Anyone have a checklist for transferring tanks?

[jgaepi]

Does anyone have a handy checklist for transferring tanks? I am transferring from a 14g to a 28g plus now having a sump. This is my first experience with this. Not sure in what order to turn certain things on. What water levels to have in DT and Sump when I flick the switch. Etc. I have a bunch of coral and 2 fish transferring so I want to avoid catastrophe.

 

Thank you.

[seabass]

Are the two tanks able to be setup at the same time, or will the new tank go in the same location?

[East1]

^ this

 

it'd work best if you can set up the new tank and let it run for a little bit before transferring stock

[nidding]

I just made a transfer like yours, from a 14 gallon to a 30-ish-gallon. I moved my sump also.

I first filled the new tank about half way up with fresh SW. Matched it as well as I could with the water from the old tank and put in as much precycled LR (it had been in another reefer's sump for a year, and looked clean and free from muck) in as I needed to, and then caught the single fish I had in the old tank, put it in a bucket with heat and circulation. All off the remaining corals were put on the sand bottom, still having a heater and a little circulation in the tank. This way I could use as much water as I needed from the old tank to fill the new one. While I was transferring water between tanks I proceeded by putting all of the old LR into the new tank, with the corals that were growing on them still attached. Then I made the scape, carefully not crushing any coral.

When the scape was done, I placed the last corals from the old tank, waited a little while till the dust had settled, and then added the fish to its new home. The tank has been running smoothly now for almost two weeks, and apart from a mini cycle on some of the new rocks, everything looks happy and corals are as happy as ever.

[jgaepi]

Are the two tanks able to be setup at the same time, or will the new tank go in the same location?

 

I just made a transfer like yours, from a 14 gallon to a 30-ish-gallon. I moved my sump also.

I first filled the new tank about half way up with fresh SW. Matched it as well as I could with the water from the old tank and put in as much precycled LR (it had been in another reefer's sump for a year, and looked clean and free from muck) in as I needed to, and then caught the single fish I had in the old tank, put it in a bucket with heat and circulation. All off the remaining corals were put on the sand bottom, still having a heater and a little circulation in the tank. This way I could use as much water as I needed from the old tank to fill the new one. While I was transferring water between tanks I proceeded by putting all of the old LR into the new tank, with the corals that were growing on them still attached. Then I made the scape, carefully not crushing any coral.

When the scape was done, I placed the last corals from the old tank, waited a little while till the dust had settled, and then added the fish to its new home. The tank has been running smoothly now for almost two weeks, and apart from a mini cycle on some of the new rocks, everything looks happy and corals are as happy as ever.

 

^ this

 

it'd work best if you can set up the new tank and let it run for a little bit before transferring stock

This is what I gotz. The new tank needs to go in the old spot but I have an old end table that the biocube will be relocated to about 2ft away. Then I also bought a MicroReef 4g in anticipation of the move and future Quarantine tank. So my plan is to put my loose corals and fish into the MR tank with BC water. Then xfer the BC off the stand. Set the new DT. Xfer the rock and put in the brand new sand. Get everything running for a day and then xfer the stuff from the MR tank to the new tank. Clean & sell BC.

 

My big unknown is flipping the switch on the new tank and sump. Because I have never used a sump, I don't want to overflow and add top up saltwater after I see the system is running correctly. So I am primarily looking for a step by step to filling the new DT and sump to particular levels. Turning it on, fine tuning the gate valve, etc.

[seabass]

• Fill your display to the bottom of the overflow teeth
• Fill your sump to the water level you want it (this level will go down a bit when you start your return pump)
• Start the return pump
• Refill the sump to the desired level
• Stop the return pump to make sure that the sump will handle the back flow during a power outage (or during maintenance)

I assume that the valve is on the return side and not the drain. If so, just fine tune the flow until you are happy with the flow through the sump and the drain noise.

[sangheili]

I think Mr. InTank has a guide on this forum. Too lazy to look it up tho cause i'm supposed to be studying.

 

Edit: Ah what the hell, here ya go: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/205722-steviets-guide-to-moving-a-tank/?pid=2375343

[patback]

Bring the new tank and sump outside and fill it with hose water. If you are not sure if it will overflow, do not test it out in your house. This will also be the leak test to make sure all your fittings are tight and that you have no cracks in the seams.

If I were you, I would do as mentioned above, then move all coral and old tank water to a bucket with a heater and powerhead. No light necessary. move all rocks to a 2nd bucket, and all fish to a third bucket. If you are very careful and put fish in last, you could potentially put everything in 1 bucket.

At this point drain the old tank of the rest of the water move it out of the way and install the new tank. I would aim to use SOME old tank water, but it is not necessary at all. Just helps a little in terms of nutrients for the coral to suck up while the new water is being "seasoned."

Heat the water to match what is in the bucket, in the mean time set all the pumps, timers, probes, whatever else you are using up. make sure the tank is level, and start adding the rock, then coral, then fish.