couldn't find answers to setup ???'s

[gpkozmp]

Okay well I will be moving in a few weeks and I am looking at going from a 40 gallon breeder to a 100 gallon tank, those are not including the water in the sump's.

My question is I have some sand in my 40 along with rock, fish, and coral's. I am assuming that I am going to have to do a cycle of course but how long should it take?

Or would I be okay just filling the 100 and adding all that stuff?

I am going to need my skimmer and pumps for my 100 gallon so I am kinda stuck on what I am going to do. I really would just like to put everything into my 100 gallon and go with that but I am not sure I am able to do so. I am not sure if this sums up all of my situation but if you have question's ask.

Thank you for your help.

 

[MRICKEN1012]

what type of coral do you have?

Ive moved tanks many times and never lost anything. I normally only keep like 40% or less of the water so If your able to keep all the water and move to 100g you shouldnt have any problems

I think it really depends on what type of coral you have. The stress of moving, new tank, and new lighting could be too much. If you have some expensive coral, the risk may not be worth it and you might want to just set the 40g up and cycle the 100g. Which isnt that bad of an idea anyways, since you prob dont have enough rock and sand to fill a 100g. So you can kinda get a fresh start with new sand and a couple new pieces of live rock.

 

[gpkozmp]

Yeah I was thinking about just getting some more wood and masking the stand of the
40B, and then just letting the 100 cycle. I am getting some live rock this saturday from someone who is taking down their tank so I will have that much. I am not sure I am wanting to go with a ton of LR In the tank but a good amount.

As far as sand goes, once it is in the bag, how long is it good for? I have heard that it kinda has an expiration date on it but I am not sure of that....as far as Live Sand goes. I Just really want to set up my 100 but if I need to hold off for a little bit I can most likely do that. I know that the water goes in first, then rock, and then sand. Let it sit over night and then check my parameter's to see where it is at, Right?

All in all I am going to most likely just let the 100 sit filled and then just let it hang out for a while. Should I run my light's and my skimmer? Thank you for your help.

 

[MRICKEN1012]

if your going to go that route I would put your sand and most of your rock in the 100g and let it cycle, i think that would be your best bet. You will get a spike when you move the sand. But like I said ive moved tanks a few times and put all my livestock in right away and never had any problems.

as far as shelf life on sand I have no idea. To me sand is sand, and if most the bacteria dies off, the longer it will take to cycle. Even if the sand used wasnt live, your lr will bring it to life. haha

 

[gpkozmp]

cool thanks for the help. I just have to get all my plumbing and stuff and a sump built here soon. I will keep things updated on my build thread when I start things up again.

 

[murfman]

How far is the move? If you can get over there and set up the 100 and get things started then you can move the 40. I always put my sand in 1st then put a plate on top of it and add water. If you have to add sand after the tank is set up, use a 2" piece of PVC and pour the sand down it, keeping the sand storm to a minimum. If you can have the 100 set up and add the rock you are getting from Lynn, on Sat, you should see no cycle at all. I wouldn't waste my money on live sand in the bag, dry sand will get you a lot more substrate and it will become live soon enough.

 

[gpkozmp]

I have had sand sitting around that I bought last year in the bags still that I was planning on using I need to still pull the tank out of the garage and make sure nothing happened to the seems after the 2 winter's and a summer we have had...I am not sure if the weather would damage the tank any.

 

[Jerry Gonzales]

I moved in Jan. of 02 and it was pretty darn cold. I lost almost evrything out of my 75g (corals and fish). I waited to move my aquarium on the last day and the temperature drasticly changed on me. When you first get a chance to get into your new house. Set up as much new saltwater as possible, with the temp and salinity in check, this is a big mistake I didn't do. Try to keep everything warm as possible when moving. I went from Denver to Brighton and everything cooled down quick. If you can set your 40b back up or a large container for just a while without the sand, you will have time to work on creating your 100g the way you want. Things you might want to think about is placing some of your rock on small pieces of egg crate plastic. Then placing all your sand in with the sand from your 40g, then add water by pumping it in the tank using a plastic bag laid over the sand or plate as said above. You will be surprised on how little of a mess that is. Using the 2" pvc is very time consuming and still messy. I hope all goes well with your move.

 

[gpkozmp]

Thank you all for your adivse and wisdom. The move is not far at all as a matter of fact according to mapquest it is only, a 7 minute drive at 3.61 miles, so not far at all. We sign the lease on the 14th which is a Friday so that Saturday I might kick on the heat and bring the tank over. I will hopefully have the time to start adding the sand, rock, and water the way I have been instructed. Some things I will need for the move are 2 more 48" T5 reflector's, if nobody has them I am going to just get them from a local store that way I can have my 6 lights up and running right away. I have added pictures of my 40B to my build thread on here at least. I can't get onto scmas here at work but will up date when I get home.

Once again thank you everyone.

 

[murfman]

You might want to turn your heat up, on the running system, so that as it cools in transport it doesn't cross that threshold and get too cool.

 

[gpkozmp]

right now it is at 79...what would be the top out for me to get it too before everything gets stressed, or way too hot?

I am thinking of maybe turning it up 2 degrees a day until it reaches a specified temp.

 

[murfman]

82* max is where I would stop. another choice is to get an inverter and plug a heater in the tub you use to move the livestock.

 

[LooseHip]

82* max is where I would stop. another choice is to get an inverter and plug a heater in the tub you use to move the livestock.

murf,

How did the tank move go with deuce's tank? Did you end up using a kiddie pool? If so was it helpful? Wondering if that would be a good solution in this case. Grab the live stock and go! Place everything in a kiddie pool, then you can take your time moving the tank and equipment.

 

[murfman]

Dan lost some SPS in the move from Russ' house. The problem was he didn't anticipate an ammonia spike and didn't have the LR/skimmer to handle it till later. It was a cascading effect. Once the LR/skimmer placed, things leveled out. He ended up using a 300 gallon horse trough with rubber liner for a few days.

 

[LooseHip]

Dan lost some SPS in the move from Russ' house. The problem was he didn't anticipate an ammonia spike and didn't have the LR/skimmer to handle it till later. It was a cascading effect. Once the LR/skimmer placed, things leveled out. He ended up using a 300 gallon horse trough with rubber liner for a few days.

I had the same thing happen to me.. The ammonia spike hit 1.0 ppm! I didn't lose any fish from the spike, but I did lose quite a few corals...