ninjamyst Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 It's hard to scape a long narrow tank. My one regret with my scape is the lack of depth. Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 It's hard to scape a long narrow tank. My one regret with my scape is the lack of depth. I was thinking about just tossing in my two islands from the RL-45, a light above each, with some lower light corals in the center. Oh well. Who knows 1 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I was thinking about just tossing in my two islands from the RL-45, a light above each, with some lower light corals in the center. Oh well. Who knows you keeping your current lights? i thought you going ATI.... 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 are you adding more rocks? Should I? I have all of these pest free rock that is pretty sweet- some snails, sponges, etc. Was in a bucket with salt water for a couple months with 100% water changes every 2 weeks so its really pretty. 4 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 Added some LR into the sump, hung the OR T247 temporarily, and put the Duncan from the frag tank into the tank. Depending on how this goes I am hoping on transferring this weekend- bacteria should arrive today 6 Quote Link to comment
4x5 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Fill that beast up with the water volume, skimmer and moving over your current system everything will be fine. Just keep an eye on nutrients, they will be super low on the new system. 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 Fill that beast up with the water volume, skimmer and moving over your current system everything will be fine. Just keep an eye on nutrients, they will be super low on the new system. This weekend that is my plan. I mixed up the sand three times to skim out all the fine particles and added a cupful of my sand already. I am a bit of an impulsive person so wanted to take my time and make sure the system is healthy before the transfer. For instance after 2 days I realized that the heater was insufficient for this volume and that the tank was 74.. That would have hurt the livestock for sure. Now that its stable at 78 I am more confident, especially after seeing the duncan happy and expanded this morning. I am going to add a few cups of the sand from my tank today to the reefer for even more bacterial development, and then add the bottle of the bacteria that Stella recommended. I am confident that the transfer will occur this weekend- 7 days after the tank was filled. 3 Quote Link to comment
4x5 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Well, if you want to not be impulsive then you'll wait 6 months till it's properly ready for SPS. 4 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 Well, if you want to not be impulsive then you'll wait 6 months till it's properly ready for SPS. I hope you're joking.... Quote Link to comment
4x5 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I hope you're joking.... I'm not no, I think a tank only hits it's groove between 6 months and a year - SPS do a lot better during that time and are a lot less likely to die. Doesn't mean you cant add sticks earlier but that doesn't make it ideal. 5 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 I'm not no, I think a tank only hits it's groove between 6 months and a year - SPS do a lot better during that time and are a lot less likely to die. Doesn't mean you cant add sticks earlier but that doesn't make it ideal. So heres my question, does transferring to the reefer 350 with a greater volume behave as a "new tank" without its groove or simply a larger water volume, aka more stability? My goal was for the transfer to impact the livestock in the manner of a large water change; the same biological processes and stability as to avoid the situation of SPS in a new tank. Quote Link to comment
4x5 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 It's a new tank so it's going to take some time to get past that sterile new phase. I'm sure everything will be fine, just keep an eye on it. 2 Quote Link to comment
Travis Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I think there will be some kind of mini cycle. You don't have a bacteria film built up in the plumbing and sump walls like you do on your 45. Can't really rush that. 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 It's a new tank so it's going to take some time to get past that sterile new phase. I'm sure everything will be fine, just keep an eye on it. I think there will be some kind of mini cycle. You don't have a bacteria film built up in the plumbing and sump walls like you do on your 45. Can't really rush that. Yes sir(s). What do you think about doing it half an half- transferring the anemones and LPS first and then after getting over new tank fluctuations and testing results adding my left "SPS island". That'll build up some biofilm like you mentioned Travis. 1 Quote Link to comment
jdog Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Nice tank very interested on seeing how it goes , I plan on getting a Reefer 350 this month. 1 Quote Link to comment
4x5 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 What would I do? If I ever upgrade I'd throw away the old tank and put everything into the new tank. Just know there will be some potentially rough days ahead but if you are proactive everything will be fine. And don't start dosing till you see measurable changes. The SPS will likely stop consuming for a while. 4 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 What would I do? If I ever upgrade I'd throw away the old tank and put everything into the new tank. Just know there will be some potentially rough days ahead but if you are proactive everything will be fine. And don't start dosing till you see measurable changes. The SPS will likely stop consuming for a while. Im doing the middle ground I guess, letting it run for a week or possibly two with dirty floss, some old sand, etc and then the transfer. Formy JBJ 28 to RL-45 transfer I did 5 days and didn't have an issue besides some diatoms from the new sand- thats my goal here as well. Ill be proactive with observing and testing, I am loaded up on kits, have an ammonia badge, and am going to keep the RL-45 running for a bit after with just the sand and the Ocean Reivie T247 in case anything needs to be seperated/go back temporarily. 1 Quote Link to comment
blkhwkz Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I did my tank swap for the replacement RL-45 Saturday. Granted same exact tank and not a move to a larger tank like you. Took about 2.5-3 hours. Made 15 gallons of new water, used new sand (plus a cup of the original), then the rest was existing tank water. Water was a bit cloudy for an hour (as expected), most SPS were pissed for a day. Everything has been fine since then, didn't lose a single coral or fish. Threw a capful of Seachem Prime in when I did the change just in case of any ammonia spike. I'd just do the move over soon as you can, but that's just me. I tend to do things the way some people on here would consider "the wrong way." 2 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Harry, I have done a couple of tank transfers with no problem, (although I never have many sps). My tanks always go in the same place since that is where my dedicated circuit is. If your bioload is pretty much the same it won't matter that the volume is more. You will definitely get diatoms since the glass and sand have silicates to use up but like stella said, just add a good bacteria to give it a boost. Check your ammonia every couple days and do water changes if it goes up too much. My tank had a reading of .0125 for about 2 weeks and I did 25% WCs every couple days until I got a 0 reading. Again I need to state that I never had sps so they may be more sensitive. 1 Quote Link to comment
cnseekatz Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Very nice new setup! So heres my question, does transferring to the reefer 350 with a greater volume behave as a "new tank" without its groove or simply a larger water volume, aka more stability? My goal was for the transfer to impact the livestock in the manner of a large water change; the same biological processes and stability as to avoid the situation of SPS in a new tank. You're going to be adding a lot of "new" stuff in there, so it's very likely that you'll have a typical new tank cycle. I've always started my tanks with mature/seeded live rock and Carib-Sea Arag Alive sand, and had full blow cycles that take at least a month to clear up. If you're almost doubling the size of your system, you're going to have a bunch of new sand and rock, and I think you're going to see a pretty substantial cycle. If it was me, I'd wait until the new setup was finished with all that before I did the bulk of the transfer, but I understand how hard it is to stare at an empty tank! 3 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Im doing the middle ground I guess, letting it run for a week or possibly two with dirty floss, some old sand, etc and then the transfer. Formy JBJ 28 to RL-45 transfer I did 5 days and didn't have an issue besides some diatoms from the new sand- thats my goal here as well. Ill be proactive with observing and testing, I am loaded up on kits, have an ammonia badge, and am going to keep the RL-45 running for a bit after with just the sand and the Ocean Reivie T247 in case anything needs to be seperated/go back temporarily. You've got this Harry! Sounds like a perfect plan . Quote Link to comment
jdog Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Well based on how your tank is looking I just purchased a Reefer 350 in Black, I think I am going to go with a coarser grade gravel not a fine gravel it just blows around to much. Not going the Live Rock route either going to try the Dry Live Rock. I had to much trouble with Caulerpa algae on the rock. Now The fun will begin,My Lighting and Skimmer choice. 1 Quote Link to comment
thecoralbeauty Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 harry please just move this tank over already- i need some good reading and excitement in my life! Very nice new setup! You're going to be adding a lot of "new" stuff in there, so it's very likely that you'll have a typical new tank cycle. I've always started my tanks with mature/seeded live rock and Carib-Sea Arag Alive sand, and had full blow cycles that take at least a month to clear up. If you're almost doubling the size of your system, you're going to have a bunch of new sand and rock, and I think you're going to see a pretty substantial cycle. If it was me, I'd wait until the new setup was finished with all that before I did the bulk of the transfer, but I understand how hard it is to stare at an empty tank! i had a mini cycle going from my 20 to my 50 using carib sea arag alive sand as well. however, it was easily dealt with. be prepared and go for it, i say. 1 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Well based on how your tank is looking I just purchased a Reefer 350 in Black, I think I am going to go with a coarser grade gravel not a fine gravel it just blows around to much. Not going the Live Rock route either going to try the Dry Live Rock. I had to much trouble with Caulerpa algae on the rock. Now The fun will begin,My Lighting and Skimmer choice. welcome to the club =). I went dry rock and love it. 2 Quote Link to comment
Nickereef Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 That tank is sick! Looks like nice rock there... Sure is "live" now I always wonder, should I've gone the dry rock route? 1 Quote Link to comment
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