emergency tank move questions

[Briney Dave]

While my students were cleaning and scraping off a little coraline on their 27 hex one of the seals between glass panels was cut to the point were it is now leaking slowly.

I have a couple questions about making a move

Background info: 4 inch very fine grain sand bed, 50 lbs of live rock (very good stuff too)
mostly zoes and related with a couple sps corals. One Clarki clown (killed the other)
coral life 65 gal skimmer, one hang on filter loaded with charcoal
one sweeper power head in use.
lighting is one of those suspended M/H 250 watt 20,000k little square jobs

first: we have extra 20's and 55's around to use; I am not a big fan of either to be totally honest, but will have to pick. I am leaning toward the 55 but concerned about lighting.

what do you (all think)

Second: do I try to move the sand bed? I am worried about toxins being released.

move sand? replace sand? or bare bottom which I have never tried before

I would really love to have a cube or similar stlye which would fit where the current tank is much better than the other tanks but we can not afford to buy one. We do have some 20 and 55 trade options if someone was interested


please help if you can
thanks
Briney

 

[stevestank]

I just set up a 125 with rock and sand out of other tanks. Take your water down to the point you are left with wet sand at the bottom. Have someone remove the rock and livestock and place them into buckets. Start a powerhead to keep circulation and oxy in the buckets with live things. Scoop out the live sand from your 27 and perhaps add a new bag of sand to your 55. Run your fingers through the new and old sand on the bottom of the 55 to mix up the biodiversity. Place a big piece of liverock in the center of the 55 and pour pitchers of water very slowly over the rock and try not to disturb the sand very much. Find enough buckets or a big rubbermaid container to make up plenty of RO salt water. The sand will cloud up the water a little. run a filter for a couple hours. Watch your temperature and specific gravity closely during the transfer of livestock from the buckets into the main tank. Take a cup of water out of the bucket and dump it into the tank... take a cup of water out of the tank and dump it into the bucket over and over again until bucket water quality is very close to the tank.

250 MH should be fine for a 55. Shoot for 4 to 6 watts per gallon. You are hitting 4.5. Make sure light loving corals are closer to the top of your water column. Everything should work out. I didn't lose anything a couple weeks ago when I did everything explained above. However, I did stir up enough phosphates and silicates to feed some cyanobacteria (red slime). I went to battle with that and winning slow but sure.

 

[carman9941]

I would just fix the leak with silicone

 

[Briney Dave]

not absolutely sure where the leak is and it would have to be on the inside to apply without the pressure and more water keeping the goo from curing.

I guess I will go with the 55 and add some extra sand
put it on top, mix it in, bottom?

I really worry about the output of anaerobic bacteria of the deep sand areas

 

[stevestank]

You will have no anaerobic bacteria with a bare bottom. Unfortunately, you will have to re-establish your bacteria beds once they remain oxygen free for a period of time. Once you xfer the sand, the anaerobic bacteria will be exposed to oxygen and will lose some (if not all) of their de-nitrating ability. You need to take care of your nitrates somehow. I use a sump with calurpa and Chaeto. I suggest you purchase a nitrate absorbing pillow to place in your hang on filter until your sand bed becomes established again. An extra water change or two over the next few weeks might be beneficial... just don't disturb your sand bed.

 

[Briney Dave]

I will have to disturb it to move it and that was on my mind. none of the spare tanks are drilled to allow for a sump and refu nor does the club have the money for a hand on refu. I really like the idea but with the hex there were no room or really any need since I did weekly water changes. The 55 is much bigger and will induce more of the big tank issues that were not planed for in the orginal design.

IF I go to a 55 the move will likely be for good and not a switch back once the hex is fixed. I hate the idea of constantly moving creatures, live rock and sand.

I have never had a tank releak after repair but....

Briney

 

[stevestank]

You can always repair without disturbing your sand bed... Consider the following:

With a few inexpensive items and a little time you can easily repair small or minor leaks in a glass aquarium using these simple instructions from your Guides.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 12 to 24 hours
Here's How:

1. Locate the exact source of the leak and mark it with a felt tip marker.
2. Reduce the water level in the tank until the leak stops.
3. Thoroughly dry and clean the area of and around the leak with a paper towel, or soft cloth.
4. With the razor blade, scrape the existing silicone from the leaking area, and an additional one inch area around the source of the leak.
5. Clean the scraped area with the acetone applied to a paper towel, being careful not to over staturate it or allow any acetone to run or drip down into the aquarium, and let dry for a few minutes.
6. Apply the silicone sealant to the cleaned area, working it into the glass joint area.
7. Allow the silicone to cure for at least 12 hours, 24 is better.
8. Refill the tank with water to the desired level.
9. Check to see if the repair worked and the leak has stopped.

Tips:

1. Not all sealants are suitable for aquarium use. Use only non-toxic 100% silicone sealants, such All-Glass® brand.
2. Pinpoint the exact location of the leak. Water will be at the bottom of the tank (gravity rules), but most likely the source of the leak will be somewhere else up higher or sideways along the joint or seam.
3. If patching the leak from the outside of the tank does not stop the leak, try patching it from the inside.
4. If patching the leak from the inside does not work, follow the "How To Repair Major Leaks or Replace Broken Glass" instructions. (See link below)

What You Need:

* 100% Silicone Sealant
* Acetone
* Single Edged Razor Blades
* Paper Towels
* Felt Tip Marker
* Tank Replacement Water

 

[itZme]

Briney,
I have a 29g AGA tank that I drilled with a 1" bulkhead and has an iron stand with a 20g long that I sectioned off for a sump/fuge below it. They are both 30" tanks and you can have them for your school if you would like them. I was keeping them running for a quarantine setup but I would rather see your school have a safe place to put your livestock and have no nitrate issues than have another unused tank around here. They are currently full of sand/macro in the fuge and crushed coral in the display. There are tons of mysid shrimp, amphipods, brittle stars, bristle worms in there and it would be fun for the students to get to see these creatures in addition to the regular tank inhabitants. The whole thing is about 15 months established but I removed the rock.

As far as lighting the 55g with a single pendant, you could get by like that but most companies recommend a 24" coverage per pendant so you would have to choose to center it on your tank or offset it to one side. The center of a 55g has that lovely plastic brace to deal with. If you raise the light up a few more inches it would cover more area but less PAR at the bottom and also more light spilling into the room.

Please let me know if you would like this complete working setup. You can even have the 526gph return pump if you want it. I had a Remora skimmer on the sump and it has worked great for over a year now. I also have a brother who is a science teacher and is interested in having a smaller setup in his classroom but I didn't have lighting and stuff for him so if you have any spare PC/VHO lighting on a 10g/20g or similar nano-sized tank and would like to donate it to his school we could just make a swap.

If you are afraid of using the hex anymore and it will just sit empty I could try to reseal it and put it to use (possibly in his class)

I will PM my phone number to you in case you decide to go for it. I will not be able to get on the computer until late tonight so I will not be able to check PMs.

-- Kevin

 

[stevestank]

You rock Kevin. I was hoping someone with a spare tank would offer one up. I just sold all of mine or I would have. Good people here on this site.

 

[Briney Dave]

Kevin, you rock indeed!!!!

I will Pm you to inquire directions and best times to pick up

Briney

 

[Briney Dave]

Thanks to Kevin, I now have a larger replacement with a sump
Everything has been moved over and I am mopping up the spills lol.

Next week I will try to post a few pics to show off Kevin's very generous donation and my students hard work of moving and resetting up.

Briney

 

[GSMguy]

ohio reefers stick together i guess that is awsome

 

[Briney Dave]

that is for sure.
What I have learned off this group has been passed on to a very large number of possible future reef keepers