Advice; new tanks and moving tanks, too many tanks?

[ElectricLove]

Hi,

We are in the process of getting into this and are maybe a bit to eager and ambitious!

We bought a beautiful acrylic tank that is a round bubble and about 45gallons (photos to come), got it set up and going and then noticed a leak on bottom, so drained it and resealed/glue and start over the process... Well while it was "down" and making us sad we found another setup and bought it as well, it is a 25gallon edgeless design tank called iFalos Tilos (https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdx/eli...alos-tilos-laminate-starter-kit-eliv1011.html), so we bought that and also brought it home.

Both are starting their "cycling" process with filters going and a little seaweed added every day. Also added "quick start" stuff from API, checking levels every other day.

So, now we are getting eager to get things going and keep on shopping for them because they are gorgeous to look at. We found a 3rd tank, it is a 32g BioCube and it has coral populations established in it and a few fish as well. To us it makes sense to get this tank so we can eventually move coral that grow from it into our other 2 tanks and use it as the "source" for the others. The tank/setup is pretty cheap ($250) and seems to us it would make a good "coral farm"...

So, advice from the pros...

Are we getting in over our heads to have 3 tanks?
Is the idea of using a tank as a "coral farm" to produce coral to fill in the others reasonable? (or do they grow too slowly)
Does having multiple tanks increase likelihood of problems OR decrease likelihood of catastrophe (if one tank has issues move fish to another for example)?
What is best way to move a tank with established coral colonies to keep them in good health?

What are your thoughts, we haven't picked up the 3rd one yet but plan to do so tomorrow unless someone talks us out of it!

 

[lkriley]

$250 for an established 32 bio cube is a steal. If you have room go for it. I have one and it is a great setup. I would recommend changing to Steve Sled lighting if you end up keeping a lot of corals. But still, that is a good deal and I would jump on it.

 

[lkriley]

To move the tank, sorry I missed that before, got too excited about the offer. Just drain it down part way. The live rock will be fine as long as it is wet. If there are live corals they need water. So make sure they are in the water. You may have to move them to buckets or something for the move. As long as you can lift it, it is fine. The fish will be fine with less water in the tank. But, have prepared salt water at home and close to temperature ready to put in when it arrives. You can soak 5 gal buckets in a sink full of hot water and it only takes about 10-15 minutes to raise the temp up. Also, you may want to cover the tank with a towel or something to make it dark, less stressful on the fish. Some of the corals may be fine with wet cloth placed over them for the move, I don't know how far the move is or how long we are talking. If it is under an hour I wouldn't worry too much as long as they are kept wet with saltwater.

 

[lkriley]

Was thinking more about it. You should be sure to keep the vehicle you move the tank in around 71-72 degrees F. You don't want to change temp too fast in a tank. So be sure to add the water slowly.

 

[ElectricLove]

Great advice, the move will be 30 minutes drive, hopefully in total we can get it done in under 60-75 minutes... Good idea on the wet cloths for the coral, tho I don't know how to be certain the cloth doesn't have any chemicals that be harmful to them?

 

[ElectricLove]

To move the tank, sorry I missed that before, got too excited about the offer. Just drain it down part way. The live rock will be fine as long as it is wet. If there are live corals they need water. So make sure they are in the water. You may have to move them to buckets or something for the move. As long as you can lift it, it is fine. The fish will be fine with less water in the tank. But, have prepared salt water at home and close to temperature ready to put in when it arrives. You can soak 5 gal buckets in a sink full of hot water and it only takes about 10-15 minutes to raise the temp up. Also, you may want to cover the tank with a towel or something to make it dark, less stressful on the fish. Some of the corals may be fine with wet cloth placed over them for the move, I don't know how far the move is or how long we are talking. If it is under an hour I wouldn't worry too much as long as they are kept wet with saltwater.

How easy are coral to just remove from the tank and put in a bucket? I thought they are really delicate and also pretty much stuck onto the rocks they are on, does moving them mean putting the entire rock into a bucket? (would have to be a big one as it is a central rock tower in the cube tank and I think it is all one big piece...

 

[Meldrath]

How easy are coral to just remove from the tank and put in a bucket? I thought they are really delicate and also pretty much stuck onto the rocks they are on, does moving them mean putting the entire rock into a bucket? (would have to be a big one as it is a central rock tower in the cube tank and I think it is all one big piece...

Depending on the coral, you're about to get your first free lesson in fragging

If this is any sort of non encrusting coral, good luck - most sps and euphylias. Otherwise, just move the rock as is.

 

[lkriley]

For the cloth, just use the rinse mode a couple times to get out an chemicals, then soak in saltwater. Wring out any fresh water the best you can of course. As far as the rocks, well you may have to break apart the display into a few pieces. You can always reattach later. I wouldn't worry about that too much, it is a simple process, that you can do at anytime down the road. Plus, you may enjoy a different setup of the rocks than the current owner. Corals are actually a lot more able to withstand a move than the fish. They will be fine stuck in a bucket of water. Their only immediate requirement is water. They may take a few days to a week to recover, it is just their way of protecting themselves. As long as you go slow (very slow) adding the water back into the tank and adding the corals in (read up on acclimation).