55g to 125g Upgrade completed

[jrod738776]

Well after my new 150g tank breaking I finally got a hold of another larger tank, this one only 125g though. My existing tank was a 55 gallon that I transferred over to the new 125 this past weekend. This is an in wall build but not all of the cosmetic pieces are completed on it, but the tank is up and running with no signs of issues. I went with 3 250w metal halides and 6ft VHO super actinics. For the skimmer I went with a Reef Octopus Diablo after seeing Bobby's and how much he liked it. All the fish seem healthy, looking forward to adding some new ones now that I have more real estate. A lot of my SPS don't seem to be doing well however. I'm hoping they recover as a lot of the corals have come from you guys on the forums (A lot from Bobby). I'm not sure why they look so bad, I made sure all of the parameters were the same as they were in the 55g. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[psusocr]

ive learned when transferring tanks , unless the other tank is set up and established for a bit of time, a complete transfer will cause some problems and you will loose some corals. There's a lot going on there that you don't realize. You stirred up a lot , could have caused a bloom, or if you did a straight transfer there will be the whole issue with the tank not being established enough yet. Hang in there and keep watching them closely.. How did you transfer everything?

 

[jrod738776]

I put new sand in then filled the majority of the tank with fresh saltwater. I added live rock I bought and had sitting in a spare tank. Then I started to bring over the live rock from my existing display tank as I wanted these on top since they had corals on them. Id put them in buckets along with water from the tank and put them in, and also the water from the old tank. I did this until all of the rock was transferred then I did the same with the fish and inverts and any corals on the sandbed. All of my live rock has been established and I probably used 30-40 gallons of the water from the old tank.

 

[CaptHook]

I agree with Bobby,give it some time and things should come around.I was glad to read yr the vho and mh kinda guy(as I was too) When things clear up maybe we could see a couple pics,I really like the longer tank setups,aside from the height.My next tank may be a 100 gallon,or maybe a large breeder tank (50 gal)gd luck with yr new setup

 

[psusocr]

I put new sand in then filled the majority of the tank with fresh saltwater. I added live rock I bought and had sitting in a spare tank. Then I started to bring over the live rock from my existing display tank as I wanted these on top since they had corals on them. Id put them in buckets along with water from the tank and put them in, and also the water from the old tank. I did this until all of the rock was transferred then I did the same with the fish and inverts and any corals on the sandbed. All of my live rock has been established and I probably used 30-40 gallons of the water from the old tank.

There will be a HUGE difference IMO, with new sand new rock new water etc. etc.. You wouldn't think so but even taking a whole entire tank down and putting all of its contents into a new tank will cause some issues right from the start.. They will clear up but its going to need some time. You will loose some pieces but hopefully only a few..

In the future , and if you have the time, its much better to get the tank up and running for awhile , let its bacteria population start etc. before transferring any corals..

When I build a new house in the future , I plan to let a tank establish itself for a few months before transferring anything so I don't loose corals.

 

[jrod738776]

Bobby not sure what kind of new tank you could possibly get to outdo your current one, but I sure can't wait to see that. I do see your points though, and if I lose a lot of corals I only have myself to blame. I'm going to have to start setting aside money for a coral fund in case I lose a lot and need to restock.

I will try and upload some pics this weekend. I am going to change the aquascaping around a bit as I have been very busy and it is pretty much just rock mounds. Also going to try and finish the molding and trim work to make the display side much nicer.

 

[jrod738776]

Heres a crappy iphone pic. I will take better pics with camera this weekend after I actually aquascape it how I want it.

 

[IdahoCindy]

I just did the exact same tank transfer - went from a 55 to a 125. The new tank had all new RO/DI water and a few new pieces of old, dry, dead liverock. I made sure the salinity, temp and pH were close and went for it! I was so scared. The only thing that slimed a bit and went white around the edges was a Monti Cap but it looks like it's recovering. A tiny frag of SPS might not make it. Otherwise, all is well! I can't believe it, really. My lights had gone bad in the 55 causing me do the switch sooner than I'd liked. The new lights are much brighter than the old ones but no one is complaining. Whew!

 

[jrod738776]

Here are some pics...

 

[jrod738776]

 

[jrod738776]

 

[psusocr]

Looks good!!!

 

[jrod738776]

Thanks Bobby. In some of the pics you can see some of my SPS pieces. They are hard to spot because they blend in with the rock as they have lost all of their color. I'm not feeling too optimistic about them making it.

 

[jrod738776]

Just ordered an Apex Lite package, pretty excited to finally get a controller. SPS still aren't looking too good.

 

[Breadman03]

Just ordered an Apex Lite package, pretty excited to finally get a controller. SPS still aren't looking too good.

I have a full Apex in the mail right now.

You're tank is going to be sweet. Did you ever get rid of that cracked tank?

 

[jrod738776]

Yea i got rid of it, still lost out on a good chunk of money...but that's my fault. Got a big tank up n running now so it's all good.

 

[MBC2012]

Looks great. Hard part is over

 

[jrod738776]

If my SPS don't make it, or some at least, how long would you give it before trying to add new pieces? Tank is looking awfully bare!

 

[psusocr]

I would give it the length of a full cycle again IMO..

 

[jrod738776]

Yea I was definitely going to give it some time. Especially with a few vacations until the end of summer I'd figure sometime after those I would get some.