Bad news, important tank decisions to make, need help

[ojonas81]

So got some really bad news today. Had the annual termite inspection today and the house itself is good BUT the tank stand is not. It has a nice little colony living in it. They took some samples and will confirm after lab test next week but not looking good. Only way of fixing it is to take the stand outside and treat it. That means the tank ha to come down. :-(

At first I was upset but then I started to think. Maybe this is an opportunity to correct some mistakes done with this build and do things a little different next time around. The tank has to come down regardless and that leaves me with two options as far as handling the corals and fish.

1. I talk to one of my LFS and see if they want to store it for me. Or at the very least, take in the stuff and sell it and give me a credit. I prefer storing.

2. I set up a small sumpless tank that will run the skimmer, heater, circulation and CA+Alk dosing. I frag as much of the corals as I can and store them in there along with maybe a few fish I want to save, mainly my very healthy and frozen mysis eating Copperband, as well as my clam. The rest of the fish either has to be stored at a LFS/friend or being sold off/donated.

I would prefer to do option 2 as I can control the corals but will it work with no skimmer? Any input here would be helpful.

As for the tank, I am debating if I should sell it and get a new one. I am not too thrilled about the huge space the overflow is taking up. A new tank would have a ghost overflow style gaining a lot of real estate to work with which is exiting.

A new stand would be needed and this time I will have it made out of metal instead. Just need to find someone to build it.

Anyone having any suggestions on how to handle this mess I have not mentioned?

I will put up new tank shots soon as well. Ironically the tank is doing great at the moment. Go figure...


Build thread

 

[Cliving1]

Buy a new stand that matches your setup and swap out the stand? I dont see why you would have to change anything but the stand. Why do you have termites in the stand an nowhere else? Seems odd. But I'm no expert.

 

[lolgranny]

Let me ask, can they just treat the stand of it? I'd assume it's hard as you would have to make sure the tank/ sump was covered completely.

On a GOOD note, your house is ok! Have to think of that.

If it was me and I couldn't get it treated I would definitely setup a temp tank in the garage and redo it how I'd want considering the things you don't like about it


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[FullBoreReefer]

Are termites bad in Florida? Annual inspections?

Wow, I’ve only had one when I was purchasing my home, and then 10yrs later when I sold it and the new buyers wanted it done and paid for it. It was all good, but does that make me a bad homeowner? Haha

 

[ojonas81]

Buy a new stand that matches your setup and swap out the stand? I dont see why you would have to change anything but the stand. Why do you have termites in the stand an nowhere else? Seems odd. But I'm no expert.

Easier said than done. In order to so that the tank still has to be completely emptied, drained and everything removed. The key points from my original post was that I wasn't happy with the current tank and the layout/setup. It is not that I wouldn't have to change ge anything but the stand but that I want to do that. This would also be the only opportunity to paint the wall behind the tank as well.

As for termites, I I'm no expert on that so cannot answer your question. I can speculate, and one reason could be that the only major wood inside the house are furniture and the stand is the easiest to settle in. The house has metal studs. My guess is that the termites came in with the stand itself and never left.

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[ojonas81]

Let me ask, can they just treat the stand of it? I'd assume it's hard as you would have to make sure the tank/ sump was covered completely.

On a GOOD note, your house is ok! Have to think of that.

If it was me and I couldn't get it treated I would definitely setup a temp tank in the garage and redo it how I'd want considering the things you don't like about it


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They can treat the stand, but it has to be done outdoors and the whole stand. Since the tank sits on it, it would have to be removed. At this point the stand is a liability for me. Who knows if it is structurally sound anymore?

I am leaning towards a temporary tank for the corals at least, but it has to be without a sump. It also has to be inside the house due to fluctuations in temperature in a Florida garage this time of the year and no space. We use the garage to park our cars in it. ;-)

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