rmacedo2010 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 okay so here's the deal yesterday I help my friend tear down his 75 gallon rimless full blown reef system I myself have a 55 gallon full blown reef system with a cast iron stand very ugly I know. my tank is loaded with SPS and LPS corals now my question is what do you guys think he gave me everything that he has and I mean everything . light tank stand some protein skimmer powerheads everything ready to go should I replace my tank with his or just hold on to it and wait Link to comment
GHill762 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 upgrade.. definitely upgrade.. 75g dimensions are eleventybilllion times better than 55g dimensions.. make sure to post pics along the way. Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Yea im on vacation in feb so maybe I will Link to comment
Tamberav Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Upgrade, 55g's are gross Link to comment
Reefer82 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 You shouldn't be asking, you should be developing a plan of how to break down the 55 right now. Link to comment
jservedio Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Yeah 55s are the worst dimensions for a reef tank - even worse than my 20g tall. 75 is an absolutely great footprint. I would be transferring my stuff over already. Link to comment
dpoltsdsu Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Please transfer.. 55 dimensions are awful Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Ha I defiantly am doing it and have been planning also. To be honest my fiancé probably wants to strangle me by now cause I won't shut up about it. My biggest concern is what to do with my sand yet. But I cannot wait to set it up. I will post pics along the process to keep everyone posted and yes 55's do have horrible dimensions lol Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 so i took everyones advice when they said to upgrade to the 75 so now here is my first pic on the move it is going where the 55 is in the picture. i start my vaca on thurs so i will have more pics Link to comment
malawian Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 yes. there is very much win to be had here. I might be a bit biased but I think 75 dimensions are awesome. It really is a great medium sized tank IMO. Every size tank has its own allure but I think 75s (and to an extent some 65s) are just great. Also that tank is sexy. Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 I totally agree and the best part.... it was free!!!!! I cant wait until thursday Link to comment
Chris! Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Looking at the sexiness of that tank and stand it should have been a no brainer definitely upgrade! Get new sand you will need more anyways. You could wash the hell out of the current sand but it will be messy and time consuming.... Link to comment
malawian Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 oh yes i forgot to say to just get new sand. I always feel like a fresh start is best for the sand bed. at worst you may need to do a couple extra water changes or add a tad bit more LR (which you probably want to do anyway) to compensate for the new sandbed and any denitrifying your sand bed was doing before. Link to comment
Chris! Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 oh yes i forgot to say to just get new sand. I always feel like a fresh start is best for the sand bed. at worst you may need to do a couple extra water changes or add a tad bit more LR (which you probably want to do anyway) to compensate for the new sandbed and any denitrifying your sand bed was doing before. Personally I wouldn't worry about adding more rock. Looking at his 55g tank he has 2 nice islands and moving them over and capitalizing on the added swimming room + available sand bed could be beneficial as well Link to comment
malawian Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Sure, definitely not a do or die situation, personally I would add a bit more since I would feel like i could fit it without compromising much and more filtration is always nice. But its far from being a necessity. my real point is just that losing the sand bed may reduce bio-capacity by a tiny bit temporarily but not enough that it will matter much. Nothing a couple water changes couldnt fix. Also this alternative is better than potentially releasing nasty stuff which has gotten trapped in a sand bed that hasnt gotten to mix appropriately, risks are much smaller replacing sand bed IMO. Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Yea that was my main concern. But my sand bed is probably max 2" on the sides and maybe 1" on the middle. Also I mix it up a little bit during water change. I figured that if I scooped the sand out with a net it would drain the junk out because when I upgraded from my 30g I didnt wash the sand? Link to comment
malawian Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I still wouldnt risk it. Any measure which would clean the sand sufficiently to remove anything bad would probably also remove, or worse kill, the bacteria that are in it. better just to start fresh although you could use a handful of your old sand to help seed your new bed. Link to comment
Bobyboy Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Use a plastic cat box scoop to swift the sand and pick up any inverts that's in it. Link to comment
Chris! Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I have started atleast 5 tanks with used sand and had no ill effects. Rinsing the hell out of it is no different then starting with new dry sand that needs to be rinsed anyway. And paying extra for "live" sand is a waste of money IMO. The impact of a little bit of sand is minimal in comparison to using dry/dead rock. You could get away with not washing it with the shallower bed you have, but I like to clean it up good personally as I have found it can still be quite nasty even after a shorter period of time. Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 So today seems like a great day to upgrade. Heres the start of rock removal Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 tanks full all i need to do now is hook up the fuge. i already had a 6 pack at this point Link to comment
paulrw Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 75g 3.jpg tanks full all i need to do now is hook up the fuge. i already had a 6 pack at this point lol i know the nightmare of broken down tank cluster f and daytime drunk all to well. good luck. Link to comment
rmacedo2010 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 everything connected just waiting to clear up. corals responded excellent and fish are very relaxed going about their normal lives happy as a clam, which by the way is also opened and doing well. lol i didnt want to say it but i had my first bud light at 9:00 am lol kinda tough to see but this is my fuge with my red mangroves ( hidden behind the stand brace ) and my wiring connected all to switches. Im not rich enough for a controller yet Link to comment
Chris! Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Looks good. I would suggest doing a couple small water changes every few days for the 1st week or two just to help minimize any spikes incase you have a small cycle at all. Link to comment
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