question for atnixon?

yothereyo

yothereyo

just fishing
Nov 18, 2006
208
1
0
UK, England, Hampshire
alright mate, just a quick question.

I just like to know what are your plans for moving your tank on to your new cabinet. I know we mentioned somthing before on a few threads ago, it's just that i should have my new cabinet coming soon, i have a small idea but would like to know how are you going about with yours.

sorry if i did'nt pm you, but i would like others to read and learn to.

thanks mate
 
Hey there buddy...

Well, at the moment, the plan is probably subject to change..

1) Pre-mix 2 55 gal barrels of salt water for 48 Hours
2) Move livestock and live rock into one of the containers
3) Drain 50% of existing tank water into another container
4) Dump 30% of water ( leave 20% in for live sand )
5) Remove old tank from location and remove equipment
6) Move new system into location, connect all plumbing, fit any equipment to display tank
7) Fill new tank 1/3 full and lay new sand bed plus a few lbs of live sand from top of old sand bed ( when old water used, start with new saltwater)
8) Fill 3/4 full, get live rock into tank and aquascape to how i want it to be.
9) Get deep sand and live rock rubble into sump and fill with water to minimum level
10) Fill display tank to correct level and start the sump return, heater and skimmer, fill up with saltwater as needed
11) Give it a couple of hours to settle down and top off with salt water and relax with a few beers, then do water tests to make sure everything is spot on
12) Get livestock back into display tank and leave lights off for the rest of the day ( if any of the day is left ) and night to allow them to settle in and aquire new territory
13) Morning after, lights will come on as usual and normal tank routine starts.


That i suppose sums it up basically. Obviously, its a little more involved than what i typed here, but i hope it gives you a little bit of an idea on my process of moving to new tank.

Niko
 
new cabinent

hey atnixon. i was just reading on how you are going to swap new tanks and i was wondering if you could give me a few pointers. I am going to build myself a new cabinent to fit a new custom sump in there. I have a 55gl tank that im am moving on top of it. My questions are:

1. Can I add new sand on top of my old sand bed and how long will that need to be cycled?
2. What kind of containers are you using to mix the new salt water?

And if you could give any advice on this it would be greatly appreciated.
 
I know I'm not Niko but I could possibly answer your questions:

1. Yes - you can add new sand on top of your old sand. Though, you need to keep a couple of things in mind: Only add a little sand at a time and make sure to stir the bed up a little to get the new and old sand mixed up. Don't completely do the entire bed at once ... I prefer to do a section (maybe a fourth of the bed's surface area) a day, give it a few days for it to settle down and then move on to the next section. One thing you absolutely do not want to do is simply add the new sand on top of your old sand. This will effectively suffocate all the critters and beneficial bacteria in your old sand. The reason I prefer to only add a little at a time and spread out the whole process out is you don't want to create a spike in your params due to the new sand. Just out of curiosity, do you have any livestock in your tank right now?

2. You can use any rubbermaid containers for mixing/storing salt water. Those work really well for me.

I'm sure if Niko wants to add something, he'll shout out :)

Cheers!
Yash
 
Hey. I am currently going to switch new cabinents. Adding a sump to my system with the cabinent as well. So if you guys have any advice on how to sucessfully move my tank onto a new cabinent and what to do in the process please feel free to share. Adding new sand isn't for sure for me. As for my livestock in my tank:

Copperbanded butterfly fish
Mandarin Goby
2 Green Chromis
Blue Tang (hippo)
10 red legged hermit crabs
3-5 Scarlet Hermit Crabs
Sponge Crab
2 Queen Conch
10 Astrea Snails
5 Blackfoot Trochus Snails
5 Black Snails
Mushroom Coral
 
Hey Yash...Cheers for the input buddy..

Main thing i want to say is that i dont want to use the existing sand bed is because obviously over time, there is so much crap and gunk that gets built up in the sand..Have you ever smelt the sand when you have taken it out? It stinks big style..So, i prefer to use a new sand bed with some live sand off the top few centimetres..I know all the beficial bacteria will get left behind, but it will seed again from the bit of live that i am transfering over..There are loads of arguments as to whether an existing sand bed should be transfered if you search the net, but, after reading up on it, this is how i have decided to do this.

Yash pretty much says it all for the question on rubbermaid containers...

Bloo..You will probably be doing the move in pretty much the same routine as me, as what i listed in the other reply..But, this go to not just Bloo or Yothere, any questions you may have on my move, when i do it, by all means shout up and we can all get it on the boards here..

After all, that is what Aquaria Central is all about..Sharing experience, helping others to achieve a goal and help them out of a sticky situation when one arrises..

Niko
 
atnixon.......that sounds like a good plan, i was thinking along the same lines but i wont be adding sump/refuge for a little while, but when you say that you are adding more sand, is it safe to sython out the old sand and then adding it again without killing the bactria what are your thoughts on this..
 
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Hiya mate..

I want to go for new sand as i still have bits of my old crushed coral in there..

A lot of debating issues around on the subject of moving your existing sand bed when going to a new tank..But, i think its best to start with a new sand bed and just a little of the existing live sand...

Niko
 
hey, but the thing is im not moving into a new tank. I am moving onto a new cabinent. So I am keeping the tank i currently have. So is it actually okay to take out my old sand or something like that. By doing so wouldnt it ruin my cycle and i have to start all over and if i so where am i going to keep my livestock?

Sorry to be a nudge about this again, but i believe this wasnt quite answered? How do you guys keep you sand bed so clean off of debris?

Thanks guys
 
Hiya, sorry your question has not really been answered...But, i shall now for you mate..

As you are only moving to a new stand, all you will do is syphon half your water into a container, remove fish and rock to container, drain rest of water out untill tank is light enough to be moved by hand ( try to leave enough water to keep sand covered )...Then, swap stands over, fill half way back up with new saltwater, install rock, fill up to cover rock with existing water, wait for an hour to settle down then put fish and inverts etc etc back in the tank..Leave lights off for the rest of the day so the fish can regain new territory's etc etc

To clean the sand, i syphon the sand bed through a tube with a filter ( pair of tights actually ) at the other end of tube, then i can put the sand back in and its clean..replace with new saltwater...Its best to this when you do a water change as you dont really want to be putting the water back in..

If this has not answered your questions, please shout up again..

Hope this helps

Niko
 
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