Changing tanks

[Powersds]

I have a Red Sea Max S 650 (150 gal display). The tank has been active for 2 years and is leaking at the top seam. Red Sea is going to give me a new tank but my question is about the way to attempt to remove water, rock, sand, fish and a few Corals to a temporary holding then put everything back in the new tank and then move from temporary holding to new tank. Any advice would be appreciated. For example do I need to keep the original sand or can I use new?

Thanks, Stephen

 

[JNalley]

Switching tanks is the perfect time to also switch sand if you need to, though I would take 3-4 lbs of your current sand and put it underneath the new sand, so your bacteria and micro critters can come over to the new tank.

Give me an idea of your container situation. Any bins, containers etc that you use for water storage, mixing, etc.

 

[Powersds]

Switching tanks is the perfect time to also switch sand if you need to, though I would take 3-4 lbs of your current sand and put it underneath the new sand, so your bacteria and micro critters can come over to the new tank.

Give me an idea of your container situation. Any bins, containers etc that you use for water storage, mixing, etc.

I have a 55 and 20 gallon brute trash can that I use to make RODI and salt water.

 

[joseph scott]

I too need some pointers on how to switch tanks. My main concern is I have several wrasse that bury themselves under the 4 inch sand bed when scared. How do catch those fish without killing or injuring them?

 

[brandon429]

You have two choices on tank transfers

The safe way which has no fails

Or the unsafe way which has fails a few times per hundred jobs.

Anything not from this tank transfer thread is the unsafe way.

Rinsing out your sand 100% and never using any degree of old sand is how we got nine years with no losses.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/official-sand-rinse-and-tank-transfer-thread.230281/
Notice on page one the tank loss examples. Imagine having that type of sand, which you can’t know ahead of time, and moving a handful of that poison to your new tank. Never, ever add old unrinsed sand to the new. Not one grain

What we learn from the thread: to effect a safe tank change, all rinsed sand goes into the new tank, doesn’t matter if it’s old or new sand, they both have to be rinsed equally

We also see that pods come from rocks you move not sand, and that sandbed bacteria aren’t needed in reefing. We don’t have to replace them.

 

[piranhaman00]

There is no reason to reuse any of the old sand. It will only cause problems. The rock will transfer all the BB you need.

On another note, you were very fortunate that your leak was on a top seam and not a bottom splitting catastrophe. Consider getting a different brand perhaps?

 

[aSaltyKlown]

There is no reason to reuse any of the old sand.

This is flat out untrue. I've reused sand plenty of times. The first time I added bleach to the bucket of sand and then let it dry on a tarp before adding it back in. That was a bit overkill, but it worked.

Reason to reuse sand:
1. Cost, yes sand is not expensive, but it is an expense.
2. Less sand if any that is needed to purchase.
3. No need to keep buckets of sand laying around.
4. Throwing away or dumping sand is wasteful when it can be rinsed and reused.

It will only cause problems.

Only if the sand is not rinsed.

 

[Doctorgori]

reminder that gramma, anthias, wrasses, dartfish, and many others hide deep in rock crevices
and don’t forget your narcissus, babylon snail, conch, serpent stars, cucumbers and other sand critter (as I have arghhh)
sand? I keep a 1/2 cup or whatever, chuck the rest

 

[JNalley]

There is no reason to reuse any of the old sand. It will only cause problems. The rock will transfer all the BB you need.

Bacteria are not the only thing that live in the sand, though; all kinds of microfauna, worms, and other beneficial critters live in the sand, and unless OP wants to restart the process of having those beneficial critters form, it's not uncommon to transfer 1-2lbs over. This is why it's common for places that sell actual live and mariculture rock to sell sand or places like IPSF to have small portions of their Wonder Mud for sale. Doing so ensures enough starting culture and minimizes any perceived risk of "causing problems."

 

[brandon429]

It's not possible to advise on tank transfers by quoting to others what we do at home. You can get lucky at home due to unique variables that others don't have

The sole reason there's only one tank transfer work thread on the internet is because advising others means we use an objective set of rules that always works

So, it's easy to give dangerous advice when we're not truly accountable for the outcomes. If anyone feels it works differently, by all means start a new tank transfer thread and run it without rip cleans. Advise every entrant to keep and move unrinsed sand. Let's see results by page ten.