So here it goes. My fiancé an I bought a home in August, and part of the deal with moving was I had to get rid of my two tanks at home (150 fowlr and 80 reef, needed money for down payment)
Fast forward a few months, I was content with just having a dog and enjoying the new house, a friend of mine who knows how much I like the hobby, decided to give me his already running 75 gallon tank, which had a few fish such as a small hippo, purple tang, gobies, clownfish etc.
He also had some coral, such as xenia, mushrooms and such. He gave me the tank, there was no other way I could afford it. I watched it run, and saw zero signs of ich, so I have added some fish over the month, being the tank was well cycled and had been running in his care for close to 5 years.
Knowing he never quarantined his fish, I figured something could be in there, so why bother now, and added some fish.
Well that got me some full blown ich. I have only purchased form LA and a local guy who runs copper all the time and who many would say have healthy fish.
It is a 75 gallon tank, about 70 lbs of live rock, sand, my params are : 1.025 sg, 79 degrees, 8.5 alk, 430 cal, 8.2 ph during the day, 8.0 at night. Amm. 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 10.
The tank is lit by two 400 watt halides and two t5 bulbs.
I have the following small fish: 2 inch Achilles tang (was given to me, I know this is too small for him) 3 inch purple tang (came part of the tank) 2 inch hippo(came with the tank, I wont list all fish for time purpose that came with tank) yellow wrasse, xmas wrasse, mystery wrasse, 2 percula clowns, magnifiient fox, blue throat trigger, big eye squirrel and damsels.
Most of these fish were with the tank when I acquired it.
To add to this mess, I have about 15 pieces of sps including acros, montis and stylos.
I have been thinking long and hard about a plan, and I have 3 options so far:
1. Do nothing, keep parameters excellent, feed often with garlic, and hope for the best. This was supposed to be a reef tank, for I didn't have the funds to buy a qt set up. Least favorable choice, something that a few have mentioned to me, not my style. Again, the sps are the priority, so coppering the tank is out.
2. Purchase a used tank off craigslist, big enough to accommodate these many small fish. Will probably be looking in the vicinity of 40-50 gallon, with 20 or so feet of cut pvc for hiding and surface area. No live rock, no sand, just pvc. Once all fish are in tank, copper the qt for 6 weeks, and remove. Before reintroducing them to display, the last two weeks or so, perform ttm on each fish, two at a time, until all are back in display.
3. Upgrade now. Buy a used 180 or 150 online, cycle it, slowly move my coral and rock into the new tank, no fish, and keep them in there, fishless for 8 weeks. Once all rock and sand is out of 75 (old tank), use it as a quarantine, copper and pvc.
They all have downfalls as I see it. The first is cruel, but I do not have unlimited funds, and its not my style to tank on a used tank. I did given the cicrumstances, for I have always lived at home, and was able to blow whatever cash I had on tanks, equipment etc. This was a charity move, and I took it.
The second one, scares me a bit, because there may be a limit to how much bacteria a 40 gallon tank can hold on to, especially with no live rock.
Third option, my priority is the coral, and I am afraid even if I let the new tank cycle, and slowly move established rock and coral into it, I could have some instability, and lost the coral.
I know there are no guarantees are best way. Again, I am a qt guy, however I was given this set up, and for the time being, was the only way I could afford to have it. In a perfect world, I would have set the tank up, put the existing fish in qt, then added them in, but that was my wallet making the decision.
Please advise. A new set up, assuming I get a tank for around 400, should cost me that and another return pump. The existing mp40s I have would come over with the coral, along with the 48 inch halide/t5 set up I have, and I could live with 1 foot shadows on the edges of a 6 foot tank. The sump and skimmer would also come over, so really I would be buy the glass and whatever 2x4s cost for the wood.
Fast forward a few months, I was content with just having a dog and enjoying the new house, a friend of mine who knows how much I like the hobby, decided to give me his already running 75 gallon tank, which had a few fish such as a small hippo, purple tang, gobies, clownfish etc.
He also had some coral, such as xenia, mushrooms and such. He gave me the tank, there was no other way I could afford it. I watched it run, and saw zero signs of ich, so I have added some fish over the month, being the tank was well cycled and had been running in his care for close to 5 years.
Knowing he never quarantined his fish, I figured something could be in there, so why bother now, and added some fish.
Well that got me some full blown ich. I have only purchased form LA and a local guy who runs copper all the time and who many would say have healthy fish.
It is a 75 gallon tank, about 70 lbs of live rock, sand, my params are : 1.025 sg, 79 degrees, 8.5 alk, 430 cal, 8.2 ph during the day, 8.0 at night. Amm. 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 10.
The tank is lit by two 400 watt halides and two t5 bulbs.
I have the following small fish: 2 inch Achilles tang (was given to me, I know this is too small for him) 3 inch purple tang (came part of the tank) 2 inch hippo(came with the tank, I wont list all fish for time purpose that came with tank) yellow wrasse, xmas wrasse, mystery wrasse, 2 percula clowns, magnifiient fox, blue throat trigger, big eye squirrel and damsels.
Most of these fish were with the tank when I acquired it.
To add to this mess, I have about 15 pieces of sps including acros, montis and stylos.
I have been thinking long and hard about a plan, and I have 3 options so far:
1. Do nothing, keep parameters excellent, feed often with garlic, and hope for the best. This was supposed to be a reef tank, for I didn't have the funds to buy a qt set up. Least favorable choice, something that a few have mentioned to me, not my style. Again, the sps are the priority, so coppering the tank is out.
2. Purchase a used tank off craigslist, big enough to accommodate these many small fish. Will probably be looking in the vicinity of 40-50 gallon, with 20 or so feet of cut pvc for hiding and surface area. No live rock, no sand, just pvc. Once all fish are in tank, copper the qt for 6 weeks, and remove. Before reintroducing them to display, the last two weeks or so, perform ttm on each fish, two at a time, until all are back in display.
3. Upgrade now. Buy a used 180 or 150 online, cycle it, slowly move my coral and rock into the new tank, no fish, and keep them in there, fishless for 8 weeks. Once all rock and sand is out of 75 (old tank), use it as a quarantine, copper and pvc.
They all have downfalls as I see it. The first is cruel, but I do not have unlimited funds, and its not my style to tank on a used tank. I did given the cicrumstances, for I have always lived at home, and was able to blow whatever cash I had on tanks, equipment etc. This was a charity move, and I took it.
The second one, scares me a bit, because there may be a limit to how much bacteria a 40 gallon tank can hold on to, especially with no live rock.
Third option, my priority is the coral, and I am afraid even if I let the new tank cycle, and slowly move established rock and coral into it, I could have some instability, and lost the coral.
I know there are no guarantees are best way. Again, I am a qt guy, however I was given this set up, and for the time being, was the only way I could afford to have it. In a perfect world, I would have set the tank up, put the existing fish in qt, then added them in, but that was my wallet making the decision.
Please advise. A new set up, assuming I get a tank for around 400, should cost me that and another return pump. The existing mp40s I have would come over with the coral, along with the 48 inch halide/t5 set up I have, and I could live with 1 foot shadows on the edges of a 6 foot tank. The sump and skimmer would also come over, so really I would be buy the glass and whatever 2x4s cost for the wood.
