Tank Transfer Process

[pdiehm]

So this is what I'm planning on doing, with dates. Please advise if I'm missing something.

Equipment:

2 10 gallon tanks
PVC pieces for each tank
50W heater for each tank
Powerhead for each tank

6/9/2015: Remove 25 gallons of water from my 120 gallon display (trying to get nitrates down, part of my 25 gallon change twice a week). STORE this water in a 32 gallon brute.

Set up a 10 gallon tank, with pvc, heater, and powerhead overnight.

6/10/2015: Go to store (Not petco or petsmart) and get 2 occellaris clownfish. Hopefully 1 is larger than the other.

Acclimate via drip if salinity and temp is different from store. My water typically runs 1.023-1.025.

By 8pm or so, place in 10 gallon aquarium. This is Transfer #1.

6/12/2015: Set up 10 gallon #2 with water from water change that I stored. Heater, Powerhead, PVC, let sit overnight and come to temperature. This should leave me 5 gallons left from original change, however, This is also the day of a 25 gallon water change, so I will keep 20 gallons.

6/13/2015 at 6:00am:

Transfer #2. This transfer will also include a praziquantel dosing. Clean out and sterilize tank #1 equipment and let dry.

6/15/2015: Prepare Tank #1 with water, heater, pvc, powerhead with water. Remaining water from water change after tank prep is 15 gallons.

6/16/2015 at 6:00am:

Transfer #3. Sterilize Tank #2 and equipment. Let air dry.

6/18/2015:

Set up Tank #2 for transfer #4 with stored water from water change.

6/19/2015 at 6:00am:

Transfer #4. Dose with Praziquantel.

6/22/2015 at 6:00am:

Move fish to permanent QT tank for 30 day observation.

7/21/2015:

Move fish to BioCube display tank.

Expected water changes on source tank:

6/9 - Store 25 gallons
6/12 - Discard
6/15 - Store 20 gallons
6/16 - Discard
6/19 - store 20 gallons for observation QT
6/22


I have 1 light for the 10 gallon tanks, but made an egg crate lid for each.

20 gallon observation QT has egg crate lid, and cheap 18" single bulb fluorescent light.

Medicine on hand:

Praziquantel
Paraguard
Cupramine (with Seachem Cupramine test kit)
Metro Tablets

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Not necessary to do transfer at 6 am, unless that's convenient for you. As long as transfers occur in less than 72 hours you are fine. I personally do not use a power head for aeration during TT, too many internally hidden places crypto can hide and you don't know if it's thoroughly dry. No need for a light, ambient room light is fine.

 

[pdiehm]

6 am is convenient. Having said that, 3 of the 4 transfers occur either on the weekend or a day that I work from home.

Right now, 6/9 is when we are getting the fish. Only day this week that is viable. Called last night and the SG of the tank water is .023, and mine yesterday at test was .023-.024.

6/9 - Figure 7pm addition.
6/12 - Work from home, transfer at like 8-9am. Prazi dose
6/15 - Work from Home, Transfer at like 8am
6/18 - In office, up at 5:45am anyhow, transfer while wife is in the shower, so 6-6:30. Prazi Dose.
6/21 - Sunday, will wake up early, do the transfer to main QT for 30 days
7/21 - Transfer to Biocube 29.

I added the powerhead to add some movement and maintain oxygen levels. Some people run sponge filters, but I just have a heater, some pvc, and the powerhead. If the powerhead isn't needed to maintain oxygen levels (or if O2 level will be fine for 70-72 hours) then I'll remove it.

 

[MellowReefer]

You need something for oxygen and to circulate the water. The best thing that most people are doing is using those inexpensive air pumps with some airline tubing and airstones. Have 4 airstones and tubing so you don't have to worry about them drying completely.

 

[MellowReefer]

No matter what the store says, measure the salinity yourself and then compare to your water. If their water is higher you should add RODI to yours to get to the same level. If yours is lower than theirs it's okay, just temp acclimate.

 

[Spar]

6 am is convenient. Having said that, 3 of the 4 transfers occur either on the weekend or a day that I work from home.

Right now, 6/9 is when we are getting the fish. Only day this week that is viable. Called last night and the SG of the tank water is .023, and mine yesterday at test was .023-.024.

6/9 - Figure 7pm addition.
6/12 - Work from home, transfer at like 8-9am. Prazi dose
6/15 - Work from Home, Transfer at like 8am
6/18 - In office, up at 5:45am anyhow, transfer while wife is in the shower, so 6-6:30. Prazi Dose.
6/21 - Sunday, will wake up early, do the transfer to main QT for 30 days
7/21 - Transfer to Biocube 29.

I added the powerhead to add some movement and maintain oxygen levels. Some people run sponge filters, but I just have a heater, some pvc, and the powerhead. If the powerhead isn't needed to maintain oxygen levels (or if O2 level will be fine for 70-72 hours) then I'll remove it.

Plan looks good. Just make sure on that Sunday to wake up around 6-6:30am as well so you don't go over by much. I'm sure you planned to anyway, but just noticed you didn't have a time posted as you did on other days.... just in case

I am also not a fan of powerheads for TTM. Just airstones alone will provide more than enough O2.

 

[pdiehm]

Yeah, I had a bad experience with an airstone breaking apart, not to mention I don't really have an airpump and the boss is not real happy with me buying something for the tank everytime we go out

I need to buy food, so I may get a cheapo pump and a 4 pack of stones. who knows what petco has.

 

[pdiehm]

Got a pair of Occelaris Clowns. First place I went to was closed (seriously who closes at 6pm?). Went to another place , and saw a pair of Percula, but the smaller one had a bit of a ragged tail fin, and the larger one had what looked to be a small piece of white fuzzy on its bottom lip...for $28.99, I wasn't paying for sick fish, and with this being my first saltwater fish ever, I wanted something healthy that I didn't have to nurse back to health.

Stopped at Petco, not to buy fish, but get some supplies, and my stepson called me over, and they had about 12 occelaris clowns in the tank. One wasn't because the middle stripe went about halfway, but in the back right corner there was a pair and did everything together. Watched them for about 25-30 minutes, and then asked the guy to feed tank. He looked at me like I was green, and did feed them. The pair ate like pigs. Kept watching them, eyes clear, fins in great shape, no fungus that I am able to detect. I bought em. Wasn't my first choice of places to buy, but they looked healthy.

Salinity was 1.022-1.023, my tank is 1.023-1.024, so I floated the bag for about 20 minutes to acclimate to temperature, and then over the course of 30 minutes added 1/2 cup of water to the bag. Released into the 10gallon tank. And here we are.

in 47 hours, 51 minutes, the transfer to tank #2 will occur, and dose with praziquantel. Checked on them this morning and they were doing great. put in a little bit of brine shrimp, and they didn't know what to do, and took some courage to go up to the surface to get it, but they at least ate a little bit. Will put some flakes in tonight.

Observed them, no indication of ich (the cardinal tetra's my kiddo got there, of the 10, 8 had ich within 12 hours, 6 died - this was before I knew about quarantining fish). The funny thing is the guy at Petco told me, oh, you don't need to quarantine these guys.

Yeah right.

 

[hotelbravo]

the petco suppliers have a bad rep for selling clowns with deformities so if your goal is to breed these two clowns make sure they arent deformed. if they are just going to be in there for enjoyment only then its no big deal. the deformities can be very subtle. perhaps a few upclose pictures of them posted in the clownfish section will shed some light.
otherwise you sound like your doing everything right good luck and keep us updated!

 

[pdiehm]

First transfer complete.

Was sooner than 72 hours, probably closer to 60, but given my schedule the next few days, I had to do it early to make sure the others are done at 70-71 hours.

Lightly feeding this stage because of the dosing with Prazipro. Can't use prime for an ammonia spike for next 3 days (at least from my understanding).

Used a medium square colander, worked fairly well. Cleaned the tank with hot water, cleaned heater, pvc and thermometer with hot water. Currently have a fan blowing on the tank to dry it.

Repeating process on Monday morning. No signs of Ich at this point. 3 more transfers to go.