Moving a used 40 gallon breed with sump and livestock?

[Coxey81]

Hi, I found a used 40 gallon breeder setup with stand thats only 7 months old for a good price.

But it would be my first tank and I'm concerned about moving it and keeping the livestock alive. There are 4 fish, two small corals, and two shrimp and a Halloween crab.

Any tips on moving it an the livestock?

Could I just bag the livestock and drain the tank completely then get it hooked back up, water back in, and heated back up?

Should I have small QT tank set up ahead of time to house them for a day or so until I got the DT back up and running?

Any suggestions or a strategy plan would be greatly appreciated. Here is a description of the setup.

Thanks

 

[Coxey81]

Ok, been reading through that and it makes sense.

Here is a pic of the tank. Not the best, but is what is til I see it in person I suppose.

Sand looks dirty, but may have been the type he used??? I think I'm just going to buy new sand and rinse it by your method.

I don't know exactly what type of rock he used, but I assume it's live at this point 7 months in and has all the bacteria it would need to replenish the tank quickly.

It doesn't appear to have much algae growth, but kinda hard to tell.

Any other advice will be greatly appreciated as well.

Plan to rinse the tank and try it spotless too with vinegar cleaning and rinsing agqin before adding in the rinsed sand.


Thanks again guys

 

[brandon429]

Really its a nice reef that’s a great buy it really is. That aged rock will indeed move all bacteria just fine and it will be easy to just use new sand, this is certain to work great

 

[LaloJ]

That's a great tank with some pretty nice measurements, great buy.

 

[Coxey81]

That's a great tank with some pretty nice measurements, great buy.

Thanks, the lights.and the powerheads alone pretty much cover the cost of what he is asking, so I thought it was an absolute steal.

 

[Coxey81]

Really its a nice reef that’s a great buy it really is. That aged rock will indeed move all bacteria just fine and it will be easy to just use new sand, this is certain to work great

 

[Coxey81]

Going to talk to the seller soon and on my list is to ask about whether they quarantined the fish before letting them enter the tank, dipped the coral, etc. Hoping everyone is happy and healthy, but any steps I should take if there is ich, etc?

I really don't know what to look for regarding diseases/parasites on fish, inverts, or coral or how to identify them. I do understand quarantine processes for new fish decently. But if any of them are carrying will the rock and sand be ok? Or will I need to do something regarding it as well if the fish show signs of anything?

 

[brandon429]

Valid concern. If I’m not mistaken folks in the fish disease forum would say move the acclimated setup as we’ve listed for least stress and if a breakout occurs they’d likely have us separate fish from the system, fallow the system and treat the fish in a separate setup. We wouldn’t concern if the owner did any preps, only take action if you get a breakout of some kind.

 

[Coxey81]

Valid concern. If I’m not mistaken folks in the fish disease forum would say move the acclimated setup as we’ve listed for least stress and if a breakout occurs they’d likely have us separate fish from the system, fallow the system and treat the fish in a separate setup. We wouldn’t concern if the owner did any preps, only take action if you get a breakout of some kind.

Ok thanks, hopefully the seller will have some information regarding their health and what if any steps he took when purchasing them.

 

[Coxey81]

Valid concern. If I’m not mistaken folks in the fish disease forum would say move the acclimated setup as we’ve listed for least stress and if a breakout occurs they’d likely have us separate fish from the system, fallow the system and treat the fish in a separate setup. We wouldn’t concern if the owner did any preps, only take action if you get a breakout of some kind.

Spoke with the seller. He said he didn't quarantine them, but they were all healthy and no issues. He's had them for 4 months and ordered them from saltwaterfish.com which I've heard is a very good place to order from.

Thinking just add them back to the tank and keep and eye in everything for several months or so while I learn everything. If all is good at that point Ill consider adding something else.

Here is a list of what currently is in the tank. I know the tang will out grow it at some point and have to find a new home.

Scopas tang
Lawnmower blenny
Six line wrasse
Cleaner shrimp
Coral banded shrimp
Blue damsel
Green mushroom
Xenia
Halloween crab
Mix of snails and hermit crabs

 

[brandon429]

Nice. Separate out the snails and crabs one by one and hold them separate, you’re going to need some buckets ha nice


mere relocation can kill one/ plural clean up crews and you don’t want sensitive creatures with fish, they’ll present enough load on their own


the fish as a group seem ok to move in clean settings, I really would bag - cycle some common filter floss or a sponge to place in the bucket, even if it just floats there it will help with ammonia control. Swish the rocks in that old tank water above as they are lifted out. That’s your easy rock rinse interval using perfect water. You’ll be able to move totally clean rocks now, no cycle move.

 

[Coxey81]

Nice. Separate out the snails and crabs one by one and hold them separate, you’re going to need some buckets ha nice


mere relocation can kill one/ plural clean up crews and you don’t want sensitive creatures with fish, they’ll present enough load on their own


the fish as a group seem ok to move in clean settings, I really would bag - cycle some common filter floss or a sponge to place in the bucket, even if it just floats there it will help with ammonia control. Swish the rocks in that old tank water above as they are lifted out. That’s your easy rock rinse interval using perfect water. You’ll be able to move totally clean rocks now, no cycle move.

He has alot of stuff and said I was welcome it all. So maybe he has a sponge he can soak for a few days. Plan to dose the fish bucket with bacteria though just in case.

 

[Coxey81]

Nice. Separate out the snails and crabs one by one and hold them separate, you’re going to need some buckets ha nice


mere relocation can kill one/ plural clean up crews and you don’t want sensitive creatures with fish, they’ll present enough load on their own


the fish as a group seem ok to move in clean settings, I really would bag - cycle some common filter floss or a sponge to place in the bucket, even if it just floats there it will help with ammonia control. Swish the rocks in that old tank water above as they are lifted out. That’s your easy rock rinse interval using perfect water. You’ll be able to move totally clean rocks now, no cycle move.

So you think one bucket for fish and one bucket for crabs, shrimp, and snails? Or should I do three. One fish, one small hermits and snails, and one shrimp and halloween crab?

 

[brandon429]

that first arrangement is ok just fish alone and then all the rest where clean rocks wont roll over and smash them etc, separated as conveniently as possible. if those rocks are truly swished clean and carry no detritus they will 100% not cycle in the very least, any container they ride in will be 1000% ammonia controlled for sure. the act of relocating rocks never, never kills bacteria its a harmless action as they stay wet. only the liberation of stinky mud itself would overcome them with rot, so this pre swish method + clean transport is completely skip cycle technique.


that tank isn't even dirty or a challenge, we just do this rinse step in tankwater for rocks, tap for sand because its consistent action tank to tank. yours is already totally clean above pretty much

 

[Coxey81]

that first arrangement is ok just fish alone and then all the rest where clean rocks wont roll over and smash them etc, separated as conveniently as possible. if those rocks are truly swished clean and carry no detritus they will 100% not cycle in the very least, any container they ride in will be 1000% ammonia controlled for sure. the act of relocating rocks never, never kills bacteria its a harmless action as they stay wet. only the liberation of stinky mud itself would overcome them with rot, so this pre swish method + clean transport is completely skip cycle technique.


that tank isn't even dirty or a challenge, we just do this rinse step in tankwater for rocks, tap for sand because its consistent action tank to tank. yours is already totally clean above pretty much

K, yeah he mentioned putting a rock in with the fish. As long as it doesn't seem like it could roll around and hurt them I'll probably just add one of them.

 

[brandon429]

if theyre totally detritus free and secured its a good idea, wont need a spot of bottle bac or anything if some live rock can be secured cleanly in place for the move. falling on fish was the concern yep.

 

[Coxey81]

that first arrangement is ok just fish alone and then all the rest where clean rocks wont roll over and smash them etc, separated as conveniently as possible. if those rocks are truly swished clean and carry no detritus they will 100% not cycle in the very least, any container they ride in will be 1000% ammonia controlled for sure. the act of relocating rocks never, never kills bacteria its a harmless action as they stay wet. only the liberation of stinky mud itself would overcome them with rot, so this pre swish method + clean transport is completely skip cycle technique.


that tank isn't even dirty or a challenge, we just do this rinse step in tankwater for rocks, tap for sand because its consistent action tank to tank. yours is already totally clean above pretty much

The seller was very nice and really seemed to know his stuff. He had a tank as a kid for years. But apparently covid effects his work and is working so much he doesn't have time for it. And has offered me everything he's has. Including RODI filter and mixing station with two Rubbermaid trash cans. About 4000 worth of equipment, etc.

 

[Coxey81]

if theyre totally detritus free and secured its a good idea, wont need a spot of bottle bac or anything if some live rock can be secured cleanly in place for the move. falling on fish was the concern yep.

Got my rodi water, got it in a trash can and mixed. Salanity looks good. Heater is working and up to the right temp. Got bubblers for the the trip tomorrow and K have a dual probe temp monitor that I can keep an eye on the temp on the trip. Gonna set up the buckets with them shortly. New sand is rinsed and ready to go. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Coxey81]

if theyre totally detritus free and secured its a good idea, wont need a spot of bottle bac or anything if some live rock can be secured cleanly in place for the move. falling on fish was the concern yep.

 

[brandon429]

cant wait to see it unfold back into the new setup!

 

[Coxey81]

cant wait to see it unfold back into the new setup!

Thanks, was an extremely long day.

9 hours of driving, breaking down tank, moving critters. Reaclimating them, etc.

The seller was very nice, but for some reason he decided to take apart all the sump piping and take everything out. On the drive home I knew there was no way I would be able to get it back together and everyone acclimated and back in. So I stopped and got a hang on the back protein skimmer. Water is pretty clear, was very clear till I added some of his water at the end. Still doesn't look bad though.

Going to start tomorrow with cleaning the sump and getting everything hooked back up. But figure this would work for the night. Everyone survived the trip and seems ok for the moment. Had the lights on and everyone was swimming around, but now that I've cut them off they have chilled seem to be hiding and resting.

His tank had a decent amount of algae on the sand and floating I the water on the sump was turned off. I feel like he may have added to much to fast. And I need to check Nitrate and phosphate levels.

I've decided to just let the coral go. It was two small frags and they looked pretty bad when I got home. I felt like it would be best to focus on the fish and getting the tank get balanced well and learning how to maintain it and the fish for now. Then later I'll add coral back.

I hated to do it, but seemed like the best idea for the fish and myself. Just gonna run with the lights off for now to not stimulate algae growth and then once the tank is balance and I know what I'm doing I turn them back on.

Any advice is always appreciated. Thanks again.

cant wait to see it unfold back into the new setup!

So I check amonia and N02 and N03 levels this morning using red sea test kit.

Amonia is reading 0.2ppm

NO2 nothing

NO3 about 3-4 ppm.

This was after using about 34 gallons of new water and about 6 gallons of his old water.

Everything still appears ok. He had (I have) alot of hermit and snails in there along with the 4 fish and three shrimp. All this was added in 4 months. I don't know if he every had it cycled well or if my kit is just reading high.

I checked the amonia of his water that I had left that has been in a bucket with some left over live rock almost a danow and it's reading around 0.1

Should I be worried?

Right now I'm gonna work on getting throdi system set up so I can do a water change if needed and get the sump running. Then I'll check it again afterw words.