Tank started leaking: Setting up new tank

[EthanHawaii]

Yesterday my 55 gallon reef aquarium leaked and I had to completely take down the tank, this happened at 9:30pm so I didn't have any fish stores to take them to, I had to house the fish in my sump, all the fish (pair of clowns and a melanurus wrasse) had to spend the night in the 20 gallon sump, they made it through the night well, and seeing as I'm going on vacation this sunday for a week I had to find a place to keep them for the time I'm away, so one of my fellow reefers has taken the fish and will keep them for a few weeks so I can get everything sorted out.

I'm assuming the silicone lost its seal on the bottom of the tank and I don't even want to try and repair the tank, so I will be ordering a new one when I get back, it will be a 55 gallon rectangle (instead of the IMO awful cube style tanks I had before) I have the live rock in one of my saltwater bins.

First question I have is should I have lights on the rocks so when I reuse the rock it won't make a serious ammonia spike in the new tank? So far the rock has been without light for around 40 hours.

Second question is can I reuse the 4 year old sand? I've read somewhere that it loses the ability to act as a phosphate sponge after awhile? If it could work to reuse the sand I was thinking about just washing it with water and then drying it out completely, is this a good method?

Lastly, after I set up the new tank, will I have to let it cycle? or will all of the live rock cycle it immediately? or basically when can I add my fish, LPS and SPS corals? I would be using new saltwater for the new tank.

Thanks
Ethan

 

[mcgyvr]

Rock/bacteria doesn't need light.. no problem keeping it dark..
I'd recommend starting back up with dry sand..
If you keep that rock in saltwater and use dry sand there will be no cycle..

 

[Elricsfate]

Another learning experience for me.... here's my question.

If the tank hadn't started leaking the sand would still be in the tank, and presumably continue to be used for God knows how long. So why did sand that was good in his tank yesterday become sand that wouldn't be good in a different tank tomorrow?

 

[EthanHawaii]

Rock/bacteria doesn't need light.. no problem keeping it dark..
I'd recommend starting back up with dry sand..
If you keep that rock in saltwater and use dry sand there will be no cycle..

Awesome, thanks! So even the SPS coral could go in immediately (obviously after the Cal, Meg and Alk are stable)?

 

[EthanHawaii]

Another learning experience for me.... here's my question.

If the tank hadn't started leaking the sand would still be in the tank, and presumably continue to be used for God knows how long. So why did sand that was good in his tank yesterday become sand that wouldn't be good in a different tank tomorrow?

I would defiantly be cleaning the sand (if I were to reuse it) and I think by drying the sand out afterward (because the sand had cyano and algae growing all over it) it would kill everything and it would be dead sand, and seeing as I need to get the fish and corals in a new tank as soon as posable I need to use live sand?

But honestly I don't see any reason why you couldn't reuse old sand if you weren't in a rush.

 

[cougareyes]

I recently had to do the same thing, luckily I was home and heard the tank crack. I just swapped everything to the new tank, rinsed through the sand with tank water. You may get a small ammonia spike from disturbing everything, but the established rock should immediately take care of it.

 

[EthanHawaii]

I have a melanurus wrasse and the aquarium I'm looking at is a 4' long 45 Gallon tank plus my 20 gallon sump, is this too small of a DP for the wrasse?

Thanks

 

[EthanHawaii]

I recently had to do the same thing, luckily I was home and heard the tank crack. I just swapped everything to the new tank, rinsed through the sand with tank water. You may get a small ammonia spike from disturbing everything, but the established rock should immediately take care of it.

Ok, thanks for the input.

 

[cougareyes]

That's probably right at the minimum for tank size.

 

[tkeracer619]

anything sand or rock that is left to dry out will have death in it that will foul it.

Keep the water in containers with a powerhead and a heater, it will be fine.

Sand has a lot of detritus and other stuff living inside it. If you dry it out, (or pile it up ion a bucket causing anaerobic areas) you will have to cycle it before you can use it because it is loaded with death.