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Moving....again :(

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rwgoose View Drop Down
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    Posted: August 06 2014 at 8:47am
I just moved to Lehi in December and did a piss poor job of doing so. I lost three fish and at least four corals. This time around i have enlisted the help of A Reef Oasis to baby sit my fish and corals while I get my tank back up and running and try to push through that mini cycle you get. I have tons of totes to move rocks, water and sand. I plan on rinsing the sand extensively and keeping the rocks in water. Hoping to clean the tank, pumps, sump and skimmer while I do this. Also trying to keep about 40 gallons of water, 90 gallon display with 55 sump. After rock and sand probably only about 80 to 100 gallons of actual water in the system. Any suggestions or thoughts on what I may have missed in this. i really dont want to lose fish or corals again!
getting fishy??
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Molli View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Molli Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 10:03am

I'd suggest you run a phosphate remove immediately when you start up the new tank.


Do you plan to use RO water when you rinse your sand? 

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BobC63 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BobC63 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 11:25am

 - Set aside 1 or 2 cups of 'dirty sand' submerged in a little tank water to 'seed' the sandbed. Thoroughly rinse the rest. I don't think you need to use RO water to rinse the sand; I have rinsed sand off in a tupperware container in my kitchen sink and then used it immediately many times

 - I would not try and salvage 40g of water. Set aside 5g of old water, that is all you will need to 'seed' the new water
 
 - Yes, keep the rocks submerged while you move. If more than 24 hours between taking the tank down and re - setting it up in the new place, then add a powerhead to the tote with the live rock in it
 
 - Cleaning all the equipment in between is a good idea, just don't use soap (bleach is OK if you need it)
 
 - Keep fish and corals in a seperate tote from the live rock. Discard all water from these totes when you are done (do not add back into the tank)
 
 - If you have a sufficient amount of live rock then you should not get any 'mini cycle' when moving the tank. You may get a short - lived (a day or 2) bacterial bloom that may make your water a little cloudy.
 
 - Run carbon and pO4 remover immediately after the move. If you have a refugium in your sump then leave the light over the fuge on for the first 48 hrs to help the macroalgae eat up any potential harmful byproducts
 
 - Since the weather outside is warm, you should not expect to lose any livestock during this move
 
 
- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -

* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rwgoose Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 5:54pm
thanks for the tips. i was planning to keep about a quart of live sand to seed and rinse the rest with tap. to clean everything i was just going to do a vinegar clean. fish and corals are going to a reef oasis tomorrow. and i was planning on running carbon and phosguard to help "clean" things up. but you say not to save to much water.. just a few gallons.. but not the water the rock was in.. i am going to try your method since mine last time didnt fair to well. 5 gallons saved and rest fresh.. the rocks will most likely be over night in a bucket.. 
getting fishy??
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rwgoose View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rwgoose Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 5:55pm
oh question.. rinsing the sand with a hose?? good or bad idea??
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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 11:39pm
Rinsing LS with the garden hose is not a problem, but...
Too much rinsing is not good. One rinse is plenty. Remove loose crud from the LS but don't wash off or kill all the bacteria worms and bugs with a lot of fresh water. Also immediately after rinsing, place the LS into the new tank covered with saltwater. For that size tank I usually save 2 gallons of of LS with all it's crud, worms and bugs. The crud/detritus is actually mostly made up of clumps of bacteria. Those 1-2 gals of old sand, when spread across the top of the rinsed sand and pushed down to the bottom in a few spots, help re-start good biological filtration. Did you know that different kinds of bacteria live at various layers of the sand bed? Conditions of pH, O2, CO2, nutrients, etc. change significantly in the gradient from bottom LS to top LS.

Oh, also move the LS in tubs with no more than 5 inches of sand per tub and enough water to just cover the sand. When LS is moved in buckets, the bottom half suffocates and dies, especially if it sits in the bucket for more than an hour.

Live Rock
If LR is moved and held overnight in tubs, coolers, etc., rather than buckets, with enough water to just cover, even without a powerhead, it will fare much better. It has to do with gas exchange. Poor gas exchange occurs in a LR filled bucket. It leads to low pH and low pH is a killer.

Anytime LR is taken out of the water, air fills into the holes, even the tiny holes where worms and bacteria live. If the air remains, the organisms die and cause pollution. When moving LR, if it can be kept submerged the entire time it won't miss a beat. Move the LR into a small bucket under water in the tank. Lift the bucket with LR and water and place it in the moving tub which already has water enough to cover the LR.

If it's not possible to do the above procedure, then the next best thing is to move it very quickly from tank to tub and tub to tank. Each time it is submerged, both in the moving tub and then in the new tank it is crucial to shake, twist and turn the LR. This allows as much of the air as possible to empty out of the holes and pores.

Coral
Coral can go mostly in it's own tub but can also go in the tubs with the LR to help keep certain colonies separated so they don't fight and kill each other.

Fish
Fish can do okay when spread out in the LR tubs, or placed in their own tub like Bob suggests.

Algae
Last but in no way least, the role of algae in biofiltration is greatly undervalued. Moving a tank is almost like starting a new tank. The larger the amount of Chaetomorpha and Caulerpa that is added to the newly moved tankm right in the display, the better it will fare. When algae is well illuminated, it eats pollution (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphate) like crazy.

Bob mentioned leaving the Refugium light on for 48 hours. I say put it on a 20-24 hour photoperiod for 2 weeks. Sometimes it's a good idea to leave the tank lights on continuously for 2-5 days as well. This accelerates the growth of Macro and soft algae on the glass. Don't scrape it off. Leave it to eat pollution.

I have been using Macroalgae and extolling its amazing ability to filter water for many years on this forum, yet it is still surprising to me how little value is ascribed to this misunderstood and under-appreciated organism.

I probably spent more time writing this than I should, I'm in trouble for not coming to bed, but if the advice in this entire thread is followed, the move will be a success. Also check the Tank Moving discussions linked in the Reefkeeping Tips http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244

Aloha.
Mark  Hug


Edited by Mark Peterson - August 07 2014 at 12:08am
Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:
www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244
Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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