Need advice, switching tanks.

P

Premiere Vapor

New member
Hey everyone, I have a few questions. I set up a new 20 gallon tank for a pair of clownfish. I bought some "œ cured rock "œ from a local guy, big mistake, now I have bubble algae that is out of control.
I have decided to set up a new 20 long.
I purchased some Reef Saver rock, chiseled it down, and glued my rock scape together. Will be picking up either a new 20l, or 29 gal next week.

Here's where I need some advice. Because this tank is infested with the bubble algae I don't want to seed the new tank with any media from it.
Attach20959_20160319_190901_zps1zhxmdff.jpg


I have had a small cyano problem in my 75 gal. so I don't want to use that to seed the new tank.
Attach20958_20160319_190901_zpsifqyka1i.jpg

What would be the best way to cycle the new tank so I can switch over the livestock asap.

Currently in the 20 gal ( the infested tank )



2 clownfish
1 firefish
1 chromis
1 BTA
1 Coral banded shrimp
5 nassarius snails
polyps
pulsing xenia

New rock scape
Attach20960_20160319_190901_zpsmaz0nwl9.jpg

So far I rinsed the rock, put it in a temporary tank to cycle on Monday ( the 14th )
Added a small piece of shrimp and a small bottle of bio-spira. 80 degrees, old HOB fliter minus the filter media for flow.
 
I would use some of the sand out of the established tank, probably from the upper portion of the sandbed. Put in some Live bacteria stuff found at your LFS. Let it run empty for a month or so. Take all your old infested rock, put in a rubbermaid container with tank water, add a powerhead, place lid on it and store in a dark area for a few months. Rinse out occasionally with water change water, after a few months it should be ready to use again.
 
I would skip the sand as it may harbor spores of the algae. Simply set up the new tank and cycle it. Dr. Tim's One and Only will greatly reduce the time of the cycle, but you could also simply add a dead raw shrimp or dose with pure ammonia to start the cycle. If you use pure ammonia, be sure to find some without surfactants (available at most hardware stores, I got mine at Ace Hardware) or perfumes. To be sure the ammonia does not contain surfactants shake the bottle and if it bubbles up like dish soap it has surfactants in it, pure ammonia will not have bubbles. To raise 100 gallons of water from 0 to 2 ppm ammonia you would need to add 0.8 grams (8 ml) of standard 10% pure ammonia.
Your aquascape looks great!
 
The tough part would be the rbta. I personally had good results with bio spira. Empty a bottle of that in your new tank with new sand and you should be good to go in a week.

I would just remove the infected rock and leave it to dry outside in the sun for a week or so and then use it
 
just buy an emerald crab. will do wonders on your bubble algae. yes crabs can eat fish, but with all that algae you will be good for years :)
 
I'd use some rock from the cyano tank. Cyano isn't a question of "seeding." Rather, it's in all tanks and there's no point in trying to keep it out.

If you like the shape of some of the bubbly rocks, you can dip them in peroxide and brush it in a separate bucket of water, repeat and use. They might not keep much cycling bacteria but a few dips will kill the algae.
 
I hate the tang police, but they are so right. Those are such beautiful fish. Have you ever seen one full grown or in a aquarium like 500+ gallon, I don't think they can swim much in a 4ft long tank.
 
I had the same situation with picking up live rock from a local reefer, got bubble algae, and man I was about to rip my tank apart. Then I got me an emerald crab that didn't seem to interested, so I got another one, and the second one is doing some damage to it but can't keep up. So I added two more and now it's under control. It's not gone, but it's under control to a point where I'm okay with it.
 
Yes I have about 4 emerald crabs in a 57. Only bought 1. Rest where hitch hikers Seem bubble algae on my tube anemone. So it has to be In my tank picked that off never seen it again. Just saying before you ripe your tank apart try. I also have a blue tang in a 57. I will admit won't last forever in such a small tank so you will have to be ready to rehome. Mine went from a quarter size to a 4 inch beauty in 6 months. Good luck
 
Rehoming is mostly a fantasy. People claim they will do it in order to justify buying a fish when they know better. Very few of those people will keep the fish alive long enough to admit they need a suitable home for it, and if they do they will be unable to find one. A hippo tang needs an 8 foot, 250 gallon tank. There's about 3 of them in my metropolitan area and none are chomping at the bit to take in all the adult tangs nobody wants. They're not in the business of cleaning up the messes of others, they curate their stock list carefully.

It's no different than someone who lives in a one-bedroom apartment but really likes Great Danes, so they buy a puppy intending to "rehome" it at the pound once it's grown.
 
90 precent of fish die with the first year I think I read someone. From your logic why not ban the tropical fish hobby. I don't tell people what they should or shouldn't buy. It's there tank there fish. My friend has 4 tangs in a 90 gallon tank all living for 4 years min with one living 7. So I guess I should tell him to get ride of them because you say its not possible to kept a blue,yellow,purple and Indian ( think that's the last one ) alive for more than a year in a 4 foot tank
 
Didn't you or did I misread that My friend keeps one in a 4 foot 90. It's why I finally gave in to my wife and bought a little one for her. I have noticed him nipping at my open brain if I don't put nori in my tank everyday
 
How can you say a fish that lives 5 years in a tank hasn't had a good life. Are you the fish whisper Plus living on a reef in constant fear of being eaten seems a lot worse life than living in my tank Just saying
 
I don't need to be a fish whisperer. The link I posted is tank size recommendations from expert reefers in this forum with decades and decades of combined experience keeping tangs and observing them in the wild. Your buddy doesn't really get to stick a feather in their cap for not killing their fish in 5 years, and their "success," while plausible, is not the most likely outcome.

You are advising people to take a chance that they will be the special snowflake tank. I'm presenting realistic outcomes.

This section of the forum is for new reefers. Encouraging them to ignore best practices in favor of what they want to hear is feckless. You are presenting "rehoming" as a plausible solution without knowing whether they even know someone with a big tank. You are saying I might as well ban reefing. You are saying that the fish is better off in an undersized tank than the wild. These are tired arguments. They are all the excuses people make when they want to do the wrong thing.
 
So keeping a hippo tang alive and growing isn't something to brag about. How long you been keeping fish alive. Just want to know. I been in this hobby 34 years trust me experts change there stories every now and then. I think I still have my undergravel filter
 
I've been keeping fish about a year and a half.
Are you running the UGF, or is it collecting dust in the garage?
I do respect your experience, but no. Keeping a hippo in a 90 is no more brag-worthy than keeping a Great Dane in a one bedroom. Can and should are two different things. And even if you do manage not to starve or worry the Great Dane to death in an apartment, recomending that others repeat your folly is irresponsible.
 
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