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Switching over tanks


avoidtheboyd

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avoidtheboyd

I'll start off by saying that I've had a 16g biocube setup for about 2 years now.  It looks alright but I'm slightly tired of having a little bit of height but really no real estate. Today I got a 20x24x9 rimless tank setup for a sump for free and I was thinking about switching everything from the biocube into more shallow tank. Its about the same water volume if not slightly more not including a small sump. Anyways, here are my questions...

 

1. I have a clown which I thought about the height difference may not be the greatest for it but it honestly just kind of hosts a corner so maybe a more shallow tank would allow the clown to feel safer and move around more. (Not really a questions just maybe get an opinion) 

 

2. I will obviously use all of the liverock from the biocube along with ceramic ball media I have in the chambers, the sand however, I will not switch over. Will adding a new layer of sand cause any problems with filtration big enough that the rock and bio media cannot adjust adequately?

 

3. I will be using probably a 10/20 gallon sump with a refugium compartment depending on what size I build the stand. I was thinking about miracle mud in the refugium section along with some form of beneficial algae. My only questions is, is there a better option for a tank this size? Also should I have the miracle mud within the tank when I switch everything over? 

 

4. Also, if one or two of my pieces of live rock in the biocube are as pleasing to the eye, could I switch it out with dry rock without too much of an issue? I only have a clown fish and a goby in the tank along with just a few pieces of corals.

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It's not hard to switch to a new tank but it will take a day.

 

I upgraded my tank in Oct and in my journal I documented the step by step method for others to get some ideas. Check it out, it may be helpful.

 

 

 

These are the steps I took to complete the transfer. Hopefully this information can help others who plan on the process.

 

Day Before Transfer:

 

-Washed all containers and buckets with vinegar water and completely dried them

- washed my media basket, washed the filter sock, and put aside for drying

- organized all the items I needed in one area so I wasn't scrambling the day of transfer

- washed sand in tap water, final tap water rinse I added prime and then the complete final rinse was with distilled. I then placed the sand in a bucket with a tight fitting lid.

 

 

Transfer Day:

 

Prep work

 

1 .made room on all my counters and on my table for all the items I would need for the transfer.

2. Started 2 buckets of salt to mix, used powerheads and heaters for mixing (pic 1)

3. ensured my refractometer was calibrated and salinity was correct when I mixed it 

4. Pulled out all my utensils, towels, glue, epoxy, nets, papertowel, and spray bottle and placed it on my table near the tank for easy access(pic 2)

5. Put all my filter media, media basket, filter socks, and additional equipment on my island close to where I needed it(pic 3)

 

 

15g Breakdown

 

1. Filled my tank tupperware containers with water from the tank

2. cont. 1 - all sps removed and added

3. cont 2 - euphyllia and shrimp added

4. cont 3 - plates, brains, hermits, and snails 

5. cont 4 - clowns, their frogspawn and the blenny

 

 - I placed all these containers on my counter

 - I had drilled holes in the lids to run air hoses

 - I used a gang valve to run 4 air lines and air stones to each container so they would have oxygen through the day ( pic 4)

 

6. I drained water from my tank into containers to save for use in the new tank

7. I drained more water into a bucket and removed the rocks from the tank and placed in a bucket (pic 5) This water will not be used in the new tank. Too much detritus

8. I removed a small container of sand to seed my new sand. I washed the sand in tap water until it ran clear, last rinse with prime, and final rinse with salt water.

 

Picture 6 - this is why its beneficial to either wash your old sand completely or start with all new. It's filthy and I vacuum my sand bed completely every week

 

Picture 7 - Why I wear gloves when I work in a tank.. pretty big bristle worm I never saw before

 

25g Lagoon Set Up:

 

- placed the new tank on the stand, ensured it was even and level

 

Aquascaping:

 

- added eggcrate to the bottom of the tank and started adding in the rocks (pic 8)

- started aquascaping

-  while aquascaping I sprayed saltwater(from my tank) onto the rocks to ensure they stayed completely wet. I used a standard spray bottle

- after setting the rocks in place we epoxied them (pic 9)

- we used Aquamaxx reef welder - loved this stuff. It's great to work with.

 

Reef Welder:

 

the trick is getting the water very hot.

 

- I boiled water in a kettle

- added it to a small container

- added the epoxy beads to the water

- once they started going see through, I stirred them with tweezers, once blended, I pulled out some, blended it more and then applied to the area on the rock

- if you make a mistake, just place the chunk back in hot water.

 

There was no smell, no stickiness, no flaking of epoxy.

 

9. Started adding sand to the tank, I used about an inch, I didn't want a thicker sand bed. then added my cup of sand from the 15g.

10. placed ammonia badge in the tank

11. then we started pouring in the newly mixed water, then I mixed another bucket(my salt only takes 30mins to mix), then added the old water. added final bucket of water to the tank..started everything up

12. Checked salinity

13. cleaned while I waited for the tank to clear and reach proper temp

14. tested alkalinity as it's the one parameter that really effects corals

 

 

After 1.5 hrs my tank was clear enough to start adding things

 

I started with adding my corals and gluing them in place.

 

Once that was done, I added my fish and their frogspawn

 

 

Here's a link

 

 

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