switching tanks

[SeanK]

i have a 40br with a 10 gallon sump that i made.

i want to change to a 20L tank with a 20 gallon sump/refugium.

 

my reasons are because 40br is too big for now

and i dont like doing huge water changes.

(5 gallon water change in 40 gallon and in 20 gallon are big difference)

 

and my 40br, for some reason kills alot of coral that i buy (with perfect parameters)

and i have a ghetto overflow to sump and i want to get a legit overflow by drilling the 20L

and i messed up with some noob stuff and have cyano and crap everywhere.

and the lighting i have on 40br take up alot of energy and i have to buy more salt more often

 

i just think a 20L would be less maintanence and take less of everything and i would have a good chance to start over now that i know ALOT more than i did when i started the 40br.

 

 

your guy's opinions?

would a 20L be less maintanence?

am i making a good choice?

[seabass]

my reasons are because 40br is too big for now

That's cool. This is Nano-Reef.com, a 20L is even more nanoish.

 

and my 40br, for some reason kills alot of coral that i buy (with perfect parameters)...

and i messed up with some noob stuff and have cyano and crap everywhere.

While the parameters look good, the available nutrients were fueling the Cyano and were likely the reason your coral was struggling.

 

would a 20L be less maintanence?

am i making a good choice?

Yes, the 20L would mean less salt, water, electricity... It would also mean less area to scrape and siphon. However, you must keep up on your maintenance better than you were or you will start having the same issues. Less water volume usually means less stability, but I think smaller and starting fresh will be a good choice and good incentive to keep it up properly.

 

Good luck!

[SeanK]

While the parameters look good, the available nutrients were fueling the Cyano and were likely the reason your coral was struggling.

 

i had xenias that died out in a couple days and i thought they thrived in 'dirty' water.

but yeah im going to just restart my tank.

and use a glass-holes.com overflow.

btw, if i do buy glass-holes overflow, what size should i get for the 20L?

[seabass]

i had xenias that died out in a couple days and i thought they thrived in 'dirty' water.

Dirty meaning some nutrients, but not so much Cyano.

 

btw, if i do buy glass-holes overflow, what size should i get for the 20L?

Remember that the rating they provide is a maximum flow rating, and you will have to return less than that. It kind of depends on how much flow you want for your sump. I choose the 300gph for my 17.4 gallon tank, but the 700gph one would have been fine too. I'm just going to use a Maxi-Jet for my return, so the 300gph overflow should be more than adequate.

[SeanK]

Dirty meaning some nutrients, but not so much Cyano.

 

Remember that the rating they provide is a maximum flow rating, and you will have to return less than that. It kind of depends on how much flow you want for your sump. I choose the 300gph for my 17.4 gallon tank, but the 700gph one would have been fine too. I'm just going to use a Maxi-Jet for my return, so the 300gph overflow should be more than adequate.

 

which one is the 300gph one?

all i see is a nano, super nano, 700gph, 1500gph, and dart kit

[seabass]

Super Nano w/ teeth

[ajmckay]

Switching to a 20L isn't a bad idea, but I'm not sure it will work out like you are thinking. I mean it's not going to be a drastic reduction in maintenance (okay so 30 seconds less scraping). It's probably not going to save you a ton of $$ either (unless you're planning on buying a more efficient lighting system). The difference would be much greater say from a 100g+ to a 20L.

 

Now if you're unhappy with the size of the 40b, then I would definitely switch. But make that your motivation instead of thinking that it will be a lot less maintenance and cost. It's still going to be your tank and the underlying causes of the cyano/corals will need to be dealt with regardless. Plus you'll need to spend more $$ to set up the new tank unless you happen to have everything lying around already.

[SeanK]

just wondering, how should i actually switch the tanks?

i have LR and LS. but i heard if i want to restart the tank that i should kill the LR and LS

and buy another LR from LFS to seed.

 

but what should i do with fish and coral while my new tank is cycling?

i dont thnk i can have my old tank and new tank at the same time for sake of cycling the new one

since i dont have space.

[ajmckay]

When I switch tanks I do it exactly the same as if I were moving.

 

1) Set up new tank equipment It helps to keep the old one running through this process, but if you can't then a bunch of 5g buckets (not used for anything else of course) can be used to house livestock, sand, corals, and rock. Try to divide it up in that order so you don't accidentally smash something in the rock bucket.

2) siphon out water from the old tank (up to 50% of the new tank volume) and and add it directly to the new tank.

3) If using new sand, add it to the new tank now.

4) If using old sand, scoop it out of the old tank (or siphon it if there's enough water left) and rinse it out in a bucket with saltwater (or tap water if you want to kill everything on it and "start over"). Add it to the new tank

5) Transfer live rock and decide on a rock scape (be careful to knock off any animals into the old tank so you don't smash them while moving the rock around) This is also a good time to use a toothbrush or other cleaning instrument and scrub off all the nuisance algae.

6) Fill the rest of the tank with new saltwater

7) Double check all water parameters. (including S.G. temp, etc...)

8) As long as the water parameters are equivalent between the tanks net the fish and release into new tank. If something (like pH) is low/high then you can acclimate the fish to the new tank using whatever method you're most comfortable with. Don't just acclimate for temperature though.

 

Now in your case you can get new LR if you want... but that's going to be $$ and there's no guarantee it'll solve your problem. If I were you I would just transfer the contents and scrub off the old rock good (while it's still in the old tank water so it doesn't have much die-off. Take the remaining rock you don't use and stick it in the 10g with a heater and a powerhead and let it cook for a while. Then you can either rotate it in, use the 10g as a QT, or whatever you want.

[Coastie]

I am about to change tanks too.... I was thinking I am going to buy some normal sand, and rinse it well then seed it with a cup or two of sand from my old tank. The live rock I plan on just moving over. The only reason I am not taking my entire sand bed from the old tank is because it is deeper (about 3") and I am concerned with breaking that bed causing a bunch of issues.

[SeanK]

When I switch tanks I do it exactly the same as if I were moving.

 

1) Set up new tank equipment It helps to keep the old one running through this process, but if you can't then a bunch of 5g buckets (not used for anything else of course) can be used to house livestock, sand, corals, and rock. Try to divide it up in that order so you don't accidentally smash something in the rock bucket.

2) siphon out water from the old tank (up to 50% of the new tank volume) and and add it directly to the new tank.

3) If using new sand, add it to the new tank now.

4) If using old sand, scoop it out of the old tank (or siphon it if there's enough water left) and rinse it out in a bucket with saltwater (or tap water if you want to kill everything on it and "start over"). Add it to the new tank

5) Transfer live rock and decide on a rock scape (be careful to knock off any animals into the old tank so you don't smash them while moving the rock around) This is also a good time to use a toothbrush or other cleaning instrument and scrub off all the nuisance algae.

6) Fill the rest of the tank with new saltwater

7) Double check all water parameters. (including S.G. temp, etc...)

8) As long as the water parameters are equivalent between the tanks net the fish and release into new tank. If something (like pH) is low/high then you can acclimate the fish to the new tank using whatever method you're most comfortable with. Don't just acclimate for temperature though.

 

Now in your case you can get new LR if you want... but that's going to be $$ and there's no guarantee it'll solve your problem. If I were you I would just transfer the contents and scrub off the old rock good (while it's still in the old tank water so it doesn't have much die-off. Take the remaining rock you don't use and stick it in the 10g with a heater and a powerhead and let it cook for a while. Then you can either rotate it in, use the 10g as a QT, or whatever you want.

 

but what should i do with my fish and coral while my tank cycles?

im pretty sure if i clean everything out and switch tank, it will go through a cycle.

and i dont want to loose everything because of this.

 

i dont know anyone around Huntington Beach, CA who keeps reefs (that i trust)

and i dont have an extra tank.

 

any ideas?

[seabass]

but what should i do with my fish and coral while my tank cycles?

im pretty sure if i clean everything out and switch tank, it will go through a cycle.

and i dont want to loose everything because of this.

If you don't move the sand bed and just seed the new sand with some of the old, then your tank shouldn't experience much of a spike in ammonia. I keep some Seachem Prime around just in case it does.

 

Remember, take out all of the livestock and water that you wish to save before you disturb the old sand bed. Once you disturb the old sand, it will foul the remaining water and you will have to discard that water.

 

It's safer if you start with new sand. I think new live (wet) sand is a reasonable way to go for this process. If you move the old sand bed, rinse the heck out of it first. I add some saltwater, stir up the sand bed very good, siphon out the dirty water, and keep repeating until the water is fairly clear (it will never get crystal clear after stirring).

 

Keep in mind that you can run the tank bare bottom for awhile if you want the cure the old sand in a food grade bucket (or your old tank) after you have rinsed it. Once their is no trace of ammonia, it is relatively safe to add it to your new tank. You must also separately cure any new live rock.

 

If you do this carefully, your livestock should survive the tank move.