New 800 Gallon system...should I hypo entire system??

[Mr J&J]

I am in the process of setting up a new FOWLR system at my office. Tank is about 600 gallons with 200 more in the sump. I will be posting a full build in the next month, but for now I have a dilema. I currently have a 210 gallon reef tank and I am moving all of the fish to the new tank. I have battled ich over the years (as most of us have) and have been successful in beating it. Now taht I am moving the fish, i'm sure they still carry it. The rock going in the new system is all dry Marco rock. So here's my thought...why not Hypo the entire system from the get go, put the fish in the display tank and leave it that way for a few months? I figure all ich (in whatever stage) will die and there won't be any damage to the rock since it's all dry. All new fish will go through a VERY extensive QT process before getting into the display tank. This build has gotten crazy, to the point where I built an 8'x20' fish roof...LOL. Anyway, I am determined to make sure I do this right and never allow ich in.

So I'd like to hear from people who really know whether this is a good idea or not.

 

[snorvich]

I would tank transfer all fish to obviate ich.

 

[Deinonych]

I would tank transfer all fish to obviate ich.

+1

If the goal is to ensure Crypto never enters the system, then Tank Transfer is the best method.

 

[Mr J&J]

i really have no experience with TTM. I have about 20 fish to move over, a few are over a foot long and one of them is over 18" long...not sure this is viable. Is there any downside to my idea? I do have 2-75gal QT's i could also run copper in, but i'm not sure I need to do that for these fish.

 

[lagatbezan]

Tough situation. Doing hypo properly is really hard since you have to maintain a constant sg of 1.009 the entire time. A little more evaporation in a single day and the whole process has to be reset and restarted from day one. If you going to go that route make sure you have a correctly calibrated refractometer and a auto top of system to keep the water level constant. Also got to keep an eye on your ph at that low sg.
Tank transfer is much easier and safer to do and is what I always do. You can do it with a couple of fish at the same time and then transferring them to the new system. If done properly it can be done in as little as 12 days and you can use the two 75g tanks that you currently have. Just got to make sure you have two of every equipment like heater, pumps and power heads.

 

[Mr J&J]

the system has a very good ato and i use a Milwaukee refractometer so i have that covered. i can do water changes to hold the ph. my biggest concern with the TTM is making sure everything is dry. the 75 gal tanks each will have 2 biowheel filers system on them. those are almost impossible to get 100% dry. I can remove them for the TTM b/ it doesn't seem that i will need them for the 3 days. I will just buy a powerhead for each tank.

 

[snorvich]

the system has a very good ato and i use a Milwaukee refractometer so i have that covered. i can do water changes to hold the ph. my biggest concern with the TTM is making sure everything is dry. the 75 gal tanks each will have 2 biowheel filers system on them. those are almost impossible to get 100% dry. I can remove them for the TTM b/ it doesn't seem that i will need them for the 3 days. I will just buy a powerhead for each tank.

Do not assume for the purposes of hypo that a Milwaukee refractometer is any more accurate than a non-digital analog one. Air dry is critical for TTM but you would not need biowheel filters. Just add Prime on day 2.

 

[Breadman03]

With the funds you have in the build, you might consider buying a couple Rubbermaid stock tanks in the 150-200 gallon range for those big fish. They're cheap, tough, and would be quite useful to you as an ATO reservoir and mixing tank afterward.

 

[Dmorty217]

Do not assume for the purposes of hypo that a Milwaukee refractometer is any more accurate than a non-digital analog one. Air dry is critical for TTM but you would not need biowheel filters. Just add Prime on day 2.

+1 also there are strains of ich that are resistant to hypo. I know several who have done hypo for over 30 days and put something that is 100% ich free (from Tank Transfer Method) but develop ich anyway from the hypo not working

 

[snorvich]

+1 also there are strains of ich that are resistant to hypo. I know several who have done hypo for over 30 days and put something that is 100% ich free (from Tank Transfer Method) but develop ich anyway from the hypo not working

Since hypo only works on the infective stage of the cryptocaryon irritans life cycle, and since the back end of the life cycle is not deterministic (unlike the front end of the life cycle, which is highly deterministic), the length of time for hypo is pretty iffy. Also, as mentioned, there are strains of the parasite which are hyposaline indifferent.

 

[Mr J&J]

Ok, I'll do the TTM…you have all convinced me. Bio wheels are out, so now I need to understand what I need for equipment. Powerhead, heater…what else. I will probably get a few large rubbermaid units to do this in, however the fish tank room is all set on water reserve. We have a 200 gallon saltwater system and 100 gallon freshwater. What's the smallest gallon container I can put an 18" fish in…lol.

Actually, I think I can just do all the fish in a 150 gallon container simultaneously…plus my life will be easy. Thoughts? There seems to be a ton of links to the TTM process, can someone point me to one for what I'm doing.

I appreciate all the help. I've been doing this for 20 years and guess I still have lots to learn

 

[snorvich]

Tank Transfer Process

 

[Mr J&J]

Perfect, thanks so much!!!

I do have a few follow up questions:

1) Is there any reason why I can't use Brut trash barrels?
2) I will assume no lights in the containers?
3) If I am reading correctly, the only real equipment I need is a heater, power head and air stone? If I am using a trash barrel, do I need the power head?
4) I have ZERO existing safe water to use, so it will all be freshly made. Somewhere it was mentioned to just use Prime on day 2...can you elaborate on this so I fully understand it? Why day 2? Is it needed?
5) B/ I've had these fish for many years, is it necessary to watch them in the QT for another month or can I just place them in the new tank? The only reason I am going through this is to make sure the new system has ZERO ich introduced.

Thank you in advance.

 

[snorvich]

Perfect, thanks so much!!!

I do have a few follow up questions:

1) Is there any reason why I can't use Brut trash barrels? many do
2) I will assume no lights in the containers? not required but not a problem
3) If I am reading correctly, the only real equipment I need is a heater, power head and air stone? If I am using a trash barrel, do I need the power head? yes, for adding oxygen to the water. Also you need prime (or similar) for ammonia control
4) I have ZERO existing safe water to use, so it will all be freshly made. Somewhere it was mentioned to just use Prime on day 2...can you elaborate on this so I fully understand it? Why day 2? Is it needed? With newly made water, there will be no ammonia but after a day of feeding there will be and prime negates it for the remainder of the cycle
5) B/ I've had these fish for many years, is it necessary to watch them in the QT for another month or can I just place them in the new tank? The only reason I am going through this is to make sure the new system has ZERO ich introduced. they can go directly into the new tank; as such make sure the SG of your water is the same so only temperature acclimation may be needed

Thank you in advance.

always a pleasure