equip/setup help and tips

[geee]

Hello all,

Need some help. I will try to not make this long
and difficult.

i have a brand new 75g tank and stand.
i am going upstate,an hour away, to buy a setup 55g
saltwater tank. the tank is still running and will be
taken apart when i arrive.

the tank i am buying consist of:
55lbs lr
50lbs ls
seaclone protein skimmer
1 hi-s ro unit (35gpd?)
1 powerhead (? name and size)
1 heater (? name and watts)
220 watt compact Fluorescent Lunar Light
and other assorted item, test kit, scrubber, etc...

Now my questions:

What Equip is missing, needs to be updated, or added upon?
How and when should i transfer all this stuff to the 75g which is
currently empty?
How should i move all this stuff back home?

I will be setting up a fowlr tank
Thanks in advance
Been a while since i setup a tank, 55g in 2003.
had to sell when i moved.

 

[geee]

Maybe i'm in the wrong forum?
Should i post this in new to the hobby?

 

[AZDesertRat]

That equipment is a good start. 220w of PC lighting will allow you to keep softies including mushrooms, zoanthids, zenia and leathers as well as some LPS like candy corals. The skimmer is pretty low end but will work until you have a larger bio load to deal with. The RO unit is a good one as long as it has been taken care of, has had its regular maintenance like filter replacements and not allowed to dry out. You will probably want to eventually add more live rock as a very general rule of thumb is 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon but again that can always come over time. That will get you enough sand for a decorative shallow sand bed. I have 330 lbs of sand in my 100G tank which is 60" long by 18" front to back and the sand is 5" deep for a comparison. Your 75 is probably 48" long x 18" so there is not a huge difference in size. You don't have to have a deep sand bed but it does make a system more stable especially for beginners.

 

[Bergovoy]

transporting will be fun.

Especially that distance

Take the rock out of the tank and put into a rubbermaid or other soft container and put the water from teh tank into that container. the water you can not get out of the sand will be sufficient for the trip.

You are missing afilter.

You dont mention the filter, but say the tank is up and running, so I wonder what it has? If not:



You can get a medium sized cannister filter, like teh rena xp 2 or 3

or you can go to a sump. You could actually use the smaller tank as a sump if if it fits somewhere. You dont have to hide the sump eitehr. Keep it kinda clean and it too is a biological exhibit.

you would need to pump water between the filter or the sump eitehr way.

 

[AZDesertRat]

With live rock and sand there is no need for a mechanical filter. I have not used a filter in 10 years.

 

[Slingshot]

N.Y.

N.Y.

Where are you picking up this tank? I live appx. 1 hour NW of Manhattan. I will be setting up my tank this weekend as well. I just picked up my 90gal. w/ stand this morning.

Dave

 

[Bergovoy]

did you have a sump or other 'biological ' filter?

 

[geee]

AZDesertRat:
will be purchasing a new skimmer soon.
the r/o unit has only been used 5 times.
do you think that one powerhead is sufficent?
Thanks for the help

Bergovoy:
I so look forward to transporting this, not.
will leave the sand in the tank with a little water.
rock in the rubbermaid tub.
no filter, i will rely on the rock and sand.
dont have sump but seriously considering one.
Thanks for the help

Slingshot:
It's actually 15 minutes into CT.

 

[geee]

Another question:

When i get back can i just transfer everything
into the new tank (rock, sand, water, equip, etc...) and then add new water everyday or should i start from scratch?

I am assuming everything should be fine after only an hour
of transportation.

 

[AZDesertRat]

You will probably experience a mini cycle but nothing like a full blown cycle with un cured rock. Powerheads and water movement can be added any time and money allows and as you add more circulation demanding corals or inhabitants. Soft corals don't require much at all but SOS stony corals like lots of flow.