New tank.... HOW?!?

[Rollman]

That’s funny most of my clients are PG Co, I live in Annapolis

 

[Rollman]

Tyler told me about this place if you know him from MD

 

[cracker]

Shoot, I'm in Florida but ready for a road trip. I'll even buy the pizza !
seriously though, It's not that big of a job just plan it out well before & have everything ya think You might need on hand.
Most important we need progression pics of the whole job !

 

[WandaMay]

When we did our tank transfer we used coolers to house the coral and fish. The coolers seem to help maintain the water temperature even though it took us 8 hours to move the old 75 and fill the new 210 tank. It was a long stressful day for us but it all worked out and we didn't lose any inhabitants

 

[Cherub]

I set up a 30 gallon and used existing tank water and stuck my fish and frags in there and used a brute for the rock and then set up the new tank. Helps if you build the stand first before ripping down the old one of course. Good luck and congrats! Red Sea Reefers FTW! I have a 625xxl

 

[Dj City]

I got the green light to purchase the tank. I will be the ownerof a red sea 625xxl!!!

I will be planning before purchasing. I want to buld a manifold and hard plumb the return.
I want to build a cabinet within the cabinet for my Apex that I'm getting with the tank.
I think I want a more powerful return pump (jeabo 20000).

I don't think I need ne lights but I wonder if I need a 4th OR Artic T247?

I wonder what else I might need.

I will start a build thread when the time comes.

@Cherub
Direct me to your buld thread. How do you like the 625xxl?

 

[samnaz]

I did something similar last summer. Had a 60g cube, wanted to break it down and put up a 140g peninsula, occupying the same floor space.

The way outlined above, moving everything to tubs, then to the new tank, would likely work... but. I was afraid that, increasing the size dramatically, as I was, that I would be in for an ammonia/nitrite/nitrate startup cycle. I ended up taking a different path.

I picked up a cheap 55g tank, slightly smaller than the 60 I already had, and moved everything from the 60 to the 55, positioned out of the way of the new tank. I did use a few barrels, including one of new mix salt water, but everything else came over. Siphoned off the water into a barrel, as close to the top of the sand bed as I could. Put all of the rock, fish, corals, etc into these tubs full of existing reef water. I then moved the sand bed, with a new, clean dustpan, stirring as little as possible... and I LEFT IT ALONE for an hour or so, just wet sand, enough water to cover it. Let it settle, before adding anything else. I then added the rock, corals, and as much of the clear water I had from the original tank as I could, topping it off with fresh mix salt, probably less than 10%, to keep me from pumping in stuff that was full of sediment.

So, old tank empty, stuff in a reasonably solid holding tank, lit, heated, good flow... there it sat, for like 5 months. I set up the new tank, got it plumbed, water tested, cleaned... new sand, new rock, and started the cycle. Just as you would with any new tank. In this case, I used Red Sea's reef mature kits... I'd never tried them, and wanted to see how it worked. Worked great, but it's way expensive for a larger tank, and unnecessary. I don't recommend it. Anyway, got a fully established bio filter going, nice and stable, in the new tank, and THEN I transferred corals and fish to the new tank. I also moved a few pieces of live rock, most of it ended up in the sump, since I didn't really want any more rock in the display. Broke down and got rid of the 55 and the old sand, and the few bits of rock remaining.

Long slow process, yes indeed, but IMHO, it was the best way to go. I didn't loose any fish, I lost 1 coral, probably due to the crappy light I was using over the 55g holding tank... and that was it.

Rule 1 in reefing: Nothing good happens fast. Take your time.

you always give the best advice, thanks greybeard

 

[Dj City]

This is what I'm working with now..
Not great pics but you get the idea.

 

[Dj City]

These pics are with the blues on 15% and the whites on 5%

 

[Dj City]

white at 35% for slightly better visuals.

 

[Brian W]

Any thoughts on the above post?

Sell the t247's to me and buy the ReefBreeders Photon v2+
;Cat

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

I know lol I will shammed for this, but I hate tank moves they stress me out toooo much. So if I decide to do a tank move aka from my 240 into a 400, (still chewing on that but still just don’t want to) there is no way I’m going to do the move. If I do this move, I’m so hiring my local fish shop who will send like a crew of 4 people and they can do it lol. I put money aside from pay checks just for such an occurrence. Plus as they do it, I can kinda control how things go, plus if something major happens they have the means right now to fix any problem for the most part. I inquired about this about a week ago and it’s only going to be 600 for them to move it, not including more rock sand and water which is a given. When you weigh lol 88 pounds, moving a five gallon barrel of water is almost half of me. I moved 12 last night and it kicked my hieny. But just a thought, that by the time you buy all this extra stuff for the move, you can hire them to do it, and they have everything.

 

[Dj City]

@Jimmy Lee
I might just do that!

 

[Brian W]

Hello,

I know lol I will shammed for this, but I hate tank moves they stress me out toooo much. So if I decide to do a tank move aka from my 240 into a 400, (still chewing on that but still just don’t want to) there is no way I’m going to do the move. If I do this move, I’m so hiring my local fish shop who will send like a crew of 4 people and they can do it lol. I put money aside from pay checks just for such an occurrence. Plus as they do it, I can kinda control how things go, plus if something major happens they have the means right now to fix any problem for the most part. I inquired about this about a week ago and it’s only going to be 600 for them to move it, not including more rock sand and water which is a given. When you weigh lol 88 pounds, moving a five gallon barrel of water is almost half of me. I moved 12 last night and it kicked my hieny. But just a thought, that by the time you buy all this extra stuff for the move, you can hire them to do it, and they have everything.

Hiring an LFS is a great idea!!

 

[Dj City]

It is a great idea but an expensive one when taking into account I'm about to drop upward of 4 grand.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Well if you think about it, tank aside it’s about equal really. Those rubber maid thingies, are almost 100 as is, which you will need 2 or 3, so let’s say that is 250 to make it easy, plus you will need to buy extra heaters at 40 a piece, we will say you have one, so there is another 80 so we are at 330. Then gas and time to move all new extra water and sand and rock etc. Plus if your taking off of work, a days wage so what ever that is. Plus now you will need either 3 or 6 power heads which wal mart is pretty cheap their cheapest is 20, so if it’s 3 that’s 60 or 6 120. So now we are 410 and or at 470. So 190 really in extra is not that much and they do all the work and guarante their work. Now what happens if you have an emergency, are your not quick enough to make the move as a single person, are you will to risk 5,000 or more in fish and corals to save 190? Just s thought I’m doing the same thing here soon, from my 240 to a 400. I would seriously need my head examined lol if I did this on my own.

Regardless of your choice, I would always help if needed that’s what we are here for.

 

[Dj City]

Looking at it like that, it makes sense.

I just might go to petsmart or Petco and buy the largest tank they have in stock. Use it for a few days as I get the new tank up and running then return the tank and get my money back.
Shady I know but it's a way to rent a tank temporarily.
Besides, those two pet stores are horrible where it comes to fish.