once... including rock, substrate/s> With
already having 45+lbs of live rock in the 60, will moving the 20lbs I
have from the 20g be too much? <Mmm, don't think so> (What is
the limit for a 60 gal? <Till it's sticking out the top...>
How much weight can the glass support? <Quite a bit... especially if
all is spread out via the gravel...> How much actual water volume do
I need?) <... whatever space is left I guess... less than sixty
gallons for sure> Okay, this last question will be painful I know .
. . what do you suggest I could add to the 60g and also keep the 2
BTA's? <I'd leave off for a while with what you have>
Thanks for all your help Jim Phx, AZ <Oh! Are you near Aqua Touch? I
do wish the trade had more locations like Michael's (and
Kingsley's)... Bob Fenner> |
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