Saucychick56
New Member
Current set up:
I have a 55 gallon fish only tank with a yellow-hooded eye tang, a pair of mated clowns, a red hawkfish, and lots of coraline algae and a green grassy macro algae (feels like astro turf). The lights on that one are blue spectrum and a bright white. I run a canister filter on that.
I also have a 29 gallon Bio-cube reef tank with another pair of mated clowns, a yellow-tailed damsel, a purple firefish, and lots of bispira tube fans. The corals in the small tank are a duncan, kryptonite neon green candy cane coral, and a huge branching frog spawn. I have an AI light on that one.
I have an empty 90 gallon I would like to combine these tanks into when I move in about 6 months. It does not have a sump. Should I now get set up for that? Or just get a second canister?
Potential Combining Problems:
1) I have persistent Aptasia on my rocks in both tanks. I know my candy cane has at least two at its base. And my frogspawn has three or four on its lower branches. The LR is full of them - where I can't reach. Grrr. I try keeping them under control with Joe's Juice and Aptasia-x, even bubble-gumming them with Coral Gum. Needless to say, I want to leave the aptasia behind!
2) The green grassy macro algae from the 55g will probably overrun my corals of the 29 g. So should I just get new LR all the way around? What about the bacteria, and polyps, and bispira on my old rocks?
3) I have a 2 dead coral decorations in the 55g that have single feather dusters, one is white and one is blue, both surrounded by the macro algaes. How do I keep them but not the algae?
4) I read a few posts about keeping the sand vs not keeping the sand. I do vacuum monthly, so I think keeping the sand and adding new sand is a good idea, but should I combine the sands?? And how fine or chunky should the new sand be?
5) What about my 2 sets of clowns? In each tank, they live in a glued-open large clam shell. Can I put them on either side of the big tank and will they leave each other alone (since they don't seem to venture too far from their shell...)
6) I worry about my firefish as well, it seems to be SUPER shy... It's been a few months and it still dives for cover when I feed them. Is the hawkfish gonna be a problem for it?
7) Lighting. I don't want to spend a gazillion on new lights. If I bunch the coral on one side, grouped like they are in the 29g and keep the AI light on them, or if I buy another AI light and scrap the 55g light set - will that be enough for the 90g?
8) If I do have to get new rock, will the bacteria in the water and the filter media be enough to populate the tank without cycling? So I can move the tanks like I usually do when I move, (this will be the third time) but this time, just put everything together in the big tank, with new rock?
9) And what about all my beautiful coraline algae on the glass, any way to accelerate it growing in the new tank? And the fans in the little tank, there are a lot on the back wall.. i hate to just kill them when I break the tank down... UGH.
As you can see, I have lots of questions!
I have a 55 gallon fish only tank with a yellow-hooded eye tang, a pair of mated clowns, a red hawkfish, and lots of coraline algae and a green grassy macro algae (feels like astro turf). The lights on that one are blue spectrum and a bright white. I run a canister filter on that.
I also have a 29 gallon Bio-cube reef tank with another pair of mated clowns, a yellow-tailed damsel, a purple firefish, and lots of bispira tube fans. The corals in the small tank are a duncan, kryptonite neon green candy cane coral, and a huge branching frog spawn. I have an AI light on that one.
I have an empty 90 gallon I would like to combine these tanks into when I move in about 6 months. It does not have a sump. Should I now get set up for that? Or just get a second canister?
Potential Combining Problems:
1) I have persistent Aptasia on my rocks in both tanks. I know my candy cane has at least two at its base. And my frogspawn has three or four on its lower branches. The LR is full of them - where I can't reach. Grrr. I try keeping them under control with Joe's Juice and Aptasia-x, even bubble-gumming them with Coral Gum. Needless to say, I want to leave the aptasia behind!
2) The green grassy macro algae from the 55g will probably overrun my corals of the 29 g. So should I just get new LR all the way around? What about the bacteria, and polyps, and bispira on my old rocks?
3) I have a 2 dead coral decorations in the 55g that have single feather dusters, one is white and one is blue, both surrounded by the macro algaes. How do I keep them but not the algae?
4) I read a few posts about keeping the sand vs not keeping the sand. I do vacuum monthly, so I think keeping the sand and adding new sand is a good idea, but should I combine the sands?? And how fine or chunky should the new sand be?
5) What about my 2 sets of clowns? In each tank, they live in a glued-open large clam shell. Can I put them on either side of the big tank and will they leave each other alone (since they don't seem to venture too far from their shell...)
6) I worry about my firefish as well, it seems to be SUPER shy... It's been a few months and it still dives for cover when I feed them. Is the hawkfish gonna be a problem for it?
7) Lighting. I don't want to spend a gazillion on new lights. If I bunch the coral on one side, grouped like they are in the 29g and keep the AI light on them, or if I buy another AI light and scrap the 55g light set - will that be enough for the 90g?
8) If I do have to get new rock, will the bacteria in the water and the filter media be enough to populate the tank without cycling? So I can move the tanks like I usually do when I move, (this will be the third time) but this time, just put everything together in the big tank, with new rock?
9) And what about all my beautiful coraline algae on the glass, any way to accelerate it growing in the new tank? And the fans in the little tank, there are a lot on the back wall.. i hate to just kill them when I break the tank down... UGH.
As you can see, I have lots of questions!
