<a href="http://s581.photobucket.com/albums/ss255/therum1/Tank/?action=view¤t=SNC10855.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss255/therum1/Tank/SNC10855.jpg" border="0" alt="Zoes"></a>
Be sure and keep thease palys safe, they look like they could be stunners under right light... Want me to "hold" them for ya ?
Depending on the drive it looks like a smokin deal IMO. Great shaped rocks and well covered with coraline. I also love that swirling looking purple thing. The big overgrown grey looking damsel will need to be tossed out on the roadside... uhhh, I meant found a home... he looks like a old damsel anyways that has turned dull and very mean.
I seriousley have a freind in the market for a FW set up but not sure if this is to big or not. Also I may be interested in the light if it fits square pin bulbs for a fuge light.
The sump looks like its sweet with baffels already in place so it should sell fast alone if you don't use it.
I would put the fish in a big cooler if you have one to keep temps stable and I have one of those cheap battery powered air pumps from the fishing dept. at walmart that runs an airstone. I used it getting fish from chattanoga and east tn before and had no issues. I know 2 reefers who both lost big fish traveling so I would invest in a pump or borrow one (they are like under $20 I think and I use mine in power outages also)
Depending on your frag load since the re set up I would almost just see if someone can just stick em on a frag rack in there tank till your tank is set up and going smooth. But then the new things you are getting... hmmm. Lot less stress than keeping params and all in a 10 and dealing with a tank build. I could hold them and let ya borrow the air pump but we are about 30 mins apart. It would be great if you had something like a 29 to put your stuff in since all the new corals comming will not fit a 10 for sure.
I have a 55 set up with 4 VHO's empty you can borrow if you wanna come get it. You can Have it up and running with frag racks built to keep stuff off the bottom and go bare bottom so you can vacume the crud comming out of the new corals attatched to the rocks and you should have enouph bio for the fish also that way.Throw some chunks of the clean LR in and have a nice little holding reef to work slowley and not rush the display.
FWIW I would not use the old sand for many reasons. #1 being its a phoshate dump and will only give you problems down the road even if well rinced. Been there done that.
I would use play sand before I re used old "good stuff" IMO. It don't actually buffer the water till your PH is so loww your tank would be in trouble anyways so I think "live sand" and arraganite sand is somewhat a misused selling feature. You can siphone off the top 1 " or so before you mess with anything then swish and dump the dirty crud out a few times with the tank water, cover with tank water and use that amount only to seed with. All the benificial critters will be only in the first few inches anyways, lower than that its an anerobic enviroment and critters can't survive but it has its own benifits as far as a DSB goes but I am getting way off track here!
Ditto Norman, Bag corals seperate in a big ziplock unless its attatched to a big rock. Zoas should be fine if they can't be removed. But things stress out and slim when moved and can nuke each other if all dumped in one big tub. I personally like to cover my rock with water but thats just me. Wet towels will keep most alive and definetly the bacteria but you will loose some pods and worms thaat way but its no real big deal. I use a big rubbermaid tub (40 gall) with a large footprint, put it in the trunk of my SUV and a little water. Put rock in as low and thin a layer as possiable and then cover with water from the tank keeping it well enouph from the top to not splash out while stopping. It it all can't be submerged thats when I use a "CLEAN" not full of fabric softner towels to cover the rest. The sloshing of the 1/2 full water will keep the towels real wet and the critters have a pool of water to jump down to if they are stranded up on higher ground.
After you get home reverse the load plan by empyt water first into a bucket to a tub, then carry rock and then dump rest of water into driveway. Have tub sitting infront of holding tank and let it warm to room temp the same as the tank water with no heater as long as the home is relativly warm. This can take a few hours or throw a small heater in the rock you just carried in to warm it to tank temps its going in. THEN put the new rock in holding tank.....AFTER you set up another tub of water to SRUB it in
.
I know a little anal here. Just best to kill yourself getting the rock clean and pest free before you put it in the display if you are not gonna cook it first. The rock will need a good stiff toothbrush scrubbing and don't be shy, scrub it good and get all cracks to blow out all the built up crap. Use a bright light to see good and pick any stray alage offf that is on the display rock if any made it up from the fuge. I set up a maxijet 1200 in the final rinse tub to blow out the rock real good. I saw a few pest anemonies. I found they tended to loose there ability to hold onto the rock when they were cold so look it over good before you warm the rock up to pick off any you find. If in doubt, pick it off I say. I guarentee its not some super rare, neat undiscovered zoanthid
. So don't leave it to only give you trouble later.... Been there and don't that with hydroids!! (aww, look at those cute tiny fluffy things.... I will be carefull and leave them.....)
Wow, I am a welth of unsolicited gabbing!! Kido is up so hope this big blog helps some. Oh If you take an ice cube and hold it right on a tulip anemonie if will let its foot go and can be picked off in one peice. Aptasia kinda retract all the way in the rock and it doesn't work as good on them but try freezing off the bad stuff. Leaving the tiniest peice of foot will only grow anothe one so chunk off a dab of the ock under it if you can not get the whole animal off.
I have many tubbs if you need them also. LMk Good luck!!
